How many different languages have you heard of? Twenty? Thirty? Fifty?

It’s estimated that almost 7,000 spoken languages exist in the world today, yet it’s extremely unlikely that anyone will encounter even a fraction of them in their lifetime.

UNESCO has recorded around 2,500 endangered languages and, already, there are over 40 languages with only one speaker!

As well as these, there are countless languages which were once spoken by many and have fallen out of use.

Have you heard of any of the following languages…..?

The lure of free machine translations can be strong when working to a tight budget or deadline. The obvious drawback of a poor-quality translation is often overlooked when all you need is to understand the gist of a document, however most users do not consider the technical side of what happens to the data that you put into translation machines.

The lure of free machine translations can be strong when working to a tight budget or deadline. The obvious drawback of a poor-quality translation is often overlooked when all you need is to understand the gist of a document, however most users do not consider the technical side of what happens to the data that you put into translation machines.

Fashionistas won’t know which way to turn this month; as if September’s frenzy of New York and London fashion extravaganzas weren’t enough to keep our credit cards under lock and key for years to come, models are now preparing to hit Milan’s trendy catwalks for the “Settimana della moda”.

In this article Emma Hayesmoore shares her thoughts on audio-visual translation. Should you dub content or use subtitles, find out what she thinks here.

You say tomato, I say tomahto… But let’s not call the whole thing off! Some terminology is clear cut in all languages, and a translator who specialises in your business sector will know these like the back of their hand; other terms, such as company jargon, are not so black and white. Creating a translation glossary as part of any major translation project is therefore always a worthwhile exercise, and will pay dividends in the long run.

You might not expect a translation agency to recommend using the Google Translate App, but there is a time and place for this free tool. Find out when here.