Beyond Words - Language Blog
Recent Blog Posts
Teaching American English Pronunciation to Japanese Students
October 26, 2018
One of my favorite moments from my time as an English teacher in Japan has got to be the “Japanese loanwords” lesson where I attempted to teach Japanese students how to properly pronounce Japanese words used in English. The students were both amused and bemused to learn that these words […]
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Seven Foreign Language Horror Films to Watch for Halloween
October 19, 2018
Whether October has you curling up with Hocus Pocus and the Addams Family, or a level up in terror is more to your taste, it’s likely that you’ve watched your favorite scary movies over and over again. As a visually-focused genre reliant on universal tropes with often minimal dialogue, horror […]
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Spanish Words with Completely Different Meanings in Different Countries
October 12, 2018
Translating a business report, document, book, paper or article into Spanish seems fairly straight forward, until you take into account the fact that certain Spanish words do not have the same meaning around the world. A word that means one thing in Spain can have a totally different meaning in […]
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The Importance of Understanding Cultural Differences as an Interpreter
October 2, 2018
Earlier this year, two world leaders met face-to-face for the first time. U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un discussed the world’s future in a private room accompanied only by their interpreter, Dr. Yun Hyang Lee. Without drawing attention to herself, Dr. Lee was tasked with […]
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How to Increase Your Book Sales with Accurate Literary Translations
September 27, 2018
Translating a work of fiction into other languages represents a chance to introduce your book to a wider audience and substantially increase book sales, whether you’re with a traditional publisher or an independent author looking to find new readers. Why You Should Think About Translating Your Book The main reason […]
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Language as Tool of Political Power: The Threat of Cantonese Extinction
September 20, 2018
China is a multiethnic country with a complex linguistic history. Aside from the dominant Han Chinese group, there are 55 ethnic minority groups living in China. These minorities have their own languages (an estimated 200 dialects) and writing systems. Referring to the languages spoken in the People’s Republic of China […]
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The Importance of Language Testing
September 14, 2018
A concierge at a resort hotel who must communicate with guests in their language… A nurse practitioner who must be able to tell a Spanish-speaking patient about their medical treatment options… A legal assistant hired to provide foreign language document reviews at a law firm… A translator at a multinational […]
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Why Do We Associate the Word Like with Stupidity, and Why Are We Wrong?
September 6, 2018
Consider the following conversation: A: “Yesterday was, like, the worst day of my life. I got home from work around five-thirty and I was, like, so hungry so I went to the fridge to make a sandwich but when I opened the door there was, like, a whole family of […]
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Women’s Equality Day: Ana’s Story
August 27, 2018
ALTA is happy to support women’s equality through our Medical Interpreter Training course! Check out Ana’s story to learn how being a medical interpreter has helped her achieve her goals and leave a legacy for her daughter. Ana Salvadore Interview: 1) What languages do you speak? Spanish, English and Italian […]
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The Fallacy of Proper Grammar
August 23, 2018
News host Laura Ingraham recently brought grammar into the political spotlight during a segment in which she criticized NBA players LeBron James and Kevin Durant for a conversation they had about politics. What Ingraham criticized in this instance was not only what they said, but how they said it, calling […]
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