Author - Monika Kokoszycka

Translate this! TALL POPPY SYNDROME

Is there a term in your language to describe a phenomenon in which successful people are resented and criticised because their talent and achievements elevate them above others? PS Count Smorltalk tells me tall poppy syndrome is a bit like the Scandinavian Jantelov. 

La dolce vita

Last week I met a freelance colleague, a conference interpreter, who divides her time between Brasil and Sweden, spending six months in each every year. She seems to be much in demand, which is hardly surprising if you consider her language combination. Having lived, studied and worked in 15 countries on 4 continents, she has two native languages...

Translate this! CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING

I’ve just read in the Guardian that Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured) and Chris Martin have split up. If you don’t know who Gwyneth Paltrow is, where have you been in the last 15 years? If you don’t know who the hell Chris Martin is… does Coldplay ring a bell? Except they didn’t split up. They ”consciously...

Translate this! HUMBLEBRAG

“This unhealthy genius-lust drives people to say things like, ‘My nine year old is reading Flaubert’ before adding, ‘in translation, unfortunately’ thus turning their ghastly boast into an even more ghastly humblebrag.” — I’ve just read in an article about how some parents want their child to be a...