May 27, 2010 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Last month we explored the differences between European French and Canadian French. The same language can have so many varieties! To continue with this theme, we will now deal with the differences between expressions and phrases in different cultures. You know, those little sayings we all use; they can be really different from one language to another! Contributed by Myriam Berrou. Thanks for reading. Another word is another world Each culture and each language has its own way to describe the world. To give just one example among many, the Inuktitut has more than a hundred words to refer to “snow”, depending on the color, the substance, etc. The vision of the world changes according to the language used to describe it. Proverbs, sayings, adages or phrases can vary greatly depending on the language or on the region of the world. They are our cultural inheritance and remind us that every language has a wealthy linguistic history. Do you remember where those expressions come from? And you, can you remember? We all use proverbs, adages, sayings or phrases often in everyday life. We all know a few of them, like All that glitters is not gold, He who laughs best, laughs last or in French, Les chiens ne font pas des chats (literally, Dogs don’t make cats), or The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. But do we really know how or why they came to be? Some of them are even several centuries old. For instance, do you know where these expressions come from? And what they originally meant? An apple a...
Apr 27, 2010 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, “One man’s frankness is another man’s vulgarity.” – Kevin Smith Rest assured that LingoStar will help you find your way through the language jungle! Our example this month: French. Contributed by Marie Springinsfeld. Thanks for reading. French on both sides of the pond Like English and Spanish, the French language is used in many different parts of the world: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Africa, the Caribbean, and of course, Canada, to name a few. These varieties of the same language, or dialects, are the result of cultural crossovers (migrations, influences from neighboring countries, colonization). At LingoStar, we differentiate between ‘standard’ European French and Canadian French. But what is the ‘standard’? In Canada, there used to be a hierarchy that placed European French at the top, as the standard, and Canadian French somewhere below. However, since the 70’s, French Canadians have been more and more active in upholding and defending their distinct dialect. For European French speakers, reading and most of all hearing Canadian French can be a bit strange. With a little patience, however, these two groups can come to understand each other. ‘Kids’ or ‘balls’? Well, it depends, but you’d better know the difference! Some words refer to different things. For example, a European French speaker in Canada will be advised to be careful with the word ‘gosses’, as it means ‘kids’ in France, but ‘balls’ here! Even though Canadian French has been strongly influenced by English in the past, it seldom borrows English words nowadays. French Canadians have come up with ingenious terms to counteract the use of English words. In France, borrowing...
Mar 27, 2010 | Translation News
VANCOUVER HOSTS THE OLYMPICS Vancouver did its best to welcome the 2010 Olympic Winter Games! The atmosphere this February was thrilling and the changes in town remarkable. Many winter sporting events were put in the spotlight, from much-loved hockey to snowboarding, skiing and skating. All sorts of lesser-known outdoor activities were promoted: luge, skeleton, ski jumping, and curling. Even the most celebrated couple of Springfield –Homer and Marge Simpson– learned to curl in a special episode of The Simpsons. Contributed by Miriam Bontorin. Thanks for reading. SUMMER OLYMPICS? In Vancouver and Whistler, the weather was warmer than usual, with the unhappy consequence of irregular snowfalls up in the mountains. This attracted a lot of criticism from the international media, to the extent that some referred to it as the “Summer Olympics”. But the efforts put forth by VANOC to ensure that there was the required amount of snow on the mountains was extraordinary, and few events needed to be postponed or cancelled. ATTRACTIONS IN TOWN The Vancouver Olympic committee also organised a great number of cultural events spread out around the lower mainland and many local celebrities performed: Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams, Nickelback and Feist to name a few. Music was not the only form of entertainment, though. For example, at Robson Square, one could fly over everyone’s head thanks to the exciting zip line, as well as go skating at the public skating ring, all for free. Many pavilions and International houses were a great success with tourists, who didn’t mind waiting for a couple of hours just to get in: the Sochi (Russian), Heineken (Holland) and Saxony...
Dec 27, 2009 | Translation News
Introduction, In Western countries Christmas is probably considered to be the most important holiday of the year. Although Christmas is originally a Christian holiday, it is a chance for families all over the world to come together, eat together, and exchange gifts as a sign of affection. During Christmas time people start thinking about New Year’s resolutions, inspired by the lights and decorations that adorn streets and houses. Today we are going to discover how Christmas is celebrated in Italy, a Southern European country that is famous all around the world for its ancient history and culture, art, and delicious food. To non-Italians Italy evokes images of sunny piazzas, beautiful historical monuments and buildings, and enormous steaming pizzas. Visiting Italy during Christmas can be an exciting experience, because the holiday seasons are the best periods to observe traditions and customs of this old country, whose origins date back to the 9th century BC. Contributed by Luisa Begani. Thanks for reading. Family, Traditions, and Art Like in other Western countries, Christmas is a sacred holiday for Italians and is regarded as the time par excellence during which they celebrate family values and stay with beloved ones. A famous Italian saying recites, “Natale con chi i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi”, which means “Christmas with your family, Easter with whoever you want“. The Christmas season in Italy lasts for three weeks, starting eight days before Christmas, a period known as Novena. This is the period when families start the big preparation for the Christmas Eve dinner. Italians like to decorate their houses with various ornaments – lights, angels, stars –...
Oct 27, 2009 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Over the last couple of months we have uncovered many different aspects of a language to our readers. We informed you about the origins of different languages, the structures, cultural differences and many other aspects of the most common form of communication. This month we will go back to one of the things we all learned shortly after birth – nonverbal communication. Contributed by Christine Mueller. Thanks for reading. Talking without speaking Without always being aware of it, we are communicating every second and every minute of our lives. Although we usually associate communication with speech, voice and words there are in fact two forms of communication – verbal and nonverbal. To communicate nonverbally is probably the oldest form of human communication and basically means to use facial expressions, body movements or gestures to express feelings and send out information or messages to other people. Usually tears are the signs of sadness; a smile indicates happiness and forehead wrinkles mean sorrow. But facial expression, as one of the most obvious forms of nonverbal communication, is not the only way to reflect our moods or feelings. It is said that it only takes a few seconds for us to decide whether we like a person or not. This is definitely a result of all the signals this person is sending out via other forms of nonverbal communication such as clothes, the choice of color, hair style, tattoos or attitude. We can easily communicate in what way we want to present ourselves to our environment but we cannot entirely hide our feelings. You can not not...
Aug 10, 2009 | Translation News
Dear Language Friend, Always look on the bright side of things In our previous newsletters we went on an adventurous journey with Sir English Language exploring his origin by meeting some mysterious and dangerous tribes. We accompanied our good old friend from Old English valley to Middle English town to the Modern days and, last but not least, we witnessed the birth of the English language’s one millionth word. Congratulations! In this newsletter we would like to take a look at the funny aspect of English language and its expressions. Enjoy our short walk through the wild part of English language and communication. Contributed by Christine Mueller. Thanks for reading. To laugh or not to laugh, that is the question Language can be a source of joy but also of a great confusion. English is spoken in 53 countries around the world and learning the language becomes more and more essential in the days of globalization. However, even an excellent knowledge of the language can sometimes be insufficient; for there is a humorous play of words that can make life difficult for non-native speakers. This is not really a new concept since even the famous and fabulous William Shakespeare took much pleasure in playing with puns. So did Lewis Carroll when sending Alice to Wonderland – an excellent example of puns, inversions, riddles and jokes. Today these literary devices are often used in advertisement where the language games point out ambiguity and slipperiness of languages, and English in particular. The power of puns Pun is a literary device where the same word carries two meanings. There are many types...
