The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/458734
FONT OF PEACE Liron Lavi Turkenich's 'Aravrit' font (below) combines Arabic and Hebrew scripts in one typeface. In Israel, Hebrew dominates the public realm and the project is an attempt to give the two languages equal visibility. Working on the basis that Hebrew letters can be decoded from the bottom half alone, and Arabic from the top half, Turkenich created a single typeface by cutting letters from each language horizontally and sticking them together. The font, which is largely intelligible to both communities, is being exhibited in Rishon Letzion, near Tel Aviv, alongside Daniel Grumer's Avraham-Ibrahim font, which also uses elements of the two scripts. Vol/54 No/1 2015 FEBRUARY/MARCH The Linguist 5 What the papers say… Lichy and Garfield gave their baby the English name Hazel, and consulted a linguist about how they might write out, in notation form, Hazel's sign name, which is formed by a change from a closed to open index and thumb handshape near the chin… With the help of a motivated lawyer, they built a case, and the government eventually agreed that they did have the right to give their child a BSL name. The name, written in sign notation as UbOtDDstarL, is listed on her birth certificate. 'How a Deaf Couple had their Baby Officially Registered with a Sign Name', 27/11/14 Language acquisition has been expensive. It requires exceptional teaching that's only available to elite individuals. Duolingo changes that by making language acquisition accessible to consumers. Now, they turn their attention to the classroom. Because the product is free, Duolingo for Schools has the potential to change the way we think about differentiated and personalized adaptive learning products… Language teachers should be excited. Duolingo now offers a dashboard that will allow them to create groups and track student progress in a consolidated way. 'Duolingo for Schools is Free, and it May Change the EdTech Market', 8/1/15 The latest from the languages world NEWS & EDITORIAL Can you sum up an entire year in just one word? The dictionaries do – but their methods are precise. Oxford Dictionaries, for example, collate 150m words from various sources into a database. This data is then analysed by editors to track and verify new and emerging word trends. This means it's very possible two cardie- wearing word nerds had a heated debate over 'Lolcat' and 'jel' before a third chimed in with the sensible 'vape' as the eventual victor. '2014, have a word with yourself ', 31/12/14 Speakers of Ume Sámi have begun to use technology to protect the language. With fewer than 50 speakers, the Uralic tongue is classified as 'critically endangered' by Unesco. It is hoped that digitally documenting the language using the Memrise app will create a resource that will encourage more people to learn it. Traditionally spoken along the Ume river in Sweden and Norway, Ume Sámi is now spoken only in Sweden. It has 100 words relating to snow, including Dievve ('soft snow') and skietje ('hard, crystalline snow'). The use of language-learning apps to revive at-risk languages is increasing and, across the Pacific, there are similar plans to rescue Chamorro, which is spoken on the Mariana Islands in Micronesia. A free app, which incorporates games and challenges, aims to make it fun to learn the language. The app will be launched in March. The controversy around the satirical comedy The Interview has extended to the world of languages, as critics described its use of nonsensical Korean as 'sloppy'. Opposition to the film, which centres around a plot to assassinate the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, led to a cyber attack on Sony Pictures that threatened the film's release. When it did make it to cinemas and online streams, some commentators were more critical of its linguistic errors, wondering why Sony couldn't 'hire a proper Korean language translator'. Among the mistakes were a sign saying 'Circumstances' (주위) instead of 'Warning' (주의), and the character모든｜, which doesn't exist in Korean. Digital support Sony's use of Korean 'sloppy' Virtual guide It can be hard to find language guides that are compatible with mobile devices, but the launch of Lingopal 44 has gone some way towards rectifying that. The free app offers common words and phrases in a variety of categories, including 'dining' and 'making conversation', for users to view and hear, and is available in 44 languages. Further content can be purchased in-app.