September 2009

Thumbnail image for Once You Learn a Language, Do You Ever Forget It?

Once You Learn a Language, Do You Ever Forget It?

by Richard Brooks September 28, 2009 Education

Many people who studied a foreign language in school don’t continue to practice it after they graduate. The conventional wisdom is that if you don’t speak a language, you will forget it rather quickly. As my Spanish teacher used to say: “Use it or lose it.” But is that really the case?

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Translator Collapses at UN General Assembly

by Richard Brooks September 25, 2009 Events

New York is currently holding the UN General Assembly. It has been reported that a translator who works directly for the Libyan leader, Moamer Gaddafi collapsed during Gaddafi’s 75 minute marathon speech.

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International Translation Day

by Richard Brooks September 24, 2009 Events

International Translation day is celebrated every year on the 30th September.The day celebrates and promotes translation as an essential activity in contemporary society.

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Thumbnail image for Bremen, Germany Hosts World’s First Festival of Languages

Bremen, Germany Hosts World’s First Festival of Languages

by Richard Brooks September 22, 2009 Events

Bremen, Germany is holding a “Festival of Languages” which started on the 18th September. The festival celebrates all of the world’s 6,500 languages. According to this article it is the first of its kind in the world and will last 21 days.

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Talk like a Pirate Day

by Richard Brooks September 18, 2009 Events

Avast! Ahoy there all ye heartie land lubbers, swashbucklers and buccaneers! It be International Talk like a Pirate Day on the ‘morrow. Shiver me timbers! Gaarrrrr!

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Thumbnail image for Lost In Translation: French Panic On Plane

Lost In Translation: French Panic On Plane

by Richard Brooks September 11, 2009 Languages

French passengers on board an Aer Lingus Dublin to Paris flight had a fright when the captain made a routine announcement earlier this week.

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Israel to Remove Languages Other Than Hebrew From Road Signs

by Richard Brooks September 11, 2009 Languages

In a move that may cause confusion among travellers and will surely cause discomfort among some of its Arab citizens, Israel’s minister of transport, Yisrael Katz, has declared that the country will get new road signs-in Hebrew only. Right now, road signs are trilingual, with the names of cities, airports and other destinations spelled in [...]

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Talking Business: How to Avoid a Translation Fail

by Richard Brooks September 11, 2009 Machine Translation

Some phrases just don’t translate-especially when you are relying on a computer to do the heavy lifting. The International Trade website has published a list of English business phrases that don’t translate well, and it illustrates this point beautifully. Take, for example, the common English expression “give me a ballpark figure.” Translated into Russian literally, [...]

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NYC French Language Bookstore Set to Close

by Richard Brooks September 11, 2009 Events

Librarie de France bookstore in New York City which specialises in French Language books looks set to close after being in business for 74 years.

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Thumbnail image for Nine Year Old Girl Achieves Sign Language Qualification

Nine Year Old Girl Achieves Sign Language Qualification

by Richard Brooks September 11, 2009 Education

Tayla Reynold’s mum is hearing impaired and it can be difficult for her to keep up with her girls. 9 year old Tayla has taken it upon herself to improve their communication by doing a sign language qualification.

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