This cartoon by Schrank from The Independent relates to François Hollande's first meeting with Angela Merkel as President of France. Merkel and Hollande are portrayed as the star-crossed lovers Rose and Jack in the famous "I'm flying" scene from the movie Titanic (prepare those hankies before watching!). The Titanic (representing the euro) is about to hit a Greek column (a metaphor for Greece's role in the downfall/sinking of the euro). The cartoonist plays on the words 'unthinkable' and 'unsinkable', which, with Merkel's German accent, both…
Linguistics
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Most Topular Stories
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Cartoon: Unzinkable
The English Blog16 May 2012 | 1:37 am -
Is Your Website Lost in Translation?
One Hour Translation Blog24 Feb 2012 | 7:04 amThe “language of business” is based around the common denominator of currency. Business decisions are made on whether that currency will make you more currency, cover your expenses and leave enough for expansion. But in today’s atmosphere of global trade, the language of business has become a literal term. In his post, Mikal covers one of the most important issues in tody’s commerce and Ecommerce – approching customers from different countries in their native language. To read the full story by Mikal E. Belicove at the entrepreneur -
On the computational nature of syntax
Paleoglot28 Apr 2012 | 7:00 pmI found an amazing article called On the nature of syntax (2008) by Alona Soschen who, in a nutshell, uses language as a means to examine possible underlying features common to other adaptive systems. Strangely enough, this intrigues me as a programmer too. To quote the abstract: "There is a tendency in science to proceed from descriptive methods towards an adequate explanatory theory and then -
Count-down to EU pharmacovigilance legislation
Medical Translation Insight10 Apr 2012 | 6:18 amThe European Medicines Agency (EMA) is planning for the implementation of new pharmacovigilance legislation in July this year. The new rules (Directive 2010/84/EU [PDF link] and Regulation (EU) No. 1235/2010 [PDF link]) amend existing legislation and was adopted back in December 2010. The main goal of the legislation is to strengthen the EU-wide system for monitoring the safety and benefit-risk -
Simpler language makes for better clinical research
Medical Translation Insight26 Apr 2012 | 6:00 amWe've said it before: Readability is important when it comes to clinical studies. While informed consent forms (ICFs) are required in all clinical trials which are approved by an independent Ethics Committee, most ICFs are too complex to understand by an average adult patient. One obvious solution is to reduce the complexity and increasing the ease of readability. While this has been
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linguistics - Google News
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Whiz Kid: Samuel Zbarsky Joins US Elite Math Team - Patch.com
16 May 2012 | 12:55 pmWhiz Kid: Samuel Zbarsky Joins US Elite Math TeamPatch.comSamuel Zbarsky—a junior in the Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet Program—will join an elite team of 12 as they travel to Slovenia to compete in the 2012 International Linguistics Olympiad, which will be held July 29 to August 4.and more » -
Glimpses of Nihon-koku - BBC News
15 May 2012 | 6:06 pmGlimpses of Nihon-kokuBBC NewsIn the company of experts from the University's School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures explore the ancient art of Japanese calligraphy, take part in language taster sessions and more! Activities are not organised by the BBC unless stated -
The Linguistics Of Behavioral Advertising: "Tracking And Targeting Are Terms ... - MediaPost Communications
15 May 2012 | 11:27 amThe Linguistics Of Behavioral Advertising: "Tracking And Targeting Are Terms MediaPost Communicationsby Wendy Davis, Yesterday, 12:18 PM Facebook's new privacy policy apparently will allow the company to send targeted ads to users even when they're not on the social networking site. But that new policy has many observers wondering whether consumers and more » -
Wybourne picked for interim provost post - The Dartmouth
15 May 2012 | 12:07 amWybourne picked for interim provost postThe DartmouthLindsay Whaley, acting associate provost for international affairs and a linguistics and classics professor, will replace Wybourne as interim vice provost. They will assume their positions the same day that Folt becomes interim College president, and more » -
Bankrate.com Launches Online Video Series with HotForWords.com Internet ... - Sacramento Bee
14 May 2012 | 5:01 amBankrate.com Launches Online Video Series with HotForWords.com Internet Sacramento BeeMs. Orlova has earned two degrees in philology, the study of linguistics and origins of words. In 2007, she burst onto the digital scene and is now followed by millions of fans on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, iTunes and HotforWords.com.and more »
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ScienceDaily: Language Acquisition News
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Playful games promote reading development
15 May 2012 | 4:23 amShort but intense training sessions in the form of structured language games from the age of four can stimulate children’s early language development and may also make it easier for children to learn to read. Previous research has shown that children’s reading development can be stimulated with structured and playful language games from the age of six. In a current three-year study, researchers are exploring the effects of having children as young as four participate in such games. -
No Child Left Behind Act improved test scores for language but not for reading, math in rural Alabama, US
10 May 2012 | 1:19 pmThe No Child Left Behind Act has bolstered language test scores but done little to improve math and reading scores for students in rural Alabama schools, according to a new study. -
Evolution's gift may also be at the root of a form of autism
10 May 2012 | 11:28 amA recently evolved pattern of gene activity in the language and decision-making centers of the human brain is missing in a disorder associated with autism and learning disabilities, a new study shows. -
Computer scientists show what makes movie lines memorable
8 May 2012 | 9:00 pmResearchers who applied computer analysis to a database of movie scripts think they may have found the secret to a memorable movie line - use familiar sentence structure but incorporate distinctive words or phrases, and make general statements that could apply elsewhere. -
Emotion can shut down high-level mental processes without our knowledge, in our native language
8 May 2012 | 4:35 pmPsychologists believe that they have glimpsed for the first time, a process that takes place deep within our unconscious brain, where primal reactions interact with higher mental processes. They have identified a reaction to negative language inputs which shuts down unconscious processing. The psychologists extrapolate this from their most recent findings working with bilingual people.
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LANGUAGE NEWS - Google News
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Language no barrier to bring people together : Mamata - IBNLive.com
16 May 2012 | 12:04 pmIBNLive.comLanguage no barrier to bring people together : MamataIBNLive.comPTI | 10:05 PM,May 16,2012 Kolkata, May 16 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that her government believed in bringing together people of all states despite their diversity in languages and culture.Language No Barrier to Bring People Together: MamataOutlookall 54 news articles » -
Welsh language not a health priority - British Medical Association - BBC News
16 May 2012 | 10:33 amTopNews United StatesWelsh language not a health priority - British Medical AssociationBBC NewsUse of the Welsh language should not be a priority when delivering healthcare, says the British Medical Association. It said health money should not go into "promoting" the language, and targeting Welsh-speaking staff could hamper recruitment.Welsh language 'could make it harder to recruit doctors'WalesOnlineBWA Warns Against Imposition of Language ConditionTopNews United Statesall 8 news articles » -
English the preferred language for world business: poll - Reuters
16 May 2012 | 10:01 amEnglish the preferred language for world business: pollReutersBy Chris Michaud | NEW YORK (Reuters) - Workers whose jobs require them to interact with people in foreign countries say that English is the dominant language of business, according to a new poll. More than one quarter of employees in 26 countries and more » -
District Honored for Language Programs - Patch.com
16 May 2012 | 9:30 amDistrict Honored for Language ProgramsPatch.comBy Adam Hochron The Howell Public Schools were recently recognized for their work with students in their English as a Second Language (ESL) program. This is the second time the district was honored since the programs were first recognized in 2004.and more » -
Language Advantage, Foreign Language Learning For Kids, Introduces NO COST ... - San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
16 May 2012 | 9:04 amLanguage Advantage, Foreign Language Learning For Kids, Introduces NO COST San Francisco Chronicle (press release)To introduce and promote bilingualism for children, Language Advantage is giving away a NO COST five week foreign language program to qualified child development, daycares and schools in Maryland. Annapolis, MD (PRWEB) May 16, 2012 To introduce and and more »
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English Experts
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22 expressões com Hora em inglês
15 May 2012 | 5:00 pmQuando eu era criança não entendia porque para boa parte das coisas a gente contava até 10 ou até 100 e só para as horas contávamos até 12, 24 ou 60. Parece a coisa mais óbvia do mundo, mas vai explicar para uma criança que uma hora tem 60 minutos e não 100. Hoje eu entendi o porquê da escolha do 12 para a contagem do tempo. Segundo a Wikipédia: A hora foi definida originalmente pelas civilizações antigas tanto como um doze avos do tempo entre o nascer e o pôr-do-sol ou como um vinte e quatro avos de um dia. Em ambos os casos a divisão refletia o amplo uso do sistema de… -
Should I stay or should I go? (living abroad – part I)
14 May 2012 | 6:17 pmSe você gosta muito de aprender línguas ou precisa de uma a mais (ou duas, três) para futura carreira, tarefa ou hobby específicos, a idéia de viver em outro país já deve ter passado pela sua mente. E você já deve ter até pensado nos passos básicos: ‘Vou economizar dinheiro’ (muitas vezes a economia parece difícil, então você vende seu carro para investir na sua viagem); ‘Vou organizar meus documentos e fazer meu passaporte’ (o processo todo pode ser bem tranquilo, como pode levar uma eternidade dependendo das exigências do país para onde você quer ir); ‘Vou trancar… -
Saiba como ingressar no MIT
13 May 2012 | 6:50 pmA força de vontade e a garra dos jovens é algo muito bonito de se ver. Quando temos nossos 15 anos nada é impossível, não temos medo de sonhar, o céu é o limite mesmo. Vejo jovens motivados todos os dias na nossa comunidade, pessoas que estão estudando inglês com o objetivo de ir estudar em Harvard, no MIT ou outra instituição de primeira linha. Quem somos nós para duvidar da capacidade desses jovens, não é mesmo? Hoje quero mostrar para vocês que é possível estudar em Harvard ou no MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), basta querer e principalmente, sair da zona de… -
Usando a combinação Let Go
10 May 2012 | 7:25 amSe você parar para observar, vai perceber que a combinação entre “let” e “go” forma expressões comuns e interessantes – e melhor ainda: fáceis de se pronunciar e utilizar. Acho que quase todo mundo já ouviu falar de “let’s go”, não é verdade? Para quem não se lembra, “let’s go” equivale a “vamos”. É claro, hoje, não falaremos apenas de “let’s go”, veremos muito mais. Ah, e lembrem-se de que estes usos são frequentes tanto nos EUA quanto no Reino Unido. Então, independentemente de ser… -
A vida no Canadá: pode passar no sinal vermelho? Como assim?
8 May 2012 | 9:29 amOlá, pessoal! Hoje eu encontrei uns vídeos muito interessantes do Edu que está no Canadá (oops!). Ele está em Hamilton, uma cidade da província canadense de Ontário e vem gravando uma série sobre como é a vida por lá. Uma das coisas que me chamou a atenção foi que em algumas situações o motorista pode virar à direita mesmo com o sinal vermelho. Pesquisando um pouco mais, encontrei algumas regras que podem confundir nós brasileiros. Confira o vídeo abaixo: Veja mais alguns vídeos interessantes: Destino: Canada – Introdução da Série (Parte 1) Destino: Canada –…
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The English Blog
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EM Normandie Business Words App Now Free
16 May 2012 | 6:59 amI'm pleased to announce that the Business Words iOS app I created for learning business vocabulary is now available for free in Apple's App Store. So don't delay, download it today! DESCRIPTIONBusiness Words is ‘hangman’ type game aimed at students or professionals who have a good level of English but wish to improve their vocabulary in the field of business and management. Business Words is also a useful resource for anyone preparing for a professional exam such as the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication). The game uses a database of 2,000 words and is… -
Cartoon: Unzinkable
16 May 2012 | 1:37 amThis cartoon by Schrank from The Independent relates to François Hollande's first meeting with Angela Merkel as President of France. Merkel and Hollande are portrayed as the star-crossed lovers Rose and Jack in the famous "I'm flying" scene from the movie Titanic (prepare those hankies before watching!). The Titanic (representing the euro) is about to hit a Greek column (a metaphor for Greece's role in the downfall/sinking of the euro). The cartoonist plays on the words 'unthinkable' and 'unsinkable', which, with Merkel's German accent, both… -
Reuters Video: French President Hollande takes office
16 May 2012 | 12:57 amNewly elected Francois Hollande meets outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy at the presidential palace for an official exchange of power. Lindsey Parietti reports. TRANSCRIPT France's new president Francois Hollande. After battling in a close and sometimes surprising race, Hollande officially took the reins from Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday. The meeting at the presidential palace is believed to have included an exchange of nuclear codes ahead of a swearing-in ceremony that made Hollande the country's first Socialist president in 17 years. In contrast to his predecessor's image,… -
Words in the News: Collapse
16 May 2012 | 12:46 amThe Daily Telegraph reports that Greece's economy is close to collapse. Full story >> VOCABULARY If something, for example a system or institution, collapses, it comes to an end completely and suddenly. • German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the collapse of the coalition negotiations was "a severe setback for the urgently needed confidence in Greece's readiness to reform''. -
Infographic: Who Loaned Greece The Money?
15 May 2012 | 2:11 amToday's news is dominated by the Greek debt crisis and fears that Greece may be forced to leave the euro if it can't meet its debt repayments. Greece's total debt amounts to €360bn, but who loaned it all that money in the first place, and what does €360bn actually look like? For answers to those questions, check out this wonderful infographic from Demonocracy.info. And while you're at it, don't miss some other great infographics on related topics such as The European Superhighway of Debt and Global Financial Crisis: A World in Debt, which put all those debt…
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Mission to Learn - Lifelong Learning Blog
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10 Brain Links Worth Clicking
2 May 2012 | 1:39 pmFor those of you who haven’t yet decided to follow Mission to Learn on Twitter (You know who you are.), here’s a round up of some exquisite links I’ve tweeted lately on the general topic of brain science and the human mind: A Brief Guide to Neuroscience (The Guardian) Just what it says it is – a quick run down on one of the trendiest of sciences these days. What is Working Memory and Why Does it Matter? (National Center for Learning Disabilities) I mention working memory frequently here on Mission to Learn. This post gives you some of the essentials in the context of… -
So maybe we can make ourselves smarter?
23 Apr 2012 | 4:00 amI noted in an earlier post that as powerful as deliberate practice can be for mastering particular skills or knowledge, recent research suggests that we eventually run up against the limits of our intellectual capabilities. In particular, the capacity of our working memory seems to have significant impact on what we can ultimately achieve. So, are there ways to improve our overall intellectual capacity? It was with this question in mind that a handful of recent articles in The New York Times caught my eye. In the first, Dan Hurley asks Can You Make Yourself Smarter? The answer is not an… -
Are You Ready for Digital Civilization?
10 Apr 2012 | 7:37 pmA student at Brigham Young University e-mailed to alert me to an event her Digital Civilization class will be presenting on Wednesday, April 11, 2012, from 7-8:30 PM MDT. The event will feature students delivering TEDx-style presentations on “how to be more engaged in our digital world.” You can catch the live stream or tune into the recording later at http://digiciv.byu.edu/. This seems like a great event – kudos to professors Gideon Burton and Daniel Zappala for making it a part of their class. The class, too, sounds fantastic. Here’s the description: Western… -
Want some community to go with those great courses?
29 Mar 2012 | 6:00 amI’ve been a fan of The Great Courses from The Teaching Company for quite some time. In fact, I mentioned to my wife just recently that it would be interesting to put together some sort of discussion group around the courses I’ve taken so far. Then, serendipitously, I received an e-mail from Mission to Learn reader Dan Egbert about a new site he has started to help Great Courses students connect. TTC University is a fledgling effort, so you won’t find it overflowing with discussion just yet. But hey, that’s why I’m writing this post – you have to start… -
Take one or more of these 5 risks and really learn something
26 Mar 2012 | 5:00 amI did a brief interview with Chris Hutton over at Liter8 Ideas recently, and one of the questions Chris asked was “What have been obstacles that you’ve had to overcome when it relates to your educational journey?” There have been many – as I am sure there have been for you – but one that came to mind immediately was a “tendency to avoid risk.” Now, don’t get me wrong – I’ve done some reasonably adventurous things in my life, and I have also been an entrepreneur for most of my career. So, I am hardly what might typically be thought of as…
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Language Log
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A sentence more ambiguous than most
15 May 2012 | 4:30 pmOn Facebook, Fahrettin Şirin shared this special card for linguists and other lovers of ambiguity: "I love ambiguity more than most people" is of course ambiguous, since it could mean "I love ambiguity more than most people (love ambiguity)" or "I love ambiguity more than (I love) most people." And in the case of some linguists, both of those propositions may have positive truth values. (For more on the ambiguity of "comparative ellipsis," see Jean Mark Gawron, "Comparatives, Superlatives, and Resolution," Linguistics and Philosophy 18:333-380, 1995.) -
It depends on what "the" means …
14 May 2012 | 7:11 pmSemantics in the John Edwards trial (James Hill and Beth Lloyd, "John Edwards Defense Relies on Definition of 'The'", Good Morning America 5/13/2012): Not since Bill Clinton challenged the definition of "is" has so much hinged on a very short word. John Edwards appears to basing much of his defense, which begins today in a North Carolina courtroom, on the legal interpretation of the word "the." […] The statute governing illegal receipt of campaign contributions "means any gift, subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money… for the purpose of influencing any election for… -
Bible Science stories, revisited
13 May 2012 | 5:58 pmWilliam Deresiewicz, "Capitalists and Other Psychopaths", NYT 5/12/2012: THERE is an ongoing debate in this country about the rich: who they are, what their social role may be, whether they are good or bad. Well, consider the following. A recent study found that 10 percent of people who work on Wall Street are “clinical psychopaths,” exhibiting a lack of interest in and empathy for others and an “unparalleled capacity for lying, fabrication, and manipulation.” (The proportion at large is 1 percent.) […] The only thing that puzzles me about these claims is that anyone would find… -
Thurber on "Who and Whom"
13 May 2012 | 11:00 amIn her review of Henry Hitchings' The Language Wars: A History of Proper English, Joan Acocella expressed some annoyance that Hitchings could dare to suggest "that the “who”/“whom” distinction may be on its way out". As evidence that this distinction was already in some difficulty almost 20 years before Ms. Acocella was born, I reprint below James Thurber's thoughts on "Who and Whom", which ran under the title "Our Own Modern English Usage: After Reading a Book on the Subject", in The New Yorker's issue of January 5, 1929. The number of people who use "whom" and "who" wrongly is… -
"The world's oldest in-use writing system"?
12 May 2012 | 3:34 pm[This is a guest post by Gene Buckley.] I was catching up on my stack of New York Times magazines, and I came across a mini-article in their "One-Page Magazine" feature from January 15. I couldn't find it on their website, but here's the entire content: How do you write that in Mandarin? by Mireille Silcoff Chinese characters comprise the world's oldest in-use writing system, but Chinese kids are forgetting how to get it on paper. The new term tibiwangzi ("take pen, forget characters") encapsulates the issue: nobody takes pen anymore. They type or text, often using Romanization. The China…
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GoodWord from alphaDictionary.com
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5/16/12 - craven
15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm1. Extremely cowardly, fainthearted. 2. Crushed and defeated, beaten down. -
5/15/12 - zombie
14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm1. A soulless corpse raised from the dead by a voodoo priest. 2. A dull, slow-witted person with no will-power. 3. A computer over which someone other than the owner has control. Such a computer is usually used to distribute spam. -
5/14/12 - inscrutable
13 May 2012 | 11:00 pmUnfathomable, completely unintelligible, impenetrably mysterious. -
5/13/12 - mother
12 May 2012 | 11:00 pmThe female parent, a woman who bears and/or primarily raises a child. -
5/12/12 - tumid
11 May 2012 | 11:00 pm1. Swollen, bulging out, bloated; extended tightly or beyond the natural state. 2. Bombastic, excessively ornate (speech or language).
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Paleoglot
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Athene's theory of everything
15 May 2012 | 5:22 pmAn interesting video that relates a lot of science together into a thought-provoking package. -
On the computational nature of syntax
28 Apr 2012 | 7:00 pmI found an amazing article called On the nature of syntax (2008) by Alona Soschen who, in a nutshell, uses language as a means to examine possible underlying features common to other adaptive systems. Strangely enough, this intrigues me as a programmer too. To quote the abstract: "There is a tendency in science to proceed from descriptive methods towards an adequate explanatory theory and then -
The first person pronoun in Afro-Asiatic languages
14 Apr 2012 | 4:00 pmMy mind lately has been seduced by some non-linguistic, programming-related material I've been researching busily on the side. However I'm ready to hop back into some lingering issues in my comment box where the latest discussion had ended off with the dilemma of reconstructing the first person pronoun in Proto-Berber. Let's zone in first on this Proto-Berber word for "I" before extending the -
Emergence of the Rank-5 society
6 Apr 2012 | 5:00 pmThe evolution of cognition by William Benzon and David Hays is an endlessly fascinating read. I get the same sort of inspired buzz as when watching the Matrix and probably for the same reasons. Their basic proposal is that human societies can be classified according to different ranks representing different modes of thought as we edge towards more complex societies. As an overview, they explain -
Learning, the unending battle against paradox
25 Mar 2012 | 4:00 pmI use my own personal models in order to understand things rather than merely adopting the exact model of another (ie. blind rote learning). I believe it's only by allowing oneself to freely explore and question within one's personal models of things that one can learn more rapidly and gain a deeper understanding of things. After an interesting discussion with a commenter about my model of
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Fritinancy
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On the Visual Thesaurus: Presidential Campaign Lingo
16 May 2012 | 9:26 amIn my latest column for the Visual Thesaurus, published today, I consider some buzzwords and catchphrases of the current U.S. presidential campaign, which is entering the general-election phase. It’s the first of two columns, organized alphabetically, so if you don’t see one of your favorite words or phrases, check back in a week or so. Here’s an excerpt from this week’s installment. You’ll need to subscribe to read the rest! Forward. The Obama campaign's slogan — “Forward” — made its debut in late April. Pundits immediately parsed it as if it were the Rosetta Stone. -
In the Tank
15 May 2012 | 10:04 amAlliteration—check. Brevity—check. Memorability—check. Appropriateness? Uh… I can’t tell you what the owners of Tot Tank, a children’s store on Alameda’s Park Street, were thinking when they named their business. But I can share my own negative associations: Tank (noun): Slang for jail cell. Tank (noun): A large container for liquid or gas. Tank (noun): An armored combat vehicle. Tank (verb): To plummet; to suffer a sudden decline or failure. Tank up (verb): To drink to the point of intoxication. I had one additional association: “Shark Tank,” the ABC reality show in which… -
Word of the Week: Grasstops
14 May 2012 | 11:07 amGrasstops: The leadership in a community or organization. First documented in 1992 in a Public Relations Quarterly article, where the word was spelled “grassTOPS” to emphasize the coinage. Usage has increased since 2007, according to a Google Insights graph. Here’s a recent sighting, in a May 5, 2012, job listing posted by California Right to Know: Experience and qualifications: Minimum 2-5 years experience in grassroots and grasstops organizing … The Word Spy entry for grasstops provides some historical background: This term is a play on grassroots, the ordinary people of a community… -
Mean Trees
9 May 2012 | 9:05 amIs this where Angry Birds build their nests? Seen at Piedmont Grocery, Oakland. From the Angry Orchard website: Once upon a time hard cider was the drink of choice. We’ve been making ciders for decades… Now we want to share them with you. Branch out and experience our Angry Orchard. “Hard” cider has about 5 percent alcohol. According to a press release, Angry Orchards ciders are “artisanal” (of course) and gluten free. The brand was introduced earlier this year in New England, Colorado, Maryland, and New York; last month it made its nationwide debut. I couldn’t find an… -
Snacks and Violence, Cont'd
8 May 2012 | 9:21 amI’ve added a new category to the blog, “Aggression,” to cover what looks to be a mini-trend: overt hostility in snack-food advertising. Last year, you may recall, I reported on the Cheetos “Headbutt Your Mouth’s Face” campaign and on Ruffles’ Double-Fisted Bacon Cheeseburger chips. And now, thanks to the intrepid eaters over at Impulsive Buy (“Putting the ‘ew’ in product reviews”), I’ve learned the brand promise of Blue Ox Jerky: “Our jerky punches gas station jerky IN THE FACE.” Photo enhanced from the original at Impulsive Buy. Impulsive Buy contributor Adam…
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Language Geek
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Harry Potter eBooks and Amazon.com’s Kindle Owners’ Lending Library
14 May 2012 | 2:33 pmBased on what I’ve seen at the HTLAL forums, the Harry Potter books are often some of the first books that people will tackle in their target language, as they’re fun books that lots of learners have already read in English. Getting hold of copies in your target language is now a lot easier, provided you’re studying French, German, Italian or Spanish: the Pottermore Shop now has the whole series available for purchase. The eBooks are compatible with lots of devices: e-readers, smart phones, tablets, as well as pretty much any computer. If you own a Kindle and have an… -
Language Immersion add-on for Google Chrome
11 May 2012 | 11:00 amIf you use Google Chrome, there’s a nifty little add-on you might want to check out, called Language Immersion for Chrome. It’s built using Google’s automatic translation services, so you can select from 64 different languages. It also allows you to select a level of fluency (from beginner to fluent). The add-on takes whatever web site you’re looking at and randomly replaces words with your foreign language equivalent. Clicking on them changes them to English, and hovering over them will give you a pronunciation. It’s certainly not something that is going to… -
Exporting terms / sentences from Learning with Texts to Anki
5 May 2012 | 10:27 amI’ve been continuing to play around with Learning with Texts, and I quite like it. If you have web hosting available to you, I definitely recommend you check it out. I was just perusing the website for LWT, and saw that it offers a way to export to Anki. It’s not simplistic by any means, but there’s some fine instructions at Living in the Middle Kingdom on how to get your terms, definitions, and sentences into Anki. Certainly a match made in language learning heaven, these two pieces of software. -
Back to this craziness (and learning with texts)
2 Mar 2012 | 9:56 amSo, I’ve been a blogger-in-missing for nearly half a year now. Considering my last, depressing post in August, I imagine some readers thought I just gave up altogether. I’ve actually received some emails from random readers, asking if all is well, since I’ve been so quiet. I’ve not given up nor died – just paused for a (long) while. I did toss language learning aside out of frustration for a while, and then other things in my life took over. A new girlfriend, the holidays, followed by a new, full time job. I think I’ve read maybe a paragraph or two of… -
Have I learned anything?
31 Jul 2011 | 9:34 pmI recently had a rather frustrating experience: In the middle of July, I was in Florida with a couple of people to see the last shuttle launch. While we were in Florida, we also visited Universal Studies for two days. Somewhat surprisingly to me, Universal Studios was absolutely flooded with people from foreign countries. I would probably estimate that out of 10 people, perhaps 2 were speaking English. It just so happened that there was a German family behind us when we were in line for the Harry Potter ride. We were in this line for nearly an hour and a half, so I had plenty of time to…
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languagehat.com
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ON NOT LICKING YOUR FILL.
15 May 2012 | 9:34 amI ran across a Russian proverb I couldn't interpret, «Не наелся — не налижешься» (literally "[if/since] you didn't eat your fill, you won't lick your fill"), so I asked Sashura, who can explain everything, and he explained it. The idea is that if you haven't taken care of the important stuff, there's no point worrying about the details, and if you have, there's no need to, as in this quotation from Dombrovsky in which Maxim watches men he had trained:… -
EMERY.
14 May 2012 | 5:55 pmNigel McGilchrist's LRB review of David Abulafia's "magisterial" The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean (I confess I'm a sucker for words like "magisterial") got me so fired up I went to the Amazon page, noticed that the Kindle price was under ten dollars for this $35 book (Amazon's selling the hardcover for $21.69, but who needs another hardcover cluttering up the place?), and succumbed to the lure of getting it instantly, even though I won't get around to it for a while. I suspect it will eventually provide me with a number of posts, but the word that inspired me to write this… -
MORE ON MACHINE TRANSLATION.
13 May 2012 | 7:45 pmEven though I'm deeply skeptical of the idea that automatic translation will ever be more than barely adequate (which is often good enough, as I insisted here), I continue to be interested in discussions of the topic, and Konstantin Kakaes has one at Slate called "Why Computers Still Can’t Translate Languages Automatically." I like the fact that he emphasizes the difficulties without pooh-poohing the whole idea; in his conclusion, he writes:Automatic semantic tagging is obviously hard. You have to deal with things like imprecise quantifier scope. Take the sentence “Every man admires some… -
DOWN WITH PALATALIZATION!
12 May 2012 | 6:23 pmA recent post at Anatoly's blog (now called просто здесь красный, где у всех голубой, a quote from Aquarium's song "8200") shows an absolutely hilarious sign held up by a protester: "Мы за пересмотр итогов… -
IGNORANT BLATHERING AT THE NEW YORKER.
11 May 2012 | 9:52 pmJoan Acocella is the longtime dance critic of the New Yorker. I imagine she's a fine dance critic; I don't know or care anything about dance, so I wouldn't know one way or the other, but when I've dipped into her pieces from time to time she's seemed literate and sensible. She writes book reviews as well (she has a PhD in comparative literature, so she even has academic credentials in case any were needed). However, when it comes to the study of language, she is an utter ignoramus, which makes it surprising that the New Yorker allowed her to run on for pages and pages blathering about it in…
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A Way with Words
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Books With a Letter Missing (full episode)
12 May 2012 | 7:35 amRemember those children’s classics, the Velveteen Rabbi and The Little Price? The Twitterverse is abound with these books with a letter missing. And it turns out there’s some pimping going on in our hospitals, but it’s not what you’d think. Grant and Martha clear up the plead vs pleaded debate, touch on the use of product, and trace the history of shambles. Plus, a word puzzle with nursery rhymes, a map of regional grammar, and plenty of crazy vocab, from popinjays to the tee na na! This episode first aired October 17, 2011. Listen here: Download audio file… -
Like A Bad Penny (full episode)
7 May 2012 | 2:51 pmWhat did you call the cliques in your high school? Were you a member of the nerds, the jocks, or maybe the grits or the heshers? Also, what’s the meaning of the phrase “rolling in the deep“? Why do we say something’s turned up like a bad penny? And is it proper to refer to our recent economic problems as the Great Recession? Plus, favorite letters of the alphabet, taking umbrage, fudgies vs. flatlanders, and washrag vs. washcloth. This episode first aired May 5, 2012. Listen here: Download audio file (120507-AWWW-Like-a-Bad-Penny.mp3) Download the MP3 here. To be… -
And The Horse You Rode In On
30 Apr 2012 | 2:01 pmWhat colorful language do you use to when you’re angry and tempted to use a four-letter word? There’s a difference between cursing and cussing: It takes a slow mind to curse, but an active, vibrant mind to cuss. Also, what it means to be stove up, the phrases “the horse you rode in on” and “it’s all chicken but the gravy,” plus a couple of handy synonyms for armpit. And when can you trust Wikipedia? This episode first aired April 28, 2012. Listen here: Download audio file (120430-AWWW-The-Horse-You-Rode-In-On.mp3) Download the MP3 here. To be… -
Shank of the Evening (full episode)
22 Apr 2012 | 1:40 pmWhat time is it if it’s “the crack of chicken”? When exactly is the “shank of the evening”? How do you pronounce the word spelled H-O-V-E-R? Did Warren G. Harding really coin the word “normalcy“? Also, a name game, sports nicknames, flounder vs. founder, Laundromats vs. washaterias, Black Dutch, nosebaggers, medical slang, and a look back at the joys of the early internet. This episode first aired April 21, 2012. Listen here: Download audio file (120423-AWWW-The-Shank-of-the-Evening.mp3) Download the MP3 here. To be automatically notified when audio is… -
Going All-City (full episode)
14 Apr 2012 | 11:33 amOn the menu: necessity mess, potato bargain, and other tasty regional foods that won’t break the bank. Plus, what’s a doomaflatchie? And what do you have to do before you rest on your laurels? Grant and Martha share idioms, proverbs, and paraprosdokians, those sayings that take a sudden, unexpected turn. Plus cryptic crosswords, graffiti slang, and new ways to read your the best long writing. This episode first aired October 8, 2011. Listen here: Download audio file (120416-AWWW-Going-All-City-Rebroadcast.mp3) Download the MP3 here (23.8 MB). To be automatically notified when…
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The Linguist on Language
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Where university education is headed.
10 May 2012 | 12:07 amAre Harvard and MIT spearheading change in university education or is it Stanford? Could it be LingQ one day? Read this article for an interesting dicussion about the changes that are already taking place in university education. I foresee the day when university courses, in different languages, will be offered at LingQ, with full audio, video, transcripts and other resources, enabling students to learn from the leading professors in the world, and learning languages as they go. Only the best courses should prosper. The "dog" courses all too offered at your local university, and which are… -
Global TV's Word Play. Are polyglots just different?
6 May 2012 | 6:43 pmGlobal TV's program on polyglots was a bit of a disappointment in that it did not point out that anyone can learn another language, and another and another. Here is my video on the subject. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Word Play, a program about polyglots on Canada's Global Television
5 May 2012 | 12:27 amTune in at 7 pm tomorrow, Saturday night, if you are interested. Global Television did a program about polyglots. I was a small part of that program. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
My language learning credo.
3 May 2012 | 5:35 pmLanguage learning is a personal activity. I do it for myself. I learn the language for my own reasons and in my own ways. I focus my efforts on those aspects of the language that interest me the most. Confidence, strong motivation and a positive attitude towards the language I am learning are preconditions for success. To make meaningful progress in the language I need to spend enough time with the language, listening to it, reading, it, using it. I try to be attentive, observing and noticing the language, how it sounds and how it functions. I spend most of my time on input, listening and… -
Why floundering is good.
25 Apr 2012 | 6:34 pmWe tend to learn better if we struggle a bit on our own, according to this article. "Trying to figure something out on your own before getting help actually produces better results than having guidance from the beginning" says the byline to the article. I agree, and this has application to language learning. I think we learn a language better if we train ourselves to notice what is happening in the language, if we discover the way the language works through struggling to understand. Very often the neat and tidy rules that describe what what should happen in the language go in one…
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Sinosplice » Life
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China Ammo for argumentum ad antiquitam
13 May 2012 | 7:57 pmThe summer between 7th and 8th grade, I went to a somewhat unusual “nerd camp.” I attended a 6-week “enrichment course” at the University of Tampa entitled “Logic and Critical Thinking.” We covered quite thoroughly the different types of logical syllogisms and logical fallacies. It was a singularly eye-opening experience for me, as many of the arguments I’d heard many times before were suddenly and for the first time exposed for what they were. In another sense, it was a new form of power. Adults rule the world, but they’re not above logic. -
Back to Jing’an (thoughts)
10 May 2012 | 10:10 pmWhen I first moved to Shanghai, I lived in the Jing’an Temple area, behind the Portman Ritz Carlton Hotel on Nanjing Road. It was a cool place to start out my Shanghai experience, and I enjoyed my time there (even if there weren’t many good eating options nearby). I discovered the joys of Shanghai morning walks to work there, and the whole “familiar strangers” thing was interesting. Later, though, I moved to the Zhongshan Park area, where I’ve been living for about 7 years now. photo by Neil Noland Well, now that the AllSet Learning office has established its new… -
Peking Opera Masks
1 May 2012 | 8:11 pmRecently Brendan put up a post called Peking Opera Masks and the London Book Fair on the new “Beijing Avengers” group blog, Rectified.name. It’s an insightful take on how contemporary Chinese literature is being represented (and not represented) abroad. I especially enjoyed the explanation toward the end of his use of “Peking Opera masks”: A few years ago, a few other translators and I were talking with employees of a Chinese publishing house who said that they had some books that they wanted to translate into English — things that they said would show… -
Mike Sui’s Video
29 Apr 2012 | 7:48 pmA half-Chinese, half-American actor by the name of Mike Sui (Mike ) has been making quite a stir on Weibo and on the Chinese web with his recent video in which he plays the part of 12 different nationalities/personalities. He does various accents in both English and Chinese (and he’s clearly fluent in both). My favorite is the Taiwanese one (starting at around 7 minutes). Take a look if you haven’t seen it already: (More details about the video and the Chinese reaction are on ChinaSMACK.) Interestingly, the video is being promoted in a way that refers to him as a (foreigner), but… -
Character Set Hodge-Podge
24 Apr 2012 | 7:55 pmWhen I started studying Chinese at the University of Florida in 1998, we were allowed to choose to learn to write either traditional or simplified characters, but once we chose one set, we weren’t allowed to mix them together. Apparently the creator of this sign (spotted on in Shanghai) is not so restricted: The text (as is): 245弄 The text in simplified characters: 245弄 The text in traditional characters: 245弄 If you carefully examine those characters, they should all make sense except maybe for this one: (). It was part of the second round of simplified Chinese characters which…
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separated by a common language
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tidbits and titbits
28 Apr 2012 | 7:03 pmI've been in blog-paralysis because everything I want to blog about would take a Very Long Time to write about and I'm supposed to be writing about other things. But along came Mrs Redboots on the Lynneguist Facebook page, making me blog by saying an oft-repeated falsehood about American English. I don't mean to disrespect Mrs Redboots. Plenty of people believe this one. Even people who were educated at Cambridge and who are given Guardian podcasts to spout about American English. But I do mean to fight the misperception. So: Americans do not say tidbit because they would titter… -
counting seconds
1 Apr 2012 | 5:41 pmLayah wrote to me about a year ago with this question: In America when you are trying to time counting seconds you often say Mississippi in between each number: "One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi..." Do they have something like that in England? When Layah wrote to me, I took the matter to Twitter, asking people to let me know what they use. And so if this post seems like a repeat, you may have read about this already. I was surprised to learn that I hadn't blogged it at the time. So, here it is! In my American growing-up, there were two ways we did such counting --… -
catching up and catching breaks
11 Mar 2012 | 8:04 pmMwncïod on Twitter asked:AmE/BrE diff? Watching US sit-com "Big Bang Theory" character says "catch/caught a break" vs BrE "get/got a break"?Get a breakis not so much BrE as general English. Break meaning 'a bit of good luck; a chance' is originally AmE and continues to be used there with get. The Corpus of Historical American English has its first instance of catch/caught a break in 1986, and it gained ground through the 1990s and 2000s. But it is still far outnumbered by get/got/gotten a break in AmE. Catch a break is an even more colloquial rendering of an already colloquial phrase,… -
topping oneself, topping and tailing
26 Feb 2012 | 5:22 pmA short post, but this headline (courtesy of this tweeter) is worth reproducing: The headline is about an American basketball player, Jeremy Lin, who is all the rage these days. The problem is that the headline would be rather upsetting reading for a BrE-speaking Lin fan. In BrE to top oneself is a colloquial way of saying 'to kill oneself'. But it was the AmE meaning 'to surpass oneself/one's previous achievements' that was clearly intended by the New York Times. It's not necessarily the case that the "AmE" meaning is entirely AmE here--the 'surpass' meaning of top is… -
graft
29 Jan 2012 | 6:10 pmJL in New York wrote recently with this observation: Last week's Economist included an article ("Executive Pay: Money for Nothing?", in the Britain section) that begins: Hard work builds character, and should be rewarded. But many Britons believe the link between graft and gain has broken down. The word that struck me was "graft" -- in my AmE usage, it can only mean "corruption", not "hard work". (Other than horticulturally.) The link between graft (AmE) and gain has, sadly, not broken down, of course. My first thought was that certainly AmE has the 'hard work' sense of graft, since the…
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Mr. Verb
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The Origin of Language: Solved!
16 May 2012 | 10:06 amAnd you were wasting all that time pondering it, when that particular Big Question was answered in 1986!Background: I get a lot of education from reading Savage Love in the Onion, by the ever-amazing Dan Savage. Last week's column was devoted to a letter from a man with a particular sexual kink (I will spare Mr. Verb's delicate readers the details, but they can click here if they want to read it). In his answer, Dan quoted "the late psychologist and sexologist John Money," who published a book in 1986 called Lovemaps: Clinical Concepts of Sexual/Erotic Health and Pathology,… -
Linguistics joke
12 May 2012 | 1:56 pmThanks to a non-linguist, Celia Boone, for this. -
Defining Moments
9 May 2012 | 4:00 pmJoe & I met Steve Kleinedler at the recent DARE bash. Had to look him up to describe him accurately; here's what I got:He is currently the executive editor of the dictionaries group at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's trade and reference division and the supervising editor of the new American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.Steve pointed us to a great article by Carrie Kilman* called Defining Moments, which appeared in Teaching Tolerance (which by the way is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization worth supporting!). The article… -
A new and easy way to help LINGUIST list
7 May 2012 | 10:41 amGot this message from one of the LINGUIST list review editors here at the University of Wisconsin – Madison:Okay, everybody, be sure to change your usual Amazon link to the one given in this Linguist List message! Pass it on to other linguists! http://linguistlist.org/issues/23/23-2167.htmlHere's a screen shot of what you get if you go to the store. (As always, click to embiggen.) Sounds great to me. -
Democrabeep!
6 May 2012 | 9:31 amEverybody in Wisconsin knows that the recalls are coming fast and hard. The primary is Tuesday to select the D who'll run against the R (Walker) with that election to be decided on June 5, 2012.At noon that day, the twitter master known as Astrodex proposes that everybody should call -- by twitter, fb, email, semaphore -- for all Wisconsinites to get out and vote. It's a bipartisan (omnipartisan?) celebration of voter rights. Wait, you ask, is there a language angle here? Hey, I tell you, just imagine democrabeep as a candidate for Word of the Year!Let's make it happen.
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Learning the Language - Education Week
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Poll: Latinos Put Education Over Immigration in 2012 Campaign
15 May 2012 | 2:50 pmA survey released this week by two organizations that favor private school vouchers and other forms of school choice shows that Latino voters are more concerned about improving the quality of K-12 education than they are about reforming immigration policies. Like all voters surveyed, Latinos listed the economy and job creation as their chief area of concern. Latinos in the survey ranked improving K-12 education as their next top issue over budget deficit reduction, which was the second-ranked issue for all voters. Fifty-eight percent of Latinos agreed with the statement that "we need to hear… -
Study: Most ELLs Are in Districts That Fall Short of Federal Goals
11 May 2012 | 1:30 pmCORRECTION AND UPDATE: The Ed. Dept. wants to make clear that this report is not the "biennial" update to Congress mandated by federal law. This report was independently commissioned by the department. I regret my misunderstanding. The 2008 biennial report will be published later this month. And the 2010 biennial report will probably be out by the end of summer. Most of the nation's English-language learners were enrolled in school districts that failed to reach all of their accountability goals for that group of students in the 2008-09 school year, according to a national evaluation of the… -
Census: Foreign-Born Population Reaches Record High
10 May 2012 | 1:36 pmThe U.S. Census Bureau reports today that the population of foreign-born people living in the United States has reached 40 million, an all-time high. That figure—from the 2010 American Community Survey—comprises about 13 percent of the total population in the U.S., which is roughly 312 million people. That represents the largest share of the population since 1910, when foreign-born residents comprised 14.7 percent of the overall population. About one-third of those foreign-born residents entered the U.S. since 2000. Between 2000 and 2010, the foreign-born population grew by about… -
Grim NAEP Science Results for English Learners
10 May 2012 | 9:50 amEighth grade English learners significantly trail their native English-speaking peers in science achievement and gained no ground at all in the last two years, according to results from the Nation's Report Card that were released today. Findings from earth, life, and physical sciences on the 2011 administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, show that English learners made no improvement from two years ago when the exam was last given. Their average score was 106 on a 300-point scale and falls 21 points short of a scale score of 127, which is the bottom of the… -
Puerto Rico's Governor Pushes for Fully Bilingual Citizenry
8 May 2012 | 3:52 pmIn a bid to make Puerto Rico a full-fledged bilingual society, Gov. Luis Fortuño has rolled out a controversial proposal that would make English the primary language of instruction in all courses taught in the island's public schools. Spanish grammar and literature classes would still be offered under the Republican governor's plan to make the U.S. territory fully bilingual within the next decade. According to this Associated Press story, all of Puerto Rico's public schools are required to teach the English language from kindergarten through high school, but just a dozen of Puerto Rico's…
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Learn French with daily podcasts
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Video Vocabulary #213
12 May 2012 | 9:51 pm -
1413 – Real Life French: l’été avant l’heure
12 May 2012 | 9:40 pmReal life French Guide Welcome to your lesson of Real Life French. Each lesson we take a simple situation you may encounter in everyday life in France. Learn French now ! Listen to today’s lesson :~ -
1412 – Une perte (A loss)
12 May 2012 | 9:38 pmLearning Guide | PDF Transcript Le groupe aérien Air France-KLM a communiqué une perte pour les trois premiers mois de l’année… Learn French now ! Listen to today’s lesson : -
1411 – Affrontements (Clashes)
12 May 2012 | 9:36 pmLearning Guide | PDF Transcript Un soldat égyptien a été signalé mort et des centaines de personnes blessées lors de récents affrontements … Learn French now ! Listen to today’s lesson : -
1410 – Myopie (Myopia)
12 May 2012 | 9:33 pmLearning Guide | PDF Transcript Plus de 90% des personnes abandonnant l’école dans la majorité des villes asiatiques souffrent de myopie … Learn French now ! Listen to today’s lesson :
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Brave New Words
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Nordic Translation Conference
14 May 2012 | 2:58 amIn 2008, I organized the first ever Nordic Translation Conference. I’m working together with Dr. Gudrun Rawoens on organizing the second one now. Here is the first call for papers.Nordic Translation Conference 2013Call for PapersThe second Nordic Translation Conference will take place on 4, 5, and 6 April 2013 at the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, England. This quinquennial event is solely dedicated to the particular challenges and pleasures of translating between and among the Nordic countries, which are often closely related culturally, if not always linguistically. It is open to… -
A Second Round-Up of Articles
8 May 2012 | 7:47 pmHere are even more interesting articles. Most of these were sent to me by readers or by the people who wrote them/posted them. I’m always happy to receive suggestions for interesting articles on language, literature, or translation.This piece looks at the origins of some American phrases.I had no idea that the Irish language had had such an impact on English. This article gives some examples.This piece on body language links back to my posts on interviewing. Be careful what you say with your appearance and with your body language.This article looks at grammar rules.I’m not sure what I… -
A Round-Up of Articles
3 May 2012 | 7:34 pmHere are some articles you might find enjoyable/interesting. I have so many articles to share with you, that I’m going to do it in two posts.Since January, I’ve been writing for the Huffington Post. It’s been a lot of fun, because I get a chance to write about my research and to link it to current events. You can check out my articles here. Here’s an article on reading foreign fiction.I love Oliver Burkeman’s articles. In this one, he discusses the way languages might influence our habits, based on how closely related the future and present tenses are.This piece from the BBC is… -
Oh, My Aching Back
28 Apr 2012 | 7:23 pmTranslators, writers, editors, academics, and teachers spend a lot of time sitting at our desks, often hunched over a computer. This leads to bad posture, tight muscles, and aching limbs. How do you cope with all this?I know you’re supposed to get up every hour and have a stretch and a quick walk, but I frequently am so into my work that I forget. I end up sitting by my computer for hours on end, so focused that I don’t realize how much my body is hurting. One thing I try to do to combat this is to keep a glass of water next to me. I drink water constantly, so I am forced to get up pretty… -
Swedish Poetry Program
23 Apr 2012 | 7:21 pmI heard about this and thought it sounded interesting. I’ll be listening.On April 6, the Center for Translation Studies at Barnard College hosted "Swedish Poetry Today," a program of readings and discussion with Anna Hallberg, Jörgen Gassilewski, and Johannes Görannson.Center director Peter Connor recently sat down with moderator Elizabeth Clark Wessel to preview the upcoming event and to discuss her work as English-language translator of Hallberg's poetry.This is the first of a series of audio-interviews on translation to be conducted at the Center.Listen to it on YouTube…
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Learn a language
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Surrogate mother citizenship of the baby
21 Apr 2012 | 8:40 amI frequently get questions regarding the citizenship status of a child born to a surrogate mother abroad. That is, if the child has US parents, but the mother is from another country will the baby born in another country have US citizenship at birth? The answer is yes, generally. If the surrogate mother is a non-US citizen, the US state Department looks at the biological connection between the baby and the non-surrogate parents. That is, the parents that conceived the baby with egg and seed. Only then can you get a CRBA or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad of an American Citizen. Also at the… -
US spousal visa – how to get your wife or husband into the USA with a IR1 immigration visa and greencard
16 Sep 2011 | 1:27 pmThe post is to help you get an US spousal visa (immigrant visa- IR1 or CR1 via form I-130) or K1 visa (fiance visa which is a non immigrant visa). I did it for my wife and so can you, actually only the IR1. I wrote this more to get you thinking in the right way about this and ask me specific questions in the comment area if you have a question about your case. What is the right way? It’s about money. Getting an American immigration visa or green card is next to impossible if you are not a famous scientist or a successful athlete and you do not have millions in your bank account, either. -
Is the EU bad?
4 Sep 2010 | 2:50 pmIs the European union bad or good? I can not believe the number of Americans that have skepticism about the EU. I even had one of my friends say, who knows in the future the US could have an armed conflict with the EU. Right, I can see British troops landing in Boston. People say the EU is socialist or a dictatorship or it is not a country so who cares. There are so many fears and closed minds about the European Union. It makes me ashamed sometimes to be an American. Some Americans are so into conspiracy theories, rather than look objectively at issues. Therefore, I thought I would write a… -
How I got an EU citizenship
25 May 2010 | 11:31 amIf you have read my blog you know I am a dual US and EU citizen. EU citizenship has many benefits believe me. The purpose of this post is to briefly tell you how to have a passport from more than one country, or at least my personal experience on how I achieved this. First off EU citizenship from any country is a privilege. It is not something that is to be taken lightly. It is only for those who have a sincere interest in contributing to the nation they are living and working in. Usually this is reserved for people who have a historical connection or association with the country. My… -
10 best places to study a language
24 May 2010 | 6:04 amBest place to learn a language I am not talking about countries to learn a language, you can learn a language anywhere. I am talking about where to study a language, literally. Where is are the soles of your feet when you are studying. Living in Poland I am amazed how well Polish people speak languages. Maybe it is because their language is so complex, but more likely they believe in the hard way. They believe in studying for years and hours a day. Americans and Brits just want the easy way. To speak the a language without work. I know I am an American. These are the places I see people…
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Translation Blog
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Translating "vous" and "tu" in English
10 May 2012 | 9:16 amI think I can trace back my love of translation to one particular passage, discovered while studying a French text and its translation in English side by side. Unfortunately, I can’t remember which novel it was, or the exact phrasing, but I do remember that during a conversation, one of the characters moved from using "vous" to using "tu" to address a troubled young man in need of comforting. As there is no lexical equivalent in English, the translator used a technique called compensation, where something that can’t be translated in one part of the text is expressed somewhere else, in a… -
Website maintenance tools
8 May 2012 | 8:09 amTrying to keep your online house in order is important, and I’ve recently discovered two great tools to help me do this. The first one is Copyscape, which looks for duplicate content and can alert you to plagiarism or theft, which can affect your Google ranking and is just not very nice. The second is Brokenlinkcheck, which does exactly what its name suggests. Again, bad links can affect your rankings, but they also provide a bad user experience for your visitors, so it’s best to fix them. After 11,5 years of bloggage, this site has 324 broken links. When I started deleting them, I… -
Translators: is Twitter bad for your business?
4 Apr 2012 | 9:43 amI love Twitter. It brings me information, distraction and an opportunity to be in direct contact with a lot of colleagues. I follow lots of translators, and we regularly exchange useful information on everything and anything linked to translation. That is why, when I received a query for work from an unknown agency in the States, I sent the following tweet: Followed by these two: Indeed and surprisingly, negotiations were going well. I say “surprisingly”, because the original email immediately aroused my suspicions. You see, the name of the company rang a few alarm bells, for reasons that… -
The court interpreting fiasco – the facts and the friction
15 Mar 2012 | 8:47 amThe contract to supply court interpreters to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is facing its toughest test yet today, as hundreds take to the streets of London to protest. Meanwhile, the story has finally received the attention of the national press, and discussions in parliament are underway to address the issues. Members of the Professional Interpreters Alliance (PIA) and many others are angry that the MoJ chose to outsource all interpreting assignments to one firm, the Manchester based translation agency Applied Language Solutions (ALS). They believe that ALS is mismanaging the contract,… -
How to lose your job as an interpreter
16 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pmThe story of a BBC sign language interpreter being sacked for her “creative” approach to interpreting (reporting, amongst other things, that radioactive zombies had been sighted near the nuclear reactor in Japan after the earthquake there) reminded me of an old post where I talk about being tempted to use my all-powerful position as an interpreter to turn a situation to my advantage. Indeed, it can be really difficult to remain a neutral conversion hub and not get personally involved. During projects that I have worked on for some time, and which I know inside out, I am sometimes tempted…
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Games with Words
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Since one can't be snarky in a response to a review...
7 May 2012 | 10:47 amI'll do it here. I am currently revising a paper for resubmission. On the whole, the reviews are fairly reasonable, with the exception of one cranky comment from a reviewer who complains that our literature review is woefully incomplete. This incompleteness seems to be our failure to cite one particular study. The reviewer writes It is possible that this work is flawed, but it really should be discussed. It does seem to be a relevant study and we would have cited it, had we known about it. Why didn't we know about it? Because it has never been published. It hasn't even been presented at any… -
The Psychologist on Replication
19 Apr 2012 | 10:47 amThe Psychologist solicited opinions on the importance of replication from a number of researchers, including yours truly. See a preview here. -
Eadweard J. Muybridge & Google Doodle
8 Apr 2012 | 11:57 pmToday's Google Doodle is a fantastic tribute to Muybridge. I haven't found a permalink, but people looking after today can find it archived in a fashion on youtube. -
Point-light walkers
23 Mar 2012 | 11:37 amBy far the best point-light walker demonstration I've seen is at biomotiolab.ca. I'm classifying this as an illusion (see post label) because, of course, point-light walkers aren't really walking people -- they are just a few white dots moving around the screen. Comparing the male and female versions is particularly fun if you've ever wondered what exactly it is that makes for a stereotypical male or female stride. It also appears that there is an experiment you can participate in if you want to help with this kind of research. -
Fair Use & FedEx
21 Mar 2012 | 5:36 pmAnd now for something completely different:One private citizen's trials and travails trying to convince FedEx to print posters. I have wanted a map of Hong Kong on my wall for some time. The Survey & Mapping office of the Hong Kong government helpfully provides some free maps for public use on their website. You will notice how the website helpfully includes a "free maps"logo, along with a copyright notice forbidding only commercial use of the map. Presumably they thought this was a good way of providing some publicity for the Special Administrative District. They did not take into…
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Free Language
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GermanPod101: Learn German Quickly Online and Mobile with Audio-Video Lessons, Apps & Fun Exercises
14 May 2012 | 4:24 amProven Course Teaches German Quickly with Audio, Video and Mobile Apps Beginner and advanced levels alike will enjoy GermanPod101, an excellent online and mobile way to learn German quickly. GermanPod101's fun method and modern platform immerse you in the German language, giving you just what you need to achieve your goals for travel, business, family and other needs. GermanPod101 is web and mobile based, giving you a custom German Learning Center anywhere. Download podcasts on your iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, iPod or any mp3 player and take them with you for practice and learning on the go. -
ArabicPod101: Learn Arabic Quickly Online and Mobile with Audio-Video Lessons, Apps & Fun Exercises
13 May 2012 | 9:41 amProven Course Teaches Arabic Quickly with Audio, Video and Mobile Apps Beginner and advanced levels alike will enjoy ArabicPod101, an excellent online and mobile way to learn Arabic quickly. ArabicPod101's fun method and modern platform immerse you in the Arabic language, giving you just what you need to achieve your goals for travel, business, family and other needs. ArabicPod101 is web and mobile based, giving you a custom Arabic Learning Center anywhere. Download podcasts on your iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, iPod or any mp3 player and take them with you for practice and learning on the go. -
FrenchPod101: Learn French Quickly Online and Mobile with Audio-Video Lessons, Apps & Fun Exercises
12 May 2012 | 12:11 pmProven Course Teaches French Quickly with Audio, Video and Mobile Apps Beginner and advanced levels alike will enjoy FrenchPod101, an excellent online and mobile way to learn French quickly. FrenchPod101's fun method and modern platform immerse you in the French language, giving you just what you need to achieve your goals for travel, business, family and other needs. FrenchPod101 is web and mobile based, giving you a custom French Learning Center anywhere. Download podcasts on your iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, iPod or any mp3 player and take them with you for practice and learning on the go. -
RussianPod101: Learn Russian Quickly Online and Mobile with Audio-Video Lessons, Apps & Fun Exercises
11 May 2012 | 6:05 amProven Course Teaches Russian Quickly with Audio, Video and Mobile Apps Beginner and advanced levels alike will enjoy RussianPod101, an excellent online and mobile way to learn Russian quickly. RussianPod101's fun method and modern platform immerse you in the Russian language, giving you just what you need to achieve your goals for travel, business, family and other needs. RussianPod101 is web and mobile based, giving you a custom Russian Learning Center anywhere. Download podcasts on your iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, iPod or any mp3 player and take them with you for practice and learning on… -
SpanishPod101: Learn Spanish Quickly Online and Mobile with Audio-Video Lessons, Apps & Fun Exercises
10 May 2012 | 9:25 amProven Course Teaches Spanish Quickly with Audio, Video and Mobile Apps Beginner and advanced levels alike will enjoy SpanishPod101, an excellent online and mobile way to learn Spanish quickly. SpanishPod101's fun method and modern platform immerse you in the Spanish language, giving you just what you need to achieve your goals for travel, business, family and other needs. SpanishPod101 is web and mobile based, giving you a custom Spanish Learning Center anywhere. Download podcasts on your iPhone, Android, iPod Touch, iPod or any mp3 player and take them with you for practice and learning on…
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Freelance Chinese translator English Chinese translation
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Ohio Travel Guide(俄亥俄州旅游指南)
13 May 2012 | 7:33 amBy Freelance Chinese Translator Li – English to Chinese translation services - based in China.Ohio, birthplace of eight US presidents, is located in the heart of the Midwest. The sandy shores of Lake Erie（伊利湖） mark the state's northern border and the long and winding Ohio River marks its southern border. The state's expanse of fertile farmland is dotted（分布） with industrial centres, but also embraces the rolling hills overlooking the Scioto River Valley in the north.The landscape becomes wilder and steeper as it reaches the foothills of the Appalachian（阿巴拉契亚）… -
Introducing New York City（纽约城介绍）
7 May 2012 | 8:04 amBy Freelance Chinese Translator Li – English to Chinese translation services - based in China.New York can be anything you want it to be. It’s why countless people have pinned their dreams on the place, thrown caution to the wind and shown up on its doorstep（门阶）.If you like a day filled with culture, start with a look at some Tseng Kwong Chi photographs celebrating East Village creativity in the eighties at the Paul Kasmingallery, before ducking through Central Parkto the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the current Japanese art exhibition.Round out（丰满起来） your afternoon… -
Introducing USA（美国介绍）
7 May 2012 | 8:03 amBy Freelance Chinese Translator Li – English to Chinese translation services - based in China.The playwright（剧作家） Arthur Miller once said that the essence of America was its promise. For newly arrived immigrants and jet-lagged travelers alike, that promise of America can take on near mythic proportions（部分）. America is a land of dazzling cities, towering coast redwoods, alpine（高山的）lakes, rolling vineyards（葡萄园）, chiseled（轮廓分明的）peaks, barren deserts and a dramatic coastline of unrivaled（无双的）beauty. And that’s just California! In… -
Humpback whale heaven
3 May 2012 | 7:18 amBy Freelance Chinese Translator Li – English to Chinese translation services - based in China.FrederickSound, just a few hours from Petersburg, is humpbackwhale heaven. Join us as we learn about these giant creatures with special insights from our guide, whale photographer Jim Nahmens. Humpback whales congregatehere to feed on massive schools of fish and krill. With some luck, we may see these endangered giants as they use bubble nets to execute their cooperative feeding attacks. Our guide will introduce you to the world of the humpback whale - its life cycle, anatomy, behaviors, migration,… -
Supercar Tours Review（豪车旅行回顾）
15 Apr 2012 | 6:59 amBy Freelance Chinese Translator Li – English to Chinese translation services - based in China.Taking a test drive out ofa car dealership（代理权） onto surrounding streetsis one thing. But taking your dream car for a spin through the city's scenicroutes（自然景色路线） is a different story.If you've ever wondered howit would feel like to be behind the wheel of the car of your dreams, then thisis for you. Supercar Tours allows you to personally drive a collection of theworld's most expensive cars. Supercar Tours offers cars like Ferrari（法拉利）,…
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Thoughts On Translation
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Book review: How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator
14 May 2012 | 2:33 pmJudy and Dagmar Jenner posted a very flattering review of the second edition of my book How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator on their blog. In the spirit of disclosure, Judy and I are good friends, but we were fans of each other’s work before we became friends, so I trust her to be objective. I really appreciate this detailed analysis of the book, and of course “If this book is not the bible for freelance translators, we don’t know what is” is music to my ears! -
When a non-paying client “plays dead”
9 May 2012 | 3:29 pmNon-paying clients are never fun to deal with, but it can be especially hard to deal with a non-paying client who “plays dead”: simply never responds to your phone calls, e-mails or letters. As a freelancer, what’s the best course of action when faced with a client who owes you money and practices nonviolent noncooperation? Here are a few thoughts. First, bulletproof the financial arrangements from the start. Never, never, ever (did I mention never??) work for an agency without checking their history on Payment Practices or a similar translation client rating service. Never,… -
May session of Getting Started as a Freelance Translator
8 May 2012 | 12:07 pmThe May session of my online course Getting Started as a Freelance Translator starts tomorrow, Wednesday May 9. The past two sessions have sold out but I still have some spots left in this session! “Getting Started” is a four-week online course for beginning translators who want to launch a freelance business and for non-beginners who want to find more work, earn more money or enjoy their jobs more. We use my book How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator as the text, and in addition to the online component we do a few live conference calls which are always a lot of fun! If… -
Guest post: The case against blogging
30 Apr 2012 | 2:37 pmThis is a guest post by my colleague and friend, French to English translator Karen Tkaczyk. Thanks to Karen for submitting it, and she’ll be looking forward to your comments. The Case Against Blogging I don’t blog. I don’t aspire to, and I don’t think most of you reading should either. I hear all the time that we should be blogging to build our brand. I disagree. We should only be blogging if it will actually build our brand. Please don’t start yet another mediocre blog with infrequent postings on topics covered by many other people. I speak from the point of… -
Court interpreting featured on The World
24 Apr 2012 | 11:10 pmThis afternoon I was driving home from having lunch with a colleague when I turned on Colorado Public Radio. Public Radio International’s The World was on, with a lead-in to a segment on the recent decrease in pay for court interpreters in Nevada. And at that moment I just knew I’d be hearing the voice of my friend and colleague Judy Jenner…and I was right! The piece features very well-done interviews with Judy, her colleague Álvaro Degives-Más and Nataly Kelly of Common Sense Advisory. All three of them sounded great and gave some compelling reasons why saving money on…
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Global by Design
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Philips improves its global gateway
3 May 2012 | 7:37 pmI was happy to see that Philips launched a new (and improved) global gateway recently.Below is a screen grab of the old gateway, as seen on the home page:The menu was well positioned in the upper right corner, but it was a LONG menu.And the use of flags was problematic for [...] -
Web Professionals interview on web globalization
28 Apr 2012 | 2:17 pmI recently participated in a 11-minute phone interview with Bill Cullifer, Executive Director of the World Organization of Webmasters.We talked about web globalization and the 2012 Report Card. Here’s the audio link. -
Who’s going to register .brand? Google, for starters.
12 Apr 2012 | 10:42 amThis week, ICANN begins accepting registrations for the much-hyped and controversial “.brand” generic domain names. What this means is that companies will be able to register domains that function without any .com suffix.So what companies are going to register these domains?Jacob Williams of UrbanBrain writes:Based on my own [...] -
Windows 8 primed to win tablet war — at least in languages
6 Apr 2012 | 8:26 amWhen it comes to tablets, Apple is far and away the leader.But later this year Microsoft is expected to unveil its Windows 8 tablet and, in doing so, will quickly take the lead.In languages, that is.That’s right. Microsoft recently announced that Windows 8 will support a whopping 105 languages (and [...] -
Q&A with Jukka Korpela, author of Going Global with JavaScript and Globalize.js
3 Apr 2012 | 9:46 amWhat’s the most important thing you want JavaScript developers to learn from this book? By making use of free tools such as Globalize.js, developers can easily adapt their applications for new markets with a minimal amount of work. For example, adapting the format of a date or number for a different country [...]
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Gilbane.com
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One week till Gilbane Boston speaking proposals deadline!
7 May 2012 | 7:31 amThis content comes from Gilbane.comEvery year we get a last minute rush of speaking proposals for Gilbane Boston, and then… we get tons of emails asking when the deadline is, and then… we get requests for an extra day or two, and then… well, you get the picture. You’ve got a week, but why wait till the weekend!? The deadline this year is May 14th. Here are the relevant links: Call for papers announcement Speaker guidelines Speaker submission form Gilbane Boston home & venue Main conference description & schedule & pre-conference workshop schedule Early… -
New posts on embedded search and mobile development
27 Apr 2012 | 8:48 amThis content comes from Gilbane.comCheck out two new posts this week on the Bluebill blog, one from Lynda on Embedded Search in the Enterprise, and one from Frank on Time to Re-check Your Mobile Development Strategy. This content came from Gilbane.com -
Marketing, big data, and content
21 Mar 2012 | 7:46 amThis content comes from Gilbane.com“Content” in this context means unstructured data. The need to manage unstructured data is one of the main reasons big data technologies exist – the other being the need for dealing with scale and speed. This is why it is important for us to cover at our conferences. Not every company needs to build new infrastructures around Hadoop-like technologies… yet. But marketers need to manage the mostly unstructured content that is part of their world, and also process and manage the more structured analytic data that will rapidly become… -
Call for Papers for Gilbane Boston 2012 now open
7 Mar 2012 | 7:06 amThis content comes from Gilbane.comProposal deadline is May 14th! This year’s conference takes place November 27-29, 2012, at The InterContinental Boston Waterfront in Fort Point Channel & Boston’s Innovation and Seaport District. The Gilbane conference is all about helping organizations apply content, web, and mobile technologies to increase communication and engagement with their ecosystem of customers, employees, suppliers, and partners in the most effective and efficient way possible. This means understanding what technologies can and can’t do, what practices in… -
Mark your calendar for Gilbane Boston 2012!
11 Feb 2012 | 8:11 pmThis content comes from Gilbane.comIt is time to mark your calendar for Gilbane Boston 2012. We will be back on Boston’s waterfront adjacent to the new “innovation district“, at the Intercontinental Boston Waterfront. The dates are November 27-29. As is our practice, we’ll be leaving the information from our 2011 conference on the site until we have updated details for 2012. This content came from Gilbane.com
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Web Translations
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Fast, accurate translations for ZSL London Zoo
10 May 2012 | 7:51 am“At ZSL London Zoo we use Web-Translations to communicate key messages to our visitors from across the world. The key pages we selected were translated quickly and accurately and have been a huge benefit. Key pages such as how to find us, opening times and prices were translated into five key languages based on our [...] -
“Excellent” customer service for The BrookLodge Hotel & Wells Spa
10 May 2012 | 7:47 am“The work was completed extremely quickly, and the customer service I received from the team was excellent. Our website is now multilingual, which has greatly assisted in our on-going campaign to attract more overseas visitors to the BrookLodge and I intend to add more languages to expand on this success. I would definitely recommend to [...] -
Olympic Gold Website Package – Fit for London 2012
3 May 2012 | 11:58 amGet Fit for London 2012 with the recently launched Olympic Gold Website Package by Web-Translations. The 2012 London Olympics represents a great sales opportunity. As mentioned in the Getting Fit for the Olympics blog post published last week not everyone is capitalising on this sales opportunity. Do you want to go for Gold in the 2012 London Olympics? [...] -
Rapid growth in Turkish eCommerce
24 Apr 2012 | 4:41 amTaking a bite from the Turkish delight will reap sweet rewards for online retailers Turkish e-commerce transactions reached an impressive $12.3 billion in 2011, representing an increase of 57% on the previous year according to the Interbank Card Center. Combine this upsurge with the 12% per year e-commerce growth Forrester Research Inc (FORR) predicts for [...] -
Getting Fit for the Olympics – Going for Gold
23 Apr 2012 | 1:35 pmFor hotel and tourism businesses, the 2012 Olympics represent a great sales opportunity. Visitors from all over the world will need places to stay, and things to do when they’re not busy at the sporting events. In last place… However, with 87% of hospitality businesses saying they have not taken any steps to [...]
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Women Learning Thai... and some men too ;-)
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Please Vote: Top 100 Language Learning Blogs 2012
15 May 2012 | 11:08 amPlease vote for the Top 100 Language Learning Blogs of 2012… Each year the Top 100 Language Learning international competition put on by bab.la and Lexiophiles has gradually gotten tougher. But this year the quality of the sites have taken a noticeable leap, meaning it’s a win win for anyone interested in learning languages. It also means that you have even less excuses for not learning a second or even a third language. Yeah, I’m bad. Which reminds me… if you don’t want to read all the way to the bottom of this post before voting, just click on the button to your right. -
More Learn Thai by Speaking Your Language
14 May 2012 | 7:26 pmLearn Thai by Speaking Your Language… Over a decade ago I learned Thai by using a method called Speak Your Language. I wrote a post on what Speak Your Language is, but to summarize: I learned to speak Thai by starting with what I knew about English, slowly converting it into Thai one word and one grammar point at a time. By using the Thai I knew, filling in any gaps with English, I was able to communicate right away, and at the same time focus on what I needed to know next. Times have changed over the last 10 years and so have I. I am now a father of four children living on the opposite… -
Thai Chili Pepper Scale: A Spicy Secret to Ordering Thai Food
9 May 2012 | 7:30 pmThai chili scale: A spicy secret to ordering Thai food… I’ve been eating Thai food for like a gazillion years now and while I can order เผ็ดเผ็ด /pèt-pèt/ just fine, what arrives is almost never “up to me”. Tom Stephan has the same difficulties, only in a slightly different direction. Tom: I wish I knew how to say “I’d like to order the Pad Thai, but moderately spicy. Not bland, but not number 5 on the scale. Maybe a 3?” Me: A new one on me… I have the opposite problem – getting Thais to believe me when I say I want super spicy… -
Thai Language School Review: UTL Unity Thai Language School
7 May 2012 | 7:00 pmThai Language School Review: UTL Unity Thai Language School… Review: UTL Unity Thai Language School Website: utl-school.com Address: 18th floor Times Square Building, 246 Sukhumvit Rd, Khlongtoey, Khlongtoey, Bangkok Thailand 10110 Telephone Number: 02-653-1538 Email: info@utl-school.com Location: UTL Unity is in the Times Square Building. The school is easy to get to by either the MRT (Sukhumvit Road Station), or the BTS (Asok Station). From the MRT, go up to the sky walk to the Sky Train and follow it around until you walk directly into Times Square, and then up to the 18th floor.
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Russian Language Blog
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Eat Carrots to Look Like Sophia Loren
16 May 2012 | 3:00 amOk, so the entire phrase reads “Eat carrots, onion and horseradish and you’ll look like Sophia Loren!” I really believe it too! Now I know why this phrase was made into a demotivator. Continuing with our exploration of огордная лингвстика (vegetable garden linguistics), let’s take a look at other vegetables that made their way into Russian proverbs, sayings and literature. (onion) – everyone knows that лук – от сем недг (onion helps fight seven illnesses) and in fact so many Russian folk remedies use onion to fight just about any… -
To Each Vegetable Its Own… Phrase
14 May 2012 | 3:00 amThere is a wonderful Russian saying вскому вощу сво врмя (there’s time for everything). But as it turns out, вскому вощу, фркту и годе – сво крсное словц (to each vegetable, fruit or berry its own witticism). Картфель (potato) is a relative newcomer to Russia, appearing only in Peter the Great’s reign. Much like in other European countries, it took potato a while to overcome initial fear and accusations of being дьвольский фрукт (devil’s fruit). Yet less than 300 years later potatoes are firmly associated… -
We Still Carry On
10 May 2012 | 3:00 amWhile I was watching “They Fought for Their Land”, it occurred to me that there was something missing from the movie. Unlike most other war movies, this one did not have a feature song. Sure, the main character occasionally breaks into a tune, but it’s a popular pre-war song called Любл (I Love), but most well-known by the first line of the chorus, возвращю портрт (I am returning your portrait). As you can guess, this will be a post about a war song. But I bet you’ll never guess which song it will be. Ok, let me give you some подскзки (hints) so you will also… -
They Fought for Their Land
9 May 2012 | 3:00 amToday Russia celebrates Побды (Victory Day) celebration is right around the corner. канне Побды телевзору покзывают мнго стрых фльмов войн (On the eve of the Victory Day a lot of old war movies are shown on TV). With fewer and fewer ветерны (veterans) left, much of what we know about war, aside from шкльные учбники (textbooks) comes from these movies. So let’s watch one of the old Soviet movies about Велкая Отчественная войн (the Great Patriotic War). The movie is called Он сражлись… -
TGIF
4 May 2012 | 3:00 amTGIF! Are you ready for выходне (weekend)? But first, if you are curious, Thanks God It’s Friday translates into Russian as слва бгу, уж птница. (The poster above explains that nighttime is not the reason to stop work) How was your work week? Are you устал, собка (dog-tired)? It’s probably because you пахл, лшадь (lit: plowed like a horse; worked hard) or ишчил (lit: worked hard like ишк (donkey)). It’s now time передохнть (to take a break) and расслбиться (to chill), maybe even with a bottle of пво (beer), all the…
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Polish Language Blog
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Joke? Police? Safety?
14 May 2012 | 9:17 amI was reading Polish news and came across this really strange thing… Residents of Zachodnio-Pomorskie were left rubbing their eyes in amazement this week when they were confronted with the peculiar sight of a car perched on top of a large tree. The bizarre event occurred in the north western village of Lubczyna and according to daily Fakt, was the handy work of a number of fed up locals who wanted to teach the car’s owner a lesson. 24-year-old Zbigniew F. was well-known for speeding around the village like a maniac with no thought for other drivers or pedestrians, despite not actually… -
Mother’s Day
13 May 2012 | 10:40 amOk, so today is mother’s day in USA! Happy mother’s day to all of wonderful mama’s! Mother’s Day (Dzień Matki) in Poland is not until May 26th, but I thought I will give you an idea for different wishes, just in case you would like to write a card for your mama in Polish. Mother’s Day is marked with the special celebrations in schools and kindergardens. Younger children prepare so called “laurki” for their mothers. ( laurka – is a sheet of paper decorated with flowers, birds, hearts etc., on which children write their wishes to their… -
“Stone upon stone”
12 May 2012 | 6:41 pmStone upon Stone (Kamień na kamieniu) by Polish writer Wiesław Myśliwski has received this year’s Best Translated Book Award in the United States. The novel was published by Archipelago Books, a small non-profit publishing house from Brooklyn specializing in the literature from the non-English speaking countries, in a translation by Bill Johnston, a professor at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, and director of its Polish Study Center. He is one of the most prominent translators of Polish literature into English and has translated works by the Romantic poet Juliusz Słowacki, the… -
Boże daj, Boże daj, aby wiecznie trwał nam maj!
11 May 2012 | 5:45 pmMay is named after the Greek goddess (bogini), Maia. The month is time of great celebrations in Poland, it’s the time when flowers bloom (kwiaty kwitną) and crops begin to sprout (rośliny zaczynają kiełkować). It was always my favorite time at my parents orchards – they looked beautiful with all the fruit trees blooming with white and pink flowers! In Polish “maić“ means “to decorate”. Nature looks amazing with new leafs, flowers and tons of beautiful colors! Here are some popular Polish sayings about May: Boże daj, Boże daj, aby wiecznie trwał… -
Poland’s worst aviation catastrophe
9 May 2012 | 6:45 pmThe worst aviation disaster (najgorsza katastrofa lotnicza) in Polish history took place 25 years ago today, when 183 people died after a flight from Warsaw to New York crashed in Kabaty forest to the south of Warsaw. LOT Polish Airlines 5055 flight from Warsaw’s Okecie airport took off at 10.18 am on 9 May 1987, but problems emerged within half an hour of being airborne. With maximum thrust applied to the engines so as to climb to 6000 metres, one engine exploded and a fire took hold. Captain Zygmunt Pawlaczyk resolved to turn back to Warsaw, but the fire (ogień) spread quicker than…
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Japanese Words
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Three days in Tokyo
12 May 2012 | 7:11 amI arrived in Tokyo just a few days ago and after tomorrow I will be heading for Nagano. As I mentioned in the previous post, I am taking video and a ton of pictures. Most of the time I have spent has been with friends and going to restaurants, but I did get to go see the new Sky Tree building. I’ll put up pics when I get back. Today I went to a wedding in Roppongi hills and am now sitting in my hotel’s lobby writing this post on my iPhone. It’s the only place I can get wifi. I have four more days left before going back to Okinawa, so lots more video and pictures to take. I… -
Japanese Video Lesson Survey
8 May 2012 | 2:17 amIn a few days I will be travelling to Tokyo and Nagano for a friend’s wedding. While I am there, I thought I would shoot some video and Japanese conversation so everyone can learn some real world phrases and words. If there are enough people who are interested in the videos, I will also continue to make them when I get back to Okinawa. To find out what kinds of videos and situations you might be interested in I have have created a short survey. It will be very helpful if you can fill it out and give your opinion. You can find it at the link below. Survey I look forward to getting your… -
How to Speak Japanese Like a Native
6 May 2012 | 10:17 pmFor those of you who came here to learn a few tips to speak more like a native Japanese speaker and then be on your way, make sure you read to the end. There is a bit of a surprise. Okay, first a few tips to speak like a native Japanese speaker. Make a ton of mistakes You can’t expect to get everything perfect on your first try. To learn to speak well you are first going to have to suck at it. Let your pride go and just try to speak. Make mistakes, sound stupid, be goofy, have fun. You will make much more progress if you are trying again and again rather that not speaking because you… -
Learn Japanese and Free Japanese Program Trial
16 Apr 2012 | 10:11 pmThis post is for anyone who has an interest in learning Japanese. For both the people who are just starting and for those who have already started, and especially for those people who may have given up. I am going to say something that you probably won’t hear very often….wait for it….Learning Japanese takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. Does that mean that it’s not worth it? Definitely not! My Japanese ability allowed me to study in Japan and and eventually live and work in Tokyo. I now live in the more tropical Okinawa. I speak Japanese on a daily basis and… -
Ukulele For Beginners: Hobbies in Japanese
18 Oct 2011 | 10:46 pmHow can I make Japanese friends? This is something that people ask me constantly and is something that can be difficult when learning Japanese. Even living here in Japan, it can be difficult to make Japanese friends. And having friends will help you learnt he language even faster. So what does ukulele for beginners have to do with learning Japanese. Everything! It’s how you make Japanese friends. You find people with common interests. The biggest problem I see with those that are having difficult making Japanese friends is that they look for anyone who they can speak Japanese with.
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Japanese Words
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Three days in Tokyo
12 May 2012 | 7:11 amI arrived in Tokyo just a few days ago and after tomorrow I will be heading for Nagano. As I mentioned in the previous post, I am taking video and a ton of pictures. Most of the time I have spent has been with friends and going to restaurants, but I did get to go see the new Sky Tree building. I’ll put up pics when I get back. Today I went to a wedding in Roppongi hills and am now sitting in my hotel’s lobby writing this post on my iPhone. It’s the only place I can get wifi. I have four more days left before going back to Okinawa, so lots more video and pictures to take. I… -
Japanese Video Lesson Survey
8 May 2012 | 2:17 amIn a few days I will be travelling to Tokyo and Nagano for a friend’s wedding. While I am there, I thought I would shoot some video and Japanese conversation so everyone can learn some real world phrases and words. If there are enough people who are interested in the videos, I will also continue to make them when I get back to Okinawa. To find out what kinds of videos and situations you might be interested in I have have created a short survey. It will be very helpful if you can fill it out and give your opinion. You can find it at the link below. Survey I look forward to getting your… -
How to Speak Japanese Like a Native
6 May 2012 | 10:17 pmFor those of you who came here to learn a few tips to speak more like a native Japanese speaker and then be on your way, make sure you read to the end. There is a bit of a surprise. Okay, first a few tips to speak like a native Japanese speaker. Make a ton of mistakes You can’t expect to get everything perfect on your first try. To learn to speak well you are first going to have to suck at it. Let your pride go and just try to speak. Make mistakes, sound stupid, be goofy, have fun. You will make much more progress if you are trying again and again rather that not speaking because you… -
Learn Japanese and Free Japanese Program Trial
16 Apr 2012 | 10:11 pmThis post is for anyone who has an interest in learning Japanese. For both the people who are just starting and for those who have already started, and especially for those people who may have given up. I am going to say something that you probably won’t hear very often….wait for it….Learning Japanese takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. Does that mean that it’s not worth it? Definitely not! My Japanese ability allowed me to study in Japan and and eventually live and work in Tokyo. I now live in the more tropical Okinawa. I speak Japanese on a daily basis and… -
Ukulele For Beginners: Hobbies in Japanese
18 Oct 2011 | 10:46 pmHow can I make Japanese friends? This is something that people ask me constantly and is something that can be difficult when learning Japanese. Even living here in Japan, it can be difficult to make Japanese friends. And having friends will help you learnt he language even faster. So what does ukulele for beginners have to do with learning Japanese. Everything! It’s how you make Japanese friends. You find people with common interests. The biggest problem I see with those that are having difficult making Japanese friends is that they look for anyone who they can speak Japanese with.
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Ingls na Ponta da Lngua
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Gramática: There was e There were
15 May 2012 | 4:00 pmJá escrevi aqui no blog sobre “there is” e “there are”. Para quem não sabe é assim que falamos “há” ou “tem” (no sentido de existir) em inglês. “There is” e “there are” são usados para falar sobre coisas no presente, coisas do agora. Quando a situação vira história (passado), devemos fazer uso de “there was” e “there were”. Não há muito o que se confundir com essas coisas. Afinal, tratam-se de expressões (ou locuções) que possuem usos específicos e tudo o que você precisa aprender é quando usar uma ou outra. Sobre esse tal de aprender o… -
Gerund e Present Participle
14 May 2012 | 11:00 pmÉ curioso ver como as pessoas realmente se enrolam com os termos gramaticais em inglês. O que eu vou escrever hoje surgiu por causa de alguns e-mails trocados com professores de inglês e também um comentário que fiz em meu perfil pessoal no Facebook semana passada. Tudo começou devido a essa declaração: “As pessoas confundem esse negócio de gerúndio em inglês. A maioria das pessoas, seja professores ou estudantes de inglês, acha que o gerúndio em inglês serve para formar os tais Continuous Tenses, quando na verdade o termo gramatical aí deve ser Present Participle”. Muitos… -
No Longer: uso e significado
14 May 2012 | 9:08 amTempos atrás escrevi um post sobre como dizer "eu não aguento mais..." em inglês. Nele dei dicas de três expressões em inglês que expressam a ideia de não suportar mais alguém ou determinada situação. Você poderá ler essa dica clicando aqui e assim saber que expressões são essas. Só estou me referindo à dica anteiro para relembrar uma palavra que está presente nela. Trata-se de "anymore", que ao ser usado com sentenças negativas tem o sentido de "mais". Veja os exemplos, I don't like you anymore. [Eu não gosto mais de você.] She doesn't live here anymore. [Ela… -
O que significa “set”?
10 May 2012 | 10:21 amDias atrás recebi um e-mail no qual a pergunta era a seguinte: “Denilso, qual o significado da palavra ‘set’ em português?”. A leitora além de perguntar isso reclamava que trata-se de uma palavra comum em inglês e que, portanto, ela não conseguia assimilar bem o seu uso. Logo, ela também queria saber o que fazer para resolver esse problema. “Set” realmente é uma palavra muito usada em inglês e aparece em inúmeras combinações. Portanto, dizer o seu significado exato em português é complicado. Falar sobre isso, me faz lembrar da história que sempre conto sobre o verbo… -
Collocations em Contexto: e-mails e internet
9 May 2012 | 12:07 amAnos atrás, escrevi uma série de textos para o blog Tecla Sap voltada para collocations. Lembro-me que um dos textos que escrevi tinha o título Collocations: Computer. Lá escrevi sobre como se diz em inglês combinações como “computador de última geração”, “computador potente”, “ligar o computador em rede”, “hackear um computador” e outras mais. Caso você queira ler a dica, clique aqui. Na dica de hoje quero falar de outras combinações – collocations – típicas do mundo da internet. A ideia é apresentar os collocations mais comuns nesse contexto.
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One Hour Translation Blog
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Pitfalls in Professional Translation
3 May 2012 | 2:10 amThis is a guest post by Anupsinh B, Anupsinh is a graduate Civil Engineer and a professional translator working with One hour Translation. Anupsinh specializes in marketing, representation, liaison and public relations. His activities have been associated with government sectors, corporate sectors, educational institutions etc. Professional translation is tricky. Sometimes the source text may be too short and sometimes too long. In either cases, a professional translator has to understand and assess the context of the source text. Professional translation requires precision and exactness… -
One Hour Translation Now Supports the new Google Translator Toolkit
29 Mar 2012 | 12:22 pmFollowing the release today of the new version of the Google Translator Toolkit, One Hour Translation, the web’s #1 professional translation service announced that it supports the new Translator Toolkit with its community of over 10000 professional native speaking translators. To read the full Story please visit here – http://www.onehourtranslation.com/translation/press-releases/one-hour-translation-now-supports-new-google-translator-toolkit -
Is Your Website Lost in Translation?
24 Feb 2012 | 7:04 amThe “language of business” is based around the common denominator of currency. Business decisions are made on whether that currency will make you more currency, cover your expenses and leave enough for expansion. But in today’s atmosphere of global trade, the language of business has become a literal term. In his post, Mikal covers one of the most important issues in tody’s commerce and Ecommerce – approching customers from different countries in their native language. To read the full story by Mikal E. Belicove at the entrepreneur -
Business Documents Translation Services
16 Feb 2012 | 7:45 amBusiness Documents Translation Services are part and parcel of a burgeoning industry where international commercial deals and agreements are the order of the day. Foremost among the characteristics of efficient translation services are top-tier customer service, the scope of translation languages and the accuracy of the business translations. There are scores of first-rate translation agencies in operation around the world. These companies work hard to provide their customers and patrons with the very finest business documents translation services. Many of the companies utilizing the services… -
Medical Translation Services
12 Feb 2012 | 9:25 amThe world functions as a global arena where information is literally passing us by in what is known as the information superhighway. All manner of material is transmitted including important medical information. In this manner, it is imperative that the correct information is relayed to doctors, patients and other vested interests. And it becomes essential that the correct translation of medical terms is undertaken to avoid potentially fatal errors. The issue of translation services crops up every time information is relayed across different geographic, linguistic or cultural lines. And it…
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BeatBabel - The Art of Localization
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It’s 2012 and you are still using Trados 2007?
25 Apr 2012 | 6:44 pmThe translation process dates back to ancient times but technology has changed our jobs and working methods quite a bit. CAT (Computer-assisted translation) tools make our jobs easier, more accurate and more efficient. Nowadays, in order to provide the client with a quote, the files first need to be analyzed, and based on word repetitions and matches against a TM (Translation Memory) or a previously translated document, the rates can be more competitive. For the sake of exemplifying how a CAT tool can save you a lot of grief, we’ll refer to one of our most recent upgrades: SDL Trados Studio… -
Happy Friday!
27 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am -
On native languages and hometowns...
25 Jan 2012 | 5:46 pmSpanish is my native language. That is the language my parents spoke to each other when they fell in love, the language in which I said my first word, the language I learnt to love. It is the epicenter of my identity. However, identity is a complicated matter, especially if you come from a complicated place…I was probably not even a year old the first time I traveled to a country other than the one where I was born. In those days, it wasn’t much of a hassle to cross the border to San Diego, and so we did it all the time. Sunday mornings meant ten people cramped in my Great Grandmother’s… -
Think Latin America, Silicon Valley
13 May 2011 | 1:01 pmA diverse array of localization industry professionals from all over the world were brought together last Friday at The Mountain Winery in Silicon Valley. And for what purpose?... to spotlight Latin America and discuss the region’s booming market, business opportunities and uniqueness for the second edition of the “Think Latin America” conference, organized by the “Women in Localization” group , IMTT and Ccaps Translation. BeatBabel drove all the way up with 4 team members and the event was well worth the drive!Latin America, the region of the world spanning from the northernmost… -
A Different Perspective on Thanksgiving
24 Nov 2010 | 2:16 pmIt’s Thanksgiving again and I remember the year when my sister exclaimed at the table that she didn’t even like turkey. I then realized that if it was any other day other than Thanksgiving, I wouldn’t be eating the macaroni and cheese, gravy, turkey stuffing, etcetera. These are all dishes that millions of Americans eat on this day, and they are also dishes I could do without. So why did I find myself mechanically eating this food while vacantly wishing people a “Happy Thanksgiving,” when in reality I didn’t quite understand what Thanksgiving was about. Food preferences aside, the…
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Successful Garden Design
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Garden Design Mini-Course Special Offer & Prize Draw
10 May 2012 | 10:49 amSpecial Offer on Deck and Patio Design mini-courses & a chance to win the Great Garden Formula Design Course worth $297. Here’s how to enter the garden design course competition to win Great Garden Formula Design Course worth $297 (and 20 deck & patio mini-course upgrades): 1) Purchase either the Patio Design Course from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk or Deck Design Course from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk (if you are an Amazon Prime member you can get the book for free!). 2) Leave an honest review on either Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com 3) Email Rachel via the contact form with the… -
How to Plan the Perfect Patio for Your Garden
3 May 2012 | 7:00 amLast week we looked at how to plan the perfect deck. This week it’s the turn of planning the perfect patio. Just like with a designing a deck, a little bit of planning goes a long way when it comes to creating a great looking patio. Putting your ideas down on paper will save you a lot of time and, potentially, money, and will ensure you get your dream patio. Planning on paper first allows you to see if your ideas will work. It’s also much easier to change your mind and make adjustments on paper than it is during construction. If the thought of plotting your patio onto paper seems… -
How to Plan the Perfect Deck for Your Garden
26 Apr 2012 | 9:00 amA little bit of planning goes a long way when it comes to creating a great looking deck. Putting your ideas down on paper will save you a lot of time and, potentially, money, and will ensure you get your dream deck. Planning on paper first allows you to see if your ideas will work. It’s also much easier to change your mind and make adjustments on paper than it is during construction. If the thought of plotting your deck onto paper seems like a daunting task, don’t worry; it’s actually much easier than you think. It will give you the opportunity to make sure your deck works with the… -
Small Garden Design – Spanish Courtyard Update! [part 5]
10 Feb 2012 | 8:19 amFor those of you who have been following Successful Garden Design for a while, you may remember the small courtyard garden design we did in Spain. It’s been just over 18 months since the planting was finished, so in January I popped over there to film progress. See the video below! If you’d like to view the whole garden design process from beginning to end, visit the garden video tutorials page. Want to Learn More About Creating the Perfect Patio or Deck? Actually, the real reason I went to Spain, other than the beautiful weather and scenery, was to get away from the distractions… -
Fence or Hedge Your Garden – Which is Best?
30 Sep 2011 | 2:20 pmI’m often asked by clients if they would be better off with a fence or a hedge to surround their garden. There are pros and cons to each. Here are some of the main things to consider: Fence Benefits Fence Downsides Instant Can be less maintenance if right materials are chosen Security Cost – will depend on materials but the end price can be significant Cheap fences can deteriorate and need regular repair Harsh or abrupt looking Hedge Benefits Hedge Downsides Nicer aesthetically Usually less expensive than fences…
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Macmillan
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Apologies are being expressed – or are they?
15 May 2012 | 4:00 amEnglish has a variety of options for when we want to express contrition or remorse. We can say we’re sorry, we apologise, we regret something. We can emphasise it by saying ‘I’m so/very/really/truly/awfully sorry’, and so on. Or we can just say ‘Apologies’. Convention dictates in part how this and other... [This is a content excerpt only. Visit our blog for the full post]. -
Left, right, left, right.
14 May 2012 | 8:00 amThe Eurozone crisis claimed another victim on 6 May when Nicolas Sarkozy became the eleventh European political leader to lose his job since 2008. His opponent, François Hollande, has become only the second socialist president of the French Fifth Republic. This change of presidency has been seen by some as a “lurch to the left”. [...] [This is a content excerpt only. Visit our blog for the full post]. -
Language and words in the news – 11th May 2012
11 May 2012 | 6:00 amThis post contains a selection of links related to language and words in the news. These can be items from the latest news, blog posts or interesting websites related to global English, language change, education in general, and language learning and teaching in particular. Feel free to contact us if you would like to submit [...] [This is a content excerpt only. Visit our blog for the full post]. -
Open Dictionary word of the week: gender reveal.
10 May 2012 | 10:13 amWe are constantly monitoring the language to ensure that we keep an up-to-date record. You can be a part of this enterprise by suggesting a word for our Open Dictionary. Every Thursday Laine Redpath-Cole picks a new entry and goes on about it for a bit. This week’s word is: gender reveal (noun) the practice [...] [This is a content excerpt only. Visit our blog for the full post]. -
Language tip of the week: possibility
10 May 2012 | 6:00 amIn this weekly post, we bring more useful content from the Macmillan Dictionary to English language learners. These tips are based on areas of English (e.g. spelling, grammar, collocation, synonyms, etc) which learners often find difficult. This week’s language tip is about the patterns that follow the noun possibility. The noun possibility... [This is a content excerpt only. Visit our blog for the full post].
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Pimsleur Approach Blog
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Getting Yourself Situated In the Land Of Mañana
16 May 2012 | 9:58 amOur author shares a few tips about dealing with bureaucracy in Spain. It’s not fun, but you have to get it done to be able to have an extended stay. As a foreigner in Spain, if you want to open a bank account or get a job, it’s necessary to register with the local town hall. This lets the local authorities know that you are now a resident in Spain and sets you up for paying taxes or applying for health care. The first step is to apply for an N.I.E. number – Spanish identification number – at the local police station. In Marbella, where I was living when I arrived, this could only be… -
Food: Pick Up Spanish While You Pick Up Your Groceries!
15 May 2012 | 9:17 amOur author found the supermarket difficult at first, but then a great place to build her language skills. When I arrived in Spain ten years ago, one of the most difficult parts of settling into the Spanish way of life was a trip to the supermarket. As a newcomer who didn’t speak the language and didn’t know much about Spanish culture, it was impossible for me to recognize the food I might like. My first week I bought some quality Jamón Serrano, brought it home and fried it. It tasted awful. It would be another few weeks before I discovered that this meat is eaten uncooked. Talking to… -
Let the Magic of Spain Move You… Come for a Visit and Stay for a Lifetime!
14 May 2012 | 9:26 amThis series of articles tells the story of how our author from Ireland came to love Spain and stay there for ten years! She shares some of the highlights of her festival welcome, her conquest of simple supermarket language, her introduction to local bureaucracy and her experience finding work. The final article gives more details on how you, too, can follow in her footsteps, with advice on where to live, how to become a resident, even how to enjoy the Spanish culture and make new friends. Every year Spain attracts more than 60 million tourists. Many of those tourists fall so in love with… -
Thinking of Having a Baby? Move to Sweden!
11 May 2012 | 5:00 amWhether you are about to have your first child, or you already have a full house, how much maternity leave you can take is a big concern. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we decided to take a look around the world, and see how different countries handle this time. I think you may be surprised at what we found! Use the code below to share this on your site: <p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.pimsleurapproach.com/blog/language-learning/thinking-of-having-a-baby-move-to-sweden"><img… -
Yiddish Words and Expressions Adopted Into English
10 May 2012 | 9:27 amImage via amazon.com Think English is the only language you know? If you’ve ever eaten a bagel, done something with schmaltz, or referred to someone’s schnoz (nose), it turns out you speak a little bit of Yiddish. Yiddish is a language that is a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Slavic influences spoken by the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe and written in the Hebrew alphabet. It it spoken by a number of Orthodox Jewish communities around the world. Prior to World War II, an estimated 11 to 13 million people spoke Yiddish; today approximately 1.7 million…
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The PhraseBlog
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Notes from the PhraseMix Tokyo Meetup
23 Apr 2012 | 5:40 amLast week, I was able to get together with a group of 8 PhraseMix readers in Tokyo, Japan for a little meetup. We had some food, chatted in English, and even tried to play a game (which I'll discuss below). The best part for me was getting to hear how everyone uses PhraseMix and what they'd like to see. Here are some of the interesting points that I got from it: I was surprised to hear that most of the readers at the meetup used the daily email as their starting point. They said that they read the emails each day and then clicked through to read more about the phrases that interested… -
Study and use
15 Apr 2012 | 9:54 pmWhen have you made the fastest improvements in your language learning? I was thinking about this recently. I remembered that I've improved the fastest when I was: Studying the language every day by looking up new words, drilling with lists, and reading explanations of grammatical structures Using the language in my everyday life: talking with people, watching TV, reading street signs, and running errands. Times when I've done only one or the other haven't been nearly as productive. When I only study, I learn a lot of words or phrases that I end up forgetting later. When I only use the… -
Going on vacation
3 Apr 2012 | 9:05 pmHello loyal PhraseMix readers, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be going on vacation for two weeks, starting this Friday. During that time, I'm not sure when I'll be able to connect to the Internet and for how long. So my posting schedule might be a little weird. Many of you know that PhraseMix is just written by one guy, during the nights and weekends when I'm not at my day job. Because of that, things can be a little irregular. My posts come out at strange hours. I go through periods when I write a lot of blog posts and others when I write none. And it takes me much longer than I'd… -
The key to understanding natural spoken English
4 Mar 2012 | 8:28 pmToday a friend told me a story. She was doing translation work at a booth in a restaurant trade show. She was translating for the CEO of a company that made high-quality kitchen knives. This CEO had studied English, but hadn't gotten many chances to use English in real situations. So he was able to understand some things, but needed help with others. After one customer left, the CEO asked my friend in Japanese, "What was that guy saying? He kept saying 'vanna', 'vanna'." My friend thought for a second, and then said, "Oh, he was asking what the advantages of using these knives were –… -
What's your favorite English-language TV show?
26 Feb 2012 | 3:44 pmWatching TV is a great way to learn a foreign language. They're great because: They're not too short and not too long. You learn language in context. They show a variety of situations. They're fun to watch, so you keep coming back to them. I'd like to know a little about the English-language TV shows you've watched. Here's what I want to know: In one sentence, what is the show about? What's an interesting phrase you remember from that show? For example, one of my favorite TV shows is a reality competition show called "Survivor". Here's what I'd write about it: Survivor is…
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Globalization Partners International - Blog
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Working with Localized Metadata in EKTRON Web CMS
10 May 2012 | 7:00 pmEktron is one of the most popular CMS choices to drive scalable, multilingual websites that must be deployed on a global basis. As previously discussed in Managing your Multilingual Website with Ektron 8.5 CMS, the latest version 8.5 release of the Ektron CMS introduced the following new localization features and concepts: 1. Translation Packages 2. Translation Status (i.e. Mark for Translation Status) 3. Fallback Locale 4. Translation of Managed Assets 5. Web Localization Include and Exclude Feature 6. Custom Locales 7. Pseudo-localization 8. Localization Dashboard Once your… -
eLearning Localization: Multicultural or Multiple Cultures?
7 May 2012 | 7:00 pmFrequently in the U.S., when we talk about culture, we are speaking of what we commonly refer to as diversity. For most Americans, the term diversity reflects the socio-cultural makeup of our workplace. However, when GPI speaks of localization, we are typically referring to adapting educational materials for people in other countries. Thus, when you submit classroom or online training courses to us for localization, we request information from you about the targeted learners because we use different approaches to localization, based on whether your learners are a U.S.-based… -
Insights into Google Translate and Machine Translation
29 Apr 2012 | 7:00 pmThe following is a basic primer on Google Translate and machine translation. It is intended primarily for those who are learning about language translation and localization related issues, and how these functions affect business and daily life. By no means is it intended to provide a complete, in-depth analysis of the Google Translate toolset, but more to provide general information and food for thought & discussion. What is Google Translate? Google Translate is a statistical machine translation service provided by Google Inc. to translate a section of text, document or webpage, into… -
Basic Insights into Language Globalization
22 Apr 2012 | 7:00 pmIn the global information processing space, Globalization (G11n) can best be thought of as a process that includes several important and related procedures. To globalize is to plan the design, development, and business elements for a product or content in advance with a multicultural and multilingual audience in mind. The end-goals of Globalization are cost-effective and efficient Localization (L10n), and truly "world ready" products and/or content. Associated benefits of a purposeful Globalization strategy include superior language quality & market acceptance, reduced time to market, the… -
Translation Services Connector for Oracle-RightNow CX: Part II
16 Apr 2012 | 7:00 pmUsers of RightNow can now initiate translation workflows with a single click through GPI's Translation Portal. Set up is just as easy. The connector is a plug-in that the user can install on the client side that extends the standard RightNow client UI. It allows users to send content (Answers and Attachments, Products/Categories/Disposition, etc.) for translation, manage quotes (add/remove content from open quotes) and import back completed translations. Setup 1. Open the Configuration section on the RightNow interface. 2. Open the "Site Configuration" folder and from the items inside, 3.
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PhraseMix.com - Daily English Lessons
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“I'm sorry if you felt excluded or ignored, but it's not my job to babysit you.”
16 May 2012 | 4:42 amYou met a group of old college friends for dinner. Your boyfriend came too, but he seemed upset because no one was talking to him. Now you're riding home, and you're angry that he got upset.I'm sorry if you felt excluded or ignored, but it's not my job to babysit you. -
“What are you meowing about?”
15 May 2012 | 12:00 amYour cat is making noises. You're wondering why. You ask her this.What are you meowing about? -
“What are you meowing about?”
15 May 2012 | 12:00 amYour cat is making noises. You're wondering why. You ask her this.What are you meowing about? -
“Nelly, can you maybe shed a little light on this?”
13 May 2012 | 11:22 pmYou're in a meeting at work. You're leading a discussion about a project which isn't going well. You don't know what's wrong with the project, so you want to ask one of the people who's working on it.Nelly, can you maybe shed a little light on this? -
“We ask that all electronic devices be turned off and stowed at this time.”
12 May 2012 | 10:00 amYou're on an airplane that's getting ready to take off. A flight attendant is making announcements. She says this, so you have to turn off your mobile phone.We ask that all electronic devices be turned off and stowed at this time.
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Lexiophiles
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Japanese girls- are they turning into vampires?
16 May 2012 | 4:00 amBeauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well, you will definitely understand the meaning of this phrase once you step your foot into the land of the rising sun- Japan. There, you will discover several unique aspects of Japanese culture, and eventually find out about the interesting perception of “beauty” that Japanese people (especially girls) believe in. I would like to inform you about some of these viewpoints in order to avoid any confusions or surprises when you visit Japan! 1. White, Whiter, Whitest! Japanese women devote their time and money to be as white-skinned as possible. They… -
日本人女性は吸血鬼？
16 May 2012 | 4:00 am何を「美しい」と感じるかは、人それぞれです。特に日本人が思う女性の美しさとは、外国人からすると異質であると感じる場合があります。今回は日本人女性が美容のためにしていることの中で、西欧ではというものをピックアップして紹介したいと思います。みなさんも次のどれか一つは身に覚えがあるかと思います。… -
Vote for your favorite Language Learning Blog 2012
15 May 2012 | 9:33 amHere is the alphabetically sorted list of the Top 100 Language Learning blog that qualified for the voting phase (read more about how the competition works). Click the button next to the name of the blog you want to vote for and click “vote” at the bottom of the poll! You can only vote once in each category. Make sure to vote for the other categories as well! Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. -
Time to vote! – Top 100 Language Lovers 2012
15 May 2012 | 9:32 amThank you for all the emails you sent and the comments you submitted to nominate your favorite blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. From the great amount of nominations we received (935 in total), we selected the Top 100 (Top 200 for language learning) for each category. These made it to the voting phase! How to vote: First of all, go to the voting page of each category (links below). Then click on the name of the blog/Facebook page/Twitter account you want to vote for. For your convenience, all entries are listed alphabetically. You can vote once in each category. Remember that… -
Vote for your favorite Language Facebook Page 2012
15 May 2012 | 9:30 amHere is the alphabetically sorted list of the Top 100 Language Facebook Pages that qualified for the voting phase (read more about how the competition works). Click the button next to the name of the Facebook Page you want to vote for and click “vote” at the bottom of the poll! You can only vote once in each category. Make sure to vote for the other categories as well! Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
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pandltranslations.com
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Hispanics and the Kentucky Derby
4 May 2012 | 6:40 amHispanics have played an important role at the Kentucky Derby for decades. - Laffit Pincay, Jr., the winner of the 1984 Derby aboard Swale, was born in Panama City, Panama. - Two time Derby winner and member of racing's Hall of Fame Ismael Valenzuela was the son of immigrants from Mexico. - Angel Cordero, Jr. began his career in Puerto Rico. He went on to win the Kentucky Derby three times. - Lazaro Barrera was a successful trainer in Cuba and Mexico before moving to the United States. He won his first Derby in 1976 with Bold Forbes, but his greatest achievement was in 1978 as the trainer of… -
Friday the 13th
13 Apr 2012 | 6:36 amFriday the 13th is not considered to be an unlucky day in all cultures. Greeks, Mexicans, Spaniards and most Latin Americans believe that Tuesday the 13th, or "martes y trece", is the day to be careful. Some attribute this to the origin of the word martes, which derives from Mars, the Roman god of war. Others say that the confusion of tongues that resulted from the construction of the Tower of Babel took place on a Tuesday the 13th. There is an oft-quoted Spanish proverb that advises against making important decisions on Tuesday… -
Lost in Translation: Names can be colorful
9 Apr 2012 | 6:41 amBy Alessia Leathers for The News Press Colors can be a serious business, not only for artists but also for companies. Nike recently released an ad promoting “Black and Tan” sneakers, not realizing that while these colors allude to a certain mixture of beers in the U.S. and England, such as half dark and half pale ale, it brings negative connotations for Irish people. Indeed, this combination reminds them of unfortunate episodes in their efforts to become independent during the first part of the 20th century. As Bryan Boyd of The Irish Times explained in a… -
Sergio Garcia Gets Lost in Translation at Augusta
8 Apr 2012 | 8:30 pmBy Steve Elling AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Sergio Garcia has surrendered. Again. After playing a borderline humiliating round alongside Rory McIlroy at the Masters on Saturday, the former boy wonder admitted that he's not good enough to win a major. It's hardly the first time the outspoken, emotional Spaniard has over-reacted, especially at Augusta National, a place he criticized so strongly three years ago, he was forced to issue an apology. But this is strong, introspective stuff. After starting the third round one stroke off the lead, Garcia tanked with a 75 and was in an absolutely defeatist mood… -
Why Translation Is Important
3 Apr 2012 | 6:00 amThe novelist and essayist Anatole France once said, "The finest words in the world are only vain sounds if one cannot understand them."
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dado que
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Typical Errors and Mistakes in Spanish by English speakers
4 May 2012 | 12:36 amDon't be afraid to make mistakes. Errors are part of the learning process. We all make mistakes when Spanish is not our first language. Be big enough to admit your mistakes, smart enough to profit from them and strong enough to correct them.
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Medical Translation Insight
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Is "bioethics" really cultural colonialism in disguise?
3 May 2012 | 5:45 pmYesterday, we looked at the China (and India) through the lens of IVD manufacturers. Today, we are still looking at China but on the topics of clinical research and, especially, bioethics. By way of background, bioethics, according to Wikipedia, is:...the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that -
The IVD world according to India and China
2 May 2012 | 10:47 amIndia and China... Both countries are inspiring success stories and, according to a new article, are positioning themselves to play major roles in the global in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) market in the future. China and India: Comparing Two Fast-Growing IVD Markets is a timely look at how these two countries that account for about 1/3 of the world's population stand to up-end the IVD industry. -
Simpler language makes for better clinical research
26 Apr 2012 | 6:00 amWe've said it before: Readability is important when it comes to clinical studies. While informed consent forms (ICFs) are required in all clinical trials which are approved by an independent Ethics Committee, most ICFs are too complex to understand by an average adult patient. One obvious solution is to reduce the complexity and increasing the ease of readability. While this has been -
Best practices for software localization
24 Apr 2012 | 8:46 amAccording to the European Medical Device Directive (MDD) amendment of 2010, software is now included in the definition of a medical device. It doesn't matter if the software is integrated into the actual device or a stand-alone product. This inclusion is an acknowledgment of the fact that software is so integral to the functioning and therapy of a device. Software validation will also be an -
Count-down to EU pharmacovigilance legislation
10 Apr 2012 | 6:18 amThe European Medicines Agency (EMA) is planning for the implementation of new pharmacovigilance legislation in July this year. The new rules (Directive 2010/84/EU [PDF link] and Regulation (EU) No. 1235/2010 [PDF link]) amend existing legislation and was adopted back in December 2010. The main goal of the legislation is to strengthen the EU-wide system for monitoring the safety and benefit-risk
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JLPT Boot Camp: The Ultimate Study Guide to passing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test
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JLPT BC 80 | N2 Grammar – tutu
15 May 2012 | 10:42 pmI’ve recently been using a little different strategy for my vocabulary practice. I think for the N1 level, since there are literally thousands of words to learn, I’ve been hedging my bets between reviewing words from the books I’ve read and using the standard lists. I think this offers up a good compromise between natural learning and list learning. I think a lot of people focus too much on the infamous lists. I certainly did when I first started preparing for the N2, but I think the test has changed a bit because they no longer have an official vocabulary list for… -
How to Get Out of a Slump
13 May 2012 | 6:38 amWake up! Time to get studying little girl. About three years ago, I wasn’t really studying Japanese all that hard. At that time I had already passed 三級 (old N4) and I was kind of lazily making my way through 二級 (old N2) books. I honestly felt a little worn out and frustrated. I went through all the exercises in all the books, but I didn’t really feel like I was getting anywhere. I kept buying more and more books and going through them slowly. Or, worse, I bought books and didn’t get around to ever getting through them. I even had a premium subscription to… -
JLPT BC 79 | Giving Birth in Japan
8 May 2012 | 10:30 pmI’m currently on the look out for a good new jDrama to watch. I just finished off Nagareboshi, which I talked about last week, but I want to watch something new now that has a lot of everyday Japanese in it. This can sometimes be more difficult than it sounds. I recently tried Gakusen, which is supposed to be a great drama. The main issue I have with it is that it is based off a manga so the entire style of the drama is very exaggerated and cartoon-y. I think this would be interesting if that is what you want to study, but if you want to focus on more serious language like what… -
Sound Symbolism in Japanese
6 May 2012 | 9:41 amAnyone that has studied Japanese for any length of time, knows that it is a unique language to say the least. Not only does it use three alphabets, one of which it borrowed from a language that has nothing to do with it grammatically. It also has some unique features that surprised me when I first started studying the language. One of those features is onomatopoeia words or Japanese sound symbolism. These are words that represent sounds of things. That is a normal enough feature of any language. I mean we have words in English for how a dog sounds, ruff ruff, and the sound we make… -
JLPT BC 78 | N3 Grammar – the use of totanni
2 May 2012 | 10:12 amI’m starting to really put some pressure on myself to study these days. The July test is coming soon and although I have no real aspirations of passing it, I still want to at least score slightly above zero on the test. I still have a lot to go through before I even have a good foundation in place though. I have finally made to the 25% mark with StickyStudy. Even though I’m a bit suspect of some of the words in its list, I really like the pacing and design of the whole app. I, of course, am backing this up with plenty of words from reading on memrise. I’ve managed to…
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Macmillan
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Apologies are being expressed – or are they?
15 May 2012 | 4:00 amEnglish has a variety of options for when we want to express contrition or remorse. We can say we’re sorry, we apologise, we regret something. We can emphasise it by saying ‘I’m so/very/really/truly/awfully sorry’, and so on. Or we can just say ‘Apologies’. Convention dictates in part how this and other ritualised speech acts take place. We generally say ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Congrats’, though ‘I congratulate you’ might begin a longer, formal utterance. With its jocular tone, ‘Greetings’ is fairly common in… -
Left, right, left, right.
14 May 2012 | 8:00 amThe Eurozone crisis claimed another victim on 6 May when Nicolas Sarkozy became the eleventh European political leader to lose his job since 2008. His opponent, François Hollande, has become only the second socialist president of the French Fifth Republic. This change of presidency has been seen by some as a “lurch to the left”. Meanwhile, in the UK, “David Cameron is facing pressure from Conservative MPs to “lurch to the right” following his party’s disastrous results in the local elections” according to heraldscotland.com. But why left, why right? -
Language and words in the news – 11th May 2012
11 May 2012 | 6:00 amThis post contains a selection of links related to language and words in the news. These can be items from the latest news, blog posts or interesting websites related to global English, language change, education in general, and language learning and teaching in particular. Feel free to contact us if you would like to submit a link for us to include, or just add a comment to the post, with the link(s) you’d like to share. Global English What exactly is hand-shredded ass meat? The Beijing Municipal government hopes to end unintended jokes with its new guidebook intended for the public… -
Open Dictionary word of the week: gender reveal.
10 May 2012 | 10:13 amWe are constantly monitoring the language to ensure that we keep an up-to-date record. You can be a part of this enterprise by suggesting a word for our Open Dictionary. Every Thursday Laine Redpath-Cole picks a new entry and goes on about it for a bit. This week’s word is: gender reveal (noun) the practice of revealing the sex of your unborn child to friends and family, often at a party with a cake that is coloured pink or blue inside The first video of a gender-reveal party was posted on YouTube in 2008.| My favorite gender reveal idea is this.|The culmination of the party is the… -
Language tip of the week: possibility
10 May 2012 | 6:00 amIn this weekly post, we bring more useful content from the Macmillan Dictionary to English language learners. These tips are based on areas of English (e.g. spelling, grammar, collocation, synonyms, etc) which learners often find difficult. This week’s language tip is about the patterns that follow the noun possibility. The noun possibility is never followed by an infinitive. Use the pattern the/a possibility of doing something: ✗ New technology offers the possibility to put very large dictionaries onto a single compact disc. ✓ New technology offers the possibility of putting very…
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Be global! Learn languages. Travel the world.
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Como pronunciar la “r” en inglés (Cry me a River)
15 May 2012 | 12:27 pmLa “r” en inglés es distincta a la “r” en español. Como pronunciar la “r” en inglés mediante la canción “Cry me a river” de Ella Fitzgerald. Canto un segmento de la canción en inglés y en español (Llorame un río). -
La “z” en inglés: no es una “s”
1 May 2012 | 3:57 pmMediante la canción “Crazy” de Patsy Cline, se puede aprender como diferenciar entre la “s” y la “z” en inglés. -
How to raise kids in a different country and maintain two languages
25 Apr 2012 | 5:08 pmIn this video interview, Aaron Myers, an expat from the US who has been raising two children in Istanbul for over four years gives advice about how to raise kids in a different country and maintain two languages. -
Ai, Se Eu Te Pego! Learn a catchy Brazilian song, learn Brazilian Portuguese
12 Apr 2012 | 4:41 pmDo you want to know what the Brazilian Portuguese words “nossa”, “balada”, “pegar”, and “galera” mean? Do you want to distinguish the words “mas” and “mais” and not confuse them? You can learn those lessons in the latest music video that Luciana Lage of Street Smart Brazil and I made using the super popular Brazilian pop song, Ai, Se Eu Te Pego! by Michel Teló. We explain the meaning of the song, the words that confuse Spanish speakers and some Brazilian idioms. The song is all over Spanish language radio in the US and… -
Aprender inglês com música, “For the Longest Time”
9 Apr 2012 | 8:02 pmAprendi português ouvindo a radio portuguesa e cancoes brasileiras. Sei que e posivel aprender uma nova lingua sem viver no pais onde se fala a lingua. Eu nunca morei em um pais que fala a lingua portuguesa mas, eu falo o português. Falo 7 línguas (ruso, francês, espanhol, italiano, serbo croata, português e inglês). Nesse vídeo, vou utilizar uns pedaços de uma canção americana para te mostrar como uma canção pode te ajudar com a gramática e pronuncia inglesa. Compreendi depois de ler o livro, Musicophilia, de neurologista Oliver Sacks, que eu ouvia as línguas como música.
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The Mezzofanti Guild
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5 Tips To Avoid Shitty Situations As An ESL Teacher
11 May 2012 | 6:15 amThis is slightly off the topic of language learning but it’s in response to a few questions that have been thrown at me now and again regarding ESL teaching as a means to fund immersion stays abroad. It’s also been… -
Word Play: Hyperpolyglots On 16×9 – The Bigger Picture
6 May 2012 | 4:05 am[Another edit: I personally do not believe that successful language learners are the product of special 'genes'. Everybody with an L1 is perfectly capable of learning an L2 (or more). However, as a linguist who has spent time studying… -
Learning Multiple Languages At The Same Time
3 May 2012 | 6:45 pmWhen I announced my intention to learn Korean this week alongside Irish I was asked about my motivation to learn multiple languages at the same time. Why learn several languages simultaneously and is it even advisable to do so? Here… -
Jumping Into The Korean Language
29 Apr 2012 | 8:13 amI thought I’d make a video post tonight instead of writing. For those who can’t view the video, I’m making preparations to move to South Korea in the second half of this year and I’ve decided to start early on… -
Review: Bitesize Irish Gaelic
24 Apr 2012 | 6:58 pmI was recently offered a complimentary membership for Bitesize Irish Gaelic, a handy online resource for learning the Irish language, and after finding it so damn useful I thought I’d slap together a quick review for anyone else looking for…
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The Everyday Language Learner
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Language Learning Resource: Pronunciator
15 May 2012 | 8:01 pmI first came across Pronunciator on Twitter last fall. It seemed an interesting concept but in looking into how it works, I discovered that it was far more than just a program that gave me the correct pronunciation of over 60 different languages. With over 3 million lessons in over 3,000 language courses and over 45,000 hours of MP3 files, Pronunciator is a robust language learning platform. Pronunciator runs on a paid subscription model. Everyone can have access to some of the content (in most cases just the first lesson) but if you want access to everything, you’ll have to pay to… -
Why I Installed Google Chrome’s Language Immersion Extension
8 May 2012 | 7:46 pmEditorial Note: I mistakenly credit this extension to Google in the article. It is actually the work of Use All Five. (Visit Use All Five now) When I received a tweet from Rich Bailey asking if I’d seen the new Google Chrome extension, Language Immersion, I stopped by the article at Lifehacker to have a look. The video at the top of their post, which I also share above, gives a brief introduction to this new language learning tool, but I felt a more in depth look was needed to really understand it’s usefulness for language learners. The basic idea behind Language Immersion is… -
Language Learning Tip: Retell It
1 May 2012 | 7:59 pmToday I would like to share an idea that will help with listening comprehension. I’ll call the activity Retell It. Though it is a simple idea, when intentionally done, it can create an opportunity to work on listening comprehension as well as receive a lot of comprehensible input. As always, if you can record this activity, you will create a greater opportunity for integrated review and so I want to encourage you at the outset to consider recording any time you use Retell It. Retell It The basic idea is that you and a native speaker would agree to watch the same program on television… -
Maximize Your Language Learning Activities
24 Apr 2012 | 8:28 pmLast week I was picking my kids up from school when I saw one of the fifth graders run by with a magnifying glass. It was a sunny day and the trail of kids behind him told the story. He was off to magnify the sun and burn something up – hopefully not an unsuspecting bug. As we walked to the car, Malachi was telling me all about it, about the white dot of light and the smoke and eventually the small flame that flickered to life on the dry branch upon which the intensified beam of sunshine had thankfully been focused. It seemed a teachable moment and so he and I talked about things… -
How in the World is Everyone Learning English?
17 Apr 2012 | 10:57 pmOne day soon – and perhaps it has already happened – the number of non-native speakers of the English language will surpass the number of native speakers in our world. You may lament this thought or think it unfair but that does not change the fact that the English language has become the most prominent language on Earth since Babel. And it’s easy enough to see why. There has been a perfect storm of globalization coupled with light speed innovation in communication and media that has lead to the raise of the English language. The great linguistic empires of the past did…
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EVS Translations GmbH
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Translation services providers certification according with EN 15038
15 May 2012 | 7:30 amThe European Committee for Standardization (CEN) released the EN 15038 (European Quality Standard for Translation Services) in 2006. EN 15038 establishes and defines the requirements for the provision of quality services for translation service providers (TSPs). EN 15038 is a quality standard developed especially for language translation services providers. It is a translation industry-specific standard which providers both translation services providers and their clients with clear criteria for achieving and evaluating highest quality of language translation services. Main… -
Editing vs proofreading
10 May 2012 | 9:06 amEditing and proofreading are two different elements of the revision process and they concentrate on different aspects and use different techniques. Editing is the process of examining a text with the intention of improving the flow and quality of writing. In other words, the process of checking and improving the copywriting of a document. This process concentrates less on the form and more on the terminology. Editors check for contextual mistakes and inconsistence and it is the editor’s job to verify facts and make sure that the correct terminology was used. This is usually achieved by… -
How does Translation Memory work?
8 May 2012 | 6:55 amA translation memory (TM) is a database that is used in software programs designed to aid human translators. It is a database that consists of text segments in a source language and their translations in one or more target languages and is built up of previously translated materials. While TMs have a broad scope and include everything ever translated and they work on a segment-by-segment basis, glossaries are lists of individual, company or industry specific terms, abbreviations and short expressions. In brief, a glossary is a database containing a bilingual list of approved or predefined… -
Structured authoring saves translation costs
3 May 2012 | 4:42 amStructured authoring is the process of systematically organizing information into units that can be easily accessed, managed and reused. In a structured authoring environment, the organization specifies elements and their characteristics and how they relate to each other. Authors and editors then create and edit documents in an order that is permitted by the structure’s specifications. Structured authoring is usually highly automated. Once elements are assigned to content, the formatting is implemented automatically to create the final output files. Structured authoring improves… -
Chinese language translation: challenges and specifics
26 Apr 2012 | 10:15 amSince China has opened its doors to international business by becoming a full member of the World Trade Organization back in 2001, it is considered one of the largest markets in the world. This translates into huge economic and cultural exchange that requires clear communication. China possesses one of the largest industrial bases in the world and at the same time is the fastest growing consumer market. However, unlike other nations with global markets where English language is predominantly used, Chinese is still very much a dominant business language in China. This has brought barriers to…
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Speaking Latino
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Top 100 Language Lovers Voting NOW
16 May 2012 | 8:47 amOnce a year the website Lexiophiles holds a survey of the top language lovers online. They request nominations during the first half of May and the voting takes place the second half of the month. That’s right, voting started yesterday. If you are a fan of Speaking Latino, the blog, the books, our Facebook page or my twitter feed (@jaredromey), I urge you to VOTE FOR ME, in the Language Lover Twitter category. Just scroll down the list until you find me name, select the bubble to the left, and select VOTE at the bottom of the list. I ran across Lexiophiles and their… -
The Origin of 5 Words from Puerto Rico: Cangrimán, Fostró, Chavos, Zafacón and Limber
15 May 2012 | 5:02 amSpanish flag, PR flag, USA flag by Oscalito Ever stop to think how slang words develop? It’s a fun experience since their history will often teach you about major historical influences in a culture. These 5 Puerto Rican words do just that. A colony of Spain for 400 years, we Puerto Ricans adopted words that are still alive today. For example, we use the word peseta (Spanish monetary unit prior to the Euro) instead of quarter, for the 25-cent coin. A century-long relationship with the United States has also influenced Puerto Rican Spanish. Even though Puerto Ricans have adopted a… -
Quick Quiz: Disney Trolley Warning
14 May 2012 | 4:41 amThis warning sign mounted on a trolley surprised, even disappointed me. As a business student, one company you always hear about as an example of how to manage a business well is Disney. Their commitment to creativity, customer service and detail in their parks is held aloft as a goal for other companies to achieve. Seeing the error on this sign did not speak well for their supposed attention to detail. One simple letter would have corrected the mistake. So what’s the needed letter and where should it go? For the answer The answer is that there is an S missing at…
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Translation Source
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Translation Source | ASTD 2012
26 Apr 2012 | 11:42 amTranslation Source is pleased to announce that we will again be a proud exhibitor at ASTD 2012 International Conference & Exposition on May 6 - May 9, 2012, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. Explore the latest training theories and models. Share insights and experience with colleagues. ASTD 2012 will ensure that you’re up-to-date with the trends affecting workplace learning and performance. During the conference, Translation Source will provide valuable information for designing international eLearning strategies that engage learners and support… -
“Distance Learning” | E-Learning Month
25 Apr 2012 | 4:35 pmWelcome to E-Learning month, where successful multinational enterprises depend on effective international e-learning translation processes to transfer know-how. This month, Translation Source will provide valuable information for designing international e-learning strategies that engage learners and support company’s key business needs. Our blog posts will be focusing on how employers should maximize the advantages of global e-learning and become an integral part of the learning tools used by Fortune 500 companies. Whether or not you have prior experience with eLearning, these blogs… -
Oil and Gas Translation: Technical tips to increase your success rate
20 Apr 2012 | 3:32 pmAs a dynamic and innovative sector, the oil translation industry presents new challenges for technical oil and gas translators on a daily basis. To help improve your translation success rate, we’ve interviewed our leading oil and gas technical translators to share the secrets of their success. The following is a compilation of their 5 key tips. 1. Keep up-to-date All translators interviewed agreed that in this ever-changing field, the most important thing was keeping up-to-date on industry terminology, processes, markets and politics. Continuous updating of specialized glossaries and… -
Win An iPad | OTC 2012
20 Apr 2012 | 9:53 amIf you know a colleague who would benefit from translation or other language services, please enter your name and contact information together with your colleague’s name and contact information. Winner will be announced on May 3rd 2012 at Translation Source booth #7561 at the OTC conference in Houston, TX. To participate and to read Terms and Conditions, please click here. If you would like to meet us at the OTC, please contact Jason Pineda at (713) 465-0225 or jason.pineda@translation-source.com. We look forward to seeing you at OTC. -
RFP translation secrets: 3 strategies to communicating effectively in a different language
10 Apr 2012 | 5:11 pmEnglish is the fourth most spoken language in the world after Mandarin, Hindi and Spanish. China and other Asian countries are projected to dominate more and more of the global market in the years to come. Companies that understand and adapt to these global trends will be able to grow successfully by connecting with the client. Creating a winning international proposal can be challenging due to additional cultural and linguistic factors that must be accounted for. Follow these strategies to an effective Request For Proposal in any language, known in the biz as an RFP translation. 1. Embrace…
