A living language becomes extinct every two weeks. The problem is often overlooked by speakers of the world’s major languages. When language extinction is considered, many otherwise thoughtful people shrug it off as a minor issue. This might be explained...
It’s been a while since we’ve written about fun language games, and you know what they say: Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. English critic and poet, Samuel Johnson once said of puns, “If I were...
Every 14 days a language dies. Watch this enlightening video from the 2008 Pop!Tech Conference where linguist, David Harrison, discusses the devastation to culture that occurs when a living language disappears.
As a language testing provider, clients ask us to describe the added value of using an independent language testing organization such as ALTA. By having language tests administered independently, businesses, government agencies and healthcare organizations gain certain advantages: Independent language...
X-mas If you’ve seen Stephen Colbert’s recent Christmas special, you may think that Xmas is a term only used by militant athiests who are waging a culture-war against Christmas. In fact, this abbreviation of the word “Christmas” came about in...
ALTA manages thousands of translation projects every year for businesses of all sizes, including many Fortune 500 companies. We get a pretty good snap-shot of which foreign languages are used most often for business in the U.S. by looking at...
If you have language lovers on your holiday gift list, and you’re still not sure what to get, here are 10 affordable suggestions that are sure to inspire a smile. Chances are that your language lover already has a formidable...
Buffalax (verb) 1. To translate and subtitle a foreign film clip in a linguistically inaccurate, but absolutely hilarious way, so that the written subtitles are a loose interpretation of what the speaker or singer might be uttering if he or...
Perhaps no country has been hit harder by the current economic crisis than Iceland. An ALTA project manager who recently returned from Reykjavik, the northernmost national capital in the world, brought back news of protests, high unemployment, and a touching...
Tongue twisters are designed to be difficult to articulate, and they are nearly impossible to translate in a way that keeps the playful challenge intact. Nevertheless, they are fun to say in every language. Here is a collection of our...
Hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday! Today marks World AIDS day, and as part of the organization Bloggers Unite, we would like to do our part to raise awareness. ALTA realizes the devastating affects of the AIDS virus throughout...
As we in the U.S. prepare our turkeys and stuffings for Thanksgiving, it seems like an appropriate time to consider popular dishes from around the world. The names of certain traditional dishes can sizzle on one’s tongue, often making them...
ALTA Language Services’ headquarters are in Atlanta, GA. ALTA now has offices in Washington DC and the resources to provide language services to organizations in all major U.S. cities such as Chicago, Houston, Miami, LA, New York, and San Francisco.
A neologism (from Greek neo = “new” + logos = “word”) is a new word or expression. Neologisms usually pertain to something topical, and they can be some of the most playful and fun words in any language. Today, neologisms...
La Malinche, Doña Marina, La Chingada. No matter what name you use, there is no doubt that she is one of the most influential interpreters in history. Doña Marina, who came to be known in Mexico as La Malinche, was...
Literal word-for-word translation does not work for popular sayings such as proverbs. To properly translate a proverb requires several steps, and it often requires a translator to delve deeper into the culture of the source and target languages to determine...
A loanword is a word used directly from another language with little or no translation. Such foreign words and phrases are peppered throughout the English language. Every kind of English writing, from poetry collections and cookbooks to newspapers and magazines,...
Growing public awareness of environmental issues has led to much progress in recent years: Green recycling containers align along the neighborhood curbs, more college campuses are equipped with recycling bins, and reusable grocery bags are in fashion. Al Gore should...
Even within a single language or language group there may be major differences in speech. The term dialect refers to those differences in intonation and pronunciation – and even words and expressions that exist in some branches of a language...
There are many sporting events that bring cultures together: the Olympics, the World Cup, baseball, basketball, tennis and cycling to name a few. In each of these, the language of the sport’s originating country is spread to the other countries...
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