Politics

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 [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

President Obama in Controversy over Healthcare Translation Policy

by Richard Brooks August 20, 2009 Languages

Accoring to various news reports there is controversy in the USA this week over ‘ObamaCare’ policies which state proposed healthcare reform plans which include providing on site interpreters for patients who have limited English. The healthcare reform legislation is currently pending in Congress. English language advocates are up in arms as this could add a [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Confusion over Nazi Slogan Translations

by Richard Brooks August 18, 2009 Languages

The federal court of justice has overturned the conviction of a man who was fined 4,200 euros for possessing and transporting 100 t-shirts which were to be sold with the words ‘Blood and Honour’ printed on the front. ‘Blood and Honour’ is a translation of the German ‘Blut und Ehre’ which was a Hitler Youth [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Slovakia and Hungary in Language Law Row

by Richard Brooks July 24, 2009 Languages

On the last day of June, Slovakia passed a law governing language use in their country. According to this article, posted on Euractiv.com, the law makes it illegal to use “incorrect” Slovak in Slovakia. The punishment is harsh with fines as high as 5,000 euros (£4,315). Basically, the law makes it very difficult for speakers [...]

5 comments Read the full article →

Welsh Language Issue On Par With Saving Our Planet

by Richard Brooks May 27, 2009 Languages

The BBC have reported that more than half of the Welsh population feel that preserving the Welsh language is as important to them as saving our planet from global warming. In recent years the Welsh language has dramatically increased in popularity. Today 64% of the people in Wales think it is important that they speak [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Linguistic Divide in Belgium

by Richard Brooks May 7, 2009 Languages

Belgium’s European parliament election, which is due to take place on 7th June, has been riddled with feuds over the rights of Dutch and French speakers. The BBC reports that francophone political parties have been denied billboard space for their election posters in two mainly Dutch speaking municipalities close to Brussels. Belgian politics closely mirrors [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

Postmaster Loses Job after Foreign Language Ban

by Richard Brooks April 3, 2009 Languages

Bloglingua previously reported the news about the Postmaster from Nottingham who refused to serve some customers as they were unable to communicate in English. Mr Kumarasiri was moved to new post office, on his request. He has now been told by the agency which employed him that his contract will not be renewed. The BBC [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Danish Language Protection Laws Deemed Unnecessary

by Richard Brooks March 13, 2009 Languages

The Danish Culture Ministry has announced that there is no need to pass language protection laws in Denmark at this time, but that other steps should be taken to protect the Danish language. According to the Copenhagen Post Online, the announcement marks the conclusion of a special government committee investigation into whether or not the [...]

0 comments Read the full article →
Thumbnail image for Clinton in Translation Faux Pas

Clinton in Translation Faux Pas

by Richard Brooks March 10, 2009 Politics

Sergei Lavrov had a laugh at Hilary Clinton on Friday when she gave him a small token gift.

8 comments Read the full article →

Removal of Language Learning Requirements for Teenagers

by Richard Brooks February 16, 2009 Languages

In England, concern has been growing that the country’s students are falling behind when it comes to learning other languages. In 2004, England stopped requiring that students over the age of 14 take classes in a foreign language. Since then, the percentage of students that have chosen to take foreign language classes has continued to [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →