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.
Why we say “Kyiv” and not “Kiev”: The difficulty of translating place names
Ukraine has become the center of the media’s attention in recent weeks, and while more people seem aware of the connotation of referring to it as “the Ukraine,” another question has popped up regarding the way we refer to Ukraine’s capital: Kyiv or Kiev?
ZOO Digital launches ZOO Korea, a hub for localizing Korean entertainment
ZOO Digital has launched its new Korean language hub following an investment in WhatSub Pro. MultiLingual spoke with WhatSub Pro and ZOO Korea managing director Jonghyun Oh about the recent development and the rising demand for localized Korean media.
Polish news outlet to broadcast information to Ukraine via satellite
Belsat, a Poland-based television channel that primarily broadcasts news in Polish, Russian, Belarusian, and English has announced that it is adding Ukrainian to its slate of languages this week, in a response to the fighting in Ukraine.
Translit will provide free language services to Ukrainian refugees
MultiLingual spoke with the company’s CEO, Alex Chernenko, who was born in Odessa, Ukraine, about what LSPs can do to support Ukrainian refugees as war rages on in their country.
After court ruling, New Mexico governor signs language access bill
The recent passage of House Bill 22 (HB 22) on March 1 will allow the state to pinpoint weak spots in the state’s language access services, in an effort to continue improving them. The bill will go into effect beginning July 1.
Russian government threatens to block Russian Wikipedia for information on war in Ukraine
The Russian government has threatened to ban the Russian-language Wikipedia site for its inclusion of “illegally distributed information” about the ongoing war in Ukraine...
French-speaking Ottawa residents file complaints over language access at vaccine clinics
The local government of Ottawa’s French Language Services (FLS) branch saw an increased number of complaints regarding French language services in 2021, according to a report the branch compiled last week.
Subtitlers’ association launches website redesign amid discussion over the profession’s future
SUBTLE, an association of audiovisual translators (AVT) founded in the United Kingdom, recently re-launched its website and updated its membership benefits, a move which it announced last week on Twitter. The association’s website redesign and updated benefits come at a particularly interesting crossroads for the AVT and subtitling profession.
Journalist’s multilingual coverage of Ukraine conflict goes viral
A reporter for the Associated Press (AP) has received a lot of attention for his multilingual coverage of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In just a little more than 24 hours, a montage of his coverage for different outlets received more than 14 million views and 114,000 likes on Twitter.
Lanfrica launches catalog of African language resources
Lanfrica, an online catalog of African language resources specialized for linguists and natural language processing (NLP) specialists, has launched after months of development.
Think Global Awards announces shortlist, awards to be granted in April
Earlier this week, the Think Global Awards announced their shortlist of individuals and companies for the awards ceremony’s fifth year.
Study sheds light on toddlers’ vocabulary development and COVID-19 lockdowns
A study which is currently in press in the journal Language Development Research found that, among the babies and toddlers studied, children made greater gains in vocabulary size during the early lockdowns than individuals pre-lockdown.
AI-powered localization startup Deepdub raises $20 million in Series A funding
Deepdub, a Tel Aviv-based startup focused on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for the localization of film and television series, announced last week that it had raised $20 million in Series A funding.
The trials and tribulations of digitizing Urdu, the 10th most spoken language in the world
Because Nastalīq has been so challenging to adapt to a digital format, many Urdu speakers have taken to using Naskh, which is written along straight horizontal lines, or even using a non-standardized form of the language that uses Latin script.
Massachusetts General Hospital clinicians detail language access strategy amid COVID-19
A paper recently published in the American Journal of Medical Care is shedding light on the importance of providing language access services in the healthcare setting — even before a patient makes their appointment.
Language I/O increases employee headcount, appoints new execs
Language I/O, the Cheyenne-based language technology company that recently received $6.5 million in Series A funding, announced some significant growth for the company earlier this week — including the appointment of two new executives.
New Mexico introduces bill to increase pay for Native American language instructors
House Bill (HB) 60 would essentially allow fluent speakers of Native American languages the opportunity to receive a teacher’s salary without needing a teaching credential.
The Economist shares data on English’s role in global pop culture
Data journalists at The Economist used information from Spotify to identify several trends in how local communities across the world listen to music — while English-language music remains quite popular worldwide, its popularity appears to be declining, as local audiences begin to turn more to music performed in their native language.
Court of Justice sees case over Tesco food label translations
A court case focused on the British grocery chain Tesco’s food label translations has reached the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the highest court in the EU.
Microsoft and Canadian government partner to create MT for indigenous languages
Microsoft Translator now offers Inuinnaqtun and a romanized version of Inuktitut, which were developed with the support of the government of Nunavut, Canada, and other community groups. Inuktitut, which is the most widely known and spoken dialect of the Inuktut language, was first added to Microsoft Translator in Jan. 2021. When it was first added to the platform, Microsoft Translator could only translate it using the native Inuktitut syllabary system.
Preply names El Paso the most bilingual city in the US
The most bilingual city in the United States is El Paso, Texas, according to recently released research conducted by e-learning company Preply. Using census data to identify cities with large populations of bilingual individuals, Preply found that about one in five residents of the country’s largest cities is bilingual.
The dispute over Sanremo Music Festival’s sign language performances
The Sanremo Music Festival, which began this year on Feb. 1, began offering sign language accommodations in 2020. This year, however, sign language performances will be no more, after a dispute between Sanremo in LIS' artistic director and Radiotelevisione italiana.
Kriol interpreting efforts misunderstood in Western Australia and abroad
Earlier this month, Australian politician Mark McGowan received harsh criticism for a video campaign intended to disseminate COVID-19-related information to Aboriginal people living in the state of Western Australia (WA). MultiLingual an Australian interpreter about the video and why the outrage against it is largely unjustified.
Language researchers, digital archivists receive grants from NEH
Earlier this month, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced that it would be doling out $27.4 million in grants for more than 200 humanities projects throughout the nation — including a project that could be pivotal for preservation of the Cherokee language.