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French to English: Design for a new school General field: Other Detailed field: Architecture
Source text - French CHATELLERAULT
L’école est le lieu de la représentation de l’enseignement : lien essentiel du savoir. Elle a pour mission d’aider chaque enfant à grandir et à conquérir son autonomie en lui apportant les apprentissages fondamentaux. Nous avons essayé dans ce projet d’apporter une part de curiosité et d’envie aux enfants. Leur donner un espace vivant, c’est déjà les guider vers la découverte de leur environnement et des autres.
Pour se faire nous avons développé le projet en strates.
La première est un socle ancré dans le site, il révèle la topographie du lieu et son histoire. Il est également le point de départ de notre réflexion sur la requalification urbaine.
La seconde se caractérise par une volumétrie segmentée, propice à une porosité nécessaire aux fonctions d’accueil du bâtiment.
La dernière prend la forme d’un monolithe rectangulaire qui redessine précisément l’îlot pour affirmer la présence de l’édifice public.
L’ensemble entre en écho par opposition de matérialité, de pesanteur et de légèreté, d’intimité et d’ouverture sur le territoire.
Cette stratification du projet est une réponse simple au programme. Au RDC, de plain pied, l’école maternelle, à l’étage l’école élémentaire. A chaque niveau son école et à chaque école ses espaces extérieurs.
1- UN SOCLE, l’espace public
C’est le positionnement stratégique de l’ancien bastion à l’angle de la cité qui à dicté l’intégration urbaine et paysagère du projet de groupe scolaire en bord de Vienne au carrefour du centre ville médiévale de l’urbanisation des 18 et 19eme siècles et des faubourgs de Châtellerault. Cette géographie particulière, la topographie, les vestiges archéologiques et les contraintes liées à l’eau ont donné cette forme en éperon à notre proposition d’aménagement. En intégrant la nouvelle école sur un « plateau » unitaire, cela nous à permis de rassembler des éléments et des usages hétérogènes afin de donner la perception du site dans son ensemble et d’agrafer l’ilot au centre ville et au boulevard. Un alignement de platane structure l’esplanade et donne une cohérence au site à l’échelle urbaine alors que des bosquets aux formes libres nous rappel la proximité de la Vienne dans une cohérence d’ensemble.
2- UNE POROSITE, l’école maternelle.
Au rez-de-chaussée, le volume bâti est évidé sur toute sa périphérie. Le volume initial se découpe et se creuse pour que l’on imagine son organisation, sa structure programmatique.
Au nord, le vide créé ménage un large parvis couvert. En relation par le mail avec les déposes minute, Il est un élément premier du projet depuis lequel chaque enfant accède à l’entrée de son école. Elles sont ainsi clairement identifiées et sécurisées.
C’est également un espace protégé des intempéries propice à l’attente et à la rencontre des parents d’élèves.
A l’ouest c’est le préau qui prend place en transition entre l’école maternelle et sa cour. Cet espace de récréation est clairement délimité par un mur grade corps. Sa grande largeur permet de limiter sa hauteur tout en garantissant la sécurité des enfants et la vue vers le grand paysage et la rive opposée de la Vienne. La limite entre la cour et le belvédère est elle doublée par un traitement de massif paysager assurant la mise à distance nécessaire entre les enfants et les tiers.
Au sud, une extension des salles de classes reprend la forme et la fonction d’une contrescarpe en proposant un cheminement extérieur vers la cour. Ce retrait de façade ménage un vide nécessaire entre les salles de classe et la rue Orillard. En surplomb de celle-ci les espaces d’enseignement conservent leur intimité et leur quiétude.
Enfin à l’est les différents retraits permettent la constitution d’une cour de service pour le service de la restauration ainsi que l’accès des agents.
La porosité du RDC déjà naissante avec ce périmètre tronqué est amplifiée par l’organisation interne des espaces. La circulation principale de l’école maternelle et le patio redessine 4 parallélépipèdes implantés en peigne. Deux d’entre eux, formants l’angle sud-ouest, constituent les entités fonctionnelles de l’école maternelle. A l’extrémité Est c’est la restauration qui prend place. Situées entre les deux ce sont les fonctions mutualisés des écoles, à savoir : les bureaux de direction, qui contrôlent parfaitement les deux halls et le parvis, et la bibliothèque qui forment ainsi une liaison pédagogique et physique entre les deux écoles. Chaque école bénéficient égalent d’un accès directe depuis son hall ou sa circulation vers les espaces de restauration. Tout ceci permet une organisation claire et rationnelle du groupe scolaire.
Bibliothèque et restauration s’ouvrent sur le patio, jardin essentiellement minéral pour un minimum d’entretien. A l’image des jardins zen japonais le sol constitué de galets souligne les quelques éléments végétaux pour leur conférer une présence accrue. Ce caractère minimaliste est aussi la meilleure façon de garantir un éclairage naturel confortable dans les salles qui le jouxte.
La matérialité du rez-de-chaussée est caractérisée par son bardage en métal oxydé rappel d’un savoir faire et du patrimoine industriel de la ville issue des manufactures d’armes.
3- UN MONOLITHE, l’école élémentaire.
L’école élémentaire occupe toute la surface de l’étage. La partie construite est un volume compact bordé d’un coté par la cour et de l’autre par des jardins pédagogiques. Le soleil et la lumière arrive en son centre par un patio autour duquel la circulation organise les différentes entités programmatiques.
Voila résumé en trois lignes le fonctionnement de l’école, efficacité.
La cour de récréation est un espace particulier à mi chemin entre le cloître que dessine le préau périphérique et le papier à musique scandé par la façade rythmé en lames de pierre de Haims. Les différentes orientations données à ces ailettes verticales permettent un jeu en constante évolution entre ce qui est vu et ce qui ne l’est pas, entre ce qui est dans la lumière et ce qui est dans l’ombre.
A travers ce dispositif les enfants redécouvrent sans cesse des fragments de paysages et c’est leur imaginaire qui en recrée la totalité. De la même manière si la volumétrie stricte du projet semble le figer c’est bien un bâtiment en mouvement qui apparaît au piéton. Au fil de sa promenade des perspectives et des transparences vont s’ouvrir, des espaces vont se laisser découvrir, un fragment de ciel va nous apparaître, et l’instant d’après déjà notre perception aura changée. C‘est par ce principe cinétique que le bâtiment acquiert une légèreté plus subtile soulignée par l’étage en porte à faux.
A l’extrémité du bâtiment, face à l’hôtel Alaman, les salles de classes se prolongent vers l’extérieur. Ces espaces intimistes, privilégiées pour une pratique pédagogique hors les murs viennent en complément de la cour et de son caractère récréatif. Ce que nous avons appelé jardin du savoir, permettent, le temps d’une activité de prodiguer un enseignement au grand air ! C’est là que tout a commencé, au pied d’un arbre.
Plusieurs thématiques sont proposées, l’arbre à contes propice à la lecture, le biotope pour découvrir flore et faune aquatique, le jardin pédagogique pour appréhender les saisons, la table de travaux pratiques ou encore l’amphithéâtre pour des préalables plus théoriques.
Au final, par sa volumétrie et le traitement de ses façades, il nous semble que c’est un bâtiment qui se laisse partiellement découvrir, qu’il donne envie d’en savoir plus, y rentrer pour voir de quoi il est vraiment fait.
CONCLUSION
Quel doit être l’image d’un bâtiment public au cœur d’un système urbain chargé d’histoire ?
Comment garantir l’intégration d’une construction dans son environnement tout en recherchant une nouvelle image pour la ville ?
Au-delà d’une simple réponse contextuelle, le projet doit être celui d’un bâtiment qui sonne juste dans son rôle. Nous avons donc voulu que sa qualité plastique soit intimement liée aux usages.
Pour caractériser l’image de l’édifice public que sera se nouveau groupe scolaire nous proposons une enveloppe monolithique à la fois puissante et calme. Son traitement sobre en pierre local et en métallerie est le témoin d’un bâtiment ancré dans son site et dans son histoire.
L’école à pour nous ce devoir de solennité.
Translation - English CHATELLERAULT
A school is the embodiment of education, the essential link in the acquisition of knowledge. Its mission is to help all children grow and become independent by giving them the fundamental skills they need. In this project we have tried to encourage curiosity and desire in the children. By giving them a living space, we are guiding them towards discovering their own environment and that of others.
In order to achieve this we have designed the project in several strata.
The first is a plinth anchored in the site. It reveals the topography of the locality and its history, and is also the starting point for our reflections on urban renewal.
The second is characterised by a segmented volumetric architecture, offering the transparency necessary for the reception functions of the building.
The last takes the form of a rectangular monolith which precisely redraws the outlines of the plot to declare the presence of the public building.
The whole offers a series of echoes in its contrasting materials, heaviness and lightness, intimacy and openness to the surrounding area.
This stratification of the project is a simple response to the programme. On the ground floor is the single-level nursery school and on the first floor the elementary school. Each level has its own school and each school has its own outside space.
1- A PLINTH, the public space
It was the strategic position of the ancient fortification at the corner of the city that dictated the urban and landscaping integration of the school project on the banks of the Vienne, at the crossroads of the medieval town centre, the 18th and 19th century townscape and the outskirts of Châtellerault. This particular geography, the topography, the archaeological relics, and the constraints caused by the water were the motivating force behind the particular form our proposals took. By integrating the new school on a unitary ‘plateau’ we were able to bring together heterogeneous elements and uses to present the site as a whole and to tie the island plot into the town centre and the boulevard. An avenue of plane trees gives structure to the esplanade and coherence to the site on an urban scale, while natural shaped copses remind us of the proximity of the River Vienne within a coherent whole.
2- A TRANSPARENCY, the nursery school.
On the ground floor, the built volume is hollowed out around the whole of its periphery. The initial volume is silhouetted and deepened so that its organisation and planned structure can be imagined.
To the north, the space created is given over to a wide covered forecourt. Linked to the avenue by a drop-off area, this is a major element of the project from which each child will gain entry to his or her school. They can therefore be clearly seen and given secure entry.
It is also a space affording protection from bad weather to parents waiting for and meeting their children.
To the west is the covered play area which provides a transition between the nursery school and its playground. This recreational space is clearly bounded by a wall. Its great width enables its height to be limited while guaranteeing the safety of the children and the view of the open countryside and the opposite bank of the Vienne. The boundary between the playground and the belvedere is doubled by the provision of landscaped beds ensuring the necessary distance between the children and other people.
To the south a classroom extension has the form and function of a counterscarp as it offers an external pathway to the playground. This façade set back provides a necessary space between the classrooms and Rue Orillard. Overhanging this street, the teaching spaces retain their intimacy and quiet.
Finally, to the east the different areas set back facilitate the provision of a service yard for access for catering facilities as well as for staff.
The transparency of the ground floor, which is already in evidence in this truncated perimeter, is amplified by the organisation of the internal space. The main traffic of the nursery school and the patio forms 4 parallelepipeds in comb formation. Two of them, forming the south-west corner, constitute the functional entities of the nursery school. At the eastern end are the catering facilities. Located between these two areas are the shared school services, that is, the management offices, which have full view of both halls and the forecourt, and the library. These therefore form a pedagogical and physical link between the two schools. Each school also has the benefit of direct access from its hall or its areas of traffic to the catering facilities. All this allows for clear and logical organisation of each school.
The library and the catering facilities open onto the patio, which is an essentially hard-surfaced area for minimal maintenance. Similar to Japanese zen gardens, the pebble ground accentuates the few plant elements and gives them increased presence. This minimalist character is also the best way of ensuring comfortable natural lighting in the adjoining rooms.
The physical appearance of the ground floor is characterised by its sheath of oxidised metal, reminiscent of the industrial heritage and skills of the town, which was known for its manufacture of armaments.
3- A MONOLITH, the elementary school.
The elementary school occupies the whole of the upper storey. The built section is a compact volume with the playground on one side and school gardens on the other. Sun and light stream into its centre from a patio around which flows the traffic of its various functions.
Here in brief is how the school functions and its effectiveness.
The playground is a very special space, halfway between a cloister delimited by a peripheral covered walk and musical notation whose rhythms are marked on the façade in strips of Haims stone. The different orientations of these vertical fins provide a constantly evolving play on the seen and the unseen, on what is in light and what is in shade.
Through this arrangement the children are constantly rediscovering fragments of landscapes and their imagination recreates the whole. Similarly, although the strict volumetric architecture of the project seems to hold it still, what the passer-by sees is a building in movement. As he walks around, perspectives and visions open up and present themselves, a piece of sky appears to us and our perception is suddenly changed. It is by this kinetic principle that the building acquires a more subtle lightness, emphasised by the cantilevered upper storey.
At the end of the building, opposite the Alaman Hotel, the classrooms continue to the outside. These intimate spaces, specially created for outdoor learning, complement the playground and its recreational character.. What we have called a garden of knowledge allows for teaching to be extended and developed in the open air! That is where everything began, at the foot of a tree.
Several uses are suggested, such as a story tree for reading, a biotope to learn about aquatic flora and fauna, a pedagogical garden to study the seasons, a place for craft work or an amphitheatre for theoretical explanations.
Finally, because of its volumetric design and the treatment given to its façades, it seems to us that this is a building which to some extent lets itself be discovered and creates a desire to know more and to go back to see what it is really made of.
CONCLUSION
What should be the image of a public building in the midst of an urban setting rich with history?
How can we ensure that the building is integrated into its environment while seeking to give the town a new image?
The project should go beyond a mere contextual response and aim for a building which strikes just the right note for its role. We therefore wanted its visual qualities to be intrinsically linked to its uses.
To distinguish the image of the public building that this new school complex will be, we suggest a monolithic sheath which will exude both power and calm. Its sober treatment in local stone and metalwork speaks of a building firmly anchored in its site and its history.
For us the school is owed this duty of formality.
French to English: Article from Le Figaro 17/09/2009 (abridged) General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: Journalism
Source text - French L’UMP se réjouit de l’embarras du PS afin d’oublier une « rentrée dure »
« Si elle n’existait pas, nous ferions tout pour l’inventer, s’amuse le porte-parole de l’UMP Dominique Paillé. Ségolène Royal est notre meilleure alliée. » Dans les rangs de la majorité, on s’amuse toujours autant à observer l’ex-candidate à la présidentielle. Nicolas Sarkozy, le premier, lui a lancé « un grand merci », mardi devant les députés UMP réunis à l’Élysée. « Décidément, elle a décidé de m’aider », a-t-il ajouté en évoquant l’opposition de Royal à la mise en place de la taxe carbone.
Mais ce sont surtout le feuilleton de l’élection de premier secrétaire du PS et la guerre sourde que se livrent Martine Aubry et Ségolène Royal qui font les délices de la Rue Boétie. « Ils voulaient donner l’impression d’une sérénité retrouvé, mais le répit entre eux est toujours de courte durée », constate le secrétaire général de l’UMP Xavier Bertrand. Principale satisfaction à ses yeux : « Ce nouveau rebondissement a complètement tué l’idée des primaires socialistes » pour désigner
un candidat pour 2012. « Plus personne ne peut avoir confiance en un vote organisé par le PS », ajoute-t-il.
Controverses sur la taxe carbone et le ticket hospitalier, abandon des tests ADN…Alors que la rentrée de la majorité est marquée par de nombreux couacs et se révèle même « dure » selon Nicolas Sarkozy, les derniers déboires du PS viennent à point nommé pour détourner l’attention.
« Nous prions pour sainte Ségolène »
« Quand le ciel s’assombrit pour nous, nous prions sainte Ségolène, elle arrive et tout va tout de suite mieux », résume Paillé. Celui qui fut son rival dans les Deux-Sèvres livre un conseil : « Le PS est très malade et il ne s’en sortira que s’il parvient à éradiquer ce virus qui s’appelle Ségolène Royal. » « Je plains surtout les militants et les électeurs socialistes qui ne sont pas près de voir le bout de cette histoire, ajoute l’autre porte-parole de l’UMP Frédéric Lefebvre. Royal, c’est l’éternel retour. Elle me fait penser à un diable qui sort de la boîte pour mieux faire semblant de disparaître ensuite. »
Translation - English French government forget their own troubles by enjoying the misfortunes of the Opposition
‘If Ségolène Royal didn’t exist we’d have to invent her. She’s our best asset’, joked Dominique Paillé, spokesperson for the UMP, France’s ruling conservative party. Throughout the government they continue to find amusement in watching this ex-candidate for the presidency from the rival PS (Parti Socialiste) party. Nicloas Sarkozy was the first to thank her effusively last Tuesday at a meeting of his UMP MPs at the Elysée Palace, and added, ‘She really has decided to help me’, referring to Royal’s opposition to carbon tax.
But at UMP Headquarters they are having even more fun with the on-going saga of the election to the post of First Secretary in the PS, and the cold war between the two candidates, Martine Aubry and Ségolène Royal. Xavier Bertrand, the UMP’s Secretary General, claimed that they (the PS) wanted to present a front of renewed calm but that any such peace amongst them was always short-lived. He claimed that the best thing about these latest developments was that they had completely ruled out any hope the socialists might have of producing an electable candidate in the first-round elections in2012. ‘No-one can now have any confidence in a vote organised by the PS’, he added.
The beginning of the new term of office for the ruling conservatives has suffered several setbacks, such as disagreements about carbon tax and about patients’ contributions to medical costs, not to mention the backtracking over DNA tests. Nicolas Sarkozy himself has even described it as a difficult time, so the latest trials of the PS are perfectly timed to distract attention elsewhere.
‘When our fortunes look bleak, we pray to Saint Ségolène, then there she is and everything is all better again’, continued Paillé. He has this advice for Royal, his former rival in the département of Deux-Sèvres: ‘The PS is very sick and it will not recover unless it manages to eradicate the virus called Ségolène Royal.’ The other UMP spokesperson, Frédéric Lefebvre, added, ’I am particularly sorry for socialist activists and electors, who are nowhere near the end of their sorry saga. Royal just will not go away. She reminds me of a conjuror’s assistant who springs out of the box just to make her subsequent disappearance look more credible to the audience’.
Spanish to English: Advice to businesses in the event of a flu pandemic General field: Medical Detailed field: Safety
Source text - Spanish GUÍA PARA LA ELABORACIÓN DEL
PLAN DE ACTUACIÓN DE LAS EMPRESAS O CENTROS DE TRABAJO FRENTE A EMERGENCIAS
PANDEMIA DE GRIPE
JULIO 2009
I. INTRODUCCIÓN
Esta guía pretende ser una herramienta de ayuda para que las empresas o centros de trabajo desarrollen sus planes de actuación en el contexto del Plan Nacional de Preparación y Respuesta ante una Pandemia de Gripe. Este Plan, presentado en mayo de 2005, y actualizado en 2006, describe las actividades que se deberían preparar para responder a una posible pandemia de gripe aviar H5N1, siguiendo las recomendaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) que, en abril de 2005, había presentado un Plan con el objetivo de que en todos los países se desarrollaran actividades similares para hacer frente a los riesgos para la salud pública.
En el momento actual, el Ministerio de Sanidad y Política Social, en continua comunicación con la OMS y las autoridades europeas, está coordinando con las autoridades sanitarias de las Comunidades Autónomas, la actualización del Plan de la Pandemia de Gripe a las características y situación epidemiológica provocada por el nuevo virus de la gripe A(H1N1). En este sentido esta Guía para la elaboración del Plan de Actuación de las Empresas o Centros de Trabajo Frente a Emergencias – Pandemia de Gripe, supone la actualización y adaptación a la situación actual del documento Plan de Continuidad de las Empresas Frente a Emergencias, elaborado en febrero del 2007.
La preparación frente a una pandemia es una responsabilidad compartida de toda la sociedad. Las autoridades sanitarias nacionales y autonómicas, en coordinación con los organismos internacionales competentes, están trabajando para disminuir el impacto de una pandemia de gripe en España. Conocer las actuaciones de las autoridades sanitarias respecto a los planes de preparación frente a la pandemia, así como la colaboración con ellas, permitirá a las empresas o centros de trabajo disponer de una información útil para hacer frente al posible impacto de la pandemia de gripe en sus empresas o centros de trabajo y elaborar sus propios planes de actuación.
Estos planes son de especial importancia en los sectores llamados “esenciales”, dado que es necesario garantizar el mantenimiento y la operatividad de las infraestructuras críticas para el funcionamiento del país.
En este sentido, esta Guía es una actualización de la Guía para la Elaboración del Plan de Continuidad de las Empresas Frente a Emergencias (versión de febrero 2007 del Plan Nacional) y pretende ser una ayuda para las empresas o centros de trabajo en la preparación de sus actuaciones frente a una pandemia de gripe, sin establecer nuevas obligaciones ni, por supuesto, trasladar responsabilidades de las administraciones sanitarias de Salud Pública a las empresas o centros de trabajo. No obstante, el entendimiento entre el Gobierno y el sector empresarial permite compartir información, desarrollar y poner en marcha planes y acciones de preparación frente a la pandemia.
Translation - English GUIDE TO DRAWING UP AN EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
FOR BUSINESSES OR PLACES OF WORK
FACING AN INFLUENZA PANDEMIC
JULY 2009
I. INTRODUCTION
This guide is intended to help businesses or places of work develop their action plans in the context of the National Plan of Preparation for and Response to an Influenza Pandemic. This Plan, launched in May 2005 and updated in 2006, describes the actions which should be taken in preparation for dealing with a possible pandemic of avian influenza (H5N1), according to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which presented a Plan in April 2005 with the aim of ensuring that similar approaches be developed in all countries in order to confront the risks to public health.
Currently, the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Policy, in constant communication with the WHO and with European authorities, is working with the health authorities of the Spanish regions to update the Influenza Pandemic Plan to take into account the characteristics and epidemiological situation presented by the new influenza virus A(H1N1). This Guide to producing a Plan of Action in Businesses or Places of Work in the face of Emergencies – Influenza Pandemic, presupposes that the Plan for Business Continuity in Emergency Situations, drawn up in February 2007, will have been updated and adapted to the current situation.
Preparation for a pandemic is a responsibility shared throughout society. The Spanish national and regional health authorities, in conjunction with the appropriate international agencies, are striving to reduce the impact an influenza pandemic would have on Spain. An awareness of what the health authorities are doing to prepare for a pandemic, together with mutual collaboration, will allow businesses and places of work to acquire useful information with which to confront the possible impact of an influenza pandemic on their businesses and places of work and to draw up their own action plans.
These plans are particularly important in the essential services sector, as it is imperative to guarantee the maintenance and functioning of the country’s critical infrastructure.
To this end, this Guide is an update to the Guide to Producing Plans for Business Continuity in Emergency Situations (February 2007 version of the National Plan) and is intended to help businesses and workplaces prepare their action plans to confront an influenza pandemic, without imposing new obligations or, of course, transferring responsibilities from the Public Health authorities to businesses or workplaces. Nevertheless, an understanding between Government and the business sector will allow information to be shared, and action plans and preparations to be developed and put in place to confront the pandemic.
Spanish to English: From a book by a Spanish chef on current trends in food General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: Food & Drink
Source text - Spanish El progreso y los tomates
Winston Churchill escribió en marzo de 1952 para la revista Popular Mechanics un artículo apuntando al futuro a cincuenta años vista. Describía la gran transformación que tenía lugar la¬mentándose de que la gran masa de los seres humanos no había podido reconocerla. Las tareas de la vida práctica no les dejaban tiempo suficiente para vivirla. Con una mirada retrospectiva de los últimos cien años y con capacidad de ver el presente, conse¬guirían percibir la enorme revolución de las cosas materiales, de los aparatos científicos, en las instituciones políticas, en el pen¬samiento y en las costumbres.
El mundo occidental estaba cambiando a gran velocidad. En Es¬tados Unidos y en Europa, a pesar de que esta última salía de una guerra y tenía que ir a un ritmo inferior, las comodidades con¬seguidas se hacían evidentes, pero no así el agradecimiento por parte de la ciudadanía. El género humano, decía Churchill, a lo largo de la historia ha avanzado y también retrocedido, en algu¬nos lugares se ha mantenido estático, como fue el caso de China y la India durante siglos. En Occidente el progreso se concebía como un hecho normal, sin voluntad de renunciar a nada, aun¬que era evidente que en un siglo se avanzó más que en toda la historia. El avance más espectacular era en la ciencia.
El avance de la ciencia hasta nuestros días ha sido imparable. Gracias a ello podemos entender mejor cómo son la Tierra y el Universo, también cómo es la especie humana. Biológicamente hemos conseguido alargar nuestras vidas, la vejez es concebida de otra manera. Podemos modelar nuestro futuro con medidas encaminadas a provocar un cambio positivo de hábitos en ma¬teria de salud y alimentación en beneficio del interés colectivo.
Solamente con ojear los medios informativos, constatamos que estos temas ocupan espacios importantes. El acceso al espacio, el control productivo de nuevas energías, entre ellas la atómica, aportan a los científicos grandes responsabilidades. Como con¬secuencia de tanto progreso material, han surgido nuevos pro¬blemas que requerirán de grandes soluciones para el planeta Tie¬rra. El calentamiento global parece ser una de las mayores pre¬ocupaciones actuales, pues a nadie se le oculta que puede gene¬rar catástrofes impredecibles, además de alterar las temporadas habituales de frutas, verduras y hortalizas.
Podemos pensar que tantos razonamientos u observaciones ge¬neralistas son innecesarios, cuando en realidad lo que le preocu¬pa a la cocina es la calidad de los tomates o las lechugas, pero los científicos coincidirán conmigo en que sin una visión global de la realidad, las aportaciones para solucionar los grandes temas de hoy pasan por resolver problemas que tienen su origen en el de¬sequilibrio entre continentes y civilizaciones. Las soluciones sólo pueden venir desde múltiples orígenes, desde todas las discipli¬nas y proyectarse en muchas direcciones. No hay una solución sin comprender ni dialogar, desde la cocina también descubrimos la existencia de realidades ingratas e indeseables, pero no sabemos cómo ayudar a cambiar la cocina para que sea solidaria y soste¬nible. Se aconseja para tal fin tomar caminos para llegar a modi¬ficar la dirección emprendida en los últimos años e investigar, por caminos de diálogo, la unión de las relaciones experimentales de los productos con el ejercicio práctico de una profesión que ne¬cesita hoy más que nunca de la ética. La desorientación entre pro¬fesionales se hace patente cuando se opta por ejecutar cocinas sin tradición ni producto por temor a quedar aparcadas en la carre¬ra de ver quién tiene más exposición mediática.
Nuestra realidad normal sería cocinar con buenos tomates. Un producto tan común y accesible nos servirá para analizar el mo¬mento en que vivimos, incluso a través de un sofrito; así vere¬mos como, por falta de coherencia y responsabilidad, estamos en¬gordando una sociedad insostenible porque produce tomates sin respetar la tierra, las variedades más antiguas y la mejor época para plantarlas. El abuso de pesticidas no consigue preservar los tomates de posibles enfermedades parasitarias. La sobrepro¬ducción a que estamos sometiendo la naturaleza nos lleva a una pérdida progresiva de sabores como consecuencia de absurdas manipulaciones, genéticas o no, para conseguir tomates más re¬sistentes al transporte, para controlar su proceso de maduración y mantenerlos con un aspecto «bonito» para consumo intempo¬ral. No se trata de que en Suecia o Canadá no tengan derecho a comer tomates; el problema es que en estos momentos nosotros no tenemos derecho a comer otros tomates que no sean los des¬tinados a la exportación. Nos alejamos de la calidad al ritmo del falso progreso.
Translation - English Progress and tomatoes
Winston Churchill wrote an article in March 1952 for the magazine Popular Mechanics, looking to the future over the next fifty years. He described the huge changes which were taking place, and regretted that the great mass of humanity had not been in a position to notice them. Coping with everyday life took up too much time for people to really live it. If they could look back over the previous hundred years and see the present at the same time, they would realise how very much things had changed in the areas of material goods, scientific gadgets, political institutions, thought and customs.
The western world was changing very rapidly. In the United States and in Europe, even though the latter was still recovering from a war and obliged to develop at a slower pace, things were clearly becoming more comfortable, although the gratitude of the general public was not so evident. Throughout history, said Churchill, the human condition has advanced or regressed, and in some places remained static, as it did for centuries in China and India. In the West progress came to be seen as a given, with people unwilling to forgo anything they had achieved. It was obvious, all the same, that things had progressed more in one century than in the whole of history. The most spectacular advances were in science.
The progress of science up to the present day has been unstoppable. This has enabled us to understand the nature of the Earth and of the Universe, as well as that of the human race, much better. We have been able to lengthen our life-span and our attitude towards old age has changed. We can design our future by taking deliberate measures to bring about positive changes in habits which affect our health and nutrition, to the benefit of the whole of society.
A simple glance through the media will tell us that these topics attract a lot of attention. Access to outer space, as well as the successful management of alternative energy, including nuclear, puts great responsibility onto our scientists. As a result of so much material progress, new problems have arisen, which will require large-scale solutions for the sake of planet Earth. Global warming seems to be one of the major current preoccupations, as everyone is aware that it can cause unpredictable disasters, as well as alter the usual seasons for fruit and vegetables.
We may think that so much reasoning or generalising is superfluous, when what really matters in cooking is the quality of the lettuce or tomatoes. However, scientists will agree with me that without a global view of reality, attempts to solve today’s major issues will have to work through problems whose original cause lies in the imbalance between continents and peoples. Solutions can only come from a great variety of sources, from all disciplines, and they can have many ramifications. There is no solution without seeking to understand and share ideas. We in the kitchen also come across unpleasant and undesirable truths, but we do not know how to help change cooking to make it sustainable and fair for all. We are advised to take steps towards such aims by modifying the direction our profession has taken in recent years and by investigating, through dialogue, the relationship between experimentation with products and the practical exercise of a profession which needs more than ever to be ethical. Confusion between pro¬fessionals becomes obvious when they start choosing to produce cuisine with neither tradition nor quality ingredients for fear of being left behind in the race to see who can gain most media exposure.
Cooking with good tomatoes should be something we could take for granted. This everyday and easy-to-find product, used as a basis for so many dishes, can help us to analyse the times in which we are living. It will show us how, through lack of coherence and responsibility, we are creating an inflated and unsustainable society, because it produces tomatoes without showing any respect for the earth, the oldest varieties or the best season for planting them. The abuse of pesticides does not guarantee that tomatoes will stay free from diseases caused by parasites. The overproduction which we are forcing upon nature is leading us to a progressive loss of flavour as a result of absurd modifications, whether genetic or not. These are intended to produce tomatoes which can stand up to transportation better, to control their ripening and to keep them looking ‘nice’ for whenever they might be eaten. I am not saying that people in Sweden or Canada do not have a right to eat tomatoes. The problem is that we ourselves no longer have a right to eat any tomatoes other than those destined for export. As we make this spurious progress, so we move further away from quality.
French to English: First paragraph of a short story General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: Poetry & Literature
Source text - French Raoul Larigote avait le vin mauvais et pas seulement parce qu'il buvait du mauvais vin. Non, il n'aimait pas être dérangé, tout simplement. D'autant que là, il était quand même chez lui. Dans la rue peut-être, mais chez lui. Deux ans qu'il défendait jalousement son petit coin de quai sous l'arche du pont de l'Abbé Rézina, qu'il avait aménagé de bric et de broc, bien à l'abri des courants d'air entre son mur de poubelle récupérées dans les rues avoisinantes et ce gros buisson de ronces où l'été, il ramassait des mûres. Deux ans que tous les jours, en début d'après-midi, il cuvait sa première cuite de la journée avant de retourner faire la manche à l'heure de la sortie des bureaux. Alors qu'est-ce que c'était que cette grand-mère qui venait le réveiller en le titillant du bout de sa canne ?
Translation - English Raoul Larigote had turned nasty after drinking and not only because he drank nasty wine. No, he did not like being disturbed, that was all. Especially as he was in his own home. In the street, maybe, but in his own home. For two years he had jealously defended his little piece of the embankment under the arches of Abbé Rézina Bridge, which he had fitted out with random objects, well sheltered from draughts between his wall of dustbins taken from the surrounding streets and the big bramble bush where he picked blackberries in summer. Two years of spending every afternoon sleeping off his first bender of the day before going back out to beg when the offices emptied. So who was this old biddy who was waking him up by poking him with the end of her stick?
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Translation education
Master's degree - University of Leeds
Experience
Years of experience: 14. Registered at ProZ.com: Aug 2010. Became a member: Sep 2010.
French to English (Institute of Translation and Interpreting) French to English (University of Leeds) French to English (MACITS (Leeds)) Spanish to English (Institute of Translation and Interpreting) Spanish to English (University of Leeds)
Spanish to English (MACITS (Leeds)) Spanish to English (EU Interpreter Accreditation) French to English (EU Interpreter Accreditation)
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Software
Adobe Acrobat, memoQ, MemSource Cloud, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office Pro, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint
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CV available upon request
Bio
I completed a Masters in Conference Interpreting and Translation Studies at the University of Leeds (French and Spanish into English) in 2009-2010, following many years teaching languages.
I successfully studied Translation Modules in the following text-types: Journalistic; Business and Administration; Scientific and Technical; Literary.
In Interpretation I successfully completed Consecutive and Simultaneous Interpreting from both languages.
I began to work as a freelance translator/interpreter in 2010, and have translated EU and UN documents on gender equality, immigration, disability and projects in the developing world; texts in marketing and journalism, including market research, copywriting and advertising film scripts; and projects related to architecture, art, history, gastronomy and culture. I have translated for several major museums in France and elsewhere, including many audio guides.
I have also translated academic papers for publishing on the web in the fields of sociology, politics, history and anthropology.
I have undertaken various literary translations including short stories for adults and children and sample chapters for publishers. I have translated two books, an autobiography and a book about the Palace of the Popes in Avignon.
In July 2011 I passed the EU inter-institutional interpreter accreditation tests and I have interpreted for institutions such as the European Parliament and the Scottish Parliament. I also have experience as a Public Service interpreter, working mainly with local legal companies.
Prior to doing the Masters course I taught French and Spanish for many years at secondary level.
I also have considerable experience of media relations and PR and edited a bi-monthly magazine for many years. In my younger years I spent several years doing freelance journalism (radio and press) in my spare time and I also have experience of copy-writing.
Keywords: French, Spanish, journalism, current affairs, EU accreditation, EU documents, arts, culture, tourism, museums. See more.French, Spanish, journalism, current affairs, EU accreditation, EU documents, arts, culture, tourism, museums, marketing, literature, education, lifestyle, gastronomy. See less.
Member since Sep '10
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