Translations

I have gone through life with the sad knowledge that I will always be a monoglot. Languages, aside from my native tongue, do not come easy to me – I am trying my best to embrace Scots dialect, and have a sprinkling of French, but years of experiencing everyone around me absorb different languages with apparent ease (my younger child is a non-deaf user of British Sign Language, my wife can get by handily in German and French, and my brother-in-law is many-tongued) haven’t made my lack of proficiency any easier to bear. Then again, how many people in indigenous cultures would have chosen to speak a language alien to their common tongue? Moreso, language has, until very recently, been a means of protection against cultural dilution across the world, so I can claim some sort of moral position speaking only the language of my native land.

But at the moment, only speaking English doesn’t always help get messages across where they need to be heard. Therefore, I am hugely grateful to the Spanish correspondent who contacted me just two days ago, and has since delivered a perfect translation of the Introduction to Underminers. This is now on the relevant page, and is also going to be used to subtitle the Underminers video (as well as the English subtitles I’m going to add) as soon as I get the chance.

Anyone who fancies a similar challenge, in whatever language is welcome to contact me. I can’t pay you anything, but I can credit you and, of course, you will be doing a very important piece of work in defence of humanity and the wider natural environment.