In Other Words

It’s Nobel Prize season. While scientists throughout the world will be awarded this prestigious prize, there’s a good chance all of their research was written up in English. Michael Gordin, a professor of the history of science at Princeton, wrote a new book, “Scientific Babel” that explores the intersection of the history of language and science.

We take simultaneous interpretation for granted today, watching world leaders at the UN and other organizations listen to speeches being translated in real time. But there was a time not too long ago when even the thought of someone instantly translating speech was impossible.

Why does an entrée mean a different part of the meal in America and England? How did tea and chai become universal terms? Linguist Dan Jurafsky, author of the new book The Language of Food, talks about how the grammar of food affects us every time we sit down to a meal.

If you think you know the story of Snow White, or Hansel and Gretel or any of the Grimm brothers’ fairy tales, think again. You probably know the cleaned-up, Disney versions. Author Adam Gidwitz returns to the blood and gore of the original stories in his retelling of them, while adding his own contemporary comments to help ease the tension for kids.

Translation has an impact on our lives every day — and it has for centuries. Linguist and translator David Bellos explores the origins of translation.