Nov 25, 2022 | Blog, Promotions, Traditions
Black Friday’s origins Black Friday is celebrated all over the world today, but do you know where this “tradition” comes from? Officially claimed to be the busiest shopping day of the year only since 2001, its origins can be traced back to a financial crisis that occurred in 1869. It was not even on the day after Thanksgiving, but on September 24. On that day, two Wall Street financiers bought up as much of the nation’s gold as they could to try to sell it and gain astonishing profits. However, their conspiracy was unraveled, and the stock market went into bankruptcy. What does this have to do with the Black Friday that we all know today? Well, it seems that after a year “in the red”- that means faced with losses – stores finally managed to earn a profit on the day after Thanksgiving. The expression for earning a profit used by Americans is “going into the black”, hence the so famous “Black Friday”. However, there are other stories behind our shopping holiday. One of these goes back to the 1950s. Cops in Philadelphia used the expression Black Friday to describe the chaos of the day after Thanksgiving. Shoppers and tourists flooded the city for the football game held on the Saturday. For this reason, they could not take the day off. By 1961, people unsuccessfully tried to replace the word “black” with “big” to remove the negative connotation. Only in the 1980s retailers used the word “black” to refer to the concept of “going into the black”. The result is this special day when every brand, from the...
Oct 21, 2022 | Blog, Communication, Traditions, Worldwide
Thanksgiving is synonymous with getting together, being grateful and understanding and celebrating all the good things the year just passed brought. Times like these help us to reflect on some of the most important values in life. Sharing, communicating, and exchanging with one another makes us feel good. It helps people to better understand each other. Not only does it give context to actions but it also makes us more tolerant and respectful. It breaks boundaries, bridges gaps and unites people across borders. The more we understand each other, the more tolerant, peaceful and unified our world will be. This is why cultural and linguistic diversity is our world’s true wealth. Differences bring us closer The translation industry exists because of cultural and linguistic differences. They are at the heart of everything we do. It is because we know about these differences and how important respecting them is that we can facilitate successful international communication. We are constantly reminded of the importance of using the services of professional and qualified translators in order to avoid ridicule or damaging misunderstandings. From poorly translated subtitles (e.g. Squid Games) to embarrassing and dangerous mistranslations made by international corporations or governments, the examples abound. With countless cultures and subcultures in the world, understanding differences, ours and those of others, is crucial. It brings us closer. Cultural and linguistic diversity brings open-mindedness and comprehension. It gives meaning to actions and words, it makes us unique, which makes sharing so much more rewarding. Learning about different traditions, foods, music, dances, colours, dialects and accents adds to the importance and the wealth of cross-cultural diversity. Cultural...
Sep 26, 2022 | Blog, English language, Translation, Worldwide
Study abroad marketing strategies Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was common for students to move away from their own country to study abroad. Now that the pandemic seems to be over, this trend is picking up again. But how do they know where to go? Which country and which institution are the best fit for their needs? Today, there is a huge range of possibilities from which students can choose, especially thanks to the web. For this reason, schools and institutions do their best to promote their study programs online. They use a lot of marketing strategies to appeal to students from all over the world. Firstly, they need to know the students’ interests. In particular, where they would like to live, what type of facilities they need and so on. Secondly, institutions need to have an appealing profile on social media. Indeed, this one plays a crucial role in the lives of young people. It is also important to have a website that students can browse in different languages. Indeed, if institutions want to get the attention of international students, they need to make information accessible in their own native language. This is the key to avoiding misunderstandings. So, as we can see, here again, the role of translators is essential. A lot of institutions contact us to get their websites or marketing campaigns translated into several languages. In this way, they can reach as many students as possible. The power of social media connections Many students may have reservations about whether to embark on this journey or not. However, thanks to social media, they can take a...
Sep 23, 2022 | Blog, Translation, Worldwide
Every year, thousands of students come to Canada in order to start, continue, or finish their studies. There are many Canadian schools, programs, and careers available for everyone. If you want to study in Canada, you’ll have to find the one that best suits you. You’ll also need to find out, ahead of time, what type of documents in English and French you’ll need to submit to the authorities. Why study in Canada? People worldwide consider that the quality of education in Canada is outstanding — from as early as elementary school to post-secondary studies. In fact, more than 25 Canadian universities feature in the World University Rankings. This is mainly due to their strong focus on research and development. What’s more, the Canadian government offers great support for research in many fields. In terms of economy, studying in Canada is not as expensive as in other countries such as the US or the UK. Tuition fees in Canada might seem rather cheap due to the possibility of applying for a range of scholarships. The aim of these scholarships is to cut down your expenses. Lastly, another reason why you should consider studying in Canada is its safe and peaceful environment. It is the sixth most peaceful country in the world. The process of studying in Canada Canada’s Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PWPP) allows international students to stay and work in Canada for up to three years after completion of their graduation. Not only can you gain some work experience, but you can also apply for permanent residency after some time. If you’ve decided to apply to study in...
Aug 29, 2022 | Blog, Language Varieties, Traditions, Worldwide
In our last blog post, we talked about the Spanish language, which is spoken all over the globe. This time, we are focusing on the culture associated with it. In this blog post, we set out some of the most popular traditions of Hispanic culture. About the word “Hispanic” and Hispanic culture We use the term Hispanic when referring to people who originate, either directly or through their ancestors, from a predominantly Spanish-speaking country, especially from Spain or a Latin American country. The Catholic religion It goes without saying that Hispanic culture is closely related to the Catholic religion. Take Argentina for example. Jesuit missionaries from Spain introduced Catholicism in Argentina in the 17th century. Since then, the Catholic Church has had a significant influence on Argentina’s history, as well as on the ruling class in the country. There are regional differences in the practice and degree of religiosity in Argentina. The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires. People consider it to be the most secularized region of the country. On the other hand, the provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Tucumán often show a strong sense of religious devotion. One of the biggest religious assemblies in Argentina is Señor y Virgen del Milagro (in English, the Lord and Virgin of the Miracle). People usually celebrate it in Salta. The event contains a large procession of people who walk, bike or ride on horseback from their farmlands and desert towns into the province. It’s also recognizable in a great number of movies or TV shows that include a Hispanic or Latin individual. They tend to carry the rosario (a beaded necklace with...
Aug 28, 2022 | Blog, Language Varieties, Translation
About the Spanish language Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world, beaten only by Mandarin, English, and Hindi. It is a Romance language spoken by natives in Spain and most Central and South American countries. In Spain, the variant is Castilian Spanish. Let’s talk about the different varieties of Spanish. There are many variations of the Spanish language. You can find them everywhere. Each country has its own variant. In Spain, the official language is Castilian Spanish and it has many varieties. In Galicia, people also speak Gallego (Galician). One of the things that characterizes the language variation in this area is the exclusive use of the past simple. Some languages have past simple and past perfect, and so does Spanish. Read on to learn about some examples! Varieties of the Spanish language: past tenses La Fundéu and La Real Academia Española are some of the institutions in charge of explaining the correct use of the Spanish language. They recommend the use of both past perfect and past simple. However, in some parts of Galicia, Asturias, and in the Canary Islands, people frequently use the past simple. According to some studies, in Spain the past perfect is more common when talking about today or now. Meanwhile, the past simple is used when explaining something that was done: last night or yesterday, for example. So instead of saying “¿Por qué no ha venido con nosotros?” (in English, “Why didn’t he join us?”), the inhabitants of these areas would say “¿Por qué no vino con nosotros?”. Varieties of the Spanish language: expressions In Spain, there is a misconception...
