Author: brandeemiller

Bilingual (English and Spanish), proofreader/editor, teacher, horror movie aficionado, animal lover, chocolatier, and now blogger

Poems from my youth

*Disclaimer* I never really put my own writing out in the universe (other than these blogs). However, I found my a few of my poems from my college days way back when. I’ve tweaked them a bit for comprehensibility.

Enjoy my emo days before emo was a thing. Laugh or cry at these, but do not use without my express permission.

“Signals”

I left a light on, a signal to my heart.

No answer came as memories fly by.

Images waltz and emotions tango

as two figures stretch out,

relaxed like felines bathing in the sun.

Toes, knees, hips touch, caress, mold, and fit.

No movement in the film,

only feather-light breaths are heard.

Intensity rises when I fear

that no more future will be made

into a film of the past.

Signals will be left unseen, unheard, unfelt.

“Haunted Courage”

Haunted eyes bring urgent tears,

tears that slide encumbered along my cheeks.

Battered souls scream for justice,

justice that exists only in fantasy,

Bruised egos muster a haunted courage,

courage that is a heavy price to pay.

“Teacher”

He plays upon my mortal stress with musical gestures.

Blues and greens flash before my eyes,

easily erased as if colored by chalk.

Listless blue eyes refer me to a memory

that was tagged and shelved a long time ago.

I wonder if the voice and the hands will ever stop so I can go home.

Posted on by brandeemiller 0

Book review: A Serial Killer’s Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming by Kerri Rawson

What would you do if you had an awkward FBI agent come to your apartment and deliver the news that the man who helped raise you and shape your general world views is really a serial killer? Kerri Rawson answers this question throughout this memoir when she is faced with the news that her father is BTK. It’s a complicated path laced with trauma, depression, repression, and ultimately confronting her PTSD. Rawson is helped on this journey with her faith journey and the love that she is shown throughout and that she gives to others. Overcoming such a realization is not an easy switch to say goodbye to everything she has ever known. Loss is complicated and can come in many forms.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is about a daughter’s journey aligning the father she knew with the man who committed terrible crimes, as well as her journey in processing the information that was given to her throughout the years. I imagine she is still encountering new information that she has to weave into her family’s history.

There are negative reviews complaining that this is a book that focuses too much on Rawson’s faith journey with Christianity. Faith not only is part of the title, but it seems to be a large part of how Rawson finds her way through the depression, trauma, and PTSD that she deals with throughout her life. She reinforces the up-and-down battle that is her faith journey by repeating details or biblical quotes that are important to her. Very few faith journeys are linear without hills and valleys, and Rawson’s is no different.

Equally mentioned in the title are Love and Overcoming. Rawson shares different aspects of love: familial and marital, as well as her love of animals and nature. All of these add to her healing during different stages of self-discovery and I would argue, overcoming. Some of my favorite passages are her descriptions of hiking trails in the Grand Canyon with a cousin and her father, her brother later joining the hiking party. These details help frame the duality of her father’s personality and how others reacted to him.

If you are looking for an in-depth description of the grisly murders of BTK or a psychological analysis of why he committed these crimes, this is not the book for you. And as a memoir, it doesn’t fit into nice and neat chapters that make it easy reading. The content is raw and is presented as such. This book is part of Rawson’s healing journey, helping her weave the details of a man she did not know existed within her father into the history of her family and her life. It would not have been the same book if it had been neatly edited and meticulously trimmed. The reason I give it three stars is that it is a solid book that does exactly what the title describes. I didn’t pick this book to read because I expected award-winning prose that leads to enthusiastic epiphanies. I picked this book because we don’t often hear the side of the story of a serial killer’s family and all they lose to the actions of someone they once held dear. It is an interesting viewpoint, and I thank Kerri Rawson for sharing her part of the story.

And that leaves me to a final point. There are times when Rawson questions the harm it does to her family, especially in the chapter “175 Years is a Long Time.” Some reviewers have taken that to mean that she is self-centered or not caring about the loved ones of the murdered. She does state that the prosecution asked the victims’ families’ permission to present all of the details of the crimes at the sentencing, but the prosecution doesn’t ask BTK’s family’s permission. However, later on the same page, she states “In hindsight, I understand why the prosecution—the detectives—did what they did.” Rawson realizes that her discomfort does not compare with what the victims and their families went through. A few pages later she says “After he murdered, he should have turned himself in to the police. He should have been in jail the past thirty-one years. People should still be alive. But my brother and I wouldn’t be. I was okay with that—I’d trade my life for theirs.” And that is a powerful statement in the midst of a tumultuous journey.

Posted on by brandeemiller 0

Book review: Raspberry Danish Murder by Hannah Swensen


I picked this book as a nostalgic read since my grandmother and I would read and discuss the early books of this series together. Granted, I could have gone in order of the last book that I read, but this one was on sale and thought it would be a pleasant read to pass some time in December.

Halfway through chapter 2 I was questioning that I had chosen the correct series because other than the baking and names of the characters, this book resembled very little of the books that I remembered. It seems that there are many more recipes and that the thoughts and actions of each character are overexplained as if the reader could not infer what was going on by simple context of the storyline. I remembered enjoying the at times quite witty writing in the earlier books. This novel lacked all wit and whimsy. It seemed that whoever wrote this (some reviewers are guessing ghost writers), enjoyed the experience even less than the readers who have been with Joanne Fluke since the beginning of the series.

As an avid reader, I very rarely have to convince myself to continue with a book. However, I wanted to know what happened so I dredged along. I finally finished the book today wondering why I wasted my time. The ending was not satisfying enough to justify reading all of the book. As my grandmother might have said, “It wasn’t worth the calories.”
Posted on by brandeemiller 0

Book review: Origin by Dan Brown

“Well, science and religion are not competitors, they’re two different languages trying to tell the same story. There’s room in this world for both.”

“Origin” is the fifth book in the Robert Langdon series by Dan Brown and follows Robert Langdon around the Basque region and other areas of Spain as he industriously tries to solve one mystery after another. This installation of the Robert Langdon series deals with big-picture questions in relation to technology, evolution, and religion: where do we come from and where are we going?

At the start of “Origin,” one of Langdon’s former students, Edmond Kirsch, invites him to an elegant event with a presentation that is geared toward answering these questions. Kirsch, who is an atheist, has made a discovery that he believes will change the course of mankind. Before the presentation is able to proceed, the night erupts in chaos. Thus begins the Langdon chase for codes, clues, and answers, this time with the director of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and princess-to-be, Ambra Vidal, as his cohort. For a large portion of the novel, Robert and Ambra race across the beautiful city of Barcelona and through the colorful and intricate architecture of Gaudí as they try to stay ahead of their pursuers. Meanwhile, Spain’s Guardia Real and the royal palace are trying to figure out how the king, his loyal friend Bishop Valdespino, and the prince might be implicated in the problems arising from Kirsch’s failed presentation.

Brown gives us his usual lessons in history, art, literature, religion, and architecture; however, this time he includes a lesson in technology past and present. “Origin” did not flow as well as the first three books of the series did. This novel seemed disjointed at times and appeared more like a whodunit rather than an complexly woven plot. At times the lessons felt heavy-handed and not always in sync with the quick rhythm of the action throughout. The stop-and-go effect this produces is a bit unsettling and provides the reader with a bit of a bumpy ride.

Flaws aside, “Origin” is an enjoyable read. It was good to read about Langdon’s adventures and near-death experiences.

Posted on by brandeemiller 0

Book review: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

On the surface, “The Vanishing Half” is a story of the twin Vignes sisters, Desiree and Stella, and the separate journeys they take once they leave their hometown of Mallard, Louisiana, as teenagers for the big town of New Orleans. Mallard was created by and for light-skinned Blacks, but it did not provide Desiree and Stella with the futures they craved. Each sister has her reasons for leaving Mallard, their mother, and all they knew behind.

“The Vanishing Half” spans a half century and is about three generations of Black women and the consequences of their life choices. Brit Bennett deftly tackles the complicated relationships, or lack thereof, between the women and the intricacies and complexities of being light- or dark-skinned.

As much as “The Vanishing Half” is a story of loss: loss of family, loss of self, loss of identity, it’s also a story of gain. Desiree and Stella lose each other after Stella leaves her sister without a word to pursue a life of passing as white on the other side of the country. Each twin has a daughter: Kennedy is light-skinned and blonde who doesn’t know about her mother’s past and Jude is dark-skinned and who is a little more free in her knowledge of self and family.

The characters and their tumultuous journeys are richly described with a stunning prose that envelops the reader.

Posted on by brandeemiller 0

Book review: Mexican Gothic

“In a sense all dreams foretell events, but some more clearly than others.” 

The latest novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, “Mexican Gothic” was one of the hottest reads of 2020 as soon as it hit the shelves in late June. Featuring mostly gothic elements and some tendencies of horror and mystery, it’s not a light read or necessarily a novel for everyone. The main issue readers cite is that the novel contains either too few or too many horror elements depending on the reader’s preference. The slow and descriptive pace of the first half takes a while to build up the mysteries surrounding the English mansion called High Place, while the faster paced second half delivers most of the horror elements. 

“Mexican Gothic” is set in 1950s Mexico and follows the socialite protagonist, Noemí, as she travels at her father’s behest from Mexico City to the small city of El Triunfo to visit her cousin Catalina. Noemí, used to the finer life and traveling with luggage full of fancy dresses, arrives at High Place to find a mansion full of quiet dinners, darkness and mystery and moldy walls covered in mushrooms. In spite of the cultural shock that the unflappable Noemí receives once she arrives, she adjusts and works toward reconciling the causes of the differences between the vivacious cousin who told her fantasy stories as a young girl with the withdrawn and seemingly drugged Catalina of present time. Noemí’s only friend at the desolate High Place is the youngest son of the strange Doyle family, Francis. He acts as escort, historian of the town and High Place and confidant to Noemí. Catalina herself is of little help to Noemí and becomes more withdrawn the longer Noemí lingers at the dreary English mansion. And the longer Noemí stays at High Place, the more observant she is of the mansion’s mold that seemingly moves along the walls and the somberness of the different family members as they carry on with their dreary daily lives. 

While “Mexican Gothic” has the damsel in distress of many gothic works, the damsel’s unlikely rescuer is the strong and self-assured Noemí. Moreno-Garcia offers the reader an inquisitive heroine who finds she is adept at uncovering the Doyle family mysteries. The oft ill-fated romance that appears in many gothic novels occurs between Catalina and her husband. As readers, we are mere observers of the tumultuous path from the promising beginning of their love story to the inauspicious culmination. Also, High Place serves as the mysterious and gothic background that lends itself to the atrocities that happen throughout the decades to the townspeople of El Triunfo at the hands of the Doyles. 

On the Goodreads page for this novel, Moreno-Garcia has added a few materials to enhance the reading experience. She has included a Spotify playlist inspired by the novel at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/233O4CcNUXQIJjqcHlsHqj?si=RUkAIcDjTiuK3JXHO2CfjA#=.

You can also find a book club kit that includes a discussion of gothic literature throughout the centuries and paper doll cutout of Noemi with changeable outfits at http://www.randomhousebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Mexican-Gothic-book-club-kit.pdf.

Posted on by brandeemiller 0

There is no try…

I started this blog in 2015. It’s 2020 now, and I haven’t written as much as I would have liked throughout the years. It’s not because I’ve not been inspired. I talk about and work with language every day. I’m working with some of the best and most inspiring writers of my editing career. I’ve worked hard to step up my editing game by studying, reading, writing. However, the most difficult thing is to edit my own work. As soon as I hit “post” or “publish”, I read over my written words and sigh, “Oh no. A typo.” Or I’m afraid something could be misinterpreted, and I immediately delete. It happens to many writers, aspiring and established. The fact that I know this doesn’t soothe my perfectionist nerves of putting a little piece of me out into the world. It’s this fear that has kept me from doing what was one of my first passions: writing. I really haven’t written anything new creatively since my mother passed away in 1996. That’s a long time to keep yourself from doing something you love.

Part of my drive to be a proofreader and editor is so that I don’t completely cut myself off from working with the written word. And the bonus is that I am able to help someone achieve their goals. However, it’s time I take a step in the direction of my own goals. It’s time I stop letting fear dictate what I can and can’t do. The dusty crags of my creativity are full of cobwebs from nonuse. It isn’t going to be an easy road, and I know I’ll make mistakes. But here’s to getting into the writing portion of my career and to push myself yet one more step forward into improving my editing career: self-editing.

I recently took my first steps to get back into writing. Here are a few things I’ve written for our local paper in Katy, Texas, The Katy Times. They’re just a few listicles to help us all get through the pandemic. They’re baby steps. But that’s better than making excuses. Let me know what you think. What is one goal that you have been afraid to take steps toward accomplishing?

http://katytimes.com/stories/ten-ways-to-make-an-impact-while-social-distancing,1507

http://katytimes.com/stories/10-free-online-educational-opportunities,1272

http://katytimes.com/stories/give-these-a-listen-10-podcasts-to-entertain-and-educate,1262

Posted on by brandeemiller 3

When language fails…

Truth is, words don’t fail me often, so it’s not something I’m comfortable with when it happens. I’m a blabbermouth and love to expound on subjects that intrigue me. Whether it’s the always frightening writer’s block or pure exhaustion draining our vocabulary reservoirs or knowing the word you want but not being able to procure it from the tip of your tongue (aphasia), when we can’t express ourselves, it can be a major frustration. (Disclaimer: I understand that for some people, it’s much more than a simple frustration. They’ve had an injury or have a condition that causes aphasia and it’s not likely to go away. But for the purpose of this blog post, I’m talking about the run-of-the-mill tip-of-the-tongue problems.) It’s doubly frustrating when you’re bilingual and you can’t think of the word or words in either language that you want to use to enhance your story.

Beyond the irritation of not being able to retrieve a word from our neural databases, aphasia can be debilitating if it happens frequently. (Aphasia is an inclusive term that can be broken down into more determinate terminology for when the failure to retrieve happens or what part language is failing us.) How do we stimulate our synapses to produce what we we are looking for? For me, word retrieval usually happens at 4:00 a.m. a few days later as I wake up from a dead sleep, shouting the pesky word or name I couldn’t think of at the appropriate time.

We add to our life story daily—sometimes 140 characters at a time, sometimes in a long rush of emotion. But what happens when language fails us (especially when it’s part of our job description)? How do we get back in the language groove? And why does it usually happen in high-stress situations? Or is that just when it bothers us the most?

Writer’s block can be a little more overwhelming, especially when we’re assigned to write an article or are passionate about our subject and we can’t produce the elusive wording. Some sites offer a cure for this predicament, such as psychcentral.com in its article 5 Creative Ways for Writer’s Block or Pam Federbar’s blog post for Huffington Post, Cure for Writer’s Block. Just as with medicine, not every cure works for every would-be writer/language producer. My go-to cure? Some good loud music (think AC/DC, Korn) and I think about the subject until I just can’t think anymore. Take notes. Then write. Then delete and write some more. Then edit. Then write some more. It doesn’t always turn into the polished piece that I need or want, but it does help to storm the brain castle and jostle the thoughts a bit.

How do you get over your writer’s block? Do you have problems with some form of aphasia?

Posted on by brandeemiller 1

It’s been awhile…

 

It’s been well over a year since my last post. I could excuse myself by saying a lot has occurred in that time frame: I got married and I started a new job to name a couple of things. I’m settling into both new roles and am enjoying life. Meanwhile, my thoughts often drift back to my neglected blog and wondering if I could get going again once I have the time. The good thing about language is that it’s never out of fad and it never goes away. So I’ll return soon with more thoughts on language in transition and translation. And in the meantime, enjoy these blogs I’ve found that have got my brain juices flowing.

http://blog.globalizationpartners.com/how-to-translate-your-keywords.aspx?utm_content=34558711&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

https://aeon.co/essays/why-is-english-so-weirdly-different-from-other-languages?platform=hootsuite

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/08/the-language-of-cooking-from-forme-of-cury-to-pukka-tucker/?platform=hootsuite

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on by brandeemiller 0

The Art of the Translation Glossary

Glossaries. They sound dry and boring to most folk. What do you do with them except look up words and phrases? When most kids were playing outside, I was busy reading the dictionary and making my own glossaries for many things. I loved to define words and give them meaning. If I didn’t know a word, it was marked and looked up. I then wrote it down in the appropriate glossary and continued. My mother and I made flashcards, and I studied the vocabulary. I guess you could say that I knew I was going to be working with words one day. With each language I studied, I made sure to start a glossary.

Now that I am all grown up, I use glossaries daily. I used to have my language students construct glossaries for their lessons, quizzes and exams. I still make my own and not just when clients ask me to. The great thing about glossaries is that you can make them be anything you need them to be. Start off by identifying the purpose of the glossary. Then find what you think is the appropriate vehicle for all the vocabulary goodness. I’ve used Excel for some spreadsheets here and there. It’s good for the basic glossaries, nothing too fancy.

I’ve given a few free versions of online translation memories a try. I like them for the most part. They come in handy for sharing information without having to upload documents every time you have a new version of your glossary. These are not always appropriate for all clients though.

Before you start to sit down to construct your glossary, ask yourself a few questions:

1. What purpose does this glossary serve?

1a. Is someone else asking me to construct this glossary? If so, what are their parameters that they gave me?

1b. If this is for myself, is it for consistency within a translation job or for my personal learning?

2. How large does this glossary need to be?

3. What details do I need to include? (You would think that this is self-evident, but that’s not always the case.)

4. What is the finishing point of the glossary? When will I know that I am done?

Feel free to adjust the glossary as needed. I once was halfway through constructing a glossary when I realized that not all the information I needed was being incorporated. I needed some quick reference points. So I added a column and plugged information away.

What do you do when making your own glossaries?

Posted on by brandeemiller 2