Language focus

Language focus | 20.07.2012

Google campaigning to save the world’s endangered languages

3000 languages are currently at risk of becoming extinct. This amounts to approximately half of all living languages. Search engine giant Google recently launched a website designed to help save endangered languages. On this website, each language has its own page, listing facts such as number of speakers, areas where the language is spoken, and…


Language focus | 10.07.2012

Professional translation services 'must interpret the message'

Professional translation services must interpret the message – and not just the words – of the speaker, according to a University of Nottingham team. Dr Xiaohui Yuan of the School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies is among them, and is leading the Translating Cultures in International Mediation project to help identify what is important…


Language focus | 04.02.2011

Tower of Babel

The upper house of the Spanish parliament has ratified the use Castilian Spanish, Basque, Catalan, Galician and Valencian, in its chambers. This means that senators may use any of these languages during speeches and debates. “The same parliamentarians who talk to each other in the corridors in a language that they all share need interpreters…


Language focus | 25.01.2011

The Translation People wish you a Happy Burns Night

Celebrating the immortal memory of Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns has become an institution in Scotland, the first ever Burns club being created in 1801. Their aim was to commemorate the life and works of the Bard by reciting his poetry; something which has been carried on to this day. So, whether you’re a traditionalist and will…


Language focus | 21.01.2011

Typesetting and printing Arabic documents – possible pitfalls

Most businesses wishing to extend their activities to the Middle East need to adapt their company literature to these markets. This will typically involve translation and typesetting of already existing brochures and manuals into Arabic, but because this language, as opposed to English, reads from right to left, one or two aspects have to be…


Language focus | 03.12.2010

A job well executed

One of our colleagues came across an article on the BBC News website concerning a translation of a prison information booklet into Russian. It seems that “exercise yard” was erroneously translated as “execution yard”, which would, understandably, have caused some concern among the Russian inmates if a member of the prison staff had not spotted…


Language focus | 23.11.2010

Official changes in the offing for Spanish spelling rules

Members of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) met in Spain at the beginning of November 2010 to discuss imminent changes to Spanish spelling which include the use of the letter ‘q’, accents and the prefix ‘ex’. The RAE is the Spanish language’s governing body and forms part of the 22 language institutions spread across the…


Language focus | 09.11.2010

Business Language Champions

As part of The Translation People’s commitment to all things language related, the company recently became a Business Language Champion. This process involves spending time within an educational establishment to promote language learning in the country. Read More. The Business Language Champion programme is a partnership between schools and businesses that offer children first-hand experience…


Language focus | 21.10.2010

National Geographic Channel to be launched in Bengali

Viewers in the West Bengal region will be able to tune into the National Geographic Channel (NGC) to watch their favourite programs in their native language of Bengali from 3 November 2010. Afaqs.com reports that NGC’s addition of the Bengali language follows its English, Hindi and Telugu options and that the November launch has been…


Language focus | 12.10.2010

Chinese language websites, magazines and poetry in Vietnam, UAE and Russia

There have been a few firsts for the Chinese language in international circles recently. The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) unveiled the Chinese version of their website, whilst the UAE have welcomed their first Chinese-language magazine aimed at the tourism industry. As for Russia, it was Chinese modern poetry that was on the agenda. VNA is…


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