This has appeared: it is indeed odd how ‘readable’ it is. Would something similar work in eg Polish? I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in what oerdr […]
Remember flying the Gay Rights Flag in Poland? Read this one if you haven’t done so previously – it’s a belter. Now a vibrant new edgy FCO public diplomacy issue emerges: when is it OK for a senior British diplomat to use the s*** word during a radio phone-in programme […]
In case you have not yet had enough about FCO foreign language policy, here’s my first full piece for the Daily Telegraph (ie newspaper + website) on the subject, distinguished on many levels but above all for craftily slipping some words of Serbian into the piece to show how clever […]
Here is a scary piece at the Telegraph bewailing the supposed decline in British diplomats’ foreign language skills. Which draws on some information extracted from the FCO by a Parliamentary Question. And quotes me: Charles Crawford, the former British ambassador to Poland and a speaker of Serbian, Russian, Afrikaans and French has […]
Here’s a fine example of how high-level foreign language skills come in handy when the interpreter deliberately doesn’t translate what has been said to protect her boss from his own impatience: After Bosnia’s first post-conflict elections in 1996, the Contact Group Ambassadors led by High Representative Carl Bildt had to […]
Imagine you’re a senior executive. Then imagine that you have a Problem. You have to address a major conference in SE Asia next week. Public speaking is not your favourite thing. You need some serious senior advice about local sensibilities to make sure you make no ghastly gaffes. Plus the presentation […]
The sad news that the Archbishop of Canterbury is standing down reminds us of this towering achievement. It’s not just that Iowahawk had the idea. It’s the energy and sustained brilliance of the execution, plus the grim unerring accuracy of the satire. Sit back, add some absorbent materials to your […]
I have written something for Telegraph Blogs about Trust in Europe (and scorpions). I’l put up the link when there is one. It refers to this piece by Matthias Machnig, which, strive as I do, I simply cannot understand: Economic growth has reached the limits of what is ecologically viable. […]
Over at the Commentator I have been offering some thoughts on grammar and good English: What to make of this claim that grammar lacks "encoded rules"? First, the trivial logic point. It does not follow that because a language evolves and is necessarily always changing, there is not at any […]
Leading UK journalist Angus Roxburgh has written a book about Putin and Putinism, drawing on his extensive experience in Russia (including a stint as a media adviser to the Putin team): The book is good in revealing all sorts of fascinating stories about the Putin period. My favourite is the […]
