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...

The Origin of the Vuvuzela...

If you are a football fan, you’ve no doubt been watching the World Cup this week, and a new word, vuvuzela, has entered your vocabulary.  A vuvuzela, also called a lepatata, is basically an incredibly loud horn that South African football fans use to annoy the other team during games. For the...

South African Pharmacy Unleashes Transla...

The 2010 World Cup is set to take place in South Africa next month, from June 11th to July 11th. Teams from 32 different countries will travel to the country to compete for the championship. Of course, with the World Cup will come hordes of foreign football fans, all ready to party. Some of them will...

Amount of French Content in the Olympics...

The Olympics are supposed to be about mutual respect and harmony. However, the games that bring the world together are reigniting a long-simmering cultural feud in Canada. Canada is officially bilingual; French and English are both official languages. But, the Opening Ceremony left some French-speaking...

Indian Beggars Become Multilingual...

Are you more likely to give money to someone who asks you for it in your native language? According to this article from The Sun, beggars and street performers in New Delhi are becoming multilingual, hoping to increase their haul from foreign tourists during the Commonwealth Games next year. Although...

Lost in Translation: 2 Cuban Pitchers...

In the World Baseball Classic, an error in translation caused the Cuban baseball team to lose two of its top relief pitchers for their game against Mexico on Monday, March 16th. According to the New York Times, in the World Baseball Classic, the official rules are always in English. However, an ‘unofficial’...

Chicago Overcome Olympic Translation Pro...

Chicago is bidding to host the 2016 Olympics but they have had to change their official slogan from ‘Stir The Soul’ to ‘Let Friendship Shine’ over problems with mistranslation in some countries. Mistranslation is quite common; context is easily lost especially in countries such as Japan and...

Foreign Footballers Face Language Test...

January can be a stressful month for any British football manager, as the transfer window opens clubs have 31 days in which to sell and buy players. New immigration laws which came in to affect in autumn 2008 will make things even harder. The new points based visa system means that any players who are...