Aug 10, 2006 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Welcome to our August issue on the WHERE, WHAT, HOW, and WHO of languages. We will discuss WHERE various English accents come from and WHAT is an accent. Then I’ll give you a few tips on HOW to play the accent game and WHO you can choose for foreign language voiceovers. Lenka de Graafova, Managing Director. Thanks for reading. Accents and History “In Canada we have enough to do keeping up with two spoken languages without trying to invent slang, so we just go right ahead and use English for literature, Scotch for sermons and American for conversation.” Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) Since Canada is a very multicultural country, we hear many different accents around us every day. But how have different accents of English actually developed? What are the ‘Standard’ accents? For answers on these and many other questions regarding varieties, dialects and accents of English, I consulted Wikipedia.org. In short, here are some basic facts: British English: It all began in England, of course. In the later period of Middle Ages, London became the center of administration and commerce and the dialect spoken there developed into Standard English. The accent used in Standard English is labeled as The Received Pronunciation (RP) or BBC English and it is no longer appropriate to call it the Queen’s English since the Queen speaks a slightly archaic version. American English: English was introduced to the Americas by British colonists in the 16th century. Subsequently, the settlers from the Eastern U.S. brought their accent to the Western Territories where it was mixed and leveled. In the course of 400 years,...
Jul 10, 2006 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Welcome to our July issue on the WHAT, HOW, WHEN, and WHO of languages. We will discuss WHAT bilingualism is all about, HOW to deal with multilingualism WHEN starting to teach your child new languages and WHO the experts are. Lenka de Graafova, Managing Director. Thanks for reading. Bilingualism I’ve always been fascinated by languages and the human ability to master two or more of them. Obviously, some people really have a knack for languages and can easily pick up new words, accents and phrases. Unfortunately, not everybody has been gifted with the supernatural force to painlessly absorb a foreign language into the left hemisphere of their brain. However, would these so called unfortunate ones be more language savvy if their mothers had sung French songs to them in their early years? Would they embrace idioms in seconds and avoid truancy during German language classes if their mothers exposed them to German radio? Would they easily switch between English and Spanish if, as a child, they had been nursed by a Mexican nanny? Yes, they would. That’s what the experts say: The academic experts as well as the expert-mothers. It’s been proven that children absorb languages really quickly and naturally. If exposed to the right environment, they can understand and speak up to 3 languages by the age of 4. But don’t push it! Trying to teach your child more than 3 languages at once can become quite confusing. What is Bilingualism all About ? So what actually are bilingualism and multilingualism? Clever online sources state various definitions; here are two examples: “Using or able to...
Jun 10, 2006 | Translation News
Language Matters Newsletter 7 – June 2006 The World Cup in Germany Dear soccer fan! We are back with our Newsletter. Welcome to our June issue on the WHAT, WHY, HOW and WHERE of languages. You can read about WHAT Canadian immigrants think of the World Cup, WHY SOCCER is the best game in the world, HOW to quickly learn basic German phrases for your travels and WHERE to learn and practice your German. Lenka de Graafova, Managing Director. Thanks for reading. GOAL ! It cannot be missed. It surrounds us, it pulls us out of bed at the crack of dawn. It is the center of discussion at any social or business event. It is hot on Google. It is hot on TV. Yes, you know what I’m talking about – the World Cup! Most likely, during your web search for gift ideas, travel destinations or shopping you will see pop-ups showing the latest scores. You will be prompted to see videos of the best goals, to download football action, to change your browser’s field or wear T-shirts with national colors to show support for your favorite team. I was interested to see how the World Cup was perceived by people of various nationalities and speakers of different languages. This interest was fuelled by the fact that the male members of my family make me get up every day, long before 6 am, in time for the kick-off, in order to watch or at least recognize the presence of ball-kicking men on TV. Watching my (Czech) national team win or lose is an absolute must and there...
Apr 10, 2006 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Welcome to another issue on the HOW, WHAT, WHERE, and WHEN of languages. Find out HOW much you know about Canadian etymology, WHAT other names were considered for “Canada“ and WHERE the nickname “Canuck” comes from. Also, discover what happens WHEN animals speak different languages. Please note that I will be out of the office from May 15 to May 29 for a translation conference in Europe. During this time our services are still available, but with a slower turnaround time of about a week. Excuses for any inconvenience! Lenka de Graafova, Managing Director. Thanks for reading. How Much Do you Know About Canadian Etymology ? Take our quiz and find out! See if you can answer these four questions about etymology…. Then find the answers below. But remember, no cheating! 1. What is etymology? a) the study of insects with six eyes b) the study of the origin of words c) the study of bilingual countries d) the study of small barnyard animals 2. Where did the City of Vancouver get its name? a) Ms. Ophelia Vancouver, first woman to sail the west coast b) Captain George Vancouver, the 18th century Explorer c) a Dutch word meaning “very beautiful place” 3. What is the origin of the Vancouver family name? a) it evolved from the village name “Coevorden” (meaning “cowford” or the place where cows cross a river) b) from the city Vancouver, Belgium c) it was made up by Mr. Scott John Vancouver, who was on the run from the law 4.Why is Canada called Canada? a) the name comes from the Mohawk word...
Mar 10, 2006 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, 🙂 w lngwij (“Fun with language” in text lingo) Welcome to our March issue on the WHAT, HOW, WHO, and WHERE of languages. We will discuss WHAT text messaging is, HOW it is having an impact on language and WHO is doing it. Also we will explain WHERE Kannada is spoken, and WHAT, if anything, it has to do with Canada. Lenka de Graafova, Managing Director. Thanks for reading. Text Messaging Do you ever take the Skytrain or bus? Do you hate people talking loudly on cell phones and sharing their bedroom intimacies with the other passengers? Do you have no choice but to listen? Well, loud phone exhibitionists really annoy me and I do have a choice – I text! Texting, text messaging, SMSing or sending a short message, text or an SMS is what I’m used to from Europe. Short Message Service (SMS) is a service available on most mobile phones. It’s particularly popular in Europe and Asia due to comparatively low cost. Popularity has grown to such an extent (500 billion messages in year 2004 sent worldwide) that the term texting (used as a verb meaning the act of cell phone users sending short messages back and forth) has entered the common lexicon. Unfortunately, North America hasn’t quite yet discovered the magic of texting. Unlike the Europeans who send about 40 SMSs per month, North Americans send about 13. That explains why I seem to be getting strange looks when attempting to introduce a texting routine on Vancouver Skytrain. Not to mention being questioned by strangers as to what high-tech activity I’m indulging...
Feb 10, 2006 | Translation News
Welcome! Ariunngaipaa! (In Latin alphabet “Welcome” in Inuktitut) We are back with our Newsletter. Welcome to our February issue on the WHERE, WHY, HOW and WHEN of languages. You can read about WHERE Inuktitut is spoken, WHY you benefit from running internships, HOW to quickly learn basic Spanish phrases for your travels and WHEN to start learning Spanish seriously. Thanks for reading. WHERE is Inuktitut spoken As a newcomer to Canada I have to admit I was stumped by a request for an Inuktitut translation. I had a lot of questions. First, is Inuktitut the language spoken by Eskimos? Though “Eskimo” is still used by many people outside of Canada to refer to the Native people in Canada’s North, it is an outdated term, and really only refers to the Yupik people living in Western Alaska and Russia’s far East. I then asked myself who speaks Inuktitut? It is the Inuit peoples living north of the Canadian tree line that speak this fascinating language. Inuktitut is in fact the name of all the variants of the Inuit traditional language. So my next question was – considering Inuktitut is traditionally an oral language, how am I going to translate it? Inuktitut is written in different ways depending on the region. Being Czech, I was fascinated to discover that it was Moravian Missionaries from my country who first attempted to write Inuktitut in the mid 18th century. The Northwest Territories and part of Nunavut use a Latin alphabet like that of English to write Inuktitut (see the welcome in Inuktitut). However, in Nunavut and Nunavik, Québec, it is written using Inuktitut...
Jan 29, 2006 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Wishing you a fresh new start in 2006! Welcome to our January newsletter on the WHY, HOW, WHERE and WHEN of languages. I will explain WHY a funny translation may harm your business and HOW to distinguish between Mandarin & Cantonese and Traditional & Simplified Chinese. I will also give you the details of WHERE to learn Mandarin and WHEN to attend our free French lesson. Thanks for reading, Lenka de Graafova, Managing Director. WHY Translation Matters Whenever I travel to countries where English is not the main language I have a great time reading the menus, flyers and brochures. The translations for the tourists often leave me in stitches. During my recent trip to Argentina I collected a few such translations. In a bathroom: The cleanliness of the toilet is made between everybody. Please contribute throwing things and papers to the garbage can. On a menu in a very fancy restaurant: Crêpes stuffed with caramel crud. Smashed potatoes. Still, at no time am I more aware of the need to translate than when I am on holiday. I had an eye-opening experience while dining in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. The restaurant in question was nothing short of glorious, offering up local delicacies perfectly paired with great wines. Everything was enchanting, except for their translations. The restaurant’s promotional materials and menu had been directly translated from Spanish, and were not consistent with their high standards. And so, over another glass of fabulous Argentinean wine I edited the translated menu, much to the staff’s delight. Tourism is booming in the southernmost part of the...
Dec 28, 2005 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Hello and Welcome to the Holiday edition of our newsletter on the HOW, WHY, WHEN and WHERE of languages. I’d like to begin by wishing you a happy holiday season from the LingoStar team. In this edition I will be covering the topics of WHERE to learn another language, WHERE to learn French online and WHEN to attend our free French lesson. I’ll explain WHY a flag is not a language symbol for your multilingual website and HOW to install foreign language characters on your computer. Please note that our office is closed for business between 23 December and 15 January. Thanks for reading, Lenka de Graafova, Managing Director. WHERE to Find a Language Partner: A Holiday Love Story Last month, when offering helpful tips on learning a language, I strongly suggested that you find yourself a foreign language speaking partner. We are not the sort of company to give out untried advice. And so in keeping with our recommendation on language learning, two of my students have decided to enter into an English-Czech relationship. I am happy to report that both parties are progressing rapidly in their language studies. I hate to say it, but I told you so. What our November Newsletter readers say: Hello Lenka, You are absolutely right about learning another language by having a foreign speaking spouse or partner. That is how I learned to read, write and speak German fluently because I had three German girl friends. I am now learning the Czech language. However, it is difficult when you have only one Czech speaking wife. Cheers! LM Lenka, You...
Nov 28, 2005 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Hello and Welcome to the first issue of our information newsletter on the HOW, WHY, WHEN and WHERE of languages. In this edition I’ll be sharing my top 3 tips on HOW to make learning another language easier. I’ll also try tempt you to see the movie The Interpreter with Nicole Kidman and, at the same time, explain WHY interpreters are different from translators. Find out WHEN to attend our free French lesson and WHERE to access free online translation. Thanks for reading, Lenka de Graafova, Managing Director. Top 3 Tips for Learning a Language Tip #1 Find a spouse or partner who speaks a foreign language. I’m not kidding. That’s how I learned my languages. However, keep in mind that even though I do speak five of them each language does not equate to a foreign language speaking partner! Tip#2 Listen to the lyrics of your favourite foreign language songs. When I was learning English as a teenager (Czech being my mother tongue), I was constantly playing Beatles songs and transcribing their lyrics. I did this 8 days a week, to the total dismay of my parents, of course. Tip#3 Sign up for our language course. We will be offering Spanish, French, Mandarin, Czech & Business English courses starting the weeks of December 5th 2005 and January 23rd 2006. All levels are welcome. Classes of 3-7 students are taught by professional teachers. These 2-hour language sessions will take place once or twice a week in Vancouver, Burnaby or, alternatively at your office. Other language courses can be arranged upon request. – Course fees (valid till...
