Scottish Teenager Named “Most Multilingual” in the UK
A 14 year old from Callander has been named the most multi-lingual child in the UK. After he learned Russian, Bruce Ballie-Hamilton decided to acquire Mandarin next, because, he told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme, he “wanted a challenge”. Arabic was next on the list. After a language with, effectively, no alphabet he wanted [...]
Click here to continue reading21 Language Facts
Some old, some new, some obvious, some quite cool! Did you know that… 01. There are between 6000 and 7000 languages in the world – spoken by six billion people divided into 189 independent states. 02. There are about 225 indigenous languages in Europe – roughly 3% of the world’s total. 03. Most of the [...]
Click here to continue readingSo, Which Foreign Language Is Most Difficult To Learn?
Many of those who study foreign languages wonder which language is the most difficult one in the world. Linguists say that there is no precise answer to this question because everything depends on which language you speak. Neurophysiologists believe, though, that the Chinese or the Arabic could be described as the world’s most difficult languages. [...]
Click here to continue readingHola! Brighton school becomes bilingual
The first mainstream Spanish bilingual school in the country is being lined up to mentor its counterparts in the city on languages. St Paul’s Primary became the first bilingual school in Sussex and the first primary to teach non-language subjects in Spanish in September. Children in two school years are taught PE, art and music [...]
Click here to continue readingTranslators Earn Millions from UK Government
Millions of pounds in taxpayers’ money is being spent providing translation services for benefit claimants. If you need to claim welfare benefits but the only language you speak is Nigerian Pidgin, you are in luck. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can deal with claimants in 165 languages, providing translators at taxpayers’ expense. Among [...]
Click here to continue readingGlobe to Globe: See 37 Shakespeare Plays in 37 Languages!
Since the 16th Century, the spiritual home to the plays of William Shakespeare has been London’s Globe Theatre (currently in its third incarnation). But after more than 400 years as a distinctly English institution, the theater is putting its name to good use and truly going global. As part of the massive Britain-wide run up to the [...]
Click here to continue readingWill Ferrell: Speaking Spanish Was Muy Dificil
Will Ferrell took on the challenge of his career, when he agreed to star in Casa de mi padre, his latest movie in which he speaks entirely in Spanish. Yes, indeedy. The star of such classics asAnchorman, Stepbrothers and Zoolander spoke all en espanol for his latest movie, screened Wednesday evening at the Colony Theater on Lincoln Road for the [...]
Click here to continue reading58 English Words of Spanish Origin
A Albatross – from alcatraz, see below. Alcatraz – (meaning “gannet”) from Arabic غطاس al-ġaţţās (“the diver”) Alligator – from el lagarto, “the lizard” Armadillo – from armadillo, “little armored one” Avocado – alteration of Spanish aguacate, from Nahuatl ahuacatl which also means “testicle” in that language. B Barbecue – from the Chibcha word barbacoa [...]
Click here to continue readingHow Cartoons Help You Learn Another Language
Nation of polyglots The complexity of slovenščina (the Slovenian language) isn’t the main reason few try to learn it; the real reason nobody tries to learn it is that Slovenians usually speak your native language. Within Europe, Slovenians come in third in speaking a foreign language. Europeans proclaim they’re all polyglots, but 44 percent of EU citizens [...]
Click here to continue readingJoin the Cult of the Hyperpolyglot
Many people want to speak a second language, but for some people two can never be enough. Welcome to the world of the hyperpolyglot. Ray Gillon speaks 18 languages. To be precise, he only speaks eight fluently. His grasp on the other 10 is merely conversational. Throw anything at him in Portuguese, Thai, Turkish, Russian, [...]
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