Belgium’s Language Divide Affects ...

The divide between French speakers and Dutch speakers in Belgium has grown increasingly intractable, and currently affects everything from how well the country’s government does (or does not) function to coaching schoolchildren at a soccer club. According to the Associated Press, the KFC Strombeek...

More Irish, Please? Report Alleges Irish...

Is the Irish government doing enough for its Irish-speaking citizens? Not quite, according to a report just released by the office of An Coimisinéir Teanga Seán Ó Cuirreáin. The report shows  that complaints against government entities for violating the Official Languages Act by  providing inadequate...

New Welsh Language Law Proposed...

A new measure has been proposed in Wales to help encourage the use of the Welsh language there. According to the BBC, the new proposal, which was just published by the assembly government, has several key features. First, it would require some private sector companies to provide services in Welsh when...

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...

FBI Behind on Translating Intelligence...

8 years after 9/11, the FBI is still behind when it comes to translating intelligence information. According to a report issued by the US Justice Department’s inspector general, the FBI has lost approximately 3 percent of its linguists since 2005. Plus, they are taking longer than ever to hire...

Scots Gaelic Gets EU Recognition...

Scots Gaelic has been approved for use in EU meetings in a new memorandum of understanding, according to the BBC. The move is an important step forward for Scots Gaelic,although it still does not have the status of an EU “official” language like English. In addition to being used in meetings, Gaelic...

Israel to Remove Languages Other Than He...

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,...

NYC French Language Bookstore Set to Clo...

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. Librarie de France has said it is being forced to close because of the high rental costs that threatened to triple to $1 million a year. According to store...

President Obama in Controversy over Heal...

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...

Confusion over Nazi Slogan Translations...

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...