Andrew Warner
Andrew Warner is a writer from Sacramento. He received his B.A. in linguistics and English from UCLA and is currently working toward an M.A. in applied linguistics at Columbia University. His writing has been published in Language Magazine, Sactown Magazine, and The Takeout.
Holiday Etymology: It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
As language enthusiasts, we also think it’s fascinating to look at the etymology of the names for these celebrations — here are the origins of names for some common holiday celebrations throughout the world.
Keeping individuals with LEP up to date on environmental issues
Recently, advocates in the US state of New Jersey raised concerns about the state not providing adequate language access services at community meetings on the environment, leading to low engagement levels among individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP).
Language tech developments at the 8th Google for India conference
At the eighth Google for India event earlier this week, Google announced a handful of new language technology developments that it will soon begin to roll out in India.
US mental health crisis may be harder for individuals with limited English proficiency
According to a report from Centro SOL, many mental health clinicians in the state of Maryland are not providing language access services, making it more difficult for children and adolescents to receive the proper treatment.
A new policy for Nigerian languages in the country’s education system
Nigeria is home to more languages than all but two countries on Earth. Still, primary school students in the West African nation have been...
Linguistic diversity is increasing in the US. What does that mean for language access?
In the United States, the number of people who speak a language other than English at home is rising faster than those who mainly...
Research from Translated projects that MT is nearing human-like levels of performance
By observing the edits made to MT output by the 136,000 highest performing freelance translators on Matecat — the company’s computer-assisted translation tool — Translated found that the amount of time translators take to edit MT output has been declining along a “surprisingly linear trend.”
On the Origin of LangOps: The evolution of the localization roadmap
Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz in the industry about something called “LangOps” (short form for “language operations,” a term that’s admittedly a bit of a mouthful). Of course, you probably don’t need me to tell you that — if you’ve been flipping through the pages of this magazine (or scrolling through the digital version, for that matter), you’ve no doubt been following commentary on this budding concept, from experts like Arthur Wetzel and Renato Beninatto.
What do the words “permacrisis,” “gaslighting,” and “goblin mode” all have in common?
As 2022 comes to a close, English-language dictionary publishers are selecting the words that best encapsulate the character and ambiance of the last 365 days.
NVIDIA researchers win first place in Telugu ASR competition
Though it’s among the most widely spoken languages in the world, Telugu has few high-quality ASR models available for it, and is classified as a low-resource language.
Looking at Duolingo’s end-of-year report on language learning trends
In addition to platform-wide trends, folks who used the app for more than five days out of the year can access personalized insights neatly packaged into a Spotify Wrapped-esque report.
Here’s what people are saying about OpenAI’s ChatGPT
OpenAI, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence laboratory behind the large language model (LLM) GPT-3 and the image generator DALL-E, launched a new tool on Wednesday: ChatGPT.
Talking politics in a low-resource language
A five-day workshop at the University of Kashmir culminated in the completion of a nearly 4,000-word glossary of political science terminology translated into the Kashmiri language.
Deluxe makes eighth acquisition in two years: Post Haste Digital
Almost four months after announcing it acquired the studio behind German-language dubs of Stranger Things and The Crown, Deluxe has announced another acquisition: Post Haste Digital, an audiovisual studio that specializes in English-language dubbing.
32 countries, countless languages: Linguistic considerations at the World Cup
Often referred to as the biggest sporting event in the entire world, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that broadcasters and organizers of the...
Training AI to read your lips — in multiple languages
While most speech recognition tools analyze audio alone, researchers have also made progress in developing visual speech recognition (VSR) models, which rely on visual input to identify what a speaker is saying.
A $350 million initiative to improve vaccine rates among underserved communities — including those with limited English proficiency
As US residents’ attention toward the COVID-19 pandemic declines, the department is hoping to make the vaccinations easier to access for communities that have been overlooked throughout the course of the pandemic — including people with limited English proficiency.
Do we have enough (human) translators and interpreters to help vulnerable communities?
Refugee crises across the globe this year — from the European Union to Martha’s Vineyard — have highlighted the importance of maintaining a large, diverse workforce of human translators and interpreters.
Machine translation is no substitute for humans when it comes to law enforcement
“I've been doing this for 27 years, and I have seen the evolution of the industry when it comes to translation technologies,” he said. “To translators and interpreters, I want to say: ‘You are not obsolete, you are important, you are needed, and you will be needed always.’ ”
NYC Marathon winner brings sports interpreting into the spotlight
When Evans Chebet won the New York City (NYC) Marathon this month, he became the first man in more than a decade to win...
Canadian interpreter’s workplace injury highlights on-the-job health risks
Although interpreting is far from the most dangerous job out there, it does present health risks — from acoustic shock to ergonomic injuries — that are somewhat unique to the profession.
Zoom adds sign language interpretation feature
The company has been on a bit of an accessibility kick lately, with the addition of a sign language interpreting view serving as the latest example of the company’s efforts to make the platform more approachable for users who might otherwise have difficulties communicating through Zoom.
UNM launches research center to support acquisition of Diné and other Indigenous languages
When it comes to language learning, young children’s abilities are unparalleled. Their well-documented capacity to quickly acquire a language’s structures — whether that be...
Humans still beat machines when it comes to literary translation
You wouldn’t use Google Translate to churn out an English-language (or any language, for that matter) version of a novel like Gabriel García Márquez’s Cien años de soledad — or would you?