Twenty Reasons to Choose to Study Spanish as a Foreign Language

Posted On October 8, 2012By TranspanishIn Languages, Spanish Language/ 1 1 Comment

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 structures are changing. With more people choosing to emigrate every year, the world’s face is rapidly changing. People travel more now than ever (for work and for pleasure) and more people are willing to live in other countries. This means that communication in foreign languages is even more important than ever. Being able to communicate in Spanish is particularly important for the following reasons:

1. Spanish is the mother tongue of approximately 350 million people in 21 countries, including Mexico: 95 million, Spain: 40 million, Argentina: 38 million, Colombia: 35 million. However, what is more interesting is that at the end of the 1800s, only 60 million people spoke Spanish. Today, almost 500 million people across the world speak Spanish.
2. Almost half of the population in the Western Hemisphere speaks Spanish. Spanish is just as important as English for the people who live in this sector of the world.
3. Spanish has always occupied an important place within US society, but over the past decade many people have begun to select Spanish as their preferred foreign language, after English, across the European continent too.
4. By learning Spanish fluently, you will be able to get by in Italian and French too, because of the similarities in grammar and vocabulary between the Romance languages.
5. Spanish is the second most used language, after English, which is used in many forms of international communication.
6. Spanish is also one of the six official languages used by the United Nations.
7. There are 28 different places in the world where Spanish is either the primary language or the largest secondary language. These places include: Andorra, Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gibraltar, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, USA and Venezuela.
8. Approximately 5.8% of Internet users speak Spanish. This means that Spanish is the 4th most common language used online, coming in behind English, Japanese and German only.

Economy and Finance
A large part of our lives in the 21st revolves around the economy. Our finances and investments are important. Spanish is becoming an integral part of the global economy and many international partnerships and investments.

9. Spanish-speaking countries are experiencing lots of economic growth. This development is attracting a lot of interest from the English-speaking world in terms of finance and investment.
10. The creation of the MERCOSUR and other free trade agreements between South American countries and North America (ALADI, the Andean Community, CACM, NAFTA, G3) help to support and strengthen the respective economies of these countries,. This support helps to make Spanish-speaking economies more efficient and more competitive on a global scale.
11. Analyzing Inter-European trade, British, French and German companies have explained that the main barriers to international trade occur when there are language barriers that cannot be overcome. By investing in Spanish language learning, the developing economies in the Spanish-speaking world become potential investment and business opportunities.

Education, Business and Career Opportunities
Opportunities for working at home, working as a travelling entrepreneur with nothing but a laptop in tow, are growing rapidly. The face of employment is changing at an amazing speed. For this reason…

12. Over the past ten years, the demand for Spanish Language courses worldwide has risen by almost 50%
13. In both the US and Canada, Spanish is the most popular foreign language to learn.
14. Thanks to these developments, the demand for the media (radio, television, newspaper, magazines) to be in Spanish has notably increased.
15. Work opportunities abroad in Spanish speaking countries are limitless (as too are volunteer projects and internships).
16. Taking your business to a Spanish-speaking audience is easily done via the Internet from the comfort and familiar surroundings of your home country.

Fun Facts about Spanish in the US
There are even more reasons for learning Spanish if you live in the US than anywhere else because of the high immigration figures from Latin American countries and the opportunities for trade that geographical proximity provides.

17. The Hispanic population in the United States has grown by 60% in just one decade and can boast the fifth largest Hispanic population worldwide, with three out of four people who say that Spanish is their primary language.
18. 28 million in the US people speak at least a little Spanish.
19. By 2050, the number of Hispanics in the US is projected to grow to over 100 million people, which will form about one quarter of the total U.S. population.
20. In the New York City area, the Spanish-language Noticias 41 and Noticiero Univision, normally report higher ratings than new programs on CBS, NBC and ABC.

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FUNDEU and RAE: Two Essential Sites for the Good Use of Spanish

Posted On October 2, 2012By TranspanishIn Spanish Translation, Tips for Translators/  No Comments

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 (Fundación del Español Urgente) and RAE (Real Academia Española) are two sites that can be relied on.

As the world becomes more focused on technology, as we continue to send text messages that read, “Toy en el trabajo” or “Q hacés dp?,” and as we grow to accept the use of anglicized terms or “Spanglish” phrases such as marketing, pen drive and marketa, it doesn’t seem so important to know what the correct version should be. Understanding Spanish grammar, placing the tilde in the right place and knowing the difference between “a ver” and “haber” is growing out of fashion fast.

The rising issue today is that even amongst journalists, a group of professionals which, by nature, should be devoted to the delivery of flawless written material, also contribute to the production of grammatically correct written documents. As journalists tweet and post about their press releases all over the Internet, there is little concern for grammar and for the enrichment of the Spanish language.

This is why the work undertaken at both Fundéu and RAE is so important. Individually, both Fundéu and RAE act as guardian angels, working to promote, maintain and support the constant production of grammatically-correct Spanish across all spectrums of society.

A brief overview of RAE
The primary mission, the backbone off of which everything hangs, at RAE relates directly to the common union of all Spanish speaking societies through the correct use of the Spanish language. Even though Spanish is a language which changes, sometimes radically, from place to place, the roots of the language are fundamentally the same.

RAE aims to promote and maintain the use of these common traits in order to encourage Spanish speakers to pay more attention to the correct production of texts, for whatever purpose, in their native language.

One of the most impressive elements of the work done at RAE is the language guide, accessible via its website www.rae.es. This incredibly complete digital guide / dictionary covers all kinds of doubts and queries that the Spanish speaker might have about how to correctly construct a text in his or her native language. What’s more, the team at RAE is on hand to respond to these inquiries whenever possible.

RAE is also responsible for the publication of two texts. The first is entitled La Nueva Gramática de la Lengua and the second is an update of Spanish orthography. At 700 pages long, the text is particularly dense, but this is why RAE has also produced a reduced version, which covers the most important elements and a pocket book version to always have easily to hand.

 


A quick peek at Fundéu
Fundéu is a non-profit organization and was created by Efe and BBVA. Its prime objective is to ensure that the media and other forms of communication contribute to the correct use of the Spanish language. Indeed, the foundation believes that the media, the Internet and journalists in particular have a responsibility to produce quality, well-written texts at all times.

Thanks to the development of its website www.fundeu.es, Fundéu has been able to spread its work all over the world and it has been able to make a positive impact in a very short space of time. In fact, Fundéu, with a Twitter following of 126.321 (at the time of going to print) shows just how helpful technology can be in the repairing of language rules that have been lost in time.

Add to that number by following its tweets @Fundeu when you get the chance.

The use of correct Spanish, Spanish which obeys a common code of grammatical rules, does not have to continue down the road of destruction and indifference. The work of RAE and Fundéu provides two clear examples of institutions who still care about and value native language structures.

Fundéu’s channel in Youtube:

 

 

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How do you find the perfect Spanish translator?

Posted On October 1, 2012By TranspanishIn Spanish Translation, Translation Buyers/  No Comments

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 in this field can fall into.

What follows is a basic list of the most important factors to take into consideration when looking for the perfect Spanish translator. Ignoring the following essentials is the best way of wasting money on poor translations, so take heed and place emphasis on what counts.

 


Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Native Speakers
95% of the time it is imperative that the translator is a native speaker of the target language so that he/she is able to effectively translate the nuances and subtleties of the source language into a target language document of equal tone, meaning, and quality.

Translation Studies
Naturally, the translator will need to have excellent knowledge of both the source and target languages to be able to offer his or her translation services, but it is difficult to know how good a person’s language skills are before employing them and working with them for a while. This is why it is sometimes useful to the stick with translators that have earned formal qualifications from recognized translation study programs.

Getting Specific with Spanish
If you are looking for a Spanish translator, which country are you going to be targeting? The Spanish that is spoken in Mexico, for example, is very different to the Spanish spoken in Venezuela or the Spanish spoken in Argentina. If you are targeting a number of Spanish speaking countries at the same time, you will need to find a translator who can write for you in neutral Spanish. The important thing to note is that not all translators will be able to translate in neutral Spanish, but instead will lean towards one or two dialect in particular.

Communication Skills
Above and beyond their translation skills, it is likely that you will be communicating with your translator from a distance. Therefore, they need to exhibit excellent communication skills, quickly respond to their emails, understand what you need from them and ask for clarification when they have doubts.

Specialist Translations
It is foolish to think that you can use the same translator for all your translation requirements. There are times when you might need a specialist translator (for instance a legal, medical, or political translator) because the translator you normally work with might not even understand the meaning of the documents that he or she needs to translate in his or her native language.

Samples and References
Always ask for samples of past translations and for references from past employees for obvious reasons.

Cost
Bear in mind that it is not always the most expensive translator who ends up providing the best service and the best translation. When translators are just starting out they might charge less, but this doesn’t mean that the quality of their work will be less reliable.

Translation Agencies
If you are finding it difficult to make a decision and hire a translator by yourself, seek some help from a translation agency as they will have lists of translators for every language, every country and every specialism. Most agencies also include a proofreading of the translations that their translators provide at no extra charge, which is another added benefit from going down this route.

 

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How To Avoid Bad Clients

Posted On October 1, 2012By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators/  No Comments

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 this risk, exactly? Well to put it un-delicately, getting a bad client.


Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What makes a client “bad”?

A bad client doesn’t necessarily have to be an unprofessional one. True, not getting paid for work that you completed according to specifications, or seeing those specifications mysteriously change without warning, can put a translator’s frustration level right up there near the top. Sometimes, though, all it takes is an unrealistic expectation. Like no warning that the English to German translation was actually old English, or that the ten pages due tomorrow were in 0.2 size font. Fortunately for us, most companies – whether they have an online presence or not – have an online reputation. They key is looking beyond their company website and digging into the places where other translators go.

Places to do your due diligence

The best way to make sure you are dealing with reputable companies is to participate in the community. Since most professional communities these days, particularly in the translation industry, tend to have a global reach, the best places to do this are sites dedicated to translation professionals in particular, or freelancers in general. They don’t have to be job boards per se, but any place where contractors can provide feedback on the clients they work with is likely to be a good source for checking out a potential client. Other sources of information include user-generated and third party-moderated databases like the Better Business Bureau (limited to North American companies), or sites that connect freelancers with companies that outsource.

Some of these sites are:

Even if you tend to cross industries, like many freelance professionals do, checking out a client before you accept a job is always a good idea. The same goes for agencies that employ many contractors, although some of these already maintain internal databases of approved clients. Of course if you’re a contractor, the reverse is also true – your potential client might read up on you!

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Social Networking Verbs Enter the Collins English Dictionary

Posted On September 28, 2012By TranspanishIn Did you know?, English Language, Tips for Translators/  No Comments

“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 evolves, which is one of its most beautiful and fascinating elements. It is therefore only natural that in a world obsessed with the Internet and online communication, the Collins English Dictionary should decide to officially recognize the importance that these terms have in our lives on a daily basis.

Recent Collins English Dictionary Updates
What is perhaps most interesting about the recent developments to the Collins English Dictionary is that the range of new language entries, reflective of our technological world, covers a really wide spectrum. For example, in addition to the more obvious inclusions, like the verb “To Facebook,” the following have also been included:

amazeballs
bashtag
Bing
cyberbully
cyberstalking
FaceTime
hyperconnectivity
IM
liveblog
livestream
SMS
touch-ready
tweetup
Twitterer
Twittersphere

English Dictionary Inclusion is still a serious matter
It is also important to recognize that the developments found in the Collins English Dictionary have been researched into and pondered over with care and deliberation. A few months ago, the Collins English Dictionary began to crowdsource for information on the modern uses of the English language. It is the first dictionary to work in this way and the move seems to be particularly pertinent to our time.

A word in any language can only really ever become a word when enough people start using it. Therefore, after receiving about 4,400 submissions and plowing through the information with patience and dedication, the Collins English Dictionary has finally released its newest version of the English language in use in 2012.

All submissions had to go through an intensive review process by the lexicographers employed at Collins to prove that it is being used widely enough and has sufficient longevity to stand the test of time. For this reason, submissions such as, “Mobydickulous” and “Tebowing” were, not surprisingly, allowed to make the final cut.

 

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European Day of Languages Marks Another Year of Promoting Language Teaching and Learning

Posted On September 26, 2012By TranspanishIn Languages/  No Comments

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 migrant languages that are found there, Europeans will be promoting language learning in just about every way imaginable.

The purpose of this day is to focus on the role that learning new languages – at any age and stage in life – plays in fostering the sense of a European community in general, and a respect and understanding of other cultures in particular. This day was first designated in 2001 by the Council of Europe and the European Commission, which together organize several initiatives aimed at promoting language learning for students, exchange programs for people in business, and support for migrants who are learning the language of their new home, among others.

But aside from the great efforts to provide resources and support for people learning foreign languages, it’s also a day to just love languages in general. And Europeans have found so many different ways to do that. You can toast to language at a themed cocktail bar in Budapest, talk it up at a ‘speak-dating’ event in Prague, treat it to a foreign language poetry reading in Cardiff, or share a linguistic bath (not literal, of course) at one of the many participating libraries in Berlin.

But before we get carried away, this day is about more than just living it up with languages for a brief, exciting affair. Indeed, the teaching and learning of new languages has become a major priority and source of collaboration for both the European Commission and the Council of Europe. Far from being just another fun elective in school or a nice resume item later, multilingualism is considered an essential element of what makes the European Union a “union” at all. The ability to communicate with and understand neighbors who live and work so close goes a long way toward establishing a common point between cultures and fostering a true sense of community that goes beyond state boundaries.

 

And the same can be said for any place around the world. Each region has its own dynamic between various languages and cultures, and different modes of interaction and exchange. But every place has a plurality of linguistic heritage. So even while we promote a love of languages in the present, and the goal of greater cultural exchange in the future, we’re also honoring the linguistic richness and diversity of our past.

But why let Europe have all the fun? If you celebrate multilingualism in a country or region outside of Europe, or if you’re in the EU and have found your own way to celebrate, leave a comment and let us know how you’ll be loving languages today!

 

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Hispanic Heritage Month is more important than ever

Posted On September 24, 2012By TranspanishIn Latinos/  No Comments

What is National Hispanic Heritage Month?
National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated every year by all North Americans between September 15th to October 15th. The entire month is devoted to the celebration of the histories, cultures and contributions of the North American population whose ancestors originally came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and both Central and South America.
These annual celebrations first began in 1968 when the US was governed by President Lyndon Johnson and at first only lasted one week. It was President Ronald Reagan who eventually extended the celebrations to an entire month in 1988 when it was given the approval of Public Law 100-142.
The festivities begin on September 15th, a date that was chosen because of its historical significance. September 15th is the date of Independence for many Latin American countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. What’s more, there are many other Latin American countries whose Independence dates fall within the thirty-day period.

What does it mean to be a Latino in the US in 2012?
Latin Americans, or North Americans with South and Central American descent, are growing in number, power and influence every single year in the US. The country’s census figures reveal that Latin Americans make up the largest minority population in the US and that they hold many important positions within North American society, including politics and innovation / development.

What does the US have planned for the National Hispanic Heritage Month this year?
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute has a wide number of events planned for this year’s celebrations, any of which are talks, tributes and celebrations of important events and work of Latin Americans in the US in the past. These include Arts and Culture Receptions, talks on Latinos leading the way in commerce and other industries and tributes to Latinos in the media, for example.
Washington DC is throwing some fantastic free events. The family event on September 15th, entitled Hispanic Heritage Month Family Day, at the National Museum of American History, will be hosting an entire day of music, dancing, arts, crafts and food that is free for all the family to attend. Fiesta Musical will include dancing, crafts and Latin American food inside The National Zoo on September 16th. This event is also running all day and is free for everyone.
Naturally, the entire country is hosting its various tributes and events. A simple search by state will reveal a wide range of activities to take advantage of.

A few facts about National Heritage Month and Latinos living in the US
Did you know that:
1. There are about 52 million Hispanics living in the US at present and by 2050 it is suspected that this figure will grow to about 132.8 million.
2. Hispanics make up about 16% of the entire North American population, which should grow to 30% by 2050.
3. Businesses managed by Latin Americans in the US generate about US$351 billion receipts every year.
4. The Democrat Party recently cited San Antonio Mayor, Julian Castro, as a possible future US president, which is the first time in history that this party has highlighted a Latin American in such a way.
6. More than 50% of the US Hispanic population lives in California, Texas and Florida.

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The Use of Voseo

Posted On September 21, 2012By TranspanishIn Did you know?, Spanish Language, Tips for Translators, Translation Buyers/  No Comments

Voseo involves the use of an alternate pronoun and conjugation of the second person singular form in some Spanish dialects. The majority of Spanish speakers use tú as the more intimate/familiar form of address; however, in countries where voseo is employed, the word “vos” is used alongside of or as a replacement for tú.

Use of voseo in a Mafalda comic strip, created by Argentine cartoonist Quino.

While the use of vos is perhaps most closely associated with Paraguayan Spanish and the Rioplatense dialect of Argentina and Uruguay, voseo is also widespread in some parts of Central America, particularly Costa Rica and Nicaragua. To a lesser extent, Spanish speakers in Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador employ voseo. Pockets of voseo can also be found in other regions within Latin America, including parts of Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador.

In addition to the use of the pronoun “vos,” voseo includes a special conjugation of verbs in the present indicative and affirmative imperative tenses, and in most countries, the subjunctive mode (with the Río de la Plata area being the major exception). Conjugations vary widely depending on the region. For example, in Argentina, the standard tú puedes in the present indicative tense becomes vos podés; however, in Chile the same verb is conjugated as podís and in Venezuela, podéis.

In Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, the use of the pronoun “vos” and its accompanying conjugations has almost completely supplanted tú in both spoken and written language. Voseo is considered the norm at all levels of society and can be observed on TV and radio, in literature and music. In contrast, Chileans restrict the use of voseo to informal situations, and even then, the pronoun “vos” is frowned upon. In other words, the voseo conjugation is utilized but paired with the pronoun “tú” (e.g. tú podís). When Chilean speakers use the pronoun “vos,” it’s generally considered offensive.

Spanish speakers who utilize voseo also replace the independent pronoun “ti” with vos. For example, “creo en ti” becomes “creo en vos.” However, the direct and indirect object form “te” stays the same (e.g. tú te pones/vos te ponés). The possessive pronouns used with the tú form also correspond to vos: tu(s), tuyo(s), tuya(s). Lastly, the prepositional pronoun “contigo” changes to “con vos.”

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Do you Write Correctly in English?

Posted On September 17, 2012By TranspanishIn English Language, Languages, Tips for Translators/  No Comments

Even if you think you know how to write correctly in English, particularly if you are a native English speaker writing in English, there might be a number of things you are doing wrong on a regular basis having unwittingly falling into bad habits.

English grammar is, when compared to most Latin-based languages, relatively straightforward, as there are less verb conjugations to worry about and less verb tenses to take into consideration. English writers don’t have to think about gendered adjectives and gendered nouns either, which makes English grammar even less complicated to learn and perfect.

Having said all that, it is fair to say that English writers, particularly native speakers, can be lazy when it comes to correct English grammar precisely because of the fact that the grammar is less demanding and it is at this moment that bad habits start to set in.

What are some of the most common English grammar mistakes?
Most English grammar or punctuation errors, even within the world of professional writers and journalists, show up in the use of commas, hyphens, capital letters, spelling, contractions (through the use apostrophes), the incorrect use of double negatives and the construction of compound tenses.

Thanks to the huge surge in technological development over the past fifteen years, the need for speed means that children are adopting text message writing styles for school-based writing tasks, replacing words like “you” with “u” and “be back later” with “b bk l8r.” The interest and emphasis placed on “good” English writing is not as strong as it used to be and it is becoming more and more evident by the day.

Is there a difference between British English and North-American English?


Yes! There are many differences between British and North-American English and those differences are important. The problem is that there are almost always so subtle that they slip most people by.

Differences lie in a number of areas including anything from small changes to spelling (one letter differences) and the replacement of one word for another, to different ways of phrasing an idea. For example:

1. “programme” in British English becomes “program” is the US
2. “industrialisation” in British English becomes “industrialization” in the US
3. “enquiry” changes to “inquiry”
4. “trousers” becomes “pants”
5. “she hasn’t gotten a handle on things” would always be written in the US as “she hasn’t got a handle on things”

Which websites are best for checking English grammar doubts?
There are a number of sites that you can visit to check all grammar doubts when producing a piece of written copy in English, but some of the best and most trustworthy sites include the following:

The BBC has a great site on grammar, pronunciation and language queries which helps non-native speakers improve their English grammar just as much as it clarifies niggling doubts for natives: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/

The University College of London (UCL) maintains an excellent online grammar course / resource site which can be used to put any grammar doubts you might have to rest: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/

The Student Room is another excellent site. It is more of an online community with lots of forum threads to hand which deal with all kinds of English grammar problems that you might encounter: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=634990

Wordreference is excellent for dealing with grammar queries that might emerge thanks to doubts that occur when translating. The forum threads are the most useful for checking out these kinds of doubts: http://www.wordreference.com/

 

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Is Turkey the True Origin of Indo-European Languages?

Posted On September 13, 2012By TranspanishIn Did you know?, Languages/  No Comments

Thanks to a recent study conducted by an international research team, headed up by psychologist Quentin Atkinson of the University of Auckland in New Zealand, new evidence suggests that present-day Turkey (which about 8,000 years ago was known as Anatolia) is the true origin of the Indo-European language family.

Anatolia

The findings of this study have generated a lot of interest amongst linguists, archeologists and other scientists in related fields because the discoveries directly oppose the common belief held by a large percentage of experts / researchers that the origin of Indo-European languages actually dates back only 6,000 years to what we now know as present-day Russia.

Atkinson and his team used computational methods to analyze a wide range of words from more than 100 ancient and contemporary languages during this recent study. The investigation, which builds upon previous work undertaken by Atkinson in 2003, also incorporated the use of geographical and historical data – an entirely new approach for Atkinson and his team – in order to further support the validity of the Anatolian hypothesis.

Michael Dunn, a linguist at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, Netherlands, explains that the commonly-accepted hypothesis (the Steppe hypothesis) is an idea which places the origin of Indo-European languages in Russia about 6,000 years.

Dunn explains that the Steppe hypothesis has been widely accepted because 6,000 years ago present-day Russia was home to the use of chariots. A constant reference to related words for “wheel” and “wagon” in most Indo-European languages connects the development of these languages to the important technological advancement of the chariot and therefore places the origin of Indo-European languages in Russia, where the use of the chariot experienced a real boom.

There are many people who are skeptical about the findings published by Atkinson and his team, including the linguist H. Craig Melchert, from the University of California, Los Angeles, who highlights the fact that most language trees relating to Indo-European languages can only be extended back a mere 7,000 years.

However, despite opposition from other experts in the field, Atkinson and his team refuse to accept that these new findings are insignificant. They analyzed 207 commonly used words across 103 ancient and modern Indo-European languages. Possible language trees were produced throughout the investigations and they were constructed using a series of estimated rates at which these Indo-European languages gained and lost cognates.

The study focused specifically on the use of cognates because cognates are examples of basic vocabulary terms that rarely get borrowed when speakers of different languages come into contact with one another.

Atkinson believes that cognates hold the key to the true origin of Indo-European languages, because when his research team combined their cognate-focused language trees with information gathered about the associated geographical locations, the appearance of Anatolian roots was the main constant, time and time again.

No doubt the debate between Anatolian and Steppe supporters will continue throughout the years to come. What is undeniable, however, is that a series of points in favor of the Anatolian hypothesis have been discovered thanks to the most recent work of Atkinson and his team.

The search continues!

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