Research
We often get a translation on a topic that we don’t know in detail. What should we do? We have a few possibilities: If we find the terminology and content
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January 23, 2009
The Economist cracks down on Americanisms
The Economist is the well-known and acclaimed magazine newspaper(!) about…well, economics…that is published in the UK. One of its proudest principles is how it likes to take stands on issues
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January 22, 2009
The RAE Dictionary
What do we mean when we say that the RAE (Real Academia Española) Dictionary is the only “accepted” dictionary for translating into or from Spanish? Simply put, it means that
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January 20, 2009
Lost in Translation:
The administration of the City of Buenos Aires, headed by the businessman Mauricio Macri, appears to have translated and adopted a common environmental campaign slogan in Brazil for its own
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January 16, 2009
“Voseo”
What does it mean to use “vos” instead of “tú” when speaking Spanish? It’s a phenomenon that has its origins in the Spanish spoken in Argentina and Uruguay where the
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January 9, 2009
Neutral Spanish
What does “neutral Spanish” mean? This has been a hotly debated topic in many sectors, particularly in the field of translation. It has been decided that neutral Spanish is the
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January 8, 2009
Adventures in Subtitling and Soccer
I am in the midst of a true culture war here in Argentina, and all I have for protection is my trusty blanket. I was watching a broadcast of “Late
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January 6, 2009
Language Preservation Policies
Public policies aiming to preserve a national language are most commonly associated with small nations, whether they be small nation-states (i.e., Iceland, Ireland, and Estonia) or minority nations within a
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December 19, 2008
The Famous Welsh Sign
I first came across this sign a few months ago, but I feel it’s important to complement justinb’s post to emphasize that ANYONE interested in translation, especially those looking to
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December 17, 2008
Language Change and Technology
Following up on my last blog, it is worth discussing another important cause of language change: technology. While technological innovation and dissemination have always influenced language change, some speculate that
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December 12, 2008
English does not make sense
I hate to break the news to you, but I am officially declaring the language as beyond any point of hope in terms of understanding its systems, conventions, and rules.
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December 10, 2008
Language Change and Politics:
While language change may occur at varying speeds and due to diverse and numerous causes, many changes have political roots or explanations. Much of language change, obviously, has come about
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December 5, 2008