Dec 10, 2006 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Get ready, open your umbrellas and put your boots on, our November issue on the WHY, WHAT and HOW of languages will be particularly damp. WHY does it rain cats and dogs? WHAT are the foreign equivalents for this idiom? HOW do people express their awe at bad weather in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Danish, etc.? Check out the use of weather in common international expressions – be rain-smart and enjoy your reading! Lenka de Graafova, Managing Director. Thanks for reading. Talking About Website Launch Before we immerse ourselves in weather talk, if you are not up to hanging out in the snow or rain and prefer to stay in a heated room, take a minute to visit our newly launched website at: dev.lingo-star.com/cms We have introduced a new design, improved optimization for Google and added new services, such as Language Consulting. One of the user-friendly features includes the service where you can call us directly via Skype from our Contact Us page or chat with us live. And if you really want to spend more time inside than outside, then check out our Language Courses and Lessons in Vancouver. We currently offer Spanish, French, Polish and Czech language lessons for individuals and small groups. Visit the Language Courses section on dev.lingo-star.com/cms for detailed information. Talking About The Weather – Have you ever been fined for returning a wet book to the library? – Have you ever got soaked from the back wheel of your bicycle? – Do you wonder why glasses wipers are not available to short-sighted citizens? If not, you probably are no reader, no...
Sep 28, 2006 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, We are back with our fall newsletter. In this issue, I will discuss HOW multilingual websites help you grow your business, WHAT keywords to use when targeting foreign language speaking audience and WHEN to utilize an email translation service. Thanks for reading, Lenka de Graafova Managing Director. Office Closed First of all, please note that our office will be closed between 23 October and 3 November 2006. At that time, we will not be able to handle any work and projects will be dealt with either before or after these dates. Apologies for the inconvenience Expand with Multilingual Website Recently, there has been an enormous growth in multilingual websites. Corporations realize that a multilingual website is a powerful marketing and sales tool. But a multilingual website is not just about translation. There are many steps to consider in the process of expanding across the English speaking border. If you’re playing with the idea of a multilingual website, research your target market(s) well. Is your product or service suitable both for Quebec and France, for Hong Kong and Mainland China? The languages you choose, will ultimately determine your marketing and sales strategy. Since we at LingoStar are redesigning our very own website and planning to launch it in multiple languages, I’d like to share with you my experience of multilingual website development: – Decide whether to purchase & set-up country specific domain names (.fr for France, .de for German, .pt for Portugal, etc.) – A local country extension will help customers find you. – Locate a suitable web-developer with multilingual website development experience – Make sure the...
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...
