Can I tickle your imagination? (aka Xmas is coming up…)

… yes, it is coming up, it’s practically 2 months away today!

As many of you know, Xmas is the time when @artscode‘s creativeness is hired at full throttle for Rainy London’s Xmas design.

The first time round, it was for Xmas 2009:

and the second one, for the year after, 2010:

I loved both of them – and pillar-box red is such a god colour!

But let’s not go off the rails here. Back to the title: I’d like to tickle your imagination…

… what would you like to see on our new 2011 Xmas cards?

I can’t promise I’ll use your idea, but I’d love to hear your comments!

Alla prossima,

Val

 

An interpreting week in pictures (+ my tribute to a beloved, already missed visionary)

I know for most of you interpreters out there these would be just another series of booth pictures but as I think it’s important to share and spread information (also in firm protest against those in my country who are trying to deny this right to the people and shut Wikipedia in Italian). So I decided they were worth posting for the many passionate budding interpreters out there (keep on working hard, guys,… it’s worth it!)

This is what it takes to ‘build‘ a booth. Thanks god for technicians!

This is what they look like from outside. Not too bad, isn’t it? (I also love the decidedly ‘animal print’ carpet. Stylish!) This is what they usually turn out to be when the venue is very small and does not have permanent equipment.

This is a quite modern version of the interpreting set – mike, volumes, cough button and the likes. It’s a pleasure to work with these as they are smooth and hi-tech. But I’ve seen and used far worse than these!

Finally, this week has seen one of the most debated murder trials of recent years wrap up in an unexpected and surprising way. American Amanda Knox and Puglia-resident Raffaele Sollecito, allegedly the murderers of Meredith Kercher in 2007, have been released and declared not guilty for lack of substantial evidence, after a trial that lasted 4 years and torn Italy, the US and the UK until now. In all this, I am deeply sorry for Meredith’s parents and I believe it’s a shame that the thruth could not be fully found.

But I have to say I got the chance to be involved in the media side of all this, as when the verdict was being announced, I was there to help ITN staff in London to deal with the court’s Italian statement. This is what I was facing for a couple of hours on Tuesday 4th.

An interpreter’s life: definitely expect the unexpected! (I got a call on my way out of the gym and I rushed into a cab to meet the crew at the TV studio, at 9pm).

On other notes, and talking of technology: today, Steve Jobs, the visionary mind of Apple, sadly passed away, after struggling with an evil illness millions of people face every day, losing against it. I just wanted to say that we’ll miss Steve, his black turtleneck and grey trainers, his mind and his style, his inventions and his foolishness. Because part of what we do, today, with our devices, is only possible because he believed *everything* was possible.

Ciao Steve.