Search
Close this search box.

Blog Posts

Category: Language and Culture

Beyond Words Podcast: Episode 5

Episode 5: The Language News Report Welcome to ALTA’s Beyond Words Podcast. Our podcasts provide listeners with the latest language news, language-related interviews, and language lessons that can be applied to real-world situations. They’re always brief, always informative, and always...

Learn More

The Etymology of Philosopher

Simon Critchley wrote an interesting commentary for the New York Times on Sunday, May 16, 2010, titled What is a Philosopher? He opens the article by stating the obvious—“There are as many definitions of philosophy as there are philosophers –...

Learn More

Now Playing: Foreign Language Films at the Theater, May 2010

According to a recent story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, American attendance at foreign language films dropped exponentially during the last decade. Carrie Rickey reports that foreign film ticket sales account for less than 1 percent of business at the US...

Learn More

Behind-the-Language: Summer Sports

With warmer weather comes an increase in outdoor activities—swimming, running, and biking, just to name a few. Although the Boston Marathon was held last month, many of the other big ones lie ahead—Chicago, New York, and Leadville—and the season has...

Learn More

Vote for Beyond Words!

Voting for Lexiophile’s Top 100 Language Blogs starts today! If you are a fan of ALTA’s Beyond Words, vote for this blog. Also, take a few moments to check out some of the other nominated blogs; Lexiophiles does a great...

Learn More

Language of the Oil Spill

On April 20, when the Deepwater Horizon Transocean-BP oil rig exploded, killing eleven workers and, two days later, sinking completely into the Gulf of Mexico, everyone knew that the damage was going to be immense—but no one knew it would...

Learn More

Speaking Other Languages in Alabama

Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tim James recently created controversy with his political advertisement titled Language. The advertisement focuses on one of James’ campaign promises to eliminate driver’s license exams in all languages except English. In the ad, James says, “This is...

Learn More

Beyond Words Podcast: Episode 3

Episode 3: The Language News Report Welcome to ALTA’s Beyond Words Podcast. Our podcasts provide listeners with the latest language news, language-related interviews, and language lessons that can be applied to real-world situations. They’re always brief, always informative, and always...

Learn More

Language Testing: How Test Validity Works

From a young age, our lives are filled with assessments: standardized tests, driving exams, placement tests, and, if a business or government agency tests the English or foreign language skills of potential hires and current staff, there is a good...

Learn More

ALTA Completes Study of Court Interpreter Exams

ALTA has completed a comprehensive study of court interpreter exams for the Judicial Council of California. The published report, California's Assessment of the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts' Exams, appears on the California Court's website. In May of...

Learn More

Beyond Words Podcast: Episode 2

Episode 2: At the Bar, A Russian Lesson Welcome to the second installment of ALTA’s Beyond Words Podcast. Our podcasts provide listeners with the latest language news, language-related interviews, and language lessons that can be applied to real-world situations. They’re...

Learn More

The Ugliest Words in English

Robert E. Wolverton Sr., a Mississippi State classics professor, occasionally asks his students to vote on the most beautiful and the ugliest words in English. In his last survey conducted in 2009, the words vomit, moist, puke, phlegm, slaughter, snot,...

Learn More

Preparing for your test?

View our test prep materials or FAQ’s for common questions about taking a test.