Duolingo reports 485% increase in Ukrainian learners
The number of Duolingo users learning Ukrainian increased by 485% in the weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company will be donating all of its ad revenue from Ukrainian learners to organizations helping Ukrainian refugees.
Hong Kong legal system ditches English translations
A recent South China Morning Post report suggests that Hong Kong’s legal system has not been adequately transparent about providing English-language judgments in recent months.
New York attorney general calls on NWS to improve language access
Earlier this month, New York’s attorney general called on the National Weather Service (NWS) to improve its language access measures, in response to the disproportionate number of non-English speaking individuals who died during Hurricane Ida last summer.
The Russian Z: from military identifier to pro-war symbol
All language uses symbols for representation and classification, just like names. But these symbols' meaning can rapidly evolve, and the Russian Z launched during the invasion of Ukraine is a perfect example of such dynamic language significance.
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.
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.
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.
Literary translation organizations develop mentorship opportunity for Arabic-English translators
The partnership between the two organizations will include several workshops and mentorship opportunities, to be launched over the course of the next 18 months. The United Arab Emirates-based secretary general of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, Dr. Ali Bin Tamim said that the initiative will help develop and promote a network of Arab translators throughout the United Kingdom.