Last week I mentioned there were other surprises to come, and I didn’t want to wait very long to start sharing them with you.
For about a year now, I have been working on a new initiative: A pictorial blog about language called Linguotes, where I would share drawings depicting terms or expressions.
The idea came from my work in the trenches as a translator, where I see funny terms or mistranslations that lead to humorous renditions.
Like people with grapheme-color synesthesia who “see” letters and numbers as colors, I “see” these terms in my head, and I thought translating them into drawings would be something fun and interesting, both for linguists and non-linguists.
But I have an ulterior motive. I must confess that my love for drawing and painting goes back to my early teenage years. I took formal lessons at an art studio in Venezuela, and I even showcased my work in a couple of art exhibits. I stopped painting when I started college, and though I longed sitting down and seeing things come alive from my pencil, I could never find the time to do it.
As I’ve mentioned on multiple occasions, the year 2016 was a life-changer, and I started going back to the basics, searching for meaning and for the things that bring true joy to my life. And among other things, I rediscovered how much I enjoyed the creative process of drawing and the relaxing effect it has on me. So, while it is true that I love sharing my drawings with you, I also derive calmness and enjoyment from it. Thus, I draw for my audience, but also for myself.
My initial idea was to share these drawings together with the context where they came from, and a brief explanation as to why it was erroneous, and how it should’ve been rendered. That’s the style of the first two Linguotes in my blog. But over time, I thought it would be more engaging for my audience to present these illustrations as a riddle, and letting people figure out what they mean.
The first riddle-style Linguote was published last week, and I’ve gotten some brave people take a stab at it. What could this little green bean be? As faithful readers of this blog, I’ll give you an additional hint: The subject matter is medical.
Head over to Linguotes and share your thoughts before Thursday, when I’ll reveal what it is.
Happy guessing!
