Prefaced by an expert Trtanslator

NEW YORK, NY, USA, November 1, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ --

I certainly wish this book had been available when I arrived in the United States. It would have saved me countless hours of browsing through numerous dictionaries and other source material. It would have accelerated my understanding of American culture, as expressed in its language. Most important, it would have helped me achieve fluency and linguistic subtlety sooner and certainly would have added grace and flavor to my early English speech and writing.

At the time of my arrival, I was 17. Having attended an international school in Japan where all the classes had been conducted in English and French, both my written and spoken English were very good. My grammar was perfect; my vocabulary was quite extensive; I had read Shakespeare as well as many literary classics. And yet, and yet. . . Since then I have watched American television, read popular fiction extensively, and conversed with a wide variety of people from all over the world. I have been a professional translator and teach Japanese to English translation students at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Even with my language background, a book such as this is very useful. For most translators and students of English, who are not so fortunate, the book can be a timesaver at least and under some circumstances a lifesaver.


The problem lies in the smooth, effective communication of the content of the source text in appropriate English. The meaning must be accurate, which is achievable through the use of dictionaries and reference material. However, accuracy is not enough.. When I compare the works in English submitted by native speakers to those submitted by non-native speakers, there is often a certain awkwardness, even when the grammar and vocabulary are excellent. I believe this stems from the lack of cultural context.

In this book, Marv Rubinstein makes a valiant attempt at defining the less tangible cultural qualities which go into the concept of fluency, and provides a road-map shortcut to achieving fluency. Language students, native speakers and non-native speakers alike, can learn a lot from his observations. One of the author’s most striking characteristics is his correct, colorful, and creative use of the American language. His students at MIIS have been extremely fortunate to have taken his course, Quixotic English, and this book is as close as one can come to capturing the spirit of that course.

From those of us who work with languages, “Thank you, Marv!”

Tanya Sobieski, Professor GSTILE, MII
Graduate School of Middlebury College
Pacific Grove, CA

Marvin Rubinstein
Author
(212) 477-3180
email us here

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