I DO A BIT of translation work as well as banging out copy and pictures, er I mean producing high-quality bespoke editorial solutions.
Often this takes the form of turning a rough English translation into ‘proper’ English (or even American English) or just proof-reading the words of a non-native English speaker.
In fact, Balts usually speak much better English than they seem to believe they do. I’m often surprised at the easy way they incorporate all sorts of English euphemisms and colloquialisms in a way that is way beyond my abilities in the opposite direction.
But I do notice some significant differences in the approach to language in general. Latvians and Lithuanians (not so much the stern Estonians) seem far less reticent about adopting a self-consciously ‘poetic’ tone than English speakers. This can cause big problems during translation as what sounds like heightened language in Latvian for instance just sounds pretentious or so saccharine-sweet that you can feel your teeth decaying as you read.
