Ditto Translation » Blog

In-House Arabic-English Translators Needed

Lama Ajjour — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:45:47 +0000

DITTO Translation is looking for qualified and enthusiastic Arabic-English-Arabic translators to become part of our dynamic and cheerful environment.

If you are reliable, conscientious, open-minded and willing to learn with positive thinking, then you are probably the best and we need you!

You’re welcome to apply. info@dittotranslation.com

Votre Partenaire en Services de Traduction

Lama Ajjour — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:17:45 +0000

Mother’s Day Ad in Beirut: The Strongest Wireless Connection

Lama Ajjour — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:24:02 +0000

“My mother said to me, “If you become a soldier you’ll be a general; if you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope.” Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.” – Pablo Picasso

I See A Black Wall And I Want It Painted Red

Lama Ajjour — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:08:42 +0000

Red, the color of passion, activity, and energy. Red raises blood pressure and speeds up heart rate. A great choice to stir up excitement and to stimulate conversation and collaboration at your workplace. And it’s definitely all I need to have now at DITTO to enjoy another productive day.

I wish you all a happy, fruitful day!:)

And for even a happier kick-off, you might as well enjoy Africa by Toto.

He Lived Under A Deadline; He’s Francis Ford Coppola

Lama Ajjour — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:56:35 +0000

“It’s ironic that at age 32, at probably the greatest moment of my career, with The Godfather having such an enormous success, I wasn’t even aware of it, because I was somewhere else under the deadline again.” Francis Ford Coppola

And here’s a great short inspiring interview that I’d love to share with you.

I can’t agree more with what he says at two minutes and thirty-eight seconds. Enjoy:)

Francis Ford Coppola \’Lost Interview\’ Age 36

I wash my hands of those who imagine chattering to be knowledge – Gibran

Lama Ajjour — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:39:44 +0000

I wash my hands of those who imagine chattering to be knowledge, silence to be ignorance, and affection to be art.

L’anglais, c’est cracher – Le français, c’est parler

Lama Ajjour — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:51:22 +0000

3 Guaranteed Steps to Recover from the Fatal Nostalgia Disease

Lama Ajjour — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:59:08 +0000

We’ve all been there before. We’ve tasted its sweetness, endured its bitterness, lived it, quitted it and eventually got here. And just when we’ve finally made it to today, we start reminiscing. All of us have been there. You and I. And yes, that person is no exception too.

Falling into the trap of the past is a phenomenon that I’ve come to witness on many occasions around me. An awkward, disturbing phenomenon that projects negative vibes into my space and itches me so bad that all I want to do is to shake it out of its complacency.

So the good old days were good – and I can’t agree more. So we were young and free – of course, and also too young to see clear, mes amis. So everything used to seem easier – welcome aboard real life my friends!

And conversations would go for a long time – consuming my present time – yearning for the past, about how good or bad it has been, about how rewarding or destructive events had been in the past, replaying and reanalyzing bygone scenes and situations that belong to nowhere but to the dispersed past.

If this phenomenon has spared you its revelation, here’s a nice movie that explores the sentiments of nostalgia. Midnight in Paris is a 2011 romantic comedy fantasy film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson. Owen Wilson‘s Gil is a Hollywood screenwriter who yearns for old years and is presented with the chance to go back to 1920 in Paris (an era he idolizes) and to socialize with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Picasso, and Dali. He even falls for a Parisian woman, Adriana – played by Marion Cotillard – who is also trapped into thinking that the present is just not good enough and that yesterday (Renaissance) was better than today (Belle Epoque). Then somehow, somewhere towards the end - and you can thank me later for ruining the film for you:) – Gil realizes that despite the allure of nostalgia, it is better to accept the present for what it is. Olden days (Belle Époque) might have seemed better to Gile than 2010, but then again, for Adriana, olden days (Renaissance) seemed better to her than today (Belle Époque).

Bottom line, as much as we would all like to go back in time and dwell on the happy and bittersweet memories of a time, we need to make peace with the fact that we belong to today and that we need to be here, now, today.

So here my 3 simple dummy steps to overcome the past:

1- Be here

2- Be now

3- And start enjoying your life.:)

And because music is much more inspiring than a pep talk, here’s Break My Strides song by Mathew Wilder. Enjoy and get going.:)

We Don’t Have the Same Language, the Same Culture, and We All Have the Same Sun – English Translation of Soleil Song by Grégoire

Lama Ajjour — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 10:20:20 +0000

I don’t think there’s a more beautiful song that speaks out against discrimination and advocates for equality regardless of race, language, and country than “Soleil” song written and performed by the French singer Grégoire.

And for you my dear English speakers, here’s an accurate translation of Soleil that I found online.

Enjoy, sigh, and be moved!:)

Soleil

On n’a pas le même drapeau,
Ni la même couleur de peau,
On n’a pas le même langage,
La même culture, les mêmes images.

On n’a pas les mêmes racines,
Les mêmes idoles qui nous fascinent,
Mais chacun de nous est vivant,
Avec la même couleur de sang,

Et on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?

On n’a pas les mêmes coutumes,
D’autres rites, d’autres costumes,
On n’a pas les mêmes histoires,
Mais nos mélanges fait l’histoire.

On n’a pas les mêmes parents,
Mais on est tous encore enfant,
Et tous issus d’un métissage,
Devenus fous mais nés si sages.

Et on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?

Car on n’a tous la même planète,
Qui nous supplie d’être moins bêtes,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore, vraiment attendre?

Une main avec nos différences,
Et le pouvoir d’en faire une chance.

Car on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?

Car on n’a tous la même planète,
Qui nous supplie d’être moins bêtes,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore, vraiment attendre?

Car on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?

Car on n’a tous le même soleil,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,
Peut-on encore seulement attendre?

Sun

We don’t have the same flag,
Nor the same color of skin,
We don’t have the same language,
The same culture, the same pictures,

We don’t have the same roots,
Don’t have the same idols that fascinate us,
But each of us is alive
with the same color of blood

And we all have the same Sun,
And the same moon on our sleep,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?

We don’t have the same lifestyle,
Different ways, different costumes,
We don’t have the same stories
But our mixes make the story

We don’t have the same parents,
But we are all still kids,
And we all issue of a metissage,
Became crazy but born so wise

And we all have the same Sun,
And the same moon on our sleep,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?

Because we all have the same planet
That begs us to be less cruel,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?

A hand with our differences
And the power to make it an opportunity

Because we all have the same Sun
And the same moon on our sleep
And we all have a hand to reach out
Could we really still wait?

Because we all have the same planet
That begs us to be less cruel,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?

Because we all have the same Sun,
And the same moon on our sleep,
And we all have a hand to reach out,
Could we really still wait?

Because we all have the same Sun
And we all have a hand to reach out
Could we still only wait?

Wintertime, and the Cold is Not So Bad

Lama Ajjour — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:20:01 +0000

So winter mean cold has finally struck Beirut, and with it came the most depressing landscape of people trying really hard since the very wee hours of the morning as they snooze their alarms every five minutes for a whole hour, force themselves out of bed to drag their lazy bodies into torturing showers, and finally expose themselves to the outside world bundled up with scarves, hats and gloves, and all cold shields you can think of, walking around the streets with frowning faces and downcast postures to approach you for business with tense politeness interrupted with melodic sneezes, coughing, and dreaded nose-blowing – and I am no exception, and this is too scary.

But amidst all this gloomy scenery, a billboard caught my eye as I was driving back from Faraya Mountain.

And there it was, the warmest inspirational and positive statement to see and all I wanted to do is to share it with you with a hope to warm your hearts as it did to mine.

One Day You Will

And all you have to do is to fill in the blank with the next line – your own line, the very dear thing you want it to happen to you. It made me warm. And I’m sure you all would have wanted to put your own personal stamps on that statement too, in your way. And I’m sure it would have warmed you, too.

So wintertime is not all that bad after all. And remember, One Day You Will…Experience Summer Again:)

Until then, this is Somewhere Over the Rainbow by the greatest Eric Clapton. Enjoy and keep warm please!:)