Summer in Graz

Summer in the city

Finally the cold and rainy days are gone and summer is back in Graz.

The good weather changes the city and brings a lot of advantages.

A few of these advantages are:

1.    no overcrowded buses anymore

When it is getting warm outside, many people prefer to ride a bike instead of taking the bus or the tram and that means seats for loyal bus driver like me, even in the morning.

2.    the Spritzerstand opens

The Spritzerstand at the Uni is a wonderful opportunity for drinking something cool between lectures, while lying comfortably in the meadow.

3.    Citybeach opens

I guess almost everybody knows about these great concerts in beach atmosphere under the Mur-bridge!

4.    the Stadtpark

It is so much nicer to learn in the Stadtpark while tanning, than at a desk at home.

5.    sitting on the Schlossberg

One of my favorite things to do on warm nights: sitting with friends on the Schlossberg when it gets dark and looking down at the city! Of course, in good weather, it is also much nicer there during the day.

Food Magazin Article

Shellfish and its impact on Irish food culture

Ireland is an island with impressive 7,000 kilometers of coastline. Therefore, it is no wonder that many of the typical Irish dishes are made with seafood. Especially in coastal cities such as Galway and Dublin, the sea has always been the main source of food. It is important to note though that the Irish were late in discovering the fishing industry, compared to other European countries. This is probably attributable to the fact that they didn’t want to sail out into the dangerous Atlantic. What a blessing for the Irish that certain shellfish could literally be picked up at low tide and so became an important source of food on the coast.

Shellfish is a broad term for crustacean and mussel seafood like shrimps, oysters, prawns and crabs. Initially it was considered as poor man’s food. This is partly related to the fact that during the Great Famine between 1845 and 1852, many starving people came to the coast to search for food. Over time that changed, mainly due to the lesser incidence of shellfish in Irish waters. Shellfish was eaten less frequently, got more expensive and today is a popular dish for everyone.

To maintain the traditions of eating shellfish and to honor their historical importance appropriately, many seafood festivals are held annually. The most famous of these is the Galway Oyster Festival. It is certainly one of the most important festivities of Ireland and has been held since 1954 on the last weekend of September, in order to celebrate the annual oyster harvest. The highlights include the opening ceremony, during which the newly crowned Oyster Pearl is presented, and the Guinness World Oyster-Opening Championship. However, eating oysters and other shellfish dishes such as the Irish Dublin Lawyer, lobster prepared with whiskey and cream, is the most important aspect of this festival. The 22,000 annual visitors show the enduring importance of shellfish for the Irish and their food culture.

Correction PC1

The ultimate Styrian food experience

There is nothing more typically Styrian than a real Buschenschank. If you ask me, to get the real Buschenschank feeling, you have to visit one situated in the countryside. The reason why I highly recommend visiting one in the countryside is the special atmosphere you will experience there. In a remote village, people don’t often meet foreigners, they might not even speak English. Therefore, you will have the pleasure of hearing real Styrians talk real Styrian German. Even better than the funny accents is the gorgeous food you can get there. Freshly baked bread, cold meats, several kinds of dessert and many things more. If you are adventurous in your tastes, you are best trying Verhackertes or Saure Zunge. These dishes you can really only get in a Buschenschank. However, you better try to figure out what that is before ordering. In addition to the extraordinary food, you can get all kinds of wine and fresh fruit juices there. The wine and the other alcoholic drinks are the reason why I would go there in autumn. Autumn is Sturm season, delicious sugary drink typical for Styria. You can get it in white or red or even with fruits in it. It’s really something you shouldn’t miss! A kind of alcohol I would steer clear of is Schnaps, a very popular but terribly strong drink you can get in every Buschenschank. Trust me, the people in the Buschenschank will make every foreigner drink Schnaps, but the following day you will think about me and the advice I gave you. So, for all these reasons, I really hope you won’t miss visiting a Buschenschank. 

Riegersburg

Riegersburg

In this blog entry, I am going to write something about my hometown: Riegersburg. Riegersburg is a pretty small town in the South-East of Styria, close to Feldbach and the Zotter chocolate factory. Not only is Riegersburg famous for having the best “Buschenschanke”, but also for the great castle, the Riegersburg. It is probably the best known, when not the only, sight in this area. The castle is situated on top of a dormant volcano in the middle of the town and was first mentioned in 1122. Since 2003 the castle is easy accessible by lift, but it is also possible to enter it by climbing up the foothpath or for the adventurous there is the via ferrata. Inside the castle is a very interesting witch-museum I can highly recommend. At the foot of the castle is the lake swimming pool, also very beautiful. Besides the castle and the pool, there are numerous hiking trails in and around the town.

So if someone thinks about participating in a “Buschenschank-tour”, don´t miss having a look at the amazing castle of Riegersburg. 

Funny translation mistakes

 

Translation mistakes can be very very funny. Since we are all studying here at the department of translation studies to become professionel translators one far day, we know a lot about the reasons for these mistakes. Many people think that in times of “google translate” and a number of other online translating programs, they are able to translate whole texts with only one simple click. Weird and funny sentences, like the ones on the pictures below, are the results of that. Students of transcultural communication know that this happens because of the fact that these online programs only translate single words. They do not pay attention to cultural differences, register or the different rules of grammar.  And that’s definitely a positive thing, because it makes sure that we all won’t be replaced by computers one day. And even more: we don’t have to miss signs like these ones, enjoy the pictures!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

correction: House Swap Letter

Dear Rachel,

Thanks for the email with all the details I need to know about your house. There are just a few more things I need to ask. First of all, you said that your neighbour would hand me out the keys, but since I assume that there are several houses, which one do you mean? The next thing I’m unclear about is your cat. Should I take care of the cat? If so, please give me some information what I should feed it. Everything else is clear to me, so everything should work fine. Now, let me tell you about my apartment and a few important things about Graz.

First, I want to explain to you how to get to the apartment when you arrive at the main station. In front of the station are a number of bus stops. The right bus for you is the one with the number 58 going to “Mariagrün”. Take this bus two stops until you are at Lendplatz. When you got off, you should immediately notice a small Turkish grocery store with the name “Akdac”. On the other side of the street, just opposite this store, is a beige house, my place. Just ring the bell where my name is written. My roommate will be there to welcome you and give you the keys.

In the apartment, you should not have any problems. The electronic devices and all other things are fairly self-explanatory. I just want to mention that the DVD player is not working and the hot water is used up very quickly.

For grocery shopping, you can find quite cheap supermarkets just a few meters from the apartment at Lendplatz, such as Spar and Billa, for example. To get fresh produce, you should definitely visit the Farmer’s market on Lendplatz. If you want to eat out, I can recommend Bierbaron or Posaune near the university. There you can get cheap but gorgeous food.

Last but not least, I would like to give you a few tips on the sights you should see. Since it is not a very big city, there are not many well-known sights to visit. Perhaps you have heard of the Schlossberg, which is well worth a visit. To get up there, I recommend the Schlossbergbahn. You’ll see why. Around the main square there are some very nice old little streets. If the weather is good, it’s definitely nice to go there for a walk and drink a coffee in one of the many cozy coffee places.

I am sure that you want to explore the nightlife of Graz. Kottulinsky, for example, is always crowded and good fun. If you prefer pubs and bars, you will find them close to the main square. A hot tip is also the culture museum, if you are interested in things like that.

 

I think that is everything. If you still have any questions or need anything, please write me.

 

Nina

correction: The most awesome meal ever

The most awesome meal ever

An excellent meal depends not only on the food itself, but also on the external circumstances. The best circumstances under which I ever had a meal, were on a beach in Portugal one sunny day last summer. After wandering around a long time starving, a friend and I luckily found a small pizza place close to the beach. Hungry as we were, we decided to take a pizza and sit down at the sea. The sound of the sea, the sun and our rumbling stomachs, all that made this pizza the most awesome meal I have ever had. Since then I have tried many other pizzas, but none was as good as the one at that beach.