Diana Singureanu, a Romanian conference interpreter, is introducing this month’s refreshing idiom with a scent of mint. Conference interpreters need to be good team workers and hate wasting time. Diana’s idiom with roots in Ancient Greece reflects this concept.
The idiom in its original language: “Nu mai freca menta!”
Language: Romanian
Country of origin: Greece
The idiom’s meaning
Stop wasting time! Greek noblemen would ask their servants to rub mint leaves onto the dining table to give it a refreshing scent. An easy and pleasant task, in comparison to other housekeeping chores, and associated with laziness. Especially, when some servants really took their time completing it.
Why did you choose this idiom? I like the concept of calling out people who are either inefficient or picky. Those, who always choose nice and easy tasks. This can become a real problem when being part of a team.
Diana is working in the private market as a translator and a Conference Interpreter (Romanian A, English B and French C). She holds a Masters in Translation Studies and a second Masters in Conference Interpreting from London Metropolitan University. In addition, she is not only a Professional Police and Court Romanian Interpreter (NRPSI registered), but has also been training students sitting the DPSI exam since 2010 and DipTrans from 2011.
As a researcher, Diana is currently working on her PhD project in Interpreting Studies at the University of Surrey, and she is interested in remote interpreting and the impact on the interpreter’s work environment.
Diana is a Chartered Linguist for Romanian. She joined the
management committee of CIOL’s Interpreting Division in the summer of 2014.
As a visiting Lecturer in Interpreting Studies at London Metropolitan University, she taught the Theory and Research Module in Interpreting Studies. She also enjoys providing guidance and support to students undertaking dissertations. http://www.romanianconferenceinterpreter.com/
Are you fascinated by idioms? This article offers some useful background information on what they are and how to use them.
