Streisand’s censor peril
QUESTION We’ve all heard of the Streisand effect, but what exactly is it?
THE Streisand effect describes an effort to suppress news, a photograph or online information where the ensuing publicity makes things much worse for the wouldbe censor.
The California Coastal Records Project was launched in 2002 to provide an aerial photographic survey for scientific and conservation purposes.
The coastline from the Golden Gate Bridge to Hearts Castle was photographed from a small helicopter, with one picture taken every 1,600ft.
Despite its altruistic objectives, a lawsuit was filed in 2003 by the singer and actress Barbra Streisand because one of the photos depicted her sprawling coastal mansion.
She contended that the photos provided ‘a road map into her residence’ and would ‘clearly identify those routes that could be used to enter her property’.
She claimed that the photograph violated her privacy and the state’s anti-paparazzi law.
Streisand sought an order barring photographer Kenneth Adelman from distributing the image and she sued the project for an astonishing $10million in claimed damages.
At the time the action was filed, the picture had been accessed six times, including twice by Streisand’s lawyers.
Due to the publicity of the court case, the photo was reproduced online and by the Associated Press and subsequently viewed countless times.
And even worse for Streisand, Adelman also won the lawsuit and was awarded $177,000.
He stated the website ‘is not about Streisand. It’s about the California coast, and she happens to have a very, very small part of it’. The term ‘Streisand effect’ was then coined by Mike Masnick, the chief executive of Techdirt Inc, a U.S. internet site that reports on legal challenges faced by new technology.
Another example of the Streisand effect was Beyoncé’s attempted suppression of a series of unflattering poses snapped during the 2013 Super Bowl.
Her attempts at censorship saw them go viral.
There was also the 2012 case of schoolgirl Martha Payne, who posted reviews of her school dinners online. After Argyll and Bute Council banned her from taking photos, the story was picked up by the national Press.
Liz Collins, Cambridge
QUESTION How many actors have won an Oscar for portraying living people?
FURTHER to the earlier answer, as well as the 14 stars who have won the Best Actor/Actress award for portraying living people, eight have won in the Best Supporting Actor/Actress category; five men and three women.
The actors are Jason Robards, playing Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee in All The President’s Men, 1976; Haing S. Ngor as Dith Pran, a survivor of The Killing Fields, 1984; Jim Broadbent as John Bayley, the literary critic and Iris Murdoch’s husband, in Iris, 2001; Chris Cooper as John Laroche, the horticulturist and ‘orchid thief’, in Adaptation, 2002; and Christian Bale as boxer Dicky Eklund in The Fighter, 2010.
In the Best Supporting Actress category are Estelle Parsons as Blanche Barrow, Clyde’s sister-inlaw, in Bonnie And Clyde, 1967; Melissa Leo as Alice Eklund-Ward, mother of boxers Dicky Eklund and Micky Ward, in The Fighter, 2010; and Allison Janney as LaVona Golden, Tonya Harding’s estranged mother, in I, Tonya, from 2017.
Sheila Forde, Crawley, W. Sussex. .
QUESTION What are the main differences between translators and interpreters?
THE basic difference is that translators deal with the written word and interpreters with the spoken word or use hand signs instead of speech, as in the case of interpreters for the hearing impaired.
Translators charge by the word, by the page of 250 or 300 words or by units of 1,000 words or per hour taken. Interpreters charge on an hourly basis. They have to prepare for a session as they will not be able to stop to look up any unfamiliar words they hear.
A client once asked me if I charged every time I translated the same word in a document. I replied that I did, but if he wished, I could leave a blank instead of re-translating and typing it!
Robert Poole, former court translator and interpreter before Versailles Court of Appeal, St Germain en , France.
THOUGH both roles require being bilingual and having great command of two languages, they are different skill sets. A translator reads and writes while an interpreter listens and speaks.
A translator may receive a legal contract to translate. They must pay meticulous attention to detail and be willing to undertake research to ensure every word selected is correct.
An interpreter immediately translates aloud what another person is saying, which is good for meetings and conferences where people don’t want to wait for days to read a translation.
However, it does mean that an interpreter can never be as precise as a translator. It can be creative because you often find you have to re-construct what the speaker is saying. Instead of translating word by word, you have to tell their story or make their argument.
There are two main kinds of interpretation: consecutive and simultaneous. A consecutive interpreter pre-records notes as the speaker talks for a few minutes. The speaker stops, the interpreter gives an interpretation of what they said and then the speaker starts again.
Simultaneous interpretation is one of the most complex types of human communication. It is popular in politics and businesses, involving technical equipment such as headsets, wireless receivers and microphones.
At least two interpreters in a soundproof booth will listen to the speaker through headphones. They must convert the speaker’s words into another language in real time. They typically work in 30-minute shifts.
Interpreters can meet VIPs in a range of situations.
If required to go to a formal dinner, they have the advantage of getting the same fancy food as the delegates.
It’s important to blend in and not be conspicuous. A female interpreter who outshines the hostess at a party is unlikely to be hired again.
Emilie Lamplough, Wiltshire.
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