Account

Company

  Menu
Large Image

Share This

Description

People speak different languages, and always have. The Ancient Greeks took no notice of anything unless it was said in Greek; the Romans made everyone speak Latin; and in India, people learned their neighbours' languages - as did many ordinary Europeans in times past. But today, we all use translation to cope with the diversity of languages. Without translation there would be no world news, not much of a reading list in any subject at college, no repair manuals for cars or planes, and we wouldn't even be able to put together flat pack furniture.

Is That a Fish in Your Ear? ranges across the whole of human experience, from foreign films to philosophy, to show why translation is at the heart of what we do and who we are. What's the difference between translating unprepared natural speech, and translating Madame Bovary? How do you translate a joke? What's the difference between a native tongue and a learned one? Can you translate between any pair of languages, or only between some? What really goes on when world leaders speak at the UN? Can machines ever replace human translators, and if not, why? The biggest question is how do we ever really know that we've grasped what anybody else says - in our own language or in another? Surprising, witty and written with great joie de vivre, this book is all about us, and how we understand each other.

Tag This Book

This Book Has Been Tagged
It hasn't. Be the first to tag this book!

Our Recommendation

Track It. This book has been £3.99 within the past year.

Notify Me When The Price...

  • £
  • If I'm already tracking this book...

to track this book on eReaderIQ.

Track These Authors

to track David Bellos on eReaderIQ.

  • to be notified each time the price drops on any book by David Bellos.
  • to stop tracking David Bellos.

Price Summary

  • We started tracking this book on October 4, 2011.
  • This book was £11.99 when we started tracking it.
  • The price of this book has changed 47 times in the past 4,805 days.
  • The current price of this book is £5.99 last checked 2 hours ago.
  • This book is at its lowest price in the past 90 days.
  • This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past six months is £4.99.
  • This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is £3.99.
  • The lowest price to date was £3.95 last reached on August 5, 2014.
  • This book has been £3.95 one time since we started tracking it.
  • The highest price to date was £11.99 last reached on May 13, 2012.
  • This book has been £11.99 5 times since we started tracking it.

Genres

Additional Info

  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Lending: Disabled
  • Print Length: 384 Pages
  • File Size: 1,338 KB

We last verified the price of this book about 2 hours ago. At that time, the price was £5.99. This price is subject to change. The price displayed on the Amazon.co.uk website at the time of purchase is the price you will pay for this book. Please confirm the price before making any purchases.