Eccoci di nuovo qui, pronte a parlarvi di una novità... Con questo post vogliamo presentarvi una New Entry nei nostri contatti: staimo parlando di William, gestore del Tomedes Blog, blog che si occupa del mondo della traduzione, della scrittura e dei linguaggi specialistici. Attratto dal nostro blog e dalla nostra volontà di coniugare i viaggi e la moda, qualche mese fa William ci ha contattate dopo aver scoperto Fashionable Europe tramite il concorso dedicato ai blog di viaggio, a cui entrambi abbiamo partecipato qualche mese fa. Il risultato? Un articolo scritto da uno dei content manager di Tomedes Blog, dedicato al legame tra moda e lingue nelle differenti culture.
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How learning a country’s language can help you to ‘feel’ its fashion
Learning a country’s language is about developing a feel for that particular nation’s way of saying things. Two countries can spell things in a similar way, yet enjoy wildly different pronunciation. Spanish and Portuguese are a great example of this – the ability to read one makes it relatively easy to read the other. However, despite sharing a border, the two countries’ languages sound nothing alike.
Fashion is much the same – each country has its own unique take on the style of the perfect dress, the cut of the ideal pair of trousers and the craftsmanship behind the ultimate pair of shoes.
The way that language interacts with fashion is a fascinating topic. In England, we borrow the expression ‘haute couture’ from the French in order to describe high end fashion. The expression itself is just so deliciously fashionable that the entire English language has proven insufficient to come up with an equivalent word – hence the adoption of the French.
Language is an intrinsic part of fashion as well. Brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren owe a large part of their income to emblazoning their names upon the garments that they produce. While the haute couture of the world’s catwalks tends to be more sparing (and subtle) in its use of language, that fact can make the use of words even more powerful.
Back in 2003, Katharine Hamnett adorned her models in T-shirts reading “STOP WAR, BLAIR OUT” in order to express her (and many other people’s) feelings about the UK’s actions in Iraq. Delivering political messages on the catwalk is not always so blatant, but designers haven’t been afraid to use language as well as imagery to tackle issues ranging from climate change to the use of fur to corporate greed over the years. Walter Van Beirendonck’s Fall 2015 collection has been one of the most striking examples of fashion using politically motivated words of late, with the message ‘Stop terrorising our world’ leaving no room for ambiguity.
Interestingly, the language used isn’t always the one of the country in question. We’re not talking vast swathes of text that require professional translation services, but the power of using foreign language can be effective when it comes to internationally appealing fashion. Vogue Arabia featured 12 of its favourite haute couture examples that used words recently, all of which were in English. Messages ranged from beautifully embroidered romantic notions (from Valentino) to anti-drugs warnings (from Jonny Johansson).
More deeply rooted than the use of words on individual items of clothing is how a country’s language relates to its culture. Italian is one of the most beautiful sounding languages in the world, with its development influenced by choices made by poets, artists and composers over the centuries. They actively changed the shape of the language based on how beautiful words and phrases sounded. The way this has been mirrored by Italy in the fashion world is clear to see.
Just as we don’t need an Italian translation service to recognise Italian as a beautiful language, one doesn’t need to speak Italian in order to appreciate what Italy has given to
the fashion world. However, an understanding of the language can help to create a feel for the country’s unique culture and, thus, a greater appreciation of its cultural contributions, from music to fashion.
Author bio
Louise Taylor is the content manager for translation company Tomedes.
https://www.tomedes.com