The meaning of ‘yirar’
Argentine Spanish is strewn with words and colorful phrases from Lunfardo, a rich vocabulary born on the streets of Buenos Aires in the second half of the 19th century. Now considered a fixture of the Spanish language in Argentina (especially in and around Buenos Aires) and Uruguay, linguists cite the use of Lunfardo as a […]
Take a Butcher’s at Cockney Rhyming Slang
What exactly is Cockney Rhyming Slang and where does it come from? Is it still used today? Was it developed for particular social or political reasons? There are many worthy questions surrounding the use, creation and development of Cockney Rhyming Slang and there’s a lot of fun to be had too in the practice of […]
Courting Votes and Taking Notes: The Delicate Act of Appealing to Latino Voters
A recent BBC article picked up on a gaffe U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made while trying to appeal to Latino voters in this year’s upcoming election. In fact, many news outlets ran the story, noting that it fits into a tradition of presidents or presidential candidates embarrassing themselves before the largest minority group […]
A Guide To Peruvian Slang
In many places, slang is a natural inhabitant of the Spanish language. It’s so common, and yet so often different depending on the country, that people can sometimes find themselves in an embarrassing situation saying something they didn’t intend. It is particularly prevalent in Peru, where so many native languages and cultures intermingle. So taking […]
Twenty Reasons to Choose to Study Spanish as a Foreign Language
If you are thinking about learning a new foreign language, Spanish should be at the top of your list. Why? Twenty of the very best reasons, divided into specific sections, which explain why Spanish should be your first choice in foreign language study are listed below. Society, Communication and Travel Social groups and […]
FUNDEU and RAE: Two Essential Sites for the Good Use of Spanish
Spanish, like most modern languages, is suffering from a lack of care and a candid disregard for the correct use of grammar, punctuation, spelling and tense. Indeed, it is particularly concerning when members of the press, media and communications also fail to possess a clear understanding of how the language is correctly constructed. Fortunately, Fundéu […]
How do you find the perfect Spanish translator?
Finding someone to translate from or to Spanish won’t be a difficult task. There are plenty of people willing to offer their services in this area. However, finding the perfect Spanish translator, finding someone who is actually going to do a good job, is not so easy and there are many pitfalls that the inexperienced […]
How To Avoid Bad Clients
As we all know, many translation jobs involve one-time or first-time clients. This is true even for the most seasoned translators with developed client lists, or agencies depending on repeat business. And because so many jobs involve an unknown client, we can find ourselves with more exposure to risk than other, non-freelancing professionals. What is […]
Social Networking Verbs Enter the Collins English Dictionary
“Google It” “Bing It” “Facebook Me” “Tweet Me” We all use these phrases which have now become familiar household verbs and nouns, so much so that the Collins English Dictionary has made a number of updates recently to officially include these relatively new terms from the technological age in their English language records. Language constantly […]
European Day of Languages Marks Another Year of Promoting Language Teaching and Learning
It’s that time of the year again, the day to raise your flag for plurilingualism and intercultural understanding! Today, September 26, millions of people in cities all across the European Union will be celebrating the European Day of Languages. In honor of the 23 official languages of Europe and the more than 200 regional and […]
