___________________________________________________________________________________________ Considering some of the English signage we’ve seen, the Sri Lankans did a fairly nice job. Apparently, the English speaking tourists are known for making a mess. More photographs by Rosine Sauvage can be seen at ALTA’s Flickr page.
ALTA, sponsor of The East Point Track Club, was excited to see coverage of the local competetive track cycling scene in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The story highlighted upcoming events at East Point’s Dick Lane Velodrome, which include free races...
President Obama’s recent nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court comes with the usual media sideshow of political opponents constructing all kinds of arguments against the appointment. If you remember Bork and Thomas, you know that these...
No, that’s not a set-up for a punchline. The NYT reported today that scientists at the Max Planck Institute’s Department of Genetics have engineered mice with the human language gene, FOXP2. While the altered mice did not immediately begin talking...
In the years that I’ve worked at ALTA, I’ve read a lot of literature about test design, validation techniques, and testing standards. Most of this literature comes in the form of dry, statistic-laden academic materials (apologies to all who enjoy...
In a 2008 episode of Family Guy, baby Stewie becomes President of the World and immediately replaces every law with four simple maxims: 1. All straight to DVD Disney movies are hereby banned. 2. All milk must come from Hilary...
If any of our language-loving readers aren’t familiar with the World in Words Blog or Podcast, I implore you to check it out. Run, don’t walk. You will be fascinated and entertained. The podcast recently turned a year old, and...
Every year, the PEN American Center recognizes the contribution of literary translators to the advancement of literature and free expression. Here are this year’s winners: The PEN Translation Prize ($3,000) Natasha Wimmer for her translation from the Spanish of Roberto...
It is important for health care professionals who speak English as a second language to master proper intonation and pronunciation when speaking with patients. ALTA’s accent reduction training includes interactive homework lessons featuring recordings of real-world scenarios, such as A...
Over the last several months, Beyond Words readers from around the world have contacted us to share their experiences with particular words that are difficult to translate. If you enjoyed our Ten Most Difficult Words to Translate article, here are...
It is important for English learners to master proper intonation and pronunciation when speaking with a doctor, a nurse, or a pharmacist. ALTA’s accent reduction training includes interactive homework lessons featuring recordings of real-world scenarios, such as A Visit to...
The translation profession would not be what it is today were it not for people like Alicia Gordon. The Alicia Gordon Award for Word Artistry in Translation has been established in memory of the translator, whose work ranged from technical...
As you might have guessed from the colorful dots and dashes above the Google search bar today, it’s Samuel Morse’s birthday. Morse code was created by the American painter and inventor in the early 19th century. Morse perfected his electromagnetic...
Christopher Hampton loves linguistics and has a deep appreciation for the art of translation. In addition to translating Chekhov’s The Seagull, Hampton is currently directing a revival of a 1969 play about an English philologist, The Philanthropist. The NY Times...
Among the most difficult things for English learners to master is proper intonation and pronunciation when speaking over the phone. Part of ALTA’s accent reduction training includes interactive homework lessons featuring recordings of real-world scenarios. The following recordings (MP3 files...
ALTA Language Services is a proud sponsor of the 2009 East Point Track Club. The team will be bringing the hammer down at Dick lane Velodrome’s first Pro Race Series of the season on Saturday, May 9th. The Keirin is...
Wabi-sabi. It’s a concept, an aesthetic, and a worldview. It’s also a phrase that doesn’t translate directly from Japanese into English, and the ideas behind it may not immediately translate in the minds of those who haven’t encountered it before....
Hurray! Yipee! Wowee! Let’s hear it for my favorite part of speech: the interjection! Interjections help to express emotion on the part of the speaker in written language. They are usually separated off from the rest of a sentence by...
If you’re not a linguist, you might not be familiar with the work of Benjamin Whorf. If you are a linguist, you no doubt have a strong opinion about Whorf’s controversial hypothesis, which postulates that particular languages influence the way...
Considering how long this wonderful blog has been around, I’m surprised I hadn’t stumbled upon it until recently. Most language professionals and language lovers have certain pet peeves when it comes to grammar and usage. The unnecessary quotation mark is...
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