I did enjoy this article on Forbes.com, all about protected trademarks for local speciality foods such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Kobe beef. The author explains that when the cheese is ‘translated’ into English and called “Parmesan”, the name is no longer protected in the U.S., leading to cheeses of far inferior quality being passed off as the real thing.
Not sure if this really qualifies as a Monday smile, but food is certainly a pleasant subject!
I also discovered that real Parmigiano Reggiano is so healthy that American and Russian astronauts are fed it in space! There’s an interesting point about the trademark protection of Champagne not being applicable in the States too.
I am delighted to introduce a guest post today by Johann Morri, a judge at the Administrative Court of Versailles, in France. He studied law both in France and in the United States, where he was a law clerk for a Federal Judge in the District of North California for several months. He also served at the French Ministry of Economy, Finance & Industry, where he led the international law office within the Department for Legal Affairs.
I have blogged before about the great initiative TEDTalks, and here is one that I think might interest you. 
You might also be interested in two other TEDTalk posts – 
The United Nations has advertised some openings for interpreters, and for translators, to be located in either Vienna, Nairobi, New York or Geneva.
A press release last week explained how, after over 30 years of trying, the European Parliament and the Council are close to agreeing on how to create an EU-wide patent regime to protect inventions better, cut costs and boost competitiveness.
The statement that “roses are red” implies that all members of the botanical family Rosaceae can be no other color. This is clearly a fallacious and erroneous assumption in view of the fact that the genus Rosa, containing more than one hundred (100) species, is found in a multitude of tinctures including, but not limited to, ocher, magenta, heliotrope, vermillion, and sunset violet. This observation can be supported, if need be, by the expert testimony of horticulturalists and elderly female persons.
In particular, you might find their collection of United Nations resources useful:
The UK’s Association of Police and Court Interpreters (APCI) is organizing its first international conference, as well as hosting the 3rd General Assembly of the European Legal Interpreters and Translators Association (EULITA). The conference is to be held in London, at Canary Wharf from 5-6 April 2013. There will be pre-conference drinks the evening before.
Hat tip to MATSnews for bringing this conference to my attention.
From Words to Deeds: translation & the law 
You must be logged in to post a comment.