Speak Pleasure: Why Some Words Are Fun To Say
According to poet and humorist Roy Blount Jr., “All language is, on some level, body language.” The body is often forgotten when linguists, writers, and translators consider language. The fact that our muscles, lips, breath, tongue, and teeth are the very instruments by which we speak reminds us of the intimate connection between words and […]
Vote for the Millionth English Word!
How many words are there in English? Well, according to The Economist magazine’s recent predictions issue, The World in 2009, a Texas language organization claims that English will reach one million words in April of 2009. How can they be so sure? For one thing, they can’t be! Lexicographers don’t agree on what constitutes a […]
Dying Languages: David Harrison on Language and Intellectual Scarcity
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.
10 Most Requested Languages for Translation Services
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 the languages that are requested for translation projects in any given year. Interestingly, our most […]
10 Affordable Gifts for Language Lovers
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 stack of great dictionaries and other reference materials, so our list includes funky items from […]
Buffalax: Best Neologism of 2008
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 she were speaking English. 2.To improperly translate a choreographed dance sequence from a movie or […]
Icelander Turns to Translation to Survive Economic Downturn
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 story about an Icelandic translator who goes by the name Newsfrettir. In the introduction to […]
World AIDS Day: Bloggers Unite
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 the world, and we have taken part in AIDS Walk fundraising events to help bolster […]
Translation Services: Beyond Atlanta and DC
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.
20 Best Foreign Loanwords in English
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, contains thousands of words that have been adopted from foreign languages by writers constantly in search […]