Celebrating International Mother Languag...

Did you know that February 21st was International Mother Language Day? UNESCO declared the day a holiday in 1999, but its roots go back much deeper into the past. According to Wikipedia, International Mother Language Day started in 1952 in what is now Bangladesh. At this time in history, Bangladesh was...

I Love You in 25 languages...

To help you to be extra romantic this Valentine’s Day we have added the language translation of ‘I love you’ below… I love you in Bulgarian: Обичам те I love you in Catalan: T’estimo I love you in Chinese: Cantonese: 我愛你 – Mandarin: 我愛你; 我爱你 I love you in Croatian:...

The Language of Love...

Valentine’s Day is approaching fast, a time when we express our love with cards and presents. Love is honoured on this day throughout the world. Valentine’s Day is shrouded with myths of sacred marriage, fertility and romance. The true St. Valentine was a Christian saint but very little...

Tensions Rise in Malaysia over How to Tr...

People tend to perceive debates over translation as dry, scholarly affairs, but sometimes, disagreements about how to translate a word can aggravate existing tensions between groups, even escalating violence.  This was especially evident in the country of Malaysia last week, where a dispute about how...

Translator Helps Deliver Baby...

In Tucson, Arizona, a Language Line translator helped deliver a baby over the phone last weekend, according to this article in the Arizona Star. The baby’s family all spoke Spanish, so when the father-to-be called 911 to report that his wife was about to give birth, the language barrier made an...

Google and Facebook Release New Translat...

Both Google and Facebook released new translation tools for websites over the past week. Both companies announced the new tools on wednesday, in honor of International Translation Day. Google’s website translation gadget allows you to make your web content available automatically in 51 different...

Translator Collapses at UN General Assem...

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. The translator was struggling with the torrent of words. The interpreter eventually came to the...

International Translation Day...

International Translation day is celebrated every year on the 30th September. The 30th September is the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators, interpreters and librarians. The day celebrates and promotes translation as an essential activity in contemporary...

Bremen, Germany Hosts World’s Firs...

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. So, what does one do at a “Festival of Languages?”...

Talk like a Pirate Day...

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! Tomorrow (19th Sept) is talk like a pirate day. This is a world wide event which is very popular in the USA. Check out talklikeapirate.com...