Water – the mystery and art

Leonardo da Vinci is history’s outstanding Renaissance man. He is best known as the artist who created such masterpieces as the Mona Lisa, Madonna of the Rocks, and The Last Supper. Yet he was also a brilliant scientist, architect, engineer, and inventor. In fact, he was one of the best scientific minds of the Renaissance period, carrying out sophisticated research in fields ranging from architecture and civil engineering to astronomy and anatomy. The dynamics of water and the study of hydraulics were prominent among his many interests.

Da Vinci was fascinated by water. For him it was full of paradox: "Water is sometimes sharp and sometimes strong, sometimes acid and sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet and sometimes thick or thin, sometimes it is seen bringing hurt, sometime health-giving, sometimes poisonous. It suffers change into as many natures as are the different places through which it passes. Sometimes it is warm and is cold, carries away or sets down, fills or empties, speeds or is still; is the cause at times of life or death. In time and with water, everything changes". Leonardo described water as "the vehicle of nature" believing water to be to the world what blood is to our bodies.

As Leonardo understood it, water circulated according to fixed rules. It fell as rain or snow, springs from the ground, and runs in streams and rivers to the vast reservoir of the seas.

Water is absolutely necessary to humans, animals and plants, yet it can also be the instrument of their destruction. Its power is irresistible.

Leonardo had witnessed great storms, and conducted numerous studies of the motion of water. He examined the motion of waves and currents, and was the first to postulate the principle of erosion: "Water gnaws at mountains and fills valleys. If it could, it would reduce the earth to a perfect sphere".

Leonardo studied water also with the view to learning how to control it. Throughout his life, Leonardo was obsessed with a fear of a great watery cataclysm. In his drawings and in his writings he describes terrible floods and inundations and great storms.

His drawings indicate a special fear of swirling waters. There is nothing more terrifying, he felt, than a swollen river breaking its banks and sweeping people, animals, houses, trees, and even the land itself down into the sea. Leonardo had witnessed such disasters when the Arno river burst its banks in 1466, and again in 1478. Perhaps as a result of these events, and as a way of dealing with his fears, Leonardo devoted a lot energy to developing ways or devices to control and move water around water.

He also designed locks and canal systems, and invented machines for excavating canals. One large scale but never realized plan was for a navigable canal linking Florence to the sea. The scheme included cutting a series of giant steps with locks to enable ships to sail up into the hills. The water would be raised from one level to the next by a huge siphon. In Milan, he worked on a system of locks and paddle wheels for washing the streets. He also had plans for draining some marshes which were considered to be unhealthy.

A cover letter is a document sent with your resume to provide additional information on your skills and experience. It typically provides detailed information on why you are qualified for the job you are applying for.

There are 3 types of cover letters:

· The application letter which responds to a known job opening;

· The prospecting letter which inquires about possible positions;

· The networking letter which requests information and assistance in your job search.

Sample of a Cover Letter

Structure of a Cover Letter

Mr. George Bloggs XYZ Company 87 Delaware Road Hatfield, CA 08065 (909) 555-5555 george.gillhooley@email.com   Date   Dear Mr. Bloggs,   I am writing to apply for the programmer position advertised in the Times Union. As requested, I am enclosing a completed job application, my certification, my resume and three references.   The opportunity presented in this listing is very interesting, and I believe that my strong technical experience and education will make me a very competitive candidate for this position. The key strengths that I possess for success in this position include:   · I have successfully designed, developed, and supported live use applications; · I strive for continued excellence; · I provide exceptional contributions to customer service for all customers.   With a BS degree in Computer Programming, I have a full understanding of the full life cycle of a software development project. I also have experience in learning and excelling at new technologies as needed.   Please see my resume for additional information on my experience.   I can be reached anytime via email at george.gillhooley@email.com or my cell phone, 909-555-5555.   Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you about this employment opportunity.   Sincerely,   First Name Last Name

Contact Person’s Name Contact Person’s Position Company Name Company Address     First Paragraph State the job you’re applying for; where you found out about it; when you're available to start work   Second Paragraph Why you're interested in that type of work; why the company attracts you.     Third Paragraph Summarise your skills, experience, education and achievements and how they might be an advantage to the organisation. Relate your skills to the competences required in the job.     Last Paragraph Tell them that you have attached a copy of your resume and mention any dates that you'll be available for interview.   Thank the employer and say you look forward to hearing from them soon.   If you start with a name (e.g. “Dear Mr. Bloggs") you should end with " Yours sincerely ". If you start with "Dear Sir or Madam" you should end with " Yours faithfully ".

Exercise 16: Read the following job advertisement for a pharmacist and write a cover letter:

Exercise 17: Before translation make a back-ground analysis: hygiene.

Exercise 18: Before translation study the theory of translation – the translator’s “false friends”:

Ложные друзья переводчика (в английском языке для таких слов заимствовано французское выражение faux amis) - пара слов в двух языках, похожих по написанию и/или произношению, часто с общим происхождением, но отличающихся в значении. Например, англ. angina - стенокардия, а не ангина, genial - добрый, а не гениальный, magazine - журнал, а не магазин; англ. и исп. mosquito - комар, а не москит.

Ложные друзья переводчика могут приводить к неправильному пониманию и переводу текста. Часть из них образовалась из-за того, что после заимствования значение слова в одном из языков изменилось, в других случаях заимствования вообще не было, а слова происходят из общего корня в каком-то древнем языке, но имеют разные значения; иногда созвучие чисто случайно. Термин «ложные друзья» был введен М. Кёсслером и Ж. Дероккиньи в 1928 году в книге «Les faux amis ou Les pieges du vocabulaire anglais».

Частным случаем ложных друзей переводчика являются псевдоинтернационализмы - межъязыковые омонимы, ассоциирующиеся (по своей графической и/или фонетической форме) со словами интернациональной лексики и вызывающие разного рода трудности при переводе. При переводе таких слов необходимо тщательно анализировать и сопоставлять значения слов в обоих языках, а также учитывать возможные различия экспрессивных слов и стилистических характеристик соотносимых слов.

Список часто встречающихся «ложных друзей переводчика» в области медицины и фармации:

benzene - это не бензин, а бензол

constitution - не только конституция, но и телосложение

control - управлять (не только контролировать или проверять - verify, check)

department - отдел, отделение, факультет, а не только департамент

drug - лекарство, наркотик, а не друг

examine - врачебный или технический осмотр, допрос (а не экзамен - test, exam)

formula - состав; рецепт; закон; формулировка, а не только химическая формула

general - основной, общий, обычный (не только генеральный и генерал)

glands (ед. ч. gland) - железы в целом, а не именно гланды (tonsils)

instruments - измерительные приборы, а не инструменты - tools)

indication – показание, назначение (лекарства), а не индикатор (indicator)

medicine – также лекарство, а не только медицина

phenomenon – явление (не только феномен)

reactive - ответный, а не реактивный (jet/ rocket propelled)

regular - нормальный, обычный, стандартный (а не только регулярный; regular water - простая (питьевая) вода, а не регулярная)

resin - смола, канифоль, камедь (а не резина - rubber)

silicon - кремний (а не силикон - silicone)

sodium – натрий, а не сода

technique - способ, методика, метод (техника в прямом смысле обозначается словом technics)

universal - всемирный, а не только универсальный

Exercise 19: Find in the text the words which can be referred to “pseudionternational words” and to translator’s “false words”.

Exercise 20: Translate the text: