A headline editor’s wet dream (cover page of the Durban Daily News):

In the July/August edition of Intercom, the magazine of the Society for Technical Communication, I found two articles, one in favor of certification and one against. In his argument against certification, Geoffrey J. S. Hart writes the following:

Given our lack of success demonstrating our value to employers, and the pernicious perception that writing and editing are commodities that can be outsourced to the lowest-cost contractor, certification places the cart before the horse…

As a complaint, this should sound familiar to translators. But which facts lead him to this observation, I wonder:

In fields such as translation, certification has made many employers aware of and willing to pay for certified translators.

We all know what the misuse of apostrophes can lead to, and it looks as if the seaside town of Bournemouth found a way to protect the public.

Living below the “Grits Line” for many years in the southeastern United States made me appreciate this versatile and in many variations very tasty food. I frequently prepare it at home, not only for breakfast but to accompany fish and other fried dishes. During my excursion into Zululand the other day, I found the African variation: Mealiepap. It is a bit drier in consistency, but clearly a close cousin to grits. We had it several times during my two days in the northern part of the province, and I preferred it to rice. It went very well with a spiced tomato and onion stew together with bean and lentil dishes. Once I knew what I was looking for, I even found it in the restaurant of our hotel in Durban: Mieliepap Tert met Spek.

Like many localities, the port city of Durban (population 3.5 million) in KwaZulu-Natal publishes a small tourist brochure with essential information such as interesting attractions; getting around in the city of Durban; annual events; etc. What caught my eye were, right above “Walkabout Tours” and “Rickshaws,” instructions entitled Death of an international visitor. Does this mean foreign visitors die frequently in Durban? I will have to be especially cautious for the rest of my stay.