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Word for word: Taking measure of the Filipino translation industry

Perhaps it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the Holy Bible is the most widely translated book in the world. By the 20th century, portions of it had been translated into 3,384 languages. As Jean-Claude Loba-Mkole wrote in his paper History And Theory Of Scripture Translations, “From a historical perspective, it rightly can…

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Rant and Rave: ‘Genshin Impact 2.0’ walks the tightrope of eternity

Ad Astra Abyssosque, adventurers! From the ruins of Khaenri’ah to the caves of an eroded stone dragon and to the misty islands of the Golden Apple Archipelago, ready your teapots as we set sail to the land of eternity.  Genshin Impact’s open-world, role-playing action gameplay expanded its horizons with one of the biggest updates the…

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Ang Pride ay protesta: The fight for queer liberation

They marched with placards on one hand and a rainbow flag on the other. Yet the police still chose violence. In commemoration of last year’s Stonewall Manila anniversary, the Bahaghari-organized Pride March that doubled as a protest against the Anti-Terror Law was greeted with policemen in riot gear, leading to the arrests of 20 individuals.…

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The category is: Untucking the art of Philippine drag

Glue the lashes, pucker the lips, and bring home the tips. The moment their heels step out of their cramped dressing rooms and into the stage, drag queens give such sickening performances that leave audiences all over the metro gasping for air.  To simply call them entertainers is to do injustice to drag’s long history…

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A sudden homecoming: Realities of COVID-19 displaced OFWs

There is a multitude of ways to view the Filipino diaspora. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are hailed as heroes, exemplars of the modern Filipino, with a temperament and skillset suited for the globalized economy. Domestic workers, seafarers, and healthcare workers alike set forth from their homeland to search for employment elsewhere, all for the upward…

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Sigaw sa kanayunan: The uphill battle for genuine agrarian reform

The gargantuan task of feeding a nation typically falls on the Filipino farmers’ weary shoulders—but for a people who receive only a little recognition, if any at all, the burden may be too great in exchange. The everyday farmer endures back-breaking work under harsh conditions, and must contend with numerous challenges, principal of which is…

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God is a woman: Finding the divine in the female

In the Judeo-Christian context, God has always been painted as distinctly, explicitly, and exclusively a man. This idea of an omnipotent male has been the bedrock of our beliefs—it is then deemed only natural that men lead, that men control, and that men define.  Women, on the other hand, are also labeled many things—wives, mothers,…

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Free spirit: Elle Aspilla is rewriting all the rules

It was the night before the prom and Elle Aspilla (III, BS-IBS) had just come out of the closet. It would still be quite a while before she would identify as a trans woman, but even back then, just embracing queerness was liberating. And what better time to be unapologetically herself than prom night? “Nagsuot…

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Lumalaban sa lansangan, lumalaban sa kulungan: The plight of political prisoners

It started with a simple request from the police. Well into the second day of their nationwide protest to decry the insufficient pandemic response that has left drivers to fend for themselves, transport group Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON) was summoned to the Caloocan city hall. “Pagkatapos kausapin ng hepe, ay…

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Rant and Rave: Mank

The moment audiences saw Citizen Kane’s groundbreaking snowglobe shot, the clever play with lighting, and the long pan back in 1941, its place as one of cinema’s greatest was cemented. It would go on to define many of the textbook filmmaking techniques we  see today.   The film’s praises were sung to 24-year-old newcomer director Orson…