Language at Large

I am sanctioning this clip.

Words That Are Their Own Opposites They’re called contronyms, and here’s how a few of them ended up that way.

‘Ask a Translator’: A New Column by Daniel Hahn - Asymptote Blog When a publisher commissions me to translate a novel I do work under the pretence that I’m writing not a translation but the translation.

Why is English so weirdly different from other languages? — John McWhorter — Aeon Essays No, English isn’t uniquely vibrant or mighty or adaptable. But it really is weirder than pretty much every other language

Google claims it's translation app will redefine the way we travel. Their ad also unintentionally reminds us that, while useful in a jam, translation machines are prone to mistakes. There are at least two translation errors in this ad (one in French and one in Spanish). Can you spot them?

Google's translate app will redefine the way we travel Google's translation app has a new feature that will come in handy for travelers. You point your smartphone's camera at a sign printed in a foreign language,...

"In a way, the translator must know the text better than the author."

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Language at Large Translation company located in Montreal (QC). French, Spanish, English.

Google picks up incredible visual translation app Word Lens and makes it free Google has purchased Word Lens, an impressive app that translates foreign languages in real time using the iPhone and Android smartphone built-in camera. It's now free for a limited time.

"The difficulty of knowing if a translation is good is not just a technical one: It’s fundamental. The only durable way to judge the faith of a translation is to decide if meaning was conveyed. If you have an algorithm that can make that judgment, you’ve solved a very hard problem indeed."

Why Computers Still Can’t Translate Languages Automatically Recently, on the eighth floor of an office building in Arlington, Va., Rachael held her finger down on a Dell Streak touchscreen and asked Aziz whether he knew the village elder. The handheld tablet beeped as if imitating R2-D2 and then said what sounded like, “Aya tai ahili che dev...

According to Kurt Vonnegut, “Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.”

I disagree; they're the best. Long live ambiguity!

Rodolphe's Revenge – Yes, I Checked. This week's comic almost killed Max to write.

A colleague just posted this. It's a survey on attitudes toward French and English in Quebec. I'm very interested to see the results.

"Bonjour, un collègue mène une étude sur les attitudes linguistiques à l'égard du français et de l'anglais.
Je vous invite à participer pour l'aider un peu. Voici le lien vers son questionnaire: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LPAQ"

Planification et attitudes langagières au Quebec – Language Planning and Attitudes in Quebec... Web survey powered by SurveyMonkey.com. Create your own online survey now with SurveyMonkey's expert certified FREE templates.