Scotland is a nation known for its astonishing natural beauty, good quality of life, and firm cultural identity. Pay a visit to its bonny shores and you can sample traditional cuisine (haggis, neeps & tatties being a must), immerse yourself in centuries of history, and – if you pay attention…
A brief history of Catalan language and culture The province of northern or Nearer Spain, where Catalonia is situated, was first established by the Romans, who took it from the Carthaginians in the 2nd century BCE, together with southern or Farther Spain. These two provinces were governed by them until…
Language is an ever-changing, ever-growing organism. While linguists consistently define and describe language with generalized rules, these rules can only prescribe how language "should be," or officially is. Descriptive language, however, expresses the every-day, informal means of communication. The differences are profound. Professional translators must find the balance between making…
Eyhghrghrghrghr! Do You Speak Shyriiwook? You might be forgiven for not recognizing this as a fictional language, since it is one which has never been written down, but you would surely know it if you heard it. It's a vague imitation of something dearly beloved to every Star Wars fan,…
‘Spanglish’ was a term coined way back in 1940 to refer to a sort of hybrid language that incorporated aspects of both Spanish and English. It appeared around about the time that the United States welcomed more than 50,000 Caribbean natives striving to take advantage of post-war economic growth, and…
Have you ever wondered where Elvish came from? Pored over the runes to solve the puzzle of the Ring? We've all experienced the frustration of trying to find subtitles for the whispered conversations between Aragorn and Arwen, and marveled at the lyrical beauty of the Elven speech, but there's a…
Dif-tor heh smusma! Don't know what it means? It's one of the most famous lines from possibly one of Earth's most famous shows: “Live long and prosper”, from Star Trek. Star Trek is so firmly entrenched in our lives that 'Trekkie' is defined in our dictionaries, and if you haven't…
We all know about the Cherokee and Pawnee of Oklahoma, and the Navajo and Apache of New Mexico, but unless we’re from the Southeast United States, we hear very little of Florida’s rich native history. This is mainly because of the smaller populations; descendants spread out to Cuba and Mexico…
While you may know that the Rosetta Stone is perhaps the most famous translation device in the world, there are probably other facts about this stone that you may not already know. The Discovery The Rosetta Stone was discovered by French forces in July 1799 in Rosetta, about 35 miles north of Alexandria,…
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past five years, it’s likely that you’ve heard of Game of Thrones. Ever since the award-laden television series launched back in 2011, it’s enjoyed a rabid fan following, inspiring countless think pieces, spoof tributes, popular memes and knock-off fantasy series trying…