Baby Steps

It's occurred to me today what a real shame it is that I didn't start a blog at the beginning of the summer. It could have been a really great documentation of my time at the literary scouting agency at which I am interning, or maybe of my generally endless witty banter (that is mindful, thank you!). But you can't turn back time, and to be honest, I would not relive this summer if I could.

Today, though, I can write about. And right at this moment Josh Mandelbaum is in the house!! (ehem, office...). He's the managing director of Words Without Borders. I have heard of this place a few times, especially this summer, but my life hasn't really been conducive to exploration as of late because my job's been pretty intense, so I haven't had the opportunity to look into this super fantastic online magazine for international literature.

Now that I've taken a minute to do so (and you have too - I mean, I didn't put that link there for my health, people), I am super excited about this guy, especially. To say the least, he's into translation. To say the most for me, I'm into translation! Look at all the similarities! But seriously, I'm trying to narrow my academic focus into a realm that is plausible for my future (sorry, singin' and dancin', but you're on the back burner at the moment), and I have recently stumbled across my love for the written word - in any language. I've always been a writer, and have - up until recent times - aspired to be a novelist. But I realized that I couldn't just stop there, or really I couldn't start there, and that I need to branch out. I've loved the French language in particular for years, but have only recently discovered that I foster the same passion and rambunctious appetite for other languages. I am picking up Arabic this fall ("picking up" - how delightfully casual! HA!), and currently studying Italian. Just last week I was disappointed that my dear university didn't offer Swedish (come oooon Columbia. I can learn Wolof but not Swedish!?) and started up, once again, planning my european internship excursion for next summer. I am inordinately jealous of people who grew up in a multilingual household (damn you, and all your by-chance awesomeness!!). I just LIKE this stuff, who knows why? I can't touch numbers, but I'll grope a few letters (David, I know you appreciate that comment).

Anyway, winding down: I'm now addicted to Words Without Borders. I can't get off their website. I am looking for some guidance, for a truly enlightening academic experience, so maybe I'm on to something. Maybe this is a start. Here I go, bumbling through one of my poorly-translated idiomatic phrase at a time, but forging on. Wish me luck!


** Note: upon closer inspection I have realized that Columbia does indeed have courses for teaching Swedish. Disappointment resolved!