Atomic Errors
As translators and translator agencies, we are constantly running into erroneous or nonsensical translations. In some cases – such as the ones that we published
March 20, 2014
Technology to the Rescue of Endangered Languages
Just as photography was clearly preceded by painting or drawing, or as printed word had written word as its precursor, the recording of sound on
March 13, 2014
How Are Operas Translated?
Of all the tasks that can be entrusted to a translator, the one that is probably most feared is the translation of a poem. This
March 6, 2014
Issues of Linguistic… Taste
In the previous entry, we dealt with the connotations that animal names have in different languages. On this occasion, we will take a look at
February 27, 2014
Two Thumbs Down: Movie Translation Mistakes
A few weeks ago we published a post in which we talked about the strange yet conscientious decisions that translators make when translating movie titles.
February 20, 2014
What Animal References Imply in Different Languages
The names which are given to animal species are exclusive, they have no grey areas. An animal’s name is used to refer to a given
February 13, 2014
More Specific? Impossible.
In this post from last year, we presented some words with oddly specific meanings. Frequently, this specificity makes it difficult to translate these words (or
February 6, 2014
The Term Bullying in the Spanish Language
Rioplatense Spanish (spoken in parts of Argentina and Uruguay, near the Río de la Plata) is slowly opening its doors to the name of a
January 30, 2014
Social Networks to the Rescue of Regionalisms
As linguists, many times we find ourselves perplexed, surprised, and even horrified at the very unorthodox and distant way in which increasing numbers of people
January 23, 2014
What Is Code-switching?
In linguistics, code-switching refers to the simultaneous and syntactically and phonologically appropriate use of more than one language. It is fairly common to hear multilingual
January 21, 2014
Body Language Translation
In previous entries, we mentioned in passing the translation work of movies, TV shows, and other audiovisual content. In that entry, as in similar ones,
January 16, 2014
Apropos of Linguistic Penetration
In the olden days, the phenomenon of linguistic penetration was closely tied to the exercise of one nation’s power over another. Just to give a
January 10, 2014
