An ancient pagan festival that later became Christian.
In the Christian religion, this festival corresponds to the presentation of Jesus in the temple. In France and Belgium, it is still celebrated in churches on 02 February. It is only on this day that the nativity scene is removed.
But for the uninitiated, it’s more like “Pancake Day”, a tradition that originated in Rome, where Pope Gelasius I had pancakes distributed to pilgrims arriving in the city.
In Belgium, on the Flemish side, Candlemas is known as “Maria-Lichtmis”, because on this day, all the candles in the house are lit and the tradition is to flip pancakes with the right hand, while holding a gold coin in the left. If the pancake falls correctly into the pan, prosperity will be assured throughout the year.
But the kings of the pancake are the Bretons! In Brittany, the pancake is served in 1001 flavours, with honey, sugar, caramel or butter, or with pastis, rum or orange blossom. To each their own! But if there’s one thing the Bretons are unanimous about, it’s “No Candlemas without a bowl of cider”. In Brittany, pancakes can also be eaten savoury. In this case it’s called a buckwheat flour Galette. In any case, however you like to eat it, the advantage of Brittany is that Candlemas can be enjoyed all year round!
Traditionally, the deadline for sending New Year’s greetings is 31 January. After that date, it will be too late! So you’ve still got a few days left to send your greetings to friends, colleagues, clients, etc.
Here are a few words, phrases/expressions to help you:
You can’t imagine how much a bad translation will cost you !
Would you like to have your website, brochure, catalogue, etc. translated? Then you need a professional translator. But how do you make the right choice? The qualities of a good translator include the following:
Professional translators only translate into their mother tongue;
A good translator is specialised or experienced in the target field;
He interacts with the client to ascertain needs, expectations, the target audience and the objectives of the text;
He respects deadlines and the confidentiality of your documents and data;
If you need official documents translated (civil deeds, diplomas, etc.), make sure the translator is sworn.
But that’s not all! Finally, beware of prices that are too low, as there is a risk that the work will be botched to the detriment of quality.
Totally unexpected, I got to know Jeroen SWEIJEN via Facebook in January 2023. He is Dutch, lives in Brittany, barely 4 km from my door, and writes travel guides about Brittany in Dutch. But he also writes articles for the magazine Maison en France – Gens au boulot about other Belgians and Dutch who left their homeland to live and work in France. Below you can read what he wrote about me in the first issue of 2023:
Translating is a technical profession requiring a lot of skills and know-how. To obtain a professional translation, the translator must follow several steps, both before and after the translation itself.
The different steps of a high-quality translation are :
1. Pre-translation : acquisition, analysis and preparation
The client contacts the translator and requests a quote for the document(s) to be translated. This is the first contact between the client and the translator (usually by e-mail or telephone). The translator establishes his quote taking into account the number of words to be translated, the complexity of the text, the deadline and the text medium (a Word document is easier to process than a website).
Once the client has given his agreement (return of the signed quote), the translator and the client take the time to analyse the document(s), to identify any errors and ambiguities, and to organise the project: provision of glossaries, client-specific terminology, documentation. The translator may also use a computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool, which is in no way machine translation software such as Google Translate.
2. The translation phase : the translation of the document(s). We’re getting to the heart of the matter! The translator translates the document(s), into his/her mother tongue, the language he/she knows best. During this stage, the translator stays in contact with the client, who can answer questions such as :
who is the document intended for?
are there any regional specificities?
what are the client’s particular requirements?
These questions allow the translator to adapt the message of the document and ensure quality work.
The translator does not translate word for word! Above all, he or she transmits a message and emotions. Translating means “rewriting” a text in its context and for a specific target culture.
3. The post-translation phase: quality control and delivery
Before sending the translation to the client, it is important to carry out some checks. The translation is proofread and revised. Proofreading consists of correcting any spelling, grammar and typographical errors. This process does not take into account the source text. Revision is a more thorough process which, taking into account the source text, consists of verifying that the message of the source text has been conveyed in the target language, for the target culture and audience, while respecting the client’s specific requirements.
After all these steps, the final document is delivered to the client, within the agreed deadline and usually by e-mail (except for sworn translations). However, delivery does not mean the end of contact with the client ; the translator remains available for any questions and remarks.
