language Archives | Raptor Translations Magazine

17Nov

By George SanghviNo Comments

Learning Languages

What Would Alien Languages Sound Like?

As a child, I used to love films like Star Wars. Zipping around up there, in the stars seemed amazing to me. As I've gotten older, I have begun to think to myself what would alien languages actually sound like? On Earth, there are hundreds of different ways animals communicate with one another. As humans, we are accustomed to communicating verbally. For some, this does create some rather weird languages, whilst others are perfectly "normal". However, in the animal kingdom they communicate in some very strange ways... For aliens, it would quite literally be out of this world! (Both figuratively and literally... I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.) (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); What are Alien Languages? It sounds simple enough, I know. Howe...

26Nov

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Facts

9 most useful languages

A while ago, we covered the most useless languages, now we will cover the most useful languages. So, what are the most useful languages? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 9 most useful languages 9. Hindi At first, it probably surprises you that Hindi is even on this list in the first place, but when you think about it, it does make sense. India is the world's 7th largest economy, so a lot of business is done there, which would make it quite useful if people knew how to speak Hindi. If Hindi was more well spoken, we'd all be better off, no longer would Indian manufacturers and Western companies have to communicate through an intermediary. This would allow for cheaper prices on Indian-made goods, which would make them even more attractive to...

19Nov

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Facts

12 completely extinct languages

Languages come and go, those languages that go are called extinct languages. Just like other species, languages can go extinct, sometimes, there is a revivalist movement centuries down the line, which saves it, and other times, not. So which languages are extinct? 12 extinct languages (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 12. Breton We spoke about Breton in our previous article- 12 useless languages. In that article we talked about how in 2009, the UN reported that the language was officially considered one of the extinct languages. Breton was previously the most spoken language in Brittany, a Celtic language, spoken from the descendants of the Britons (a Celtic people who lived in present day Britain). This was up until it began to be overtak...

12Nov

By George SanghviNo Comments

Facts

12 useless languages

When it comes to learning languages, linguists normally have their heart set know a few to learn. Normally, this is because there is something particular that the language has to offer, or that it will be useful in later life. But, not all languages are equal, some are useless languages that serve little to no purpose for the speaker. I was recently talking with some translator friends of mine when we got around to how translators show off to non-translators. After much back and forth, we came to one that most of us had done- use a language we didn't know to impress someone- usually a girl they liked. Most of the time, these languages were useless languages spoken by less than 10 million people in Africa, or a small pocket elsewhere in Europe. Or better still, they were ...

7 things I hate about being a translator

5Nov

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Uncategorized

7 things I hate about being a translator

A few weeks ago, we did an article on 10 best things about being a translator. Now, I aim to show the flip side of that article with the 7 things I hate about being a translator. This is quite a personal article as I love my job, but there are certain things I hate about being a translator. 7 things I hate about being a translator (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 1. People who say "Can you just translate this?" I get asked this a lot, my wife likes to introduce me to her friends by telling them I’m a translator. Normally, I get one guy, normally a boyfriend of my wife’s best friend, who thinks he can speak Spanish. Normally, his grasp of the language is pitiful, and he makes himself look like a complete idiot in front of everyone. Nor...

What is the first language spoken by man?

10Sep

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Facts

What is the first language spoken by man?

Man has been around for 200,000 years. Many languages have been spoken since, but what was the first language spoken by man? What first language spoken by man is a difficult question to answer. Whilst there were undoubtedly languages before. We just don’t know their names or what they sounded like. They have simply been lost to history. The first languages were likely those in the cuneiform script, dating back to the 8 millennium BCE. However, other linguists claim that Sumerian or Egyptian are the oldest- simply because they have the oldest writing systems. What are the first languages spoken by man that we still use? Tamil (5000 years old)- Tamil was first spoken Sri Lanka. It is also the official language of both Sri Lanka and Singapore. It is spoken by 78 milli...

Names- Expert: We shouldn’t translate names

3Sep

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Facts

Names- Expert: We shouldn’t translate names

In this globalised world, it’s quite easy to find material in another language. Just last week, I read an article in Spanish. It was about the British Royal Family. However, when I read it, I was taken aback. Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t referred to as “Queen Elizabeth”. But as “Reina Isabel (II)”. The Spanish translation for Queen Elizabeth. Her son and grandson also had translated names. Instead of it being “Prince Charles” or “Prince William”. It was “Principe Carlos” and “Principe Guillermo”. This stunned me. As in English media, we never refer to “Rey Felipe” as “King Phillip”. Normally, just “King Felipe of Spain”. Nor his father “Rey Juan Carlos” as “King John Charles”. However, I sat and read an Italian article. On the same subject. However, the names were ...

What are the 5 most spoken languages in the world 2019?

27Aug

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Facts

What are the 5 most spoken languages in the world 2019?

We have talked often about languages. It is our passion. We have talked about what languages are best for translators. What translation students need to know. And more. However, a common question, and a hotly debated one at that. What are the 10 most spoken languages in the world? This is not as simple as it seems. Different sources say different things. There is also the question of “What do you mean by speakers?” Native speakers? Or all the speakers, native and non-native? These two approaches can deliver far different results as to the most spoken languages... Then, there’s a question of the boundary of language and dialect? When do you consider a dialect, a completely different language? This is not as cut and dry as it may seem. People have different opinions. Even experts have...

6Aug

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Uncategorized

6 great jobs for expert linguists…

Learning languages can be fun. But also useful. Other than just a translator, what other jobs can linguists get? There are plenty of jobs a language learner can get. Even usual jobs now require or advise that applicants speak at least one foreign language. Whether you speak Spanish or French to Catalan or Occitan, you can get great jobs. 1. Online Tutor This job was unheard of 10 years ago. If you know a foreign language and want to teach others. But don’t want to have to mark stacks of books. This job is for you! As an online Tutor, you can interact on a 1 on 1 or 1 on 2 basis. You can teach at your students pace without having to worry about the curriculum. You can do this relatively simply- set up a listing on something like EBay, Craigslist or set up your own w...