mib group , inc. or mib ( formerly the medical information bureau ) is a membership corporation owned by approximately 430 member insurance companies in the united states and canada .

formed in 1902 and based in braintree , massachusetts , mib provides services designed to protect insurers , policyholders , and applicants from attempts to conceal or omit information material to underwriting life & health insurance .

mib group

vice president and actuarial director , mib group , inc . and mib solutions , inc .
executive vice president , chief financial officer & treasurer , mib group , inc .
we want to connect the mib group with our people and our business partners .
about mib group . mib group is the premier provider of internet - based information and knowledge services to the risk management market in north america and is a leading facilitator of electronic insurance commerce . ”
connecting our people and our land with businesses and business opportunities is the goal of the mib group .
after italy and germany , france is the third most important market in the generali group , contributing with 25 % to the group total premiums .
stacy gill was appointed executive vice president of mib group and mib , solutions , inc . in 2006 and has been a corporate officer since 1999 .
tags : american medical association , urltoken , urltoken , urltoken , daniel solove , doctors , facta , fcra , frances t . georgianna , frances t . marinelli , health care , mib , mib group , mib group inc . , mib inc . , mib solutions , neil day , patients , privacy , simson garfinkel , consumer reporting agency , insurance , medical blacklist
the generali group has long been present in many countries in latin america . its main operations are in argentina , where generali is ranked as the second group in the country . the group ' s distribution network is based on agents , brokers and direct channels .
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brian millman was appointed vice president of mib group and mib , inc . in 2014 and oversees all of mib ' s underwriting services operations including membership , new business and account management , product management , and marketing .
tom rhodes leads mib ' s actuarial function within in the actuarial and statistical group ( asg ) , managing the team of actuaries who form the core of mib ' s analytics capability .
kevin love joined mib group , inc . in 2007 with extensive hr experience spanning various industries including financial services , manufacturing , general service and technology .
through this group of businesses we aim to provide business opportunities , training and jobs to our people .
as the chief information officer of mib group , inc . , seán mcginty leads enterprise wide infrastructure and engineering with a mission to drive mib ' s technical direction , delivering innovation to its member companies .
lee oliphant was appointed president and ceo of mib group , inc . in 2011 . mr . oliphant first joined mib as its chief financial officer and has additionally held executive leadership positions in mib ' s new product development subsidiary , mib solutions , inc . as its executive vice president and vice president of sales and marketing .
the medical underwriter specialist will be a part of group insurance in the medical underwriting operation team . . . .
the mib group is committed to employing , wherever possible , martidja banyjima people . our goal is to provide training and business opportunities so that mib people can fully participate in the growth of our region . our businesses and many of our joint venture partners strive to employ mib people .
the commercial arm of martidja banyjima is the mib group . our goal is to connect our people and our land with businesses , providing opportunity and growth . we are involved in several successful joint ventures in industries including transport , traffic management and waste management and mib group is always on the lookout for new opportunities to grow our commercial interests .
demonstrate ability to accurately report and interpret mib codes . it has been and will continue to be the policy of american international group , inc . , its . . .
the completion of the project has allowed the group to face more effectively the challenges of the new strategic plan in italy .
responsible for communicating with mib respondent customers to coordinate software upgrades . responsible for assisting mib respondent customers with statement . . .
mib is subject to a myriad of laws governing the use of consumer reports and addressing the privacy of individually identifiable information . these laws either regulate mib directly or they regulate and impact mib ' s members in such a way that mib must likewise comply in order to allow members to continue using mib’s services .
mib also does not maintain your prescription drug history or credit information . mib members report information to mib using confidential codes to signify different medical conditions and other conditions affecting your “insurability . ”
the group operates through a multi - channel distribution strategy which includes in addition to bank branches , a network of agents and brokers which is among the most extensive in spain . overall , the group ranks 8th in spanish insurance market in terms of premiums .
mib , or mib group , inc . , is a membership corporation owned by roughly 500 member insurance companies throughout the united states and canada . previously known as the medical information bureau , the organization was created in 1902 to provide fraud protection services to insurance companies .
if a member company wishes to search mib ' s database or report information back to mib ( or both ) , then it must first provide the applicant with the mib pre - notice , which describes mib ' s role in the application and underwriting process . the mib pre - notice notifies the applicant that a report concerning his or her medical conditions and avocations may be made to mib and further , that if he or she later applies for life or health insurance ( or files a claim for benefits ) with an mib member company , then mib may supply that company with an mib report . the pre - notice also provides the address for consumers to contact mib to
; ( for example , group insurance or guaranteed issue life , or aca - based health insurance ) ; or ( iii ) he / she applied to an insurance company that was not an mib member .
martidja banyjima is a proud and strong traditional owner group from the pilbara in western australia . martidja banyjima has a commercial arm known as the mib group . our goal is to connect our people and our land with businesses , providing opportunity and growth . we are involved in several successful joint ventures in industries including transport , traffic management and waste management .
communicate effectively with other mib technical units as well as business stakeholders to facilitate the development process to ensure the attainment of mib . . .
as a result , there is no charge to request a copy of your mib consumer file —if one exists—once per year directly from mib .
kathleen clasby joined mib group , inc . in 2007 as controller and was promoted to executive vice president and chief financial officer in 2013 . ms . clasby has over 20 years ' experience in accounting and financial management .
the medical information bureau , inc . ( mib ) , a delaware corporation , is the world’s largest insurance reporting agency and represents approximately 750 member insurance companies . “the medical information bureau ( a / k / a , mib group , inc . , a / k / a , mib , inc . , a / k / a , mib solutions , inc . ) collects and furnishes information on consumers to all medical information bureau ( mib ) member corporations for use in the insurance underwriting process . ”
therefore , there is no charge to request a copy of your mib consumer file ( if one exists ) once per year directly from mib .
upon verification of your identity , mib will process your request in a timely fashion and send you your mib consumer file by mail . if you do not have an mib consumer file , mib will provide a
no record
letter explaining that a record does not exist for you .
interprets mib codes , and prepares data and reports to the medical information bureau , which involves knowledge of mib code meanings and procedures . . . .
ability to effectively present information in one - on - one and small group situations to customers , clients and other employees of the organization . . . .
“our market presence is expanding as more companies realize mib’s strong protective value , ” says lee b . oliphant , mib solutions’ executive vice president . “mib’s impact on the bottom line is considerable . a recent industry study demonstrated a nearly six percentage point improvement in their loss ratio by incorporating mib at initial underwriting . ”
you do not have to pay a fee to receive your mib consumer file .
medical information bureau ( mib inc . ) is valuable unit of the insurance industry
ovh us is a subsidiary of ovh group , the largest european hosting provider , with more than one million customers across 138 countries and four continents . . . .
after receiving the mib pre - notice , the applicant is asked to sign an authorization in which mib is identified as an information source along with others that might have records about the applicant , such as personal physicians . this signed authorization allows the member company to exchange information with mib . therefore , a member company cannot search mib or report information to mib without the applicant ' s knowledge and authorization .
the medical information bureau inc . ( mib inc . ) ( a / k / a , mib group , inc . , a / k / a , mib , inc . , a / k / a , mib solutions , inc . ) has been the subject of ongoing controversy since the 1970’s , when its existence first became generally known . even today , the medical information is an unknown entity ; most consumers , doctors , and even politicians , remain unaware of its existence .
mib makes every effort to protect your privacy . their security standards and policies are designed to protect the confidentiality of any individual whose information is in the mib database .
mib metsip is ideal for creating building envelopes with a high level of thermal performance .
a person’s health information is not sent to mib without an applicant’s knowledge or authorization .
and to seek correction or amendment of an mib consumer file , if one exists .
mib does not obtain information from your hospital records or directly from your physician’s records .
most people have never viewed their medical report files . the medical information bureau ( a / k / a , mib group , inc . , a / k / a , mib , inc . , a / k / a , mib solutions , inc . ) , does not offer consumers a secure system online to request , review , and dispute information in their consumer “medical report” file . yet , private medical information shared by the the medical information bureau inc . ( mib ) with insurance companies is acclaimed by the insurance industry advocacy group america’s health insurance plans ( ahip ) as “the fastest , most cost - effective way for insurance companies to determine if medical statements on applications are accurate and complete . ”
mib is committed to the principle that every consumer should be entitled to know the contents of his or her mib consumer file , and to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information . when you obtain your mib consumer file from mib , we will provide you with instructions on how to seek a correction or modification of any information that you feel is inaccurate or incomplete . for additional information , you can visit : how to dispute your mib consumer file .
mib , town halls , departmental meetings etc . ) . responsible for kpis within the area and facilitator of the local oprs and mib meetings as well as the action . . .
mib does not collect and store a person ' s actual medical records in its database .
thus , mib ensures that companies can offer—and consumers can purchase—affordable life and health insurance protection .
check with any current or former employers for group life coverage or other life insurance policies purchased through work . check with a spouse’s current or former employer to determine whether spousal coverage may apply .
mib is firmly committed to the principle that every person is entitled to know the contents of their mib consumer file , if one exists . there is no charge to request a free copy of your mib consumer file once per year directly from mib using our toll free line ( 866 - 692 - 6901 ) or our online process . in addition , in the event that you have received an adverse underwriting decision letter from an insurer indicating that an mib record influenced the underwriting process which resulted in your application being rated or declined , then mib will provide you with an additional free copy of your mib consumer file ( in addition to your free annual copy ) .
the mib system is based on a combination of systems and approaches that are proven and certified .
mib does not have a record of whether an individual has been rated or declined for insurance .
here’s what you need to know about the mib insurance report when you apply for life insurance .
the accuracy of information in mib consumer files is of paramount importance to mib . mib and its member companies are fully committed to ensuring that only accurate , timely , verified and complete information is reported to mib . mib has long provided consumers with the right to obtain their mib consumer file ( if one exists ) in order to ensure its accuracy and completeness . in fact , out of all the free disclosures that we provide to consumers , we find that only 1 - 2 % of these consumer files have to be amended due to inaccurate or incomplete information . in addition to making this commitment to accuracy , mib also offers an effective reinvestigation process in accordance with the federal fair credit reporting act . if you have received a copy of your mib consumer file and you feel that the information in your mib consumer file is inaccurate or incomplete , then you may request a
reinvestigation .
to learn more about how to request a reinvestigation , visit how to dispute your mib consumer file .
mib ensures that companies can offer – and consumers can purchase – affordable life and health insurance protection .
mib is oftentimes described as an “information exchange . ” their members contribute underwriting information to the mib database that may be helpful to other members who later search the database with your authorization as an applicant .
let’s say you receive a negative underwriting decision letter from an insurance company . the letter indicates that an mib record influenced the underwriting process which resulted in your application being rated or declined . mib will then provide you with a free copy of your mib consumer file in addition to your free annual copy .
any medical and personal information that mib has in its database about you as of the time of your request for disclosure , along with the name of the mib member company that reported the information to mib and the date it was reported ( a date that must have occurred within the past seven years ) .
mib and its member companies are fully committed to ensuring that mib consumer files contain only accurate , timely , verified and complete information . mib has long provided consumers with the right to obtain their mib consumer file ( if one exists ) in order to ensure its accuracy and completeness . in fact , out of all the free disclosures that we provide to consumers , we find that only 1 - 2 % of these consumer files have to be amended due to inaccurate or incomplete information . based on the very low incidence of corrections that are made to mib consumer files , we are confident that mib’s files are highly accurate and reflect the uncompromising efforts of mib and its member companies to report information that is accurate , timely , verified and complete , as required by mib’s general rules , internal procedural rules and federal regulations ( the fair credit reporting act ) . mib also offers an effective reinvestigation process in accordance with the federal fair credit reporting act . if you have received a copy of your mib consumer file and you feel that the information in your mib consumer file is inaccurate or incomplete , then you may request a
reinvestigation .
to learn more about how to request a reinvestigation , visit how to dispute your mib consumer file .
mib has been the subject of ongoing controversy since the 1970’s , when its existence first became generally known . at the root of the controversy is the organization’s penchant for secrecy . for many years , insurance agencies consulted mib without telling applicants about the files . mib even had an unlisted phone number . today , the secret continues , if to a lesser extent : mib won’t release the list of codes it uses .
generali switzerland is the 8th insurance group in terms of life and p & c premium collection . the life market share is 3 . 6 % , while the p & c one is 5 . 2 % .
when we provide you with a copy of your mib consumer file , we will translate your mib codes , if any . when you read the code translations , please keep in mind that underwriters and medical directors at mib member insurance companies are the exclusive users of ( and audience for ) mib codes . they are highly trained professionals with experience in the selection of risks and knowledge of medical conditions that may have a significant impact on your health and longevity . accordingly , underwriters and medical directors will know how to interpret the mib codes appropriately , keep them confidential under their professional standards , mib rules and applicable laws , and use them effectively to guide their underwriting investigation . remember , mib codes are not used to determine your eligibility for insurance .
the main contributor to the group in terms of sales is china , where a joint venture with the local partner cnpc ( china national petroleum corporation ) has become one of the top foreign insurance groups on the market .
the information in mib’s database is maintained and safeguarded in a format that is accessible only to authorized personnel of the member company . when you apply for insurance , you authorize the use of mib as an information source .
stacy gill was appointed executive vice president of mib group and mib , solutions , inc . in 2006 and has been a corporate officer since 1999 . previously , mr . gill was vice president of mib ' s actuarial and statistical group ( asg ) where he led a team responsible for mib ' s research and product development including industry - wide experience studies , medical impairment studies , risk analytics and statistical agent reporting . mr . gill ' s executive leadership and expertise spans risk analytics , technology and statistics and he has presented at industry conferences including the society of actuaries , the association of home office underwriters , acord and the american academy of insurance medicine . mr . gill holds an m . s . in actuarial science and a b . s . in mathematics from boston university . he also has an executive certificate in management and leadership from mit ' s sloan school of management .
mib facades ltd is a multi - skilled international manufacturer and installer of the most flexible building system currently available .
mib facades ltd offers an affordable and sustainable building system capable of delivering structures of up to 30m in height .
in addition , in the event that you have received an adverse underwriting decision letter from an insurer indicating that an mib record influenced the insurer ' s underwriting process , which resulted in your application being rated or declined , then mib will provide you with a free copy of your mib consumer file in addition to your free annual copy .
due to the limited number of mib codes , mib ' s codes often represent somewhat broad categories of verified medical conditions or other conditions ( typically hazardous avocations and adverse driving records ) . nevertheless , these codes are very effective for highlighting medical impairments or avocational risks that were previously reported by a member company . because mib uses these codes and not actual medical records , mib does not report the complete details about a person ' s medical condition .
the mib , inc . underwriting services are for insurance and healthcare corporations , not consumers . here are descriptions of the mib , inc . insurance activity index , request for details , checking service , and follow - up service :
despite its size , mib’s name is still not very well known among the general population . in fact , people are more likely to associate mib with the movie series “men in black” than they are with the fraud protection service .
mib’s underwriting services are used exclusively by mib’s member life and health insurance companies to assess an individual’s risk and eligibility during the underwriting of life , health , disability income , critical illness , and long - term care insurance policies .
as a nationwide specialty consumer reporting agency under the federal fair credit reporting act ( fcra ) , mib provides us consumers with the rights , protections and privileges available under fcra . in addition , mib also provides substantially equivalent rights to canadian consumers , as well as consumers who reside in the caribbean region and have done business with an mib member .
generali is the leader in the italian insurance market with an overall share of 15 . 4 % . the group offers its clients – retail , sme and corporate – a complete variety of insurance solutions , in both life and p & c segments . the italian turnover makes up over 30 % of the overall group revenues . at a distributive level , generali operates through a multi - channel distribution network mainly concentrated on agents . the group has a strong position in the direct distributive channel , through genertel – genertellife , the first online insurance company in italy . furthermore , through banca generali the group offers a variety of financial products in the previdential and asset–management sectors and also develops and sells new hybrid financial products . the integration process , launched in 2013 aiming at the unification of all the existing brands into three main brands , - generali ( retail market and sme ) , alleanza ( households ) and genertel ( alternative channels ) – is proceeding as scheduled .
in short , mib ensures that companies can offer – and consumers can purchase – affordable life and health insurance protection .
mib is thus the official insurance agency gossip columnist . mib helps make sure that if one life insurance company rejects a person on medical grounds , then other life insurance companies will be made aware of the ailment and reject that person .
there have also been disagreements over the accuracy of mib’s files . the fair credit reporting act specifically exempts medical records , but the mib agreed to be voluntarily bound by the rules after a 1983 examination by the federal trade commission . since then , mib has received roughly 15 , 000 requests by individuals each year , says neil day . between 250 and 300 patients per year argue with the content of their report , he says . overall , “97 % of all consumers who received their mib report [ in 1996 ] found that their mib record was accurate , ” reads a company pamphlet .
before requesting a free copy of your mib consumer file , you should know that you will not have an mib consumer file if you have not applied for individually underwritten life , health , disability income , long - term care or critical illness insurance with a member insurer within the last 7 years or earlier depending on applicable law . therefore , you may not have an mib consumer file if : ( i ) you applied for insurance more than 7 years ago ; or ( ii ) you applied for insurance that was not individually underwritten ( for example , group insurance or guaranteed issue life , or aca - based health insurance ) ; or ( iii ) you applied to an insurance company that was not an mib member .
the medical information bureau has a penchant for secrecy . for many years , insurance agencies consulted mib without telling applicants about the files . mib even had an unlisted phone number . today , the secret continues , if to a lesser extent : mib won’t publish its list of corporate members or release the list of codes it uses . more importantly , the mib refuses to provide a centralized , secure , online source for consumers to request , review , and dispute their medical report files .
the generali group has been operating in the far east since 1980 and is now covering china , indonesia , the philippines , thailand , india and vietnam . two branches are located in japan and hong kong , where the asia regional office is also based . generali entered the malaysian market in december 2014 through an agreement with multi - purpose capital holdings berhad ( a wholly owned subsidiary of the malaysian group headed by mphb capital ) to acquire 49 % of the p & c insurance firm mpib
multi - purpose insurance berhad
, with the right to exercise a call option after two years on further 21 % of mpib , enabling the group to obtain a 70 % stake in the company , the maximum allowed for foreign companies in malaysia .
generali deutschland is germany’s second largest insurance group in terms of life and p & c premium collection . the market share for p & c was 5 . 7 % , while for life insurance was 11 . 5 % ( including health business ) .
second only to life insurance agents for being blasphemed by the life insurance buying public is the medical information bureau , or mib . the mib is a super warehouse of health and lifestyle information gathered from life insurance applications as they are processed by member companies , and yes , when you sign the application you give the company and the mib authorization to share that information .
mib maintains a confidential consumer database that is accessible only by its member companies . it exchanges personal data about individuals among its members and also issues consumer reports to them . in turn , mib also provides full disclosure to consumers regarding their files .
mib helps insurers remain financially strong so they can , in turn , meet the guarantees and assurances to their policyholders . mib’s service saves its member companies an estimated $ 1 billion annually by allowing them to assess and select risk accurately and appropriately .
mib handles over 20 , 000 claims against uninsured and untraced motorists every year and endeavours to settle them fairly and promptly .
in order to obtain a copy of your mib consumer file ( if one exists ) , mib will need to obtain some personal information from you so we can accurately search our files . this information will be collected and maintained securely by mib and will be used solely to process your request . the identifying information you provide will be validated with other consumer reporting agencies . please refer to mib ' s consumer privacy policy for additional information and details . you may only request a copy of your own mib consumer file . you may not request the mib consumer file of any other person , including your spouse or another relative , unless you are authorized to request the person ' s mib consumer file as an attorney - in - fact ( agent ) under a power of attorney , or as legal guardian under a court appointment , or as parent and natural guardian for your minor child . accordingly , you will be asked to certify under penalty of perjury that the information you provide to mib is accurate and complete and that you are requesting a copy of your own mib consumer file and not someone else ' s .
before requesting your free disclosure , you should know that you will not have an mib consumer file unless you have applied for individually underwritten life , health , disability income , long - term care , or critical illness insurance within the past seven years . the insurance company to which you applied must also be an mib member company that submitted an mib inquiry with your authorization .
generali is a leader on the italian insurance market with an overall share of 15 . 5 % . the group offers its clients – retail , sme and corporate – a complete range of insurance solutions , in both the life and p & c segments .
mib helps insurers remain financially strong so they can meet their unique guarantees and assurances to policyholders . mib ' s underwriting services save its member companies over $ 1 billion ( estimated ) annually by allowing them to assess and select risk accurately and appropriately .
the headquarter was moved from cologne to munich , where the main business units are also based . with the realignment of the different group companies’ board of directors and the implementation of a management matrix structure , generali in germany is consistently oriented towards a lean governance .
to request a free copy of your annual file from the mib , inc . ( medical information bureau ) , complete one of the following options : ( 1 ) call the mib , inc . toll - free telephone number at 1 - 866 - 692 - 6901 to make your request . or , ( 2 ) download this free mib request form . then mail the completed and signed form to “mib , inc . 50 braintree hill park , suite 400 , braintree , ma 02184” to make your request .
mib ' s actual records contain
coded
information about a consumer ' s medical or other conditions that are of underwriting significance and the codes are both highly confidential and proprietary to mib . therefore , this information , even if it were decoded , could not lead to identity theft or financial fraud . for more information , see can medical identity theft impact your mib consumer file ?
as part of the underwriting process , with your authorization , a member insurance company may obtain your medical records from your health care provider along with other underwriting requirements . once it has reviewed your medical records , the member company may then make a brief report to mib of conditions that are significant to underwriting . however , mib does not obtain any information directly from your physician or from hospital records . only those life or health insurance companies that are members of mib can contribute coded information to mib ' s database .
lee oliphant was appointed president and ceo of mib group , inc . in 2011 . mr . oliphant first joined mib as its chief financial officer and has additionally held executive leadership positions in mib ' s new product development subsidiary , mib solutions , inc . as its executive vice president and vice president of sales and marketing . prior to joining mib , mr . oliphant held several senior financial positions both at start - ups and large high - technology companies in the boston area . he started his career in public accounting , and is a certified public accountant . mr . oliphant received an m . b . a . from the carroll school of management at boston college and has a b . s . in business administration from lehigh university in bethlehem , pa . he also has an executive certificate in management and leadership from mit ' s sloan school of management , and has attended several executive education courses at harvard business school .
you will not have an mib consumer file unless you have applied for individually underwritten life or health insurance in the last seven years .
a record of this behavior will follow you within the mib datebase for the next seven years—so it’s certainly not a risk worth taking .
before the change in mib rules , the rules stated that insurance companies did not need to abide by fair credit reporting act notification requirements if information from mib ' s files was used only to alert members to the possible need for further investigation of an individual consumer .
banca monte dei paschi di siena s . p . a . informs that it has reached a binding agreement with cerved group s . p . a . ( “cerved” ) and quaestio holding s . a . ( “quaestio” ) for the sale of its non - performing loans platform
* as from january 2015 generali obtained 100 % ownership of generali ppf holding , having acquired the remaining 24 % minority shareholding held by the ppf group , in line with the agreements signed by the shareholders . following this , the company’s name was changed to generali cee holding .
now the bad news . mib is inhabited by humans and there can be errors just like there are errors occasionally in credit reports . it happens . but , just like the disclosure above says , errors can be corrected and the mib is very helpful in that process .
mib , based outside of boston , is an organization with approximately 750 member insurance companies . it collects and furnishes information on consumers to all mib members for use in the insurance underwriting process . in addition to an individual ' s credit history , data collected by mib may include medical conditions , driving records , criminal activity , and participation in hazardous sports , among other facts . mib ' s member companies account for 99 percent of the individual life insurance policies and 80 percent of all health and disability policies issued in the united states and canada .
siena , 12 april 2018 – the ordinary shareholders ' meeting of banca monte dei paschi di siena , held today under the chairmanship of stefania bariatti , has approved the separate and consolidated financial statements as at 31 december 2017 . the group closed 2017 with a consolidated net loss for the …
the group is a long - established player in latin america , with argentina as main market where generali is ranked as the fourth operator . in 2015 , the disposal of a number of companies was finalized ( la estrella and caia art in particular ) to increase efficiency and focus on the core business . the argentinian market is characterized by an historically high inflation rate , and a volatile financial environment . despite the though scenario for the insurance business , the group has implemented best practices in its argentinian subsidiaries , placing them at the top in terms of service quality and innovation .
under a consent agreement with the federal trade commission , the mib and its members are required to comply with consumer protections of the fair credit reporting act . ( “nation’s largest insurance reporting agency agrees to expand consumer rights . ” ) yet , consumers remain unaware of the mib’s existence .
mib does not collect , maintain or store any medical records in its database such as examination reports , attending physician statements , lab test results , x - rays , underwriting files or reasons for denial of insurance . instead , mib ' s members furnish
codes
to mib , which represent medical and avocational information that is significant to the underwriting process . these codes can be thought of as a simple form of encryption .
proactively seek out and grow partnerships across all mib it functional groups and business stakeholders . participation in the development , implementation , and . . .
reviews application , phone interview , mib and prescription information to determine risk . we are currently seeking an associate underwriter to support the . . .
the equity market recorded an excellent trend ( ftse mib + 12 % ; + 0 . 23 % at 13 . 12 . 2014 ) .
mib isn’t supposed to be a medical blacklist . member insurers are officially forbidden from using the information obtained in mib’s files as the basis for denying insurance . instead , they are only allowed to use the information as the basis for further investigation . at least , those are the rules .
in the past , says privacy journal publishers robert smith , mib had codes that stood for “sexual deviance” and “sloppy appearance . ” neil day disagrees , but since mib won’t release the list of conditions for which it has created codes , there is really no way to know for sure .
since its establishment in 1902 , mib has been committed to maintaining the confidentiality and security of the information entrusted to it , and to protecting the privacy of the individuals to whom it pertains . this commitment is as important to us today as it was when the organization was founded . consumer privacy is a priority to mib , and we go to great lengths to protect it by acting in accordance with mib ' s consumer privacy policy .
in addition to mib ' s underwriting services , mib also provides certain mib members with access to transunion ' s identity manager verification service ( idmv ) ( a service provided by transunion risk and alternative data solutions , inc . ,
trads
) for their u . s . life insurance applicants . in other words , when using mib ' s services , mib ' s members may submit an identity verification inquiry that is sent to trads to verify an applicant ' s identity . by obtaining a transunion idmv report , mib members verify the identities of their customers in order to ensure the quality of their business , manage identity risk , prevent identity fraud , and comply with their obligations under usa patriot act ( anti - money laundering and customer identification programs ) . these reports are used solely for identity verification and cannot be used to determine an individual ' s eligibility for insurance .
mib was organized in 1902 as a non - profit trade organization ; today , mib is registered as a not - for - profit trade association and roughly 750 insurance companies subscribe to its membership . mib’s files don’t contain medical records , test results , or x - rays . instead , each person’s file contains one or more codes that stand for a particular medical condition that has been reported for that person . there are codes that signify diabetes , heart problems , and drug use . some codes are very detailed . for examples , jeff smith found that mib had five codes for aids .
we are an international insurance group , widespread in more than 60 countries : we are leaders in italy , among the first insurance players in germany , france , austria , spain , switzerland and we are present also in the potential high - growth markets , such as central - eastern europe and china .
except as otherwise required or allowed by law , mib does not share your individually identifiable information with organizations other than its members and their service providers .
all consumers of personal health and life insurance are entitled by law to receive an annual copy of their medical report file kept by the medical information bureau , inc . ( mib ) . under an agreement with the federal trade commission in 1995 , the medical information bureau , inc . ( mib ) , and all insurance companies who are members of the medical information bureau , inc . ( mib ) agreed to abide by the fair credit reporting act .
in addition , if you previously applied for disability income insurance to an mib member that subscribes to mib’s disability insurance record system ( “dirs” ) , this member may have reported information about the disability benefits for which you applied and the amount of coverage you already had in force within the past 5 years .
e - commerce distribution platform plug & sell is the e - commerce distribution platform of europ assistance ( ea ) group . it enables to sell and promote customized assistance and insurance offers for all markets and business models ( b2c , b2b2c , b2b ) . it has been rolled out in 5 main distribution solutions :
in theory , mib is supposed to prevent people who have significant medical conditions ( and have been repeatedly rejected when they apply for insurance ) from suddenly omitting their conditions from their applications and then getting health and life insurance with low - cost premiums that are reserved for healthy people . mib helps “keep the cost of insurance down for insurance companies and for consumers by preventing losses that would occur due to fraud or omissions , ” says neil day , mib’s president .
the local company la estrella , along with two other smaller companies , are in the process of being sold . in terms of premiums , the second largest market of the group is that of brazil ; other markets , with lower premiums but significant in terms of positioning , are colombia , guatemala , ecuador and panama .
as a practical matter , mib codes are not typically reported on individuals in good health whose life and health insurance applications are approved as standard or preferred risks .
with your authorization , mib shares individually identifiable information about you with its member life and health insurance companies ( or their service providers who are acting on the member ' s behalf in the underwriting process ) . in addition to mib ' s underwriting services , mib also provides certain mib members with access to transunion ' s identity manager verification service ( idmv ) ( a service provided by transunion risk and alternative data solutions , inc . ,
trads
) for their u . s . life insurance applicants . in other words , when using mib ' s services , mib ' s members may submit an identity verification inquiry ( including your individually identifiable information ) that is sent to trads to verify an applicant ' s identity . by obtaining a transunion idmv report , mib members verify the identities of their customers in order to ensure the quality of their business , manage identity risk , prevent identity fraud , and comply with their obligations under usa patriot act ( anti - money laundering and customer identification programs ) . these reports are used solely for identity verification and cannot be used to determine an individual ' s eligibility for insurance .
mib ' s business model for underwriting services is sometimes described as an
information exchange
because our members contribute underwriting information about insurance applicants to the mib database that may be useful to other members who later search the database with the authorization of the insurance applicant . the applicant information in mib’s database is maintained and safeguarded in a coded format that protects the privacy of the individual and is accessible only to authorized personnel of the member company to which an individual has applied for insurance and has authorized the use of mib as an information source . mib ' s coded reports represent different medical conditions and other conditions ( typically hazardous hobbies and adverse driving records ) affecting the insurability of the applicant to whom they relate . these reports alert insurance underwriters to possible errors , omissions and misrepresentations that were made in the application process . if the coded reports are inconsistent with the information provided by the applicant , underwriters are required to conduct a further investigation to obtain more information about the reported medical histories or conditions prior to making an adverse underwriting decision . in addition to mib ' s use of highly confidential and proprietary codes to protect the privacy of individuals , mib also implements and enforces robust security standards and policies that are designed to protect the security and confidentiality of any individually identifiable information in mib ' s database .
at distribution level , generali operates through a multi - channel strategy , mainly concentrated on agents . it also has a strong position in the direct channel , through genertel – genertellife , the first online insurance launched in italy . the group also offers a complete variety of insurance , pension and savings products to its customers through banca generali .
medical and personal information about individuals is kept confidential in mib ' s secure database in the form of mib proprietary codes . these codes incorporate numbers and letters to represent those types of medical conditions and avocational activities that are significant to the underwriting process . while the international statistical classification of diseases and related health problems 10th revision ( icd - 10 ) provides more than 68 , 000 different codes for use by health plans and healthcare providers for numerous purposes , mib only needs to have a small fraction of this icd - 10 number ( less than 1 % ) for its underwriting alert purpose . mib codes can be counted in the hundreds , not the thousands .
further , the federal fair credit reporting act and the privacy rule under the health insurance portability and accountability act (
hipaa
) severely restrict the use and dissemination of individually identifiable information , and mib complies with both the letter and spirit of these laws . please refer to mib ' s consumer privacy policy for more information .
since 1974 , mib has required all members to comply with its general rules as they relate to the fcra , irrespective of whether the member is a united states or canadian domiciled insurance company . because mib ' s operations are regulated as a consumer reporting agency under fcra , it provides us consumers with the rights , protections and privileges available under fcra . in addition , mib also provides substantially equivalent rights to canadian consumers . in short , mib conducts its operations throughout north america with a consistently high degree of confidentiality and security . in addition , because mib member companies are governed by the gramm - leach - bliley act (
glba
) , health insurance portability and accountability act (
hipaa
) and numerous state privacy laws , including the naic model insurance information and privacy act , and canadian members are governed by the personal information protection and electronic documents act (
pipeda
) , mib conducts its business in a manner that allows its members to comply with such laws .
monte dei paschi di siena is one of the main banks in italy . it is the flagship of the mps group , which is a leader on the domestic market in terms of market share . monte dei paschi , familiarly called
il monte ,
was founded in 1472 under the auspices of the republic of siena .  learn more
generali españa is one of spain’s main insurance groups , with a total market share of 3 . 9 % in the life segment and 4 . 3 % in the p & c segment . the group provides a wide range of life and property & casualty policies dedicated to both private individuals and enterprises ensuring appropriate responses to complex multinational realities .
additionally , having an mib code does not make a person uninsurable . these mib codes do not provide enough detail for an underwriter to make a decision on whether to approve , deny or rate an application for insurance because they typically depict broad , general categories of medical histories or conditions . in fact , underwriters from mib member companies are prohibited under the mib general rules from making adverse underwriting decisions on the sole basis of a reported code . instead , members are required to conduct a further investigation to obtain more information about the reported medical histories or conditions before making an adverse underwriting decision . if an applicant answers every question on his or her application fully and frankly , then the mib report should have little or no bearing on the underwriting of the application because the underwriter would already be aware of the conditions disclosed by the applicant .
mib facades are at the forefront of full wall testing bre 135 to bs8414 . prior to the tragic events of the grenfell towers incident in june 2017 , mib facades had successfully tested and received bre accreditation for our metsip x panel , from which the report is available on request . due to our ethical and social [ … ] read more
if an identity thief stole an individual ' s mib consumer file , it would not yield the precious data from which to steal the individual ' s medical identity . that is because mib consumer files do not contain health plan member identification numbers—the precious piece of data that would be needed by a medical identity thief to use your health plan coverage .


exophony is the practice of ( normally creative ) writing in a language that is not one 's mother tongue .

in some cases the second language is acquired early in life , for example through immigration , and it is not always clear whether the writer should strictly be classed a non-native speaker .

in other cases , the language is acquired through exile or migration : " exophonic writing , the phenomenon of writing literature in a second language , is increasing across europe due to labour migration " .

" extraterritoriality and exophony are indeed important notions , not only for comparative literature but in general for the question of the status of the literary text [ of ] the 21st century " .

related concepts in english include transculturalism/transculturation , axial writing , postnationalism and postcolonialism , and in german , exophonie , anders-sprachigkeit , interkulturelle literatur ( ' intercultural literature ' ) , gastarbeiterliteratur ( ' guest worker literature ' ) , ausländerliteratur ( ' foreigner literature ' ) and migrantenliteratur ( ' migrant literature ' ) .

motivations for becoming an exophonic writer may be manifold : to make a political statement ( for example , yoko tawada attempted " to produce exophony both in her mother tongue ( japanese ) and her acquired tongue ( german ) [ ... ] to dismantle [ ... ] the ultranationalistic concept of a ' beautiful ' japanese language " ) , to adopt/avoid stylistic elements of particular languages ( " for tawada , a native speaker of a language whose grammar makes no distinctions of gender , case , definite and indefinite articles , or singular and plural [ ... ] each western word , phrase or idiom becomes a conundrum " , " i grope for some unlikely expression in my native language , trying to find the proper equivalence in translation for an english word or phrase " ) , to evade the risk of being lost in translation , or to gain a wider readership - translated literature in the uk and us accounts for only a small percentage of sales , so " it makes commercial sense " .

conversely , translation of exophonic works can present problems due to the " defamiliarisation of the new language through stylistic innovation " .

exophony

only time will tell . until then , the maturing tradition of exophony successfully continues apace .
exophony is the practice of ( normally creative ) writing in a language that is not one ' s mother tongue .
there is certainly commercial sense in this ongoing tradition of exophony : as the guardian recently reported , only 7 % of fiction books sold in the uk in 2015 were foreign - language translations into english ( just 1 . 5 % of books published overall ) .
what do samuel beckett , joseph brodsky and milan kundera have in common ? all three writers were exophonic : they chose to write in a language that was not their mother tongue . this new course will look at the phenomenon of exophony in the modern era , considering how the adoption of a foreign literary language intersects with experiences of trauma , exile and migration , with the nation state , the postcolonial , globalisation and late capitalism . it will look at the implications of exophony for the self , the text , the reader and society , and investigate the extent to which translational processes - in the widest sense - might play a role in exophony . we will read a variety of twentieth - century and contemporary exophonic literary texts - some originally composed in english and others translated from languages including japanese and german .
from this gloomy statistic ( and the fact that most schools don’t promote the reading of foreign - language books , creating in society a foundation of inability to consume foreign literature in its original form ) , exophony can perhaps be seen as a case of self - perpetuating this “boundary” to western publishing success .
such exophony doesn’t just exist in foreign - language to english translation , either , but from english to various other tongues . for instance , irishman samuel beckett famously opted to write in french ( as did the czech author milan kundera ) , precisely to escape the stylistic restraints his native tongue put on him . a desire also echoed in conrad’s purpose . the telegraph explains ,
great authors who have employed such exophony include joseph conrad . the heart of darkness author was a polish merchant - marine captain who only gained british nationality in his late twenties . conrad never lost his polish accent . never mind that english was his third language ( after french ) . his reason for writing in english ? its plasticity . and to this end , he was a master . as the telegraph wrote ,
ing xmlns =
urltoken
> by the end of 2015 formed the ensemble exophony tokyo . 5 / 2016 to debut concert in toyosu civic center hall .
la folle journee au japon 2016
on kiosk concert tours . do collaborative concert with ensemble steuerman in april this year . this time , kamei yong province , in the guest program welcomes ( violin ) , kai fumiko ( viola ) , including mr . shinohara makoto quartet world premiere and other japan premiere 3 songs in concert .
the phenomenon of writing in assumed languages by non - native speakers has in recent years been referred to as exophony ( from the greek ἔξω , éxō , ‘outer , external’ and φωνή , phōnē , ‘ sound , voice ’ ) . the term was coined by literary translator chantal wright ¹ , an associate professor at the university of warwick , who has specialised in the experimental translation of exophonic prose such as porträt einer zunge ² ( ‘portrait of a tongue’ ) , a text written by german - language writer yoko towada’s , who is a native speaker of japanese . reasons to get involved with exophonic writing will obviously vary from one author to the next . some may wish to distance themselves from the cultural environment they were born into , some aim at an audience beyond the limits of their native language , and others seek to explore a kind of inspiration that comes from the use of a language communicating in which you do not take for granted . in my case , it is a combination of these .
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as a judicial concept dating back to the 17th century , the term ex ( tra ) territoriality has long excited the interest of scholars and writers who have , since the 20th century , not hesitated to appropriate the notion , widening and transforming it in the process . this transfer to the field of humanities has opened a new space of reflection , a space for imagination , through the means of a creative re - reading , among others , which has given rise to new but related concepts such as “deterritorialization” . to take into account the growing importance of this extraterritoriality paradigm reassessing the idea of territory in literature , culture and languages , this book offers an interdisciplinary and plurilingual journey through four centuries , four continents and a dozen languages , from literature to new media , encompassing philosophy , history , linguistics , the press , the cinema… notion juridique remontant au xviie siècle , le terme d’ex ( tra ) territorialité suscite depuis longtemps l’intérêt des sciences humaines et de la littérature qui , depuis le xxe siècle , n’ont pas hésité à se l’approprier pour l’élargir et le transformer . ce transfert du qualificatif ex ( tra ) territorial vers les humanités a ouvert un autre espace de réflexion , un espace d’imagination , grâce notamment à une relecture créatrice , ce qui a pu donner lieu à de nouveaux concepts apparentés comme celui de « déterritorialisation » . pour tenir compte de l’importance grandissante d’une pensée de l’ex ( tra ) territorialité , mettant en question la notion de territoire dans les domaines littéraire , culturel et linguistique , le présent ouvrage propose un parcours interdisciplinaire et plurilingue à travers quatre siècles , quatre continents et une dizaine de langues , de la littérature aux nouveaux médias , en passant par la philosophie , l’histoire , la linguistique , la presse , le cinéma , etc .
publication date : 1 january 2014 subjects : comparative studies & world literature , literature and cultural studies status : published publisher : brill | rodopi pages arabic : 330 extent : 330 pp .
tutor : dr chantal wright ( h523 ) , c . m . wright @ urltoken
2016 / 17 , thursdays 16 : 30 - 18 : 00 . room g03 , millburn house .
* * please access talis aspire via the library webpage for the up - to - date 2016 - 17 reading list . * *
illustrative bibliography ( nb : the tutor reserves the right to make changes to this bibliography ; students will be given ample notice of any changes . )
ashcroft , b . griffiths , g . and tiffin , h . , 2002 . the empire writes back . 2nd ed . london : routledge . ( extracts ) barthes , r . , 1982 . empire of signs . translated from french by r . howard . new york : hill and wang . ( extracts ) brodsky , j . , 1986 . less than one . selected essays . new york : farrar , straus and giroux . ( ' to please a shadow ' and ' in a room and a half ' ) coates , j . , 1999 . changing horses . nabokov and translation . in : j . boase - beier and m . holman , eds . the practices of literary translation . manchester : st . jerome . derrida , j . , 1998 . the monolingualism of the other or the prosthesis of origin . translated from french by p . mensah . stanford , calif . : stanford university press . jin , h . , 2008 . the writer as migrant . chicago : university of chicago press . yildiz , y . , 2012 . beyond the mother tongue : the postmonolingual condition . new york : fordham university press . ( extracts )
emine sevgi oezdamar , the bridge over the golden horn . trans . m . chalmers ( 2007 )
levy hideo , a room where the star - spangled banner cannot be heard . trans . c . d . scott ( 2011 )
yoko tawada , portrait of a tongue . trans . c . wright ( 2013 ) and ' canned foreign ' and ' the talisman ' . trans . s . bernofsky ( 2002 )
samuel beckett , molloy . trans . p . bowles in collaboration with the author and edited by s . weller . ( 2009 )
tzveta sofronieva , a hand full of water . trans . c . wright . ( 2012 )
elias canetti , the tongue set free . trans . j . neugroschel . ( 1979 )
book news , fantasy , human interest , j . k . rowling , lists , reading , young adult
bookish events , human interest , j . k . rowling , news , potterheads
to this end , and others , some authors have skipped the middleman and turned their backs on their mother tongue to write in english .
dubbed an “exophonic community , ” the end goal is fundamentally for the purpose of gaining a wider readership . additionally , there are reasons both political and personal , let alone stylistic – whether in the sense of the cultural heritage of their mother tongue , or in order to avoid the pitfalls of leaving their texts in the hands of a translator .
“conrad’s writing can be hard going – tortuous , choppy , syntactically awkward – but beneath this apparent chaos is a meticulous lexical precision , while his stream - of - consciousness style is one of the finest examples of early literary modernism . ”
of course , even more extensive an exophonic author was vladimir nabokov . having fled his native russia in 1919 , the pale fire author went to study in cambridge , lived in germany , and eventually moved to the united states to lecture in comparative literature . comparing nabokov with conrad ( and later such writers ) , this learned multilingualism becomes an apparent pattern in exophones – but then , such internationality is what leads to textual creation in that most international of languages : english .
indeed , nabokov was as good at pinning down the correct word needed as he was in his passion for lepidoptery , his writing never faltering in lexical precision and delight – whatever the language . in fact , the telegraph describes the 1955 lolita as “a polyglot’s love letter to language scurrilously dressed up as a pederast’s love letter to a sullen child . ”
“for beckett , english felt too cluttered : psychologically , linguistically , emotionally . writing in a second language allowed him to pare things back . ”
this was not simply a 20th century literary tactic . today’s exophonic authors include eugen chirovici , a romanian whose murder - mystery , the book of mirrors , was eagerly snapped up for a seven - figure sum by the publishing world last year ( its release date is set for february 2017 ) .
“growing up behind the iron curtain , he felt that england and america stood for freedom , and this stoked his passion for the works of the anglo - american canon [ … ] english is the new lingua franca nowadays . ”
when you pause to consider that this section of the market includes authors like haruki murakami , ever popular swedish authors , and the recently unmasked elena ferrante , it is at first puzzling . however , those who don’t make the bestseller list are not deemed up to par . alexandra bücher of literature across frontiers explains ,
“i don’t think we are getting the picture of piles of translated books not selling , because booksellers are really picky about who ends up on the shelves [ … ] the independent booksellers who were happier to get translated books are disappearing . ”
therein lies the rub , and the whys and wherefores behind the need for exophones like turkish - speaking elif shafak , nadeem aslam ( urdu ) , yiyun li , ha jin , and xiaolu guo ( all chinese ) , gary shteyngart and boris fishman ( both russian ) , and bosnian - speaking author aleksandar hemon ( who published his first anglophone story only three years after having had to remain in the states due to war breaking out in his home country ) .
in short , it makes commercial sense . and yet , anna webber of united agents made a general admission :
“ [ t ] he problem is that not many publishers speak foreign languages [ … ] this is why i have to stick to representing a low number of foreign authors – about 10 % of all the writers i work with . ”
nevertheless , there exists hope for change in the form of the man booker international prize for literature in translation , which has been going since 2005 ( the latest winner being the vegetarian by han kang , translated by deborah smith ) .
some exophonic authors may be bilingual or multilingual from their childhood years , even polyglots , while others may write in an acquired language . in some cases the second language is acquired early in life , for example through immigration , and it is not always clear whether the writer should strictly be classed a non - native speaker . it is one form of transnational literature , although the latter also encompasses writing that crosses national stylistic or cultural boundaries without being written in another language .
it also overlaps with translingualism , and translingualist writer is one of many terms that has been coined to describe the phenomenon .
some exophonic authors are also translators , including ( in some cases ) of their own works .
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writing about the marginal surrealist leonora carrington in the new york times book review of 4 june , parul sehgal introduces us ( me anyway ) to the concept of exophonic writers : writers who wrote in languages other than their native tongue . wikipedia has , inevitably , a list . ms sehgal alludes to the following :
leonora carrington : incomprehension brings liberation . “i was not hindered by a preconceived idea of the words . . . this made it possible for me to invest the most ordinary phrases with a hermetic significance . ”
vladimir nabokov : was kind of forced into it . “my private tragedy , which cannot , indeed should not , be anybody’s concern , is that i had to abandon my natural idiom . ”
yuko otomo : english is more democratic than japanese . “i am elated to address a professor and a dog with the same pronoun ‘you’ . ”
jhumpa lahiri : a sort of rebirth : she finds writing in italian makes her “a tougher , freer writer , who , taking root again , grows in a different way” . ( which seems to have involved the rediscovery of the comma ! )
emil cioran : purging the past . “when i changed my language , i annihilated my past , i changed my entire life . ”
samuel beckett : a desire for self - exposure . “more and more my own language appears to me like a veil that must be torn apart in order to get at the things ( or the nothingness ) behind it . ”
quite interesting . i often say that i have found myself able to say things in a foreign language which i’d never say in english . so i’d add a category of de - inhibitor to ms sehgal’s list .
jhumpa lahiri’s switch has attracted some comment . the economist examines the move , while tim parks , in the new york review of books provides a devastating review of the result . success in writing confronts the writer with the burden of expectations . people liked your first book ; lots of them bought it ; and they are now waiting for more of the same . maybe switching to a different language provides a bit of cover ?
was originally published in english . it was translated as it was being written ( from german to english ) by koestler’s companion daphne hardy . in the chaos of wartime they were scrambling to get the book done before the germans authorities caught up with them . they did get rough translation off to england , and sent the original german manuscript to swiss publisher emil opprecht . everyone assumed that the original was lost , hence the need to publish from the english translation . when a german edition was published it had to be freshly translated by koestler into german from the “original” reworked english version . as it turns out the manuscript sent to opprecht did arrive , and has recently been unearthed . the publisher of the german edition
“ullstein noted that koestler was using ‘a great deal of foreign words instead of german expressions’ in his translation and asked for permission to change them into idiomatic german . there is irony here , for the english translation koestler worked from is itself full of german words and phraseology , a neat reversal . ”
had just been translated into french ) , i was invited by the bbc world service to cross the channel and settle down in britain . ten years later i became a british citizen . like many of my contemporaries i think , speak and write in two , if not three , languages . what unites these foreign personae is my foreign accent . ”
he points out that conrad liked to visit paris at least in part because there nobody detected his accent ; they all thought he spoke perfect english . ( but conrad spoke excellent french , so i’m not sure why he’d need to be speaking in english . ) my stepfather , also a pole , never lost his heavy accent , and although not a writer , would i imagine have written in polish where his vocabulary remained much larger . in the mill buttons were always referred to as
( goozh - eekee ) . many’s the time i’ve run upstairs for him to “get that . . . you know what . . . that thingummy” ; one would just bring objects downstairs until inspiration lit on the right one .
zinik mentions adalbert chamisso , author of peter schlemiel , a classic of 19th century german literature , who was born of french émigré parents who were fleeing the revolution and was bi - lingual all his life . there have always been lots of people like that . surely now the pace of population movement has accelerated to such a pitch that one can no longer rely on an inhabitant of say edinburgh speaking english ( in so far as one ever could ; many would claim that lowland scots is incomprehensible to a “real” english speaker . it is however an english dialect , whatever they say , unlike gaelic . ) so the expectation that a native citizen of any country should think , dream , speak , write in the language of that country becomes less and less tenable . and i refrain from a discussion here of jewish identity ; it just gets too complicated . yiddish is in a similar position now to scots gaelic : very few speak it ; many wish they did .
is this written in english ? of course it is , but william barnes wrote in the dialect of his native dorset . it’s his poem “token” . how about burns ? a dialect speaker writing in the nation’s formal language shares much with the exophonic writer . many a folk critic would want them just to pull up their socks and write proper english . some of us seem to find it hard to believe that people can really communicate in ways which we don’t readily understand . the demand that everyone write like “we” do is a bit like shouting english words slowly at a spaniard , and concluding that his failure to comprehend betokens idiocy . the funniest thing i’ve read recently is this from a review in the same issue of the tls “when de waal asked colleagues why primate face recognition tests used human faces as the target data , he was told it was thought to be an easier test for primates to pass , since human faces differ so much . ” the review does not go on to mention all these chimpanzee ethologists who are scratching their heads despairing of their human subjects’ inability to distinguish between ape faces which of course “differ so much” . ( de waal himself writes in english though he was born in the netherlands and only moved to the usa in his early thirties . you wouldn’t know he wasn’t writing in his native language . of how many academics must this be true ? )
* but his father was a translator of english into polish , and conrad did spend 16 years in the british merchant marine , became a british citizen in 1886 at the age of 28 , and lived in england for the rest of his life . he claimed to enjoy the “plastic” freedoms the english language provided him . all of which might seem more explanatory , or at least relevant .
[ … ] but not to black letter readers i’m sure” . it’s a bit reminiscent of those primate researchers who’d use human faces in testing chimpanzee facial recognition abilities , because human [ … ]
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i have recently begun working ( again ) on a piece of fictional prose that i had been procrastinating over for years — for a large part due to a long struggle with the question whether or not to write it in german . in the following article i try to explain the rationale behind my choosing the english language over my mother tongue .
aspiring writers of any given genre of fiction will have many things crossing their minds when contemplating a new project : find an overarching theme , develop storylines , characterise your dramatis personae , stage the setting , explore subplots for the various characters — and so on and so forth . one idea , however , is unlikely to make the list : to be writing in a language that you are not a native speaker of .
my native language is german . my background , as i see it , is that of what i would like to call an ‘in - between author’ — someone experienced in working with language as a profession , who at the same time lacks the practical experience needed to craft a fictional narrative into a functioning piece of catching prose . a copywriter and language and communication specialist by education and profession , i have worked with the german language on a professional basis for many years . extensive reading , writing , editing and revising german - language material , from press releases to editorial texts , and from blog entries to colourful product descriptions — all that used to come with my job . i have meanwhile switched professions ( i mainly work as a tea educator these days ) , but my life - long dealings with the german language have elevated me to a certain level of self - assuredness regarding my skills . words finding me effortlessly is what i am accustomed to , editing a german - language text to me is but a delightful excursion into a myriad of syntactic possibilities , and fine - tuning a sentence leaves me thrilled to bits over making it more easily accessible .
consequently , it may not come as too much of a surprise that , when i tell people ( especially those with a monolingual background ) that i am working on a novel project — even worse : my first one — and that i have taken it upon myself to pursue ( and ultimately realise ) said project in english , frequently rather than rarely do i receive puzzled , or even bemused reactions . why would i choose to leave behind the safe framework of my natively assumed eloquence so easily , when the very act of creative writing is demanding enough a challenge already ? of course , in some cases such a reaction can be explained as a loyal expression of concern about me wasting my time as well as my alleged creative potential while struggling with a foreign language for which i will never be able to get a sufficiently enough grasp to entirely trust my authorial gut feeling . close friends might feel obliged , and rightly so , to point out to me the difficulties that i will undoubtedly be facing should i dare move forward my audacious endeavour .
before i proceed , let me add a bit of context here by elaborating to some extent what my novel project at hand is about in the first place . the book on the realisation of which i have been procrastinating since 2010 ( sic ) , is supposed to become a novel set in not too distant a future . offering an outlook towards a time where humans might have probed further into our solar system , possibly establishing a permanent presence on planets other than earth . the main characters of this work - in - progress novel live on one of those planetary colonies . one character , a physicist and engineer , hopes to finish her life’s work in the form of some development that will ease the environmental restrictions that the population of one of said planetary colonies has been forced to abide to . another character , a medical scientist working between the conflicting priorities of science and politics , will be used to paraphrase a comment on the discourse surrounding contemporary concepts of gender and identity . a third character is supposed to bridge the gap between scientific discourse and social dynamics , adding , if you will , a kind of meta - perspective angle to the narrative . scientific plausibility is — i cannot stress that enough — the very heart of the whole project . i am just a backyard astronomer who , back in school , used to be bad at science ; but even though i am not a scientist myself , my layperson passion for planetary science and my affinity for cosmology have based my inspiration on a perception of reality that is deeply rooted in the approach of the scientific method . consequently , what i really hope to achieve with this project is to create something hat can serve as both a compelling sci - fi - esque read and as a commentary on the social dynamics of the present as i perceive it . should anyone end up regarding it as inspiring towards the future development of the world society , i shall be a happy person . here is to hoping i will not end up producing something entirely irrelevant .
any ambitious literary project will usually require the channelling of deep thoughts , the exploration of vivid nuances in meaning , the creation of enthralling atmosphere evoked by just the right choice of words . one might intuitively assume that those requirements can be met in a sufficiently and sophisticatedly enough manner only through the natural flow of words bestowed upon you by the language ( s ) acquired early in your childhood — your native tongue ( s ) . although the joys of text optimisation are not per se limited to your native language , some of the above - mentioned procedures and necessities will be harder to implement when performed in your secondary language . obviously my experience with language as a professional tool has for the largest part been achieved in and regarding german . arguably , i should be thankful for my extensive experience in this field and put it to good use . an yet : i have chosen a different path .
admittedly , the inevitable use of a dictionary , the dependency on a trusted native speaker , insecurities and frustration in the face of ones limited proficiency ( especially when being pointed at yet another unnaturally sounding choice of words ; at yet another flaw in one’s syntax ) , the admiration towards people with a native multilingual background — all that can make you feel way inferior a member of the language community of your choosing . in fact , in my case , the feeling of inferior skills made — or should i rather say , has made — me feel so anxious about this question that it repeatedly kept me from proceeding with the writing process altogether — for the past six years of my life . i was , and still am at the time of this very writing , afraid that i might be fooling myself into believing i could pull off a literary project in english . painfully aware of my insufficiencies compared , not only to native speakers , but also to non - native ones who are immersed in the english language through their living in , say , britain , i did not feel comfortable in the prospect of putting energy into something that would be meant to fail right from the beginning because of my insufficient language skills . true , english is spoken everywhere in berlin , all the time ; but unfortunately , that does necessarily include the use of naturally sounding grammar , or even vocabulary . hence , using the english language on a daily basis can , within this wibbly wobbly sphere of exophonic pragmatism , can potentially damage one’s proficiency rather than increase it . after all , there’s only so many brits in berlin , only so much life on mars to escape to .
so , when my focus should obviously be transposing above - outlined ideas successfully , why is it that i opt to willingly embrace struggling with a grammar that will remain forever foreign and with a vernacular that will inevitably keep leading to ever - so - odd choices of words , weird collocations , and syntactic peculiarities ³ ? why would i dismiss the promise of a natural flow of words within the safe harbour of native eloquence so easily , in exchange for a creative product writ in every other sentence of which will be an odd reminder that it must undoubtedly have been produced by a foreigner .
“you weave with it so effortlessly , one cant help but be pulled in . it’s not only how you write though that strikes me as surprising but with what ease you convey that sense of pure sci - fi . ” — a statement similar to this one ( uttered as a reaction to my german - language ( back - ) translation of some early draft material ) will most likely never be written about my english - language prose . my words will not always be well - chosen , they will — regularly rather than occasionally — turn out convoluted , and my syntax will most likely keep that odd german feel for all eternity .
when being asked for advice regarding the conundrum that i had created around the whole english - versus - german question , a native english - language friend of mine suggested i should regard english as a tool which i could access inspiration and information with that otherwise would have been walled off by my german ‘circuitry’ . by contrast , another friend encouraged me to do the concepting , outlines and snippets in english , yet to fill any atmospheric gaps in my mother tongue until i would eventually get to work through the material with an english - language editor .
my initial reaction to both the research and the advice i had accumulated was wise , if short - lived . after above - mentioned excitement of my multilingual , close - to - native - level german - language friend about the extend to which i was able to take command of the german language , i experienced an epiphany that made me , or so i felt , reach a decision : it would be wisest to be doing it in german , because that meant no more doubts , no anxiety , and no more unnecessary writer’s block . i had realised that my insisting on english as a creative means of expressing myself had in fact simply been my ego talking . now that i had analysed what would be most efficient in order to achieve the best possible result for this project , german undoubtedly seemed to be the right choice . i felt inspired , and i was grateful for everyone’s part in the decision - making process . there were no two points about it .
yet , here i am , almost 2 , 000 words into an article explaining to you and to myself the rationale behind my ultimately choosing english over german .
unfortunately for future readers of my literary outpourings , aspects more powerful than the reasoning behind my supposed wisdom turned out to be playing into my aversion behaviour against the use of german . for instance , a sceptic approach towards society in general — which in turn implies : a tongue by any other name would taste as bad . tough luck , thou “language of schiller and kant , merkel and schwarzenegger” ⁴ . poetic justice , though , in the face of the frustration that derives from no one ever getting my doctor who references in germany .
an approach that really clicked with me is the one demonstrated in the following quote by czech - german - english - canadian author dan vyleta ⁵ , whose books have gathered wide international acclaim : „the answer is that english is my own , never mind when i acquired it . that i chose it the way one chooses a spouse , which is to say i fell in love with it . i wrote my first cheque in english ; met my life’s companion in english . i can no longer remember a day when i did not think , and dream , in english . there was never a question in my mind that i would write my books in anything else . “ ⁶
now , in stark contrast to vyleta , i lack both the ability to express myself as sophisticatedly in english as i would be able in german , and the experience in crafting a piece of literature . but , as surprising as this may sound , at these early steps i see this as an advantage — not over vyleta , obviously , but over an hypothetical , ever - so - experienced parallel - universe me . for with my self - assuredness about my command of the german language has come a feeling of routine . a routine that has brought me to me point at which , at least for now , i cannot for the life of it seem to find any motivation in the prospect of crafting a fictional piece in the tongue that is supposed to be my first language .
the way i see it , it all comes down to where one’s personal goals and priorities lie . in my case , as i have implicitly stated in the passage above , i do no longer have the ambition to prove to myself or the german - speaking community my decently skilful conduct of the german language . quite the contrary , there are some linguistic problems i do not even wish to bother with . grammatical gender , for instance — a concept that , thankfully , the english language got rid of almost a millennium ago ⁷ . i do not want to sound too escapist though ; in everyday conversation i still play my proactive part in the evolution of my mother tongue by , say , using the nominalised present participle ( gerund ) instead of explicitly male or female forms⁸ . the problem is , however , that german speakers are far from reaching any consensus whatsoever about its usage , and i am , quite frankly , fed up with discussing it . maybe the passion i used to have for the fate and future of the german language has left me — for good ?
the vast majority of inspirational resources i have been influenced by gets novelised ⁹ , reported ¹⁰ , tweeted ¹¹ , recorded ¹² , or otherwise produced ¹³ in english . so when i choose to write in english rather than in my native language , i am also seeking to act out on my creativity in the very language that has sparked by imagination in the first place .
for better or worse , as someone with a sometimes decent , sometimes not - so - decent command of the english language , i consciously choose to write my novel in this second language of mine rather than in my mother tongue . if that challenge is what keeps my imagination network active ¹⁴ , and if my goal is to transpose my ideas in a readable manner : then it seems i have got my work cut out for me .
even if i fail , the very process can be a first step in slowly , but ( hopefully ) surely developing a style that i can truly call my own . for example : as much as i abhor the use of nominalisations that is widely spread among native german speakers , curiously enough , i myself love playing with them in english . similarly , whereas i frequently advise against the use of high - faluting loanwords in my native language , in english anything derived from latin and ancient greek is what makes my linguist heart geek out . will it stay like this , will my choice of words in time become more natural ?
whether german happens to be your native language , but the time spent in an english - language environment is what sparks your imagination ; whether you were born in japan , but you find german more suitable to express your creativity ¹⁵ . in a world that is becoming more and more culturally incoherent , i would like to make a case against limiting our creative output to the borders of nations or language that we happened to be born in . sure , we could easily stick to our native languages , which we have mastered to an extend that can fool us into thinking we basically own them . we can focus on the development of characters and storylines in lieu of continuously worrying about a lack of native - level language proficiency .
personally though , i would rather take my chances and strive for an immediate connection with an audience who share my curiosity for the unconventional , who are able to connect to my ideas , no matter where on this planet they live — without having to rely on the vague hope that my german - language text might at some point get translated out of my native tongue . i do not envy the editors that will at some point have to deal with my syntactic oddities and my collocational peculiarities . i can only hope they will do so as forgivingly as , in my wishful thinking , any future readers of my purple prose .
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