Online language learning: a mixed innovation
Foreign language acquisition and multilingualism have been influential human phenomena for centuries, with the most popular and supposedly successful methodology being a combination of formal study and cultural-linguistic immersion. As any foreign language learner can attest, the statement “in order to really learn a language, you must live where it is spoken” is a common […]
Spanish Spelling Bee May Reflect a Rising Acceptance of the Language in the U.S.
The National Spelling Bee is a competition that is believed to have originated in the early 20th century in the United States, wherein a number of young contestants are required to a orally spell various words of increasing difficulty. The first official Bee was held in 1925, and the first champion was eleven years old. […]
Language and twitter: a form growing from itself
Twitter, an exclusively written forum of language with fixed parameters and functions, is propelling a linguistic phenomenon. The phenomenon involves lexis, grammar and voice (i.e./e.g. hashtags): how information is made and communicated, among other things. “Speaking” of the hashtag: it is one of Twitter’s key functions—a term which has been almost universally adopted. And regarding […]
Monolingual vs. bilingual education: its implementation and effects
In Spain, a debate has been raging that extends beyond the subject to the language/s being used to propel it. The subject is the language/s of education in Catalonia, the autonomous region of Spain whose official languages include both Catalan and Spanish. The factions are not as distinct as the languages, and the genesis of […]
A translation error that cost 71 million dollars
The phrase “lost in translation” elicits a host of responses, be they memories of language confusion while traveling, quotes from the film of the same name, or general considerations regarding translation, its possibilities, failures, limits. The most obvious associations for many are comical in nature, reflecting harmless vocabulary lapses or cultural naiveté. And then there […]
Non-verbal communication and its possible threat to foreign language
One of the most common reasons to learn a language is travel, for knowing the native language of a new place can undoubtedly deepen one’s experience while there, whether it’s reading about the place’s history or contemporary culture, conversing with the locals, or hearing passing voices in the street. For many, in fact, the relationship […]
The translation of restaurant menus (or lack thereof) and its implications
As any person who’s traveled outside of his or her native country (or often dines in foreign-food restaurants) knows, the translation of food items names can vary widely, producing a diverse range of responses—excitement, confusion, humor and fear, among others. Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net For foreign restaurants, it seems there are above all three […]
The meaning of ‘junar’
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 […]
The Language of the future: Chinese, English or Spanish?
Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net For most former, current or potential foreign language learners, one of the most important motivations for doing so involves the language’s future relevance—both as the language is being learned and afterward; in other words, the question of What will learning this language do for me?. Of course, this varies from […]
How much should be spent on immigration translation?
Immigration translation is no doubt an important effort for any country with immigrants, as many arrive with little to no knowledge of the national language. By translating to a variety of languages, countries ease the already difficult process of immigration, lesson the sense of isolation and confusion. As a result, immigrants are likely to feel […]
