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Languages and culture

Language variants, cultural context and creative translation. Discover why humour, names and familiar expressions do not always translate literally.

Why Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Are Three Distinct Universes for the Translator

There is a widespread misconception that East Asian languages form a unified group of Oriental writing systems, where learning a...

Sign Language: Translation Without Words

Many mistakenly believe that sign language is merely primitive pantomime or a universal international Esperanto understood by an...

Dialects and Regional Varieties: Spanish of Spain vs. Latin America

The phrase "translate our website into Spanish" can stump any experienced linguist. Which exact Spanish do your future...

Gender in Language: Challenges for the Modern Translator

Imagine you are reading an engaging detective novel translated from Turkish or English, and for five chapters, the main characte...

How Proper Names Are Translated: Toponyms, Brands, Characters

A single incorrectly translated name in a legal document can block a bank account, invalidate an international real estate trans...

Idioms and Phrasal Expressions: How to Translate the Untranslatable

Try explaining to a foreigner why the phrase "neither fluff nor feather" (ni pukha ni pera) is a wish for good luck, a...