Stereotypes

Stereotypes are generalizations about a group of people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics to this group. These classifications can be positive or negative, such as when various nationalities are stereotyped as friendly or unfriendly.

We are going to talk about it today.

What stereotype do you know about people from different countries?

For example, Spanish people dance “flamenco” and they are always bullfighting.

 

Come on! Tell me some more stereotypes you know.

Driving on the left side

This custom comes from some centuries ago, when feudal lords rode on the left side, the same side they carried their sword. When they found enemies, they could unsheathe and defend themselves with their right hand.

Also, in big carriages, when coachmen used the whip, they used to reach passengers travelling on the carriage coming from the other side when they went on the right. So, they decided to drive on the left side in order to prevent this problem.

Because of that, in England and in other countries which were British colonies, like Australia and India, people drive on the left side.

However, in continental Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte changed this habit because he was left-handed. He’d rather keep his left arm between him and his opponents and so, he could manage his horse better. He repaired some roads in Europe and he established the traffic flow on the right side.

From that moment on, countries which are influenced by France drive on the right side, while countries belonging to the British Empire drive on the left one. 

Shakespeare, Cervantes & World Book Day - April 23

On this day in 1616 both William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes died, thus prompting UNESCO to declare today "World Book and Copyright Day." The declaration may also have been inspired by a third death on this day, that of William Wordsworth in 1850. As April 23 is also the generally accepted date of Shakespeare's birth (based on baptismal records), the day is even more momentous.
On the other hand, some say that Cervantes really died on April 22; and in any case, the claim that both died on the same day is misleading, since it relies on a calculation correlating the new Gregorian calendar of Cervantes's Spain to the old Julian calendar still in use in Shakespeare's England.

The year 2012 also marks the 80th anniversary of the Index Translationum. This international bibliography of translation provides a unique tool for the monitoring of translation flows in the world.