Author Archives: ALTA Language Services
Recent Blog Posts
Could Texting Be Making Us Linguistically Smarter?
April 17, 2019
Communication via complex language is perhaps the single most defining characteristic of humankind. But if the birth of spoken language was charted as hour zero on a twenty-four-hour clock, and the moment that you’re reading this article represents twenty-four-hundred-hours, written language would have only appeared about fifty-three minutes ago, at […]
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Why Do We Change the Way We Speak Depending on Whom We’re Speaking to?
April 9, 2019
In a recent BBC article, subtle changes in Meghan Markle’s accent following her marriage to Prince Harry were brought into question. The Duchess of Sussex hails from California, but linguistics experts have noted that, recently, she has begun slipping in and out of more British inflections, pronunciations, and expressions. Marisa […]
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Top U.S. Translation Schools: Specialized Programs
April 4, 2019
With the nearly exponential growth of the translation and interpretation industries over the past few decades, unique new language studies programs at universities seem to be cropping up all the time. Finding a program or degree that’s right for you can be exhausting and time consuming, so we’ve put together […]
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The Best Languages to Study for Government Jobs
March 29, 2019
In today’s global job market having bilingual skills can help you stand out among the masses to advance your career goals. According to the Center for Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Ohio State University, the U.S. Government has greatly expanded its search for foreign language employees. This includes the Department […]
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Five Tax-Related Words with (Surprisingly) Interesting Origins
March 25, 2019
It’s everybody’s least favorite time of the year – tax season. If you’re trying to find the silver lining while navigating through what seems to be a never-ending labyrinth of numbers and headache-inducing terminology, read on. Because though tax forms may be boring and difficult, a lot of the language […]
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29 Countries With French as Their Official Language
March 15, 2019
French is one of the most popular and fastest-growing languages in the world. Outside of Europe, you can also hear the language on nearly every continent, including Africa, North America, South America and even the Caribbean. It is the official language in 29 countries, the procedural language for the European […]
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Six Lessons from a Polyglot to Help You Live Your Best Life in 2019
March 7, 2019
A language is the only thing worth knowing badly. Unlike a person who can play a few notes on the violin or your friend who took that one year of pre-med, the amateur language speaker gains something from trying rather than remaining silent. “Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still […]
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3 Countries Where German Language Training Matters for Business Relations
February 26, 2019
German is the EU language with the largest number of native speakers. As a result, its use is widespread across many countries internationally, and is especially prevalent throughout the business world. There are three countries in particular where understanding German really matters for business professionals. Read on to learn about […]
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Why are Foreign Language Tattoos so Popular?
February 19, 2019
When translations are in the news, it’s rarely for their stunning accuracy. In one of the most recent translation-related news blunders, famous American singer Ariana Grande found herself on the wrong side of viral fame after Instagramming a picture of her new tattoo. When Grande uploaded a photo of the […]
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The Language and Casting of Oscar-Nominated Roma
February 14, 2019
The Oscar nominations are out and, as language-lovers, we’d be remiss not to talk about one of the front-runners for Best Picture, Roma, which has also garnered nominations in the categories of Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. Roma, a mixed Spanish and Mixtec-language […]
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