English is the product of many cultures and despite being of Germanic origin, an important part of English language etymology finds its source in the French language. In Twenty Years After – the sequel to The Three Musketeers by French novelist Alexandre Dumas – D’Artagnan said “English is little more than badly pronounced French”. Several years later, George Clémenceau (early 20th century French PM) said the same. Is there any truth in their claim? To find out, we need to go back in time and look at English language etymology in its historical context. But first, here are a few useful definitions. English Language Etymology: Definitions Cognates Cognates are words that share a common ancestry. True cognates might not be instantly recognizable; they only share the same etymology. But they can also have the same spelling and meaning, or they can be loanwords or calques. They can be close cognates (same meaning but slight variation in spelling) and even false cognates (or “false friends” – same spelling but different meaning). For example: True cognates: to attest < attester, from Latin ad-testari, curfew < couvre-feu, from the Old French cuevrefeu (used in the Middle Ages when fires had to be covered and people had to be home and off the streets by a certain time), coward < couard, Old French.Close cognates: analytique > analytical, créatif > creative, banque > bank.False friends: magasin (FR) = shop (EN) not magazine (publication), douche (FR) = shower (EN) not douche (EN) (medical term or type of person), bras (FR) = arm (EN) not bra (EN) (undergarment). Read more about the etymology of words between...
At LingoStar, we aim to broaden our comprehension of the world by using our knowledge of languages and cultures. We believe that translation is the key to understanding each other better and thus, to bring people from all around the world closer together. This is why we offer a wide range of services in a multitude of languages. We could go on and on about what kind of services we provide and why we are the right company for your translation needs, but we’ll let our Lingostar Language Services Projects speak for themselves. Minority and extinct languages we have worked with Inuktitut Translation Did you know that Inuktitut is one of the minority languages in Canada? It is one of the main Inuit languages and is spoken by 39,475 natives. “In Canada, the word Inuktitut is routinely used to refer to all Canadian variants of the Inuit traditional language, and it is under that name that it is recognised as one of the official languages of Nunavut and the Northwest.” “Inuktitut comes from inuk “person” and -titut “like” or “in the manner of”. Many Inuit live in the northern regions of Canada, for the most part, along the Arctic coast. Inuit Nunangat in Inuktitut means “lands, waters, and ices of the [Inuit] people”. Inuit Nunangat is composed of the Northwest Territories and Yukon (Inuvialuit), Nunavut, Northern Quebec (Nunavik), and the northeastern coast of Newfoundland and Labrador (Nunatsiavut). Latin Translation In regards to other rarely used languages, we also translate into Latin. Even though Latin is an extinct language, the film industry manages to bring it back to life for our greatest entertainment! Why would...
Translation and Recording Project We recently completed a translation and recording project for an IVR-system, from English into Arabic, Berber, Mixtec, Portuguese (European), and Spanish (Latin American). IVR stands for Interactive Voice Response. It is an automated telecommunication system technology that interacts with the callers. In short, it collects the required information and connects the caller with the appropriate recipient. This was one of the many translation and recording projects we have done. However, we had not worked with Berber and Mixtec before. Berber Language The Berber languages are Afroasiatic languages, spoken by the Berber people. They are indigenous to North Africa, mainly Morocco, Algeria, and Libya. There are also small populations of Berber speakers in other African countries like Tunisia or Niger. Since 2011, it has been an official language in Morocco and an official language since 2016 in Algeria. There is also a significant Berber-speaking population living in Western Europe. Nowadays, the Berber language uses three different writing systems: Tifinagh, the Arabic script, and the Latin script. For our project, we successfully found a Berber translator living in France, who did the translation and recording for us. Mixtec Language Mixtec is an indigenous language. Over half a million people in Mexico speak it. There are many different varieties of Mixtec, which are not all mutually intelligible. Traditionally, it was spoken in the region of La Mixteca, which includes the states of Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero. However, due to domestic migration, the language has now spread to the main urban areas of Mexico. In addition, there is also a large Mixtec community in Los Angeles. Mixtec is a...
The French Community in British Columbia The French community in British Columbia continues to grow and diversify every year. British Columbia has the fourth largest Francophone community in Canada. According to Statistics Canada in 2016, French is the mother tongue of over 70,000 British Columbians. There are more than 300,000 residents of the province who speak French in addition to English or another language. Francophones have contributed to the economic growth, intellectual pursuits, and political and cultural development of British Columbia. Structures are in place to provide several services to Francophones living in the province or thinking of moving there. It is possible to study, work and stay informed in French, as well as to access social services and health care. Many organizations are working hard to expand the Francophone and Francophile presence in B.C. One is the British Columbia Francophone Federation, the official voice of the province’s Francophone community. Their mission is to represent the Francophone community in British Columbia while preserving their linguistic and cultural heritage. Infographic: The strong French presence in British Columbia The Francophone community in B.C. is not only growing but also changing the overall Canadian population. This infographic will show you some interesting facts about the Francophonie in British Columbia: PDF Download The need for French translation services French is not only the mother tongue of many Canadians, but an integral part of the Canadian identity. If you want to successfully expand your business into the Canadian market, you need to understand the country’s linguistic variations and adapt your business to the local look and feel. By working with a trusted translation agency that is familiar...
The significance of accurate translation English is one of the most prominent languages in the world. Many people ask why doesn’t everybody just speak English? Or how important is translation? The fact is that not everyone can speak English. More importantly, language is much more than communicating with words. It is also an expression of a country’s society, culture, and beliefs. Translation facilitates effective communication between people who speak different languages by spreading information, knowledge, ideas, or messages. Therefore, it is crucial to produce a genuine and accurate translation that correctly reflects the original text. When it comes to translation services, the quality and accuracy of translations are crucial. Quality language translation narrows the gap in communication. A good translation enables companies to reach a global audience by talking in a language that their clients can understand. Accurate translation is critical to all aspects of any industry field. It requires a double effort when it comes to medical, legal, or technical translations. If the official document is not translated accurately, it can cause catastrophic consequences such as loss of income and damage to an organization’s reputation. Medical translations require a high level of accuracy for all the medical terms, findings, recommendations, and instructions in the target document. Like medical translations, legal translations must also be completely error-free. Any small mistake in the translated copy can result in serious legal issues affecting the lives and freedom of people who use the document. How to produce a genuine and accurate translation Being able to translate accurately is an art and the translator is an artist. Besides following the rules of translation...
How many people speak the Italian language all around the world? Italy has a total population of 60 million people and the official language is Italian. 61,860,418 people speak Italian as a native language. In addition, 16,957,243 people speak Italian worldwide as non-native speakers. What is the Italian language related to? Talking about the Italian language obviously takes you to stereotypes related to it. Let’s go over these together: “Italians are pizza and spaghetti eaters.” Yeah, that could be true. Italians eat pasta almost every day and pizza once a week, even if they are on a diet! “Italians talk with their hands.” It’s a scientific truth: everybody gesticulates to express themselves in a better way, but yes, let’s consider this stereotype true too. “Italians are loud.” No less than our Spanish, German and English neighbours! 😉 “Italians are always late.” It depends on the appointment. We’re hardly ever late for work. If it’s a meeting with friends, that’s another matter. “Italians drink espresso and cappuccino all day long.” INCORRECT. We meet for coffee to spend time with our loved ones. Cappuccino is only for breakfast, unlike other cultures. “Italians are disorganized.” Try telling that to my best friend. She is one of the most organized people I have ever known. And she managed to make me an organized person too! “Italians can’t speak English.” Of course, it’s not easy to get rid of our distinctive accent but that’s not true. At least, we try! 😊 Curious facts about the Italian language It derives from vernacular Latin (as opposed to ancient Latin). When Latin merged with the languages of...
