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LingoStar’s Blog 
Welcome to LingoStar’s blog! On this page, you can find a lot of interesting and useful information about the translation industry. Explore topics on website translation and localization and how successful localization can influence your business to help your company grow and go global.
Language Blog Topics
On this blog, you can also learn about professional translators and interpreters, multilingual search engine optimization (SEO), the importance of socializing and networking and translators’ professional ethics. Quite often we write posts about the languages of the world, other cultures, and their traditions. Not only do translators convert texts from a source language to a target language, but they also help people communicate with each other, help establish international contacts, and are often prominent figures in the social, economic, and political life. Lastly, of course, we want you to have fun, so on our blog, you can find many posts that will entertain you and, hopefully, make you smile!
We hope you enjoy our blog and discover a lot of interesting things!
Breakfast around the World – French, Italian, and Spanish Breakfasts
Breakfast is the most important meal around the world Around the world, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It should cover at least 20% of your daily food intake. As a matter of fact, this is essential in order to give you sufficient energy to start the day. But breakfast is not just about food and calories. In every part of the world, it is an occasion to spend time with your beloved ones and it is also a matter of culture and tradition. The bad habit of skipping breakfast Skipping breakfast is like trying to start your car without gas: it will never get going. The same happens for the human body when you skip meals and your system misses essential nutrients. In fact, skipping breakfast creates a sort of vicious circle. First of all, it causes an uncontrollable hunger mid-morning. This leads to an excessive intake of calories for what should be just a simple snack. Secondly, this huge snack can cause a lack of appetite at lunch time. Not being hungry will make you eat a small portion, low in calories and nutrients. Thirdly, all these unbalanced meals lead you to overeating for dinner and negatively impact your sleep. Consequently, this chain reaction generates a very unhealthy lifestyle. Different habits, different places, different food So, what should a person eat for breakfast? Meals, even breakfast, are strictly dependent on personal taste and culture, which explains why they are so different around the world. It is common to consider coffee, milk or tea and eggs, pastries and fruit as food suitable for breakfast. However,... read more
The Rules of Subtitling
Subtitles – helpful or distracting? In the worlds of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, audiovisual aids are indispensable and so is subtitling. Even though the North American film industry is the third largest film industry worldwide, Canadians and other English-speaking populations would be missing out on some great movies and TV series if subtitles were not available. However, the quality and the use of multilingual subtitles are often subject to polarizing discussions. Statements such as: “Subtitles only serve to distract the viewer!” and “Subtitles don’t even reflect what the actor is actually saying!” are not unusual. On the other hand, multilingual subtitles open up a whole new world for people who speak different languages. But what requirements are to be considered when subtitling, and what makes ‘good’ subtitles? Let’s dive into how subtitles are created! Types of Subtitles First, what are subtitles exactly? A subtitle is text displayed on screen. It is usually positioned at the top or bottom of the screen and serves to make a movie more accessible and more understandable. The purpose of the subtitle can vary, i.e. depending on the audience it is for. Thus, there are different types of subtitles. One purpose for subtitles is to provide an understandable version for the deaf or hard of hearing. In that case, the subtitling process does not include a translation. It is mostly the rendering of a spoken dialogue into written form in the same language or the rendering of non-verbal sounds into text form, as in Closed Captioning or Descriptive Text. Another reason for subtitles is to make written text in a picture understandable to... read more
The Challenge of Interpreting
A demanding profession Interpreters face many challenges every day and their profession is full of subtleties. The situations in which they are enrolled are unpredictable and they must be very reactive to improvisation and last-minute assignments. But they also must deal with internal and external elements which affect their work. Even if interpreting is a fabulous job, all of this makes it quite stressful. Like everyone, there are things interpreters hate and dread. We all know how hard it must be for them to stay focused for long periods of time, process information very quickly, convey translated speech whilst the speaker is still speaking, think on their feet, be quick in making decisions, and show intense memory skills. But do we know all their fears and challenges? Keep reading to discover what interpreters must face. Interpreting in public By choosing interpreting rather than translation, interpreters know they might have to practice public speaking. So, if you only think of interpreters working in secluded interpreting booths or on the phone, then think again. Sometimes, interpreters must appear in plain sight in front of large crowds. Conference interpreters, for example, can work in many different environments. Some of these include press briefings, depositions, and seminars. Another field of interpretation and probably one of the most important is politics: an interpreter is necessary in high-level meetings between the governments of two countries. However they also take part in entertainment events such as beauty pageants or the Oscars. Whatever the situation, when having to speak in public, interpreters might feel very unsafe. Rendering speeches as faithfully and idiomatically as possible in front of... read more
Over-the-phone interpreting
What does over-the-phone interpreting consist of? Over-the-phone interpreting (OPI), sometimes called “phone translation”, is a specific language-related and real-time service. It consists of connecting at least two speakers over the phone who do not share a common language. An interpreter is also on the phone – so there are at least three lines connected – and plays the role of a messenger. S/he renders the original speech into the appropriate language so that speakers can understand each other easily. This service modality differs from other interpretation mechanisms as it does not occur face-to-face. OPI is increasingly in demand as in-person services can be very expensive and linguistic diversity isst countries. How does it work? It starts with a client – a corporation or an individual for example – who needs a multilingual service for instant communication with someone else. The client contacts an agency which provides telephone interpretation services and provides basic information including the languages at stake. The OPI provider finds an interpreter within a minute and connects the call between the three parties. The interpretation process takes place in consecutive mode: the interpreter listens (and takes notes) until the speaker finishes what s/he has to say and then renders the speech into the listener’s language. The roles of speaker and listener always switch but that of the interpreter is always the same. So this is a three-way and almost instant communication. Most of the time, OPI call centres offer services 24 hours/day, 7 days/week and 365 days/year. They are staffed with great interpreters, technical engineers, scheduling analysts and many more. Usually, they manage to successfully connect people... read more
The Emergence of Languages – Different Opinions
The origin of languages We know when people invented writing. We also know when the very first translation was done (in the second century BCE on the Rosetta stone). But despite scientific studies, nobody knows when the first signs of oral language appeared, yet many have spoken on the issue. Let’s take a closer look at different perspectives when it comes to the emergence of languages. Divine hypothesis Language has a divine origin. This is what the Judeo-Christian tradition says on the subject of the creation of the universe in John 1: 1-3. It is a gift from above, from God to humankind. Similar stories come in all religions and mythologies. But those theories are of course very difficult to verify or falsify, therefore unlikely and invalid for most scientists. Many have searched for an answer to the question of the Original Human Language. By the 7th century BCN, the Egyptian Pharaoh Psammetichus had performed a famous experiment with a child he brought to a remote place to see what his first words would be. The first word the child pronounced was bekos which means “bread” in Phrygian. He thus concluded that Phrygian was the original language. In the same vein, James IV of Scotland carried on a similar experiment and discovered that the first word uttered was in Hebrew. Later on, Becanus claimed that the original language was Antwerpian Brabantic (a sort of Dutch), Webster Aramaic and Elkins Chinese. Human “invention” For other famous philosophers and researchers, language is not a gift from the gods. Language appeared because some needs had to be expressed. J.J. Rouseau speaks about... read more
Wait, French Fries Aren’t French?
Demystifying French Fries We all eat them, almost all over the word, fried in oil or baked in the oven. Delicious French fries were seemingly born back in the 17th century, in a very small country unintentionally shadowed by a bigger one: France. It’s true that France gave the US the Statue of Liberty. However, it appears it did not give the world this well-known fried potato dish: Belgium did. It is time we demystify French fries and discover their real origin. A disputed birth certificate The Belgian claim for fries has been a long fight and is still not entirely recognized. Belgian lore says that the fry was born in the Meuse Valley, where villagers would fish in the river and fry their catch. But one day, during a harsh winter back in the 17th century, the river froze and made fishing impossible. The inhabitants had the idea to fry potatoes instead. The first fries were born. The thing is that France also lays claim to the French fry. Indeed, some people believe the first fries were seen and sold on Paris’ oldest bridge: the pommes Pont-Neuf. The Belgian authorities would like fries to be given UNESCO cultural heritage status. There exists today a petition for this. In the meantime, French fries and mayonnaise have iconic status in Belgium. A misleading American moniker You might think that French fries got their name because of the easy-to-pronounce alliteration, but this isn’t the case. Let’s look back at the origin of the English name. During the First World War, American soldiers came to Belgium to help defend the country. They... read more
Constructed languages – Na’vi, Klingon, High Valyrian
Rytsas everyone! Kirimvose for visiting our blog post about constructed languages! You just learned your first two words in High Valyrian: Rytsas – Hello – and Kirimvose – Thank you. David J. Peterson is the person who developed High Valyrian for the fantasy world in G.R.R. Martin’s book series The Song of Ice and Fire, also known as Game of Thrones. This is only one of many languages that were constructed for movies or TV series. But what’s behind these constructed languages? What rules do they follow? Let’s have a look at some of the most popular constructed languages for movies and series worldwide. Basics about constructed languages First of all, a constructed language is a language that was consciously invented by one individual and that has an elaborate linguistic system consisting of a specific phonology, vocabulary and grammar. Invented language, planned language and artificial language represent three of the many names for this phenomenon. As opposed to other languages we know such as English, French, Spanish, Japanese, etc., constructed languages have not evolved from thousands of years of development. There are many different reasons why people create new languages, for example: universal communication, research on already existing languages, and most importantly for our topic, to make a fictional world seem more authentic. The process of inventing a new language is complex. Thus, it is mostly professional linguists who do the job. There are two types of constructed languages – a posteriori languages and a priori languages. A posteriori languages contain aspects from already existing languages. Moreover the elements are usually simplified and mixed with other ones. A priori... read more
Popular Places in Germany are Known by Everybody – Try New Things
May the Popular Places in Germany Be Popular Everyone knows Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne or Düsseldorf. Everyone also knows Bavaria, the Black Forest National Park or Neuschwanstein Castle. And certainly, there is a reason why everyone knows these popular places in Germany: they are beautiful, there are many (German) things to do and they overflow with tourists. But Germany has so much more to offer than these big cities and Bavaria. German Cities and Architecture If you really like cities, go to the west of Germany to a region called “Ruhrpott” in North Rhine-Westphalia. In this region there are a couple of big cities close together and well-connected by public transport. It may not be the most colorful place to be in Germany, but definitely worth visiting. In addition, cities like Cologne, Düsseldorf and Bonn are located there. Another city worth mentioning is Cochem. It is a nice colorful city built directly next to the Mosel River. Take a stroll along the promenade, for instance, observed by the Reichsburg Cochem, the Medieval toll castle, rebuilt in fairy tale style in the 1870s. The castle dates back to the 12th century. Meanwhile, modern looking house façades pair up next to half-timbering houses and the stone constructions of the Enderttor, the largest of Cochem’s three Medieval city gates. Cochem, however, is not the only city that offers rivers and castles. You will find them in many other places as well. Half-Timbering Houses If you are interested in architecture, you’ll like the historic old German towns, filled with many buildings in Fachwerk ‘half-timbering’. The UNESCO World Heritage City Quedlinburg, for instance, offers... read more
Austrian German – A Standard Language Variety
How to categorize Austrian German German is a pluricentric language, just like English. This means that there are several standard varieties that exist in different germanophone countries, such as Austrian German. A ‘language variety’ is a general term for a specific version of one language and when it is a ‘standard variety’, it is usually used publicly and considered prestigious. However, a language variety is not to be confused for a ‘dialect’. While dialects mainly appear in the spoken language with different forms of pronunciation or with slightly different grammatical structures, a standard variety manifests itself also in written language and its structures are considered as the correct standard for that country. One example of this is Austrian German, whose relationship to Standard German is comparable to that of British and American English. Austrian German and Standard German vocabulary in comparison One aspect that distinguishes Austrian German from Standard German is the vocabulary. Therefore, unique terms can be found in all areas of life. For example, in Austria, you go to the Kassa (cashier) instead of the Kasse. ‘Stairs’ are called Stiege, but in Standard German you say Treppe. And also, a very common word is Jänner for Januar (January). In the culinary field, there are many differences between Austrian and Standard German. For example, ‘cream’ in Austria is Schlagobers while in Standard German, you say Schlagsahne. In Austria, Aprikosen (apricots) are Marillen, Puderzucker (powdered sugar) is Staubzucker (literally dust sugar) and Quark (curd) is Topfen. And when it comes to drinks, in Austria, you cannot order a Weißweinschorle (sparkling white wine), you have to ask for a Weißer... read more
Perceptions of The German Language to Be Examined Carefully
The Most Common Perceptions of The German Language February 21st is International Mother Tongue Day. As a German I would like to use this day as an opportunity to learn more about my own language and how other nationalities perceive German in particular. Therefore, I would like to have a closer look at perceptions of the German language. Based on my experiences and quick research on the internet, there are two main perceptions of the German language that I will have a closer look at. German Sounds Harsh and Angry Nice-Sounding Perceptions of The German Language? Opinions diverge on one point, namely if the German language sounds nice or not. On the one hand, people have told me German is a beautiful language. On the other hand, people say it sounds as if we are fighting the whole time! Fun fact: Germans think that about, for example, Arabic. In any case, there are many videos online comparing German to other languages, but if you look at the languages they are comparing, they are Romanic languages that have a totally different melody than German. Furthermore, German is pronounced in an especially harsh way in the videos, so the perception of the language is skewed. These videos are exaggerations for entertaining purposes only. The German Glottal Stop What German does have that most other languages don’t is the glottal stop. Languages like Danish and Arabic have it, too, but German uses it in an excessive way. The glottal stop is used in front of a vowel if the vowel is at the first position of a syllable and is like a... read more
Chinese New Year: a celebration full of symbolic meanings
A very symbolic Chinese New Year Chinese New Year has come! It’s not only China that celebrates this new beginning, also other countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is a big event for all who celebrate it all over the world. This festive period is full of symbolism; read on to find out more! Not only the Year of the Pig Chinese symbolism is everywhere from Chinese New Year’s Eve to the famous Lantern Festival. For instance, one of the most well-known symbols is marked by the Chinese lunar calendar: the Chinese zodiac. 2019 is the Year of the Pig. However, many other images also come into play during a special evening: New Year’s Eve. What happens on Chinese New Year’s Eve? Basically, communities celebrating will eat all day long with people they love. This very important get-together meal is not just about food. It is also full of auspicious symbolism. Let’s immerse ourselves into Chinese culture! More than just a fish – auspicious symbolism Myths and customs dictate that Chinese New Year’s Eve includes a perfect and complete dinner, symbolizing a good start for the new year. To do so, food that is considered lucky is served to bring good luck for the coming year. The way dishes are prepared, served, eaten, and how they are called is what matters most when it comes to meanings. Indeed, the appearance of the dishes is an important aspect, but puns are not uncommon too. Take the fish, for example. In order to do it the right... read more
German Terms of Endearment as a Subtle Show of Affection
The Use of German Terms of Endearment It doesn’t matter if they are partners, friends, children or pets: If you want to show verbal affection, you can use terms of endearment. And German is no exception. So, what are German terms of endearment? Are they very different from English? Most Common German Terms of Endearment The most used German terms of endearment seem to be the most boring ones, like Schatz ‘treasure’ with its variations Schatzi or Schätzchen. That one is so common that people make fun of it. Furthermore, some German people don’t use terms of endearment at all, which probably fits in with the German stereotype. Why invent a name if you already have one? Other common German terms of endearment are Maus/Mäuschen ‘mouse’, Hase/Häschen ‘rabbit’, Süße/-r ‘sweetie’, Liebste/-r ‘the most loved one’, Engelchen ‘little angel, and Bär/Bärchen ‘bear’. So, maybe German people do like their endearing names! Especially animal names, although this might not be only a German trait, since, for instance, Polish also uses animal names for their terms of endearment. As you can tell, you can call your loved one pretty much any animal name. Besides, you can make the name even cuter by adding the suffix –chen. This way you don’t call your loved one ‘bear’ but ‘little bear’, which shows even more affection. The suffix –i /y works in the same way: Hasi, Mausi, Bärli, and with first names Isy, Benni, Matthi. Less Used, But More Creative German Terms of Endearment There are German terms of endearment that are a little bit more creative, such as Schnucki, Schnuffi, Knuddel, Knuffi, Schmusi. They... read more
German and English Idioms – Languages’ Blessings in Disguise
Wrap Your Head around German and English Idioms Do you think idioms are a pain in the neck? Or do you have a soft spot for them? Well, let’s face it, if you learn a new language they will be part of your learning experience, come rain or come shine. Native speakers, however, use them most of the time without even realising it. So no need to beat around the bush, let’s get down to business and take a closer look at German and English idioms! How Idioms Developed Idioms are fixed phrases or expressions with a figurative meaning. Most of the time, the literal meaning does not express the figurative one at all, as in to kick the bucket. And it would sound weird to say, for instance, to kick the pail. Therefore, the words are set in stone. Sometimes, however, it is funny to play with idioms and deliberately change them according to the context you are in. Nevertheless, many idioms used to be literal, but became disconnected from their original meanings. Consequently, they only exist in their figurative meaning nowadays. For some idioms you can trace this development, for example, to let the cat out of the bag. Others, in contrast, are very ambiguous and it is not clear what their origin is, for instance, to pull one’s leg. Read further for the origins of these idioms. Some idioms have a transparent meaning. In other words, even as a non-native speaker you can figure it out, because they are logical, like the early bird catches the worm. Maybe it is a concept that you also have... read more
German Compound Words in All Their Long-Phrased Glory
Charming German Compound Words In case you haven’t heard, the German language is full of huge words! The most popular example used by Germans (who also make fun of these long, weird words) is Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän. It translates into ‘Danube steamship company captain’. But they don’t always have to be that long and complicated. You will never hear the above word in a daily conversation, for example. However, there are smoother and easier ways to use German compound words. How To Built German Compound Words Firstly, German compound words are made of two or more words you would like to combine and can be any word type from nouns to prepositions. The combination of words or ‘parts’ can also result in any kind of word type: nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. The last part of the compound word determines which type of word it will be. This is how Germans know that they are referring to grandparents (Großeltern ‘grand- or big parents’) and not to something that is as big as parents. One little tip for German language learners that struggle with articles: the gender of German compound words is also determined by the last part of the word. If you know that Kind ‘child’ is grammatically neutral, you know that words like Kleinkind, Spielkind, Enkelkind are neutral, too, even if you don’t know what they mean. How They Convey Meaning Another good thing to know about German compound words is how the different parts influence each other. On the one hand, the first part describes the second part in more detail and specifies it. That is why Zeitungsindustrie means ‘newspaper... read more
Macanese: a Chinese-Portuguese mixed language
Chinese, Macanese and… Portuguese? Hundreds and hundreds of languages in China Chinese is the most common term to indicate a range of different languages, among them Macanese. Based on the number of native speakers throughout the world, Chinese is the most spoken language all over the world. It is official in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. However, Chinese-speaking communities can be found basically everywhere. There are Chinatowns across the globe. The most famous are in NY, London and Toronto. Among all the different varieties of Chinese, two standards (spoken and written) exist: Cantonese and Mandarin, and Traditional and Simplified. Our previous blogpost is about some clarification on their differences. Nevertheless, China is a huge land of giant metropolitan cities like Beijing or Shanghai and home to about six thousand small villages. Its people speak more than 200 different languages generally described as dialects of Chinese such as Pekinese, Shanghainese, Xiang, Taishanese, etc. Just Chinese? Not in Macau Meanwhile, there are not only speakers of Chinese and its various dialects in China. Macau is an autonomous territory of 30.5 km2 with a population of 650,900. That is why it is one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Macau was a Colony of the Portuguese Empire from 1557 until 1999. Finally, Portugal transferred the sovereignty to the People’s Republic of China. People consider it the last European Colony in Asia. Although 20 years have passed since then and despite the distance from the mainland, the Portuguese influence is still prominent in Macau, both artistically and linguistically. You can walk on streets ornamented with calçada portuguesa surrounded by red lanterns... read moreTranslation Blog and News
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