Around the World: Halloween [USA; Ireland; Canada]

Halloween, one of the world's oldest holidays, is still celebrated today in several countries around the globe. The autumn rite is commemorated in the United Kingdom, although with a surprising and distinctive British twist. In Mexico, Latin America, and Spain, All Souls' Day, the third day of the three-day Hallowmas observance, is the most important part of the celebration for many people. In Ireland and Canada, Halloween, which was once a frightening and superstitious time of year, is celebrated much as it is in the United States, with trick-or-treating, costume parties, and fun for all ages. (1)

The word itself, "Halloween," actually has its origins in the Catholic Church. It comes from a contracted corruption of All Hallows Eve. November 1, "All Hollows Day" (or "All Saints Day"), is a Catholic day of observance in honor of saints. But, in the 5th century BC, in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31. The holiday was called Samhain (pronounced sow-in), which means "end of summer", the Celtic New year. (1)

Not everybody joining in the Samhain celebrations was necessarily human ... or of our world. The night from October 31st to November 1st was a time "between years" to the Celts. And during this time the borders between our world and the otherworld(s) were flexible and open. (2)

Sources:

(1) The origin of Halloween lies in Celtic Ireland in Irish Genealogy Toolkit :)

(2) Samhain - A Very Irish Feast, The Roots of Halloween in Celtic Ireland in Go Ireland ;)

A way of life.

It takes more than having two hands to be a good pianist.
It takes more than knowing two languages to be a good translator or interpreter.

Here is a taste of an interesting article about interpreters, published on PsychologyToday by François Grosjean on his blog Life as a Bilingual, where you can find many interesting posts on the subject.

"Have you ever sat down in an interpreter's booth, put on the headphones and tried to interpret the incoming speech? I did when I was a young and rather naive student who thought that being bilingual meant one could interpret simultaneously. No sooner had I started that problems arrived. As I was outputting the first sentence, the second one was already coming in but I hadn't paid enough attention to it. I remembered its beginning but not its ending. Very quickly I fell behind and I just couldn't say anything more after a few minutes!
Many years later I still remember the scene vividly and because of it, but also because of my own research on the perception and production of speech, I have the utmost respect for interpreters and the training they have to go through to do their job well." (...) (continue reading)

References
Valdés, Guadalupe (2003). Expanding Definitions of Giftedness: The Case of Young Interpreters from Immigrant Communities. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum. Grosjean, François. Special bilinguals. Chapter 13 of Grosjean, François (2010). Bilingual: Life and Reality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

AMTS 2011

The annual Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Show (AMTS) returns to Dayton tomorrow and the following day, Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20, courtesy of the Dayton Tooling and Manufacturing Association (DTMA).

The region's only annual advanced manufacturing and technology-specific trade show presents a unique opportunity to network, assess trends and review new technologies. Vocalink is once again present and we look forward to seeing you there. Look for us in Stand 1201 - turn left as you go in the Expo Center and we are the stand before last on your right side (map here).

Location: Dayton Airport Expo Center
Dates: October 19 & 20, 2011
Hours: 10:00 am to 08:00 pm
Parking and admission are free.