Metaglossia: The Translation World

"Multilingualism in Belgium: What happens in our brains when we switch languages?

Brussels is full of multilingual residents. Credit: Belga
Ordering your coffee in French, answering an email in English, and speaking another language at home – this is the reality for many people in Brussels.

As one of the world’s most diverse and multilingual cities, the Belgian capital is home to people who often speak two or three, and sometimes even four languages. For many residents, switching between French, Dutch, English, and another language is part of everyday life.

According to data from BRIO Brussel, the Brussels-Capital Region was home to more than 180 nationalities in 2024, with residents speaking 104 different languages. The most widely spoken languages are French (81%), English (46.9%), Dutch (22.3%), Spanish (14.5%), Arabic (11.5%), Italian (6.1%), German (6.1%), Portuguese (2.8%), Turkish (2.8%), and Romanian (2.1%).

Speaking more than one language has obvious advantages, allowing people to communicate across different communities. Multilinguals may make it look easy, but in reality, things are not so simple. Scientists say those benefits also come with hidden cognitive costs.

What happens in the brain?
When multilingual people speak, they often activate words from other languages they know, explained Professor Mathieu Declerck, senior researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB). His research focuses on multilingual language processing.

"Dutch and English are the languages I know best, so whenever I want to say something in English, I'm also activating words in Dutch," he told The Brussels Times. "For example, when I want to say the word 'dog', the Dutch word 'hond' is also activated in my brain and they are both competing to be selected."

According to Declerck, this constant competition has to be resolved in some way, which he says is done through language control. The mechanism allows people to select, switch between, or suppress languages as needed. This process is explained through the concept of inhibition – suppressing the language that isn’t relevant at a given moment.

When switching, “your brain assumes that there’s a higher possibility of making an error because of the competition between languages,” says Declerck. He believes this happens because our brains are more alert to potential mistakes.

Cognitive effort
Language inhibition requires considerable cognitive resources. Suppressing one language leaves fewer mental resources for producing the one that we are trying to speak.

This often happens when people move between conversations with family members, with whom they speak one language, and interactions with people who speak another.

Another theory, according to Declerck, focuses on overcoming the inhibition of a language. “It takes a lot of time, and it causes a lot of errors,” he says.

While these two theories differ, they are not, as the scientist pointed out, “mutually exclusive”. These notions can exist simultaneously but they both support the idea that the language that is no longer needed has to be suppressed to some degree.

Another characteristic of life in Brussels is having to speak a language we are not fully fluent in. If you have to speak French, Dutch or English and you don’t feel 100% comfortable, then your brain will often translate from the language you feel most confident speaking.

“This is a huge mental effort,” says Declerck, and it also one of the reasons why we get so tired after speaking that language. “It’s obviously not the most economical way but that’s how the brain works."

The cost we pay
Shifting between different languages comes at a cost that “appears in many different shapes and forms,” according to Declerck.

One of the most common consequences is making semantic errors. For example, if you want to say “horse,” you accidentally say “cow,” he explains. “The most common error from switching between languages is actually using the wrong language."

Another concept Declerck explains is "language intrusion", which is the involuntary mixing of words and grammar from one language to another. It can be as subtle as accidentally replying in the wrong language or struggling to form a sentence.

Other issues include pauses, stutters or failing to switch languages altogether. “Sometimes people don’t transition to another language, even when you ask them to and they stay in the language they are currently speaking,” he says.

However, Declerck highlighted that when we switch voluntarily, the cognitive costs are much smaller. “If you’re speaking your native language to somebody, you might switch sometimes to English because it feels more appropriate,” he adds, arguing that one of the biggest misconceptions is the belief that language switching happens automatically. “You don’t have to make a huge conscious effort, but people assume this is super easy and requires no cognitive effort at all."

Moreover, it is more common for people to be more emotional in their mother tongue than a language they have learned in a more “clinical environment,” says Declerck. This is because you tend to learn your native language in an emotional environment – at home with your parents – while other languages you learn through TV or school."
Tuesday, 30 June 2026
By  Polya Pencheva
https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/2209026/what-happens-in-our-brains-when-we-switch-languages
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"Bilingual brains use a shared neural map to translate meaning across languages

A recent study published in the journal Cell provides evidence that the human brain uses a shared organizational map, or geometry, to represent word meanings across different languages. By recording individual brain cells in bilingual individuals, scientists found that while each language relies on distinct cellular activity patterns, the overall structural relationship between word meanings remains consistent. This suggests that the brain maintains a universal, language-independent internal model for meaning.

Human beings possess the unique ability to comprehend and express identical thoughts in multiple languages without confusing them. Previous brain imaging research indicates that bilingual speakers rely on overlapping brain regions when processing their different languages. Regions traditionally associated with language, such as the inferior frontal gyrus and posterior temporal cortex, show similar activation patterns whether a person is speaking English or Spanish.

However, these broad brain scans do not capture how the brain matches equivalent concepts across languages while keeping the languages functionally separate. A collaborative research team from Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, and Sungkyunkwan University sought to understand this phenomenon at the level of individual brain cells.

The research team proposed that the bilingual brain might organize meaning by using a shared neural geometry. In this context, neural geometry refers to the mathematical distances and relationships between words represented in a high-dimensional space within the brain.

“Our findings suggest that the brain may store meaning in a language-independent format,” said Dr. Sameer Sheth, a professor of neurosurgery, McNair Scholar, and Cullen Foundation Endowed Chair at Baylor College of Medicine, and co-senior author of the study. “Different languages appear to access a shared conceptual map rather than creating entirely separate representations of the world.”

The research team specifically focused on the hippocampus, a brain region known to play a central role in memory and the linking of concepts. Because the hippocampus is buried deep within the brain, it is typically difficult to study during active language processing.

To observe these deep brain structures, the scientists recruited four fully balanced bilingual patients who spoke both English and Spanish. These patients were already undergoing surgical procedures for treatment-resistant epilepsy. This medical situation provided a rare opportunity to implant high-density microelectrodes directly into the hippocampus. Three patients received standard microelectrodes, while one patient received a highly advanced Neuropixels probe, allowing the scientists to record the electrical spikes of individual neurons.

The scientists designed three distinct tasks for the participants to perform. In the first task, all four patients spent about 120 minutes passively listening to matched stories and podcasts in both English and Spanish. The audio content included educational science podcasts from a creator called Kurzgesagt and excerpts from the audiobook “Eat, Pray, Love.” This provided thousands of spoken words for the researchers to analyze across multiple sessions.

In the second task, two of the patients read 99 matched short phrases on a computer screen and spoke them out loud. Finally, these same two patients participated in unstructured, naturalistic conversations. They spoke with native speakers of each language for periods ranging from 32 to 99 minutes. The scientists then aligned the spoken audio with the recorded neural activity to track how the brain responded to specific words.

The scientists closely analyzed the firing rates of the recorded neurons in response to equivalent words across languages. They first looked for cross-language neurons, which are individual brain cells that respond identically to translated pairs like “earth” and “tierra.” They identified a small subset of these neurons, providing evidence that a few isolated cells do handle direct translation.

However, these specific cells were rare, meaning they could not entirely explain how the brain processes two languages seamlessly. The findings suggest that translation is not driven primarily by specialized dictionary neurons, but instead emerges from coordinated activity across large neural populations.

“Our results show that bilingual meaning is an emergent property of neural populations,” said Xinyuan Yan, a postdoctoral scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and lead author of the study. “The brain does not appear to rely on one-to-one translation cells. Instead, it preserves patterns of relationships among concepts across languages.”

To understand the bigger picture, the authors compared the patients’ neural activity to an artificial intelligence tool called multilingual BERT. BERT is a large language model that learns cross-linguistic representations by processing massive amounts of text. The scientists extracted contextual word embeddings from the artificial intelligence model.

Contextual word embeddings are mathematical representations of words that capture their meaning based on surrounding text. The scientists then mapped these artificial representations alongside the actual firing rates of the human hippocampal neurons. They found notable similarities between the geometry of semantic representations in the hippocampus and the internal organization of modern artificial intelligence systems trained on multiple languages.

“Large language models and the human brain may be converging on similar computational solutions for representing meaning,” said Benjamin Hayden, an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering and linguistics at Rice University, professor of neurosurgery and McNair Scholar at Baylor, and co-senior author of the study. “That does not mean AI works exactly like the brain, but it suggests there may be universal principles for organizing knowledge.”

The findings revealed that the specific semantic tuning curves of most individual neurons differed substantially between English and Spanish. A semantic tuning curve is essentially a profile of how a specific neuron responds to different word meanings across a wide variety of topics. Because these profiles did not match, it indicated that the brain uses language-specific recipes to process words. An individual neuron might fire strongly for the English word “dog” but remain completely quiet for the Spanish word “perro.”

Despite this difference at the cellular level, the overall population of neurons maintained a preserved geometric organization across both languages. The researchers measured the mathematical distances between the neural responses for different words. They found that the overarching map of word meanings in English tends to mirror the map in Spanish perfectly.

The brain achieves this by using the same population of neurons but reading their activity from different angles, or axes, depending on the language being spoken. This phenomenon is similar to looking at a three-dimensional object from two different viewpoints. The object’s shape remains identical, but the visible profile changes based on your perspective.

“This helps explain how bilingual people can switch between languages so fluidly,” Hayden said. “The brain seems to maintain a common internal structure for meaning while simultaneously keeping languages distinct enough to avoid interference.”

The shared semantic structure was so robust that the researchers could use it to predict neural responses. By looking at a cluster of related words in English, the scientists could mathematically rotate the data to accurately predict how the brain would respond to a held-out Spanish word. This form of zero-shot learning demonstrates that the overall geometry provides enough information for translation, even without a direct word-to-word mapping at the individual neuron level.

Beyond the scientific arena, this discovery may be of broader interest in the humanities and social sciences. The concept of a stable, shared geometric neural map provides evidence for a structuralist view of language, an intellectual current often traced back to Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. Structuralism holds that meaning transcends individual cultural expressions and instead relies on an underlying universal structure or system.

In addition to advancing basic neuroscience, the authors note that these findings could influence the development of brain-computer interfaces. They may also inform language rehabilitation therapies and future artificial intelligence systems designed to communicate more naturally with humans.

While these findings offer deep insights into bilingualism, readers should be aware of a few limitations. One potential misinterpretation is that these results apply to all language learners. The patients in this study were all highly proficient, early-acquired bilinguals, meaning they learned both languages around age four or five. It remains unknown if individuals who learn a second language later in life share this identical neural geometry.

Additionally, the researchers caution that the study features a very small sample size of only four participants. This is due to the extreme rarity of finding balanced bilingual patients who require deep brain electrode implants for medical reasons. The authors point out that the study only examined English and Spanish. These two languages share many linguistic roots and structural similarities.

Another limitation involves the medical status of the participants. One of the patients was recorded under general anesthesia after a portion of their temporal lobe had been removed. While the data from this patient largely matched the others, the anesthesia and surgery could have altered normal brain activity patterns.

Future research could expand on these findings by testing unrelated language pairs, such as English and Mandarin, and by observing larger populations. Scientists also hope to study participants as they actively learn a new language. Tracking the brain during the learning process could reveal exactly how this shared semantic geometry forms and aligns over time.

The study, “Shared neural geometries for bilingual semantic representations in human hippocampal neurons,” was authored by Xinyuan Yan, Ana G. Chavez, Melissa Franch, Kalman A. Katlowitz, Ivy Gautam, Brian Kim, Aaditya Krishna, Aadit Shrivastava, Katie Van Arsdel, James Belanger, Assia Chericoni, Taha Ismail, Elizabeth A. Mickiewicz, Danika Paulo, Hanlin Zhu, Alica M. Goldman, Vaishnav Krishnan, Atul Maheshwari, Eleonora Bartoli, Nicole R. Provenza, Seng Bum Michael Yoo, Benjamin Y. Hayden, and Sameer A. Sheth."
Eric W. Dolan
June 30, 2026
https://www.psypost.org/bilingual-brains-use-a-shared-neural-map-to-translate-meaning-across-languages/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

Esperanto was created in 1887, with the intention of being a language that's easy to learn and speak. It's widely spoken, but some say hasn't caught on as much as it could.

"The 'constructed language' Esperanto holds annual conference in Cleveland

 

Esperanto is designed to be a universal language.

"The Big Shrink"

Cleveland's population was 930,000 at its height in 1950. Now, it's a little more than a third of that.

 

With that population loss, comes fewer students enrolled in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. And those dropping enrollment numbers has led to the district needing to closure buildings and lay off hundreds of employees.

 

Cleveland is far from the only district experiencing this issue, which one education researcher has called "the big shrink."

 

Tuesday on the "Sound of Ideas" we'll learn more about what's happening with CMSD, and other districts across the state. You can read Ideastream Education Reporter Conor Morris's reporting on the issue here.

 

Guests:

- Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media

- Meryl Johnson, Former Educator and State Board of Education Representative

- Vladimir Kogan, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, The Ohio State University

 

 

U.S. Annual Esperanto Conference

 

Vi aŭskultas la radioprogramon "Sono de Ideoj" de Ideastream Public Media. Mi estas Stephanie Haney, dankon pro via restado kun ni.

 

What you just read translated to English reads, "You're with the 'Sound of Ideas' from Ideastream Public Media. I'm Stephanie Haney, thanks for staying with us."

 

But you may not have understood it, because that first line was written in Esperanto.

 

Esperanto was created in the late 1800s, meant to be a universal secondary language. It's not tied to any particular region in the world so it has no native speakers, and it's not intended to be anyone's first language. It's meant to be easy to learn, no matter what your background, and its goal is to promote international communication and even world peace.

 

The language of Esperanto is encouraged here in the United States by a non-profit organization called Esperanto-USA, which is hosting a weeklong course and its national conference at Cleveland State University, now through July 6th.

 

Tuesday on the "Sound of Ideas," we have leaders of Esperanto-USA and a Cleveland member joining us to teach us about the language and its Northeast Ohio connection dating back to the 1930s, and hopefully help us walk away knowing a few key phrases.

 

Guests:

- Brandon Sowers, President, Esperanto-USA

- Amanda Schmidt, Executive Director, Esperanto-USA

- Jeremy Genovese, Member, Esperanto-USA"

By Stephanie Haney, Drew Maziasz

Published June 30, 2026 at 5:00 AM

https://www.ideastream.org/show/sound-of-ideas/2026-06-30/the-constructed-language-esperanto-holds-annual-conference-in-cleveland

#metaglossia 

#metaglossia_mundus 

"In January 2026, scientists reported that the human brain processes spoken language in a sequence that closely mirrors the layered architecture of advanced AI language models — suggesting that biological brains and artificial networks may build meaning through surprisingly similar step-by-step computations.
In January 2026, researchers reported that the order in which the human brain makes sense of spoken language, from raw sound up to meaning, lines up closely with the layer-by-layer way large language models process text.

A study found the brains language processing mirrors the layered structure of AI models. Representative image. Photo: Google DeepMind / Pexels.
In January 2026, researchers reported that the order in which the human brain makes sense of spoken language, from raw sound up to meaning, lines up closely with the layer-by-layer way large language models process text. The brain and the model, it seems, climb much the same ladder.

It is a striking result.

It is also one that is easy to read more into than the data will bear.

What they did
The study, led by Ariel Goldstein at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and published in Nature Communications, drew on a rare kind of data. Nine people with epilepsy, who already had electrodes implanted in their brains for clinical reasons, listened to a thirty-minute podcast while their neural activity was recorded directly, with far more precision than a scan from outside the skull allows.

The researchers then compared the timing of that brain activity, region by region, with the internal workings of a large language model as it processed the same words, layer by layer.

What they found
The two lined up. The model’s early layers, which handle the most basic, surface features of language, matched the earliest brain responses. Its deeper layers, which capture context and meaning, matched later activity in regions such as Broca’s area, long associated with language.

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Silicon Canals
Both systems moved through the same sequence: from the acoustic signal, to the sounds of speech, to individual words, to meaning. Where the model sat in its stack of layers corresponded to when, and where, the brain was in its own processing. The progression was nearly identical.

What it suggests, and what it does not
The tempting conclusion is that the brain “works like AI.” That is the step to take carefully.

What the study shows is an alignment between two sets of representations, not proof that a brain runs the same computations as a transformer. The two are built and trained in entirely different ways, one by evolution and a lifetime of listening, the other by statistics over a vast pile of text. What they appear to share is the shape of the solution, a layered climb from sound to sense.

And there is a plausible reason for that which does not require them to be alike under the hood. Turning speech into meaning may simply be a layered problem by nature, so two very different systems solving it could arrive at similar stages independently.

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Korean children begin learning nunchi at age three — and the ancient social-perception practice their grandmothers taught by instinct is now being studied in labs as a measurable cognitive skill
Convergence on a solution is not the same as a shared design.

Why it still matters
Even as an analogy, the correspondence is useful. It gives neuroscientists a concrete, testable model of how language understanding might unfold in the brain, and it weighs against older theories that treated comprehension as the application of formal grammatical rules, pointing instead towards a gradual, statistical build-up of meaning.

It also cuts both ways. The better these models predict brain activity, the more they can serve as instruments for studying the brain, whether or not they turn out to be accurate pictures of it.

What to watch
The limits are worth holding in mind. This was nine patients, one language, one half-hour of a single podcast. Whether the correspondence holds across more people, other languages and other kinds of model is the obvious next question.

Underneath it sits a harder one, still open: whether the shared hierarchy points to something deep about how meaning is assembled, or only reflects that brain and machine were fed the same kind of input. The study has drawn the parallel sharply. It has not yet explained it."
By Space Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process
Published June 30, 2026
https://spacedaily.com/in-january-2026-scientists-reported-that-the-human-brain-processes-spoken-language-in-a-sequence-that-closely-mirrors-the-layered-architecture-of-advanced-ai-language-models-suggesting-that/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"La traduction à l’épreuve de la langue source: l’arabe et l’éthique du traducteur
La traduction est souvent pensée à partir de la langue d'arrivée, au risque de reléguer au second plan la langue source. À partir du cas de l'arabe, cet article interroge les présupposés qui entourent l'acte de traduire et plaide pour une éthique du traducteur fondée sur la compétence, l'humilité et la transmission.

Signalez ce contenu à notre équipe
Une idée reçue
« Ce qui compte dans une traduction, c’est la langue d’arrivée [ici, le français]. »

La phrase est connue. Elle est même devenue une sorte d’évidence dans beaucoup de milieux littéraires, éditoriaux, voire universitaires. Après tout, le lecteur lit un texte en français ; il faudrait donc avant tout produire un beau français. Qui pourrait le contester ?

Et pourtant, cette idée érigée en principe absolu mérite d’être interrogée. Car que traduit-on exactement lorsqu’on ne maîtrise qu’imparfaitement la langue que l’on prétend traduire ?

Lire avant de traduire
Une traduction n’est pas une simple opération de transvasement. Elle est un acte de lecture d’une extrême exigence. Avant d’écrire une phrase en français, le traducteur doit avoir entendu quelque chose dans la langue source : un rythme, un registre de langue, une référence culturelle, un sous-entendu, parfois même un silence.

Le lecteur francophone, quand il lit des œuvres littéraires traduites de l’arabe en français, ne se rend pas forcément compte des approximations ou des contre-sens qu’il peut rencontrer. Il ne réalise pas non plus toutes les variations linguistiques, historiques, géographiques, poétiques que le traducteur a dû traverser pour qu’il puisse lire une belle prose française.

Mais que reste-t-il de cette épaisseur lorsque la langue de départ devient secondaire, faute de la maîtriser ? Quoi penser d’un traducteur pour qui il suffit de se faire aider pour le déchiffrage du texte original, l’essentiel étant la qualité du français ? Comment en vient-on à considérer que l’intelligence du texte premier peut être reléguée, tandis que l’écriture en français constituerait, à elle seule, le véritable travail et enjeu de traduction ?

L’illusion technologique
Aujourd’hui, les logiciels de traduction automatique et les outils d’intelligence artificielle permettent d’obtenir en quelques secondes une première version d’un texte rédigé dans une langue que l’on maîtrise peu. Ces outils peuvent être précieux. Ils facilitent un premier repérage lexical, suggèrent des hypothèses de lecture et aident parfois à identifier certaines difficultés.

Est-ce pour autant qu’ils dispensent du travail de compréhension ? Un texte, et plus encore un texte littéraire, ne se réduit ni à un lexique ni à une syntaxe. Ce qui fait une œuvre est souvent précisément ce qui échappe aux outils de traduction : les implicites, les références culturelles, les jeux de langue, les ambiguïtés, les effets de rythme, les échos intertextuels.

Utiliser ces outils comme un appui est une chose ; leur déléguer la lecture du texte original en est une autre.

Une étrange désinvolture envers l’arabe
Cette hiérarchie implicite entre la langue source et la langue d’arrivée dit peut-être quelque chose du rapport aux langues dites « rares » et, plus particulièrement, à l’arabe. Comme si la connaissance profonde de cette langue n’était pas indispensable. Comme si sa maîtrise pouvait être approximative sans que cela ne pose véritablement problème.

Il ne s’agit évidemment pas de soutenir qu’il faudrait être locuteur natif pour traduire l’arabe ou toute autre langue. L’histoire de la traduction nous offre bien assez de contre-exemples. Il s’agit simplement de rappeler une exigence qui devrait aller de soi : pour traduire une langue, il est nécessaire d’en maîtriser les ressorts linguistiques, historiques et culturels. Faute de quoi, nous risquons de produire de beaux textes français qui ne sont pas tout à fait les textes que leurs auteurs avaient écrits.

Qui parle au nom de la langue arabe ?
La réponse à cette question n’est pas aussi évidente qu’il y paraît.

Nous avons déjà eu l’occasion d’écrire ici que depuis plusieurs décennies, l’arabe occupe une place paradoxale dans le paysage français où il demeure mal représenté, notamment à l’école et dans l’espace public.

Dans ce contexte, une forme de désinvolture intellectuelle vis-à-vis de cette langue semble s’être imposée : celle qui autorise à parler de l’arabe, à le traduire, à l’enseigner ou à l’interpréter culturellement, sans que la question des compétences linguistiques ne soit toujours posée avec la même exigence et la même rigueur que pour d’autres langues.

Cette situation produit des effets très concrets ; elle nourrit les approximations et entretient les idées reçues.

Une éthique de la traduction
Pourquoi traduit-on finalement ?

Est-ce pour se faire connaître ou pour faire connaître une œuvre ? Est-ce pour occuper une place ou pour permettre à un texte de trouver la sienne ?

La traduction est d’abord un acte de transmission et, comme toute transmission, elle exige de l’humilité.

Le traducteur est un passeur. Il permet à une œuvre de franchir des frontières linguistiques et culturelles afin d'entamer une nouvelle vie dans une autre langue.

Ce travail ne va pas sans un certain effacement du traducteur, car ce n’est pas lui qui est le centre de l’opération de traduction. Il se doit en effet de résister à une double tentation : celle de se substituer à l’auteur et celle de faire briller sa propre écriture aux dépens du texte original.

Certes, la langue d’arrivée est essentielle, mais elle n’est pas plus importante que la langue source ; elle en est simplement la nouvelle demeure.

Une bonne traduction est une traduction juste, qui parvient à habiller un texte d’une nouvelle langue tout en laissant entendre, à travers elle, la voix première.

Le traducteur n’invente pas une œuvre nouvelle ; il met ses compétences au service de la migration d’une œuvre déjà existante d’une langue vers une autre.

Il accompagne ainsi le texte dans son passage et se tient, avec discrétion, au service de cette traversée."
Billet de blog 29 juin 2026
Esma Hind Tengour
Professeure de langue arabe

https://blogs.mediapart.fr/esma-hind-tengour/blog/290626/la-traduction-l-epreuve-de-la-langue-source-l-arabe-et-l-ethique-du-traducteur
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

A French-Language “Zorro” Offers a Charmingly Offbeat Interpretation of the Famous Vigilante
"The character of Zorro has been around for over a hundred years. Created by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley in 1919, the popular masked vigilante has appeared in over 40 feature films and multiple television series, portrayed by actors ranging from Tyrone Power and Douglas Fairbanks to Guy Williams and Antonio Banderas. And although Zorro may seem a somewhat archaic figure to modern audiences, the character has indelibly shaped much of the superhero fiction that remains so popular today.

Even those who know relatively little about the original stories in which the character appeared will find his masked crusader persona, complete with a domino mask, flowing cape, and secret lair, deeply familiar. This makes sense, given that Zorro was one of the foundational influences behind the creation of Batman, another wealthy aristocrat who plays dumb as a cover for the secret identity that allows him to battle corrupt elites and help the poor. But while these familiar narrative beats are still present in “Zorro,” MHz Choice’s eight-part French-language reimagining of the famous character, the series is eager to put its own spin on his story.

While this latest adaptation boasts familiar swashbuckling action, a masked hero, and a well-meaning crusade for justice, this isn’t a particularly traditional tale. A genre-bending mix of adventure, occasionally slapstick comedy, relationship mishaps, and colonial politics, this “Zorro” feels largely unlike any take on this particular hero we’ve ever seen before. It’s an ambitious reimagining that doesn’t always work—its insistence on mistaken identity gags will test your patience at more than one point—but the show’s refreshingly different approach to its premise still manages to make this century-old hero feel brand new again.

The story begins in 1821 when Zorro is essentially retired. His real-life alter ego, the dorky but charmingly earnest Don Diego de la Vega (Jean Dujardin), hasn’t put on his famous cape and mask in 20 years. Now a fifty-something proto-technocrat, he fights for justice by way of civic improvement. He has grand plans for improving his beloved Los Angeles, including installing a central pipeline to bring much-needed water to the town. But when he inherits the role of mayor after his father’s (André Dussollier) death, he learns that the elder De la Vega has left it in substantial debt to the predatory businessman Don Emmanuel (Éric Elmosnino).

A corrupt grifter who runs the local casino, uses shell corporations to avoid taxes, and pays his workers with mezcal that he then has the police arrest them for drinking in public, Don Emmanuel regularly—and gleefully—exploits the most marginalized and downtrodden in the community. (There’s even a point at which his casino chips become the town’s primary currency.) He fears no punishment or consequences, and his brazen behavior is nothing so much as proof that, despite Don Diego’s best efforts, the people still need Zorro after all.

Getting back into the saddle takes a while, both literally and figuratively speaking, but by the time loyal sidekick, Bernardo (the endlessly delightful Salvatore Ficarra) has upgraded his gear and introduced him to the son of his famous horse, Tornado (who is also named Tornado, because of course he is), things are suddenly looking a lot more like something we’ve seen before.

Yet “Zorro” smartly refuses to take the easy path. As Don Diego resumes his secret identity, freeing the wrongfully imprisoned, thwarting theft, and just generally riding to the rescue whenever it’s necessary, Zorro slowly emerges as the town’s de facto leader and beloved savior, frequently stealing the spotlight from his own mayoral efforts. To make things even more complicated, De La Vega’s wife Gabriella (Audrey Dana) has a flirtatious run-in with Zorro, a connection blossoms, and Don Diego ultimately finds himself trapped in a love triangle…with another side of himself.

Plenty of vaudevillian-style hijinks ensue as De La Vega pushes himself to the limit to keep his secret, complete with several close calls, misunderstandings, and false accusations. But “Zorro” is at its most interesting in the moments when Don Diego’s identities—both real and secret—come into conflict. We see our hero genuinely struggling with the intersection of his very different lives, torn between his understanding of the man he is and the man he wants to be seen as. He resents his alter ego’s popularity and ability to inspire the townspeople, even as he basks in their praise and admiration. He relishes the opportunity to reconnect with the wife he loves, physically and otherwise, though he is tormented by the fact that she’s drawn so strongly to someone else. (Even if that man is, also technically, him.)

American audiences are likely most familiar with Dujardin from his Oscar-winning turn in the largely dialogue-free 2011 film “The Artist,” and he makes for a charismatic leading man here, awkwardly earnest and dryly funny by turns. Though the series features its share of sword-fighting action, this “Zorro” is equally as interested in Don Diego’s internal battles with himself, often depicted via arguments with an imaginary version of his dead father, and Dujardin deftly balances humor and sincerity in ways we don’t tend to associate with this particular character.

Unfortunately, some of the series’ jokes go on a bit too long, and the show drags badly in its midsection. Part of the reason for this is that Zorro and Gabriella’s repeated flirtations and steadily deepening relationship require an almost laughable suspension of disbelief to work, something the admittedly strong chemistry between the actors can’t always cover for. This results in a regrettable (and, quite frankly, unnecessary) dumbing-down of her character. Her incomprehensible disinterest in Zorro’s true identity—not to mention her willingness to let him keep the mask on at all times—does a disservice to Dana’s otherwise sparky and intelligent performance as a woman who generally seems fairly modern for her time.

Told in French, shot in Spain, and full of the colorful imagery of Old California, “Zorro” makes for an enjoyable enough summer distraction, a pleasant throwback to when adventure-themed television was still something major networks still made. Despite poking at themes ranging from the rise of populism to the struggles of aging, the show never takes itself too seriously, and its broad, warmly comedic vibes will almost certainly charm a wide range of viewers. Perhaps this particular masked avenger isn’t the hero we particularly expected to reappear in the year of our Lord 2026, but his return is a welcome one all the same.

All eight episodes screened for review. Premieres June 30 on MHz Choice."
Lacy Baugher
https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/zorro-jean-dujardin-tv-review-2026
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

More than a billion copies sold in English of her more than 100 books, and as many again in other languages; only Shakespeare and the Bible surpass her

"The mystery of Agatha Christie: The most imitated and misunderstood author in world literature
On the centenary of ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd,’ the novel that propelled her to fame, we unravel the secrets of a complex author, who sold more than 2 billion books

In June 1926, Agatha Christie published The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and something changed forever in the history of literature. It was her sixth novel, the third in the series about Hercule Poirot, a character both irritating and brilliant in equal measure, with whom she had launched her literary career six years earlier. The success was immediate. The novel’s ending — unprecedented and controversial — propelled Christie’s popularity, and the book paved the way for a career with almost unimaginable figures: more than a billion copies sold in English of her more than 100 books, and as many again in other languages; only Shakespeare and the Bible surpass her.

Paradoxically, this global success and her extraordinary productivity have blurred the edges of a far darker, deeper, and more unsettling author than she might seem — a writer so thoroughly embedded in the DNA of crime fiction that her influence often goes unnoticed, a master plotter who, a century ago, was responsible for some of the greatest endings in literary history.

“She’s an intergenerational author; her novels are very well crafted and have a brilliant edge,” says editor Miriam Vall, who oversees the Spanish publication of the British writer’s complete works at Espasa. “She is trivialized for being prolific and for being a woman, but she does not write littleweight novels at all: these are major novels. And she has not gone out of fashion — quite the opposite.”

Espasa has published nearly a hundred titles and aims to publish all of them in Spanish by 2028. Readers — including younger ones — have responded enthusiastically. “With Agatha, you see but you don’t; you don’t want to go back, you get pulled into the story,” says Vall. “And young readers love that. The novel turns them into detectives, asks for a bit of help, and they end up completely hooked.”

Although not always fully recognized, Christie’s influence on contemporary authors is immense. In Juan Gómez-Jurado’s latest novel (Mentira), the influence of the author of Death on the Nile can be traced, especially in the unreliable narrator she introduced in the aforementioned The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Unsurprisingly, Gómez-Jurado is one of her staunchest defenders:

“She taught me that the reader deserves respect,” he says. “You can surprise them, you can manipulate them, but you cannot lie to them. All the information has to be there. Christie appears simple. That transparency is the result of intense work, not its absence. The fact that she sells hundreds of millions of books and critics still raise an eyebrow says more about the eyebrow-raiser.”

This Stakhanovite method was fueled by tireless activity (she took notes on everything, scattered fragments that only later took shape), discipline, and a remarkable ability to draw from reality: her novels are anchored in the kind of society she inhabited — comfortable, with large houses and servants, yet marked by a certain moral and economic decline.

The front page of the 'Daily Sketch' announces Agatha Christie's return on December 15, 1946, after she had been missing for 11 days. Colonel Archibald Christie, her first husband, and their daughter are also on the front page.
Hulton Archive (Getty Images)
Despite finally achieving success, 1926 was a turbulent year for her. In December, she disappeared for 11 days, and the case gripped British society. She left her home in Berkshire without telling anyone. Her car was later found abandoned near King’s Cross station, from where it was eventually discovered she had taken a train to Harrogate — now home to one of the world’s leading crime fiction festivals — and checked into a hotel. Some staff recognized her and raised the alarm. She had registered under the name Nancy Neele, a golfer who was both a family acquaintance and her husband’s lover, whom she did not recognize when they were reunited. She never spoke about the episode with anyone. They divorced two years later.

In the midst of the storm, in 1927, she created the astute Miss Marple, who first appeared in The Tuesday Night Club, a story published in Royal Magazine. María G. S., a 14-year-old from Madrid, champions the often underrated detective through her enthusiasm for Christie’s books: “Although it may seem she reserved the best cases for Poirot, I love that Agatha Christie included a character like Miss Marple at a time when female protagonists were barely present in literature.”

Short stories would become another major outlet: more than 160 of them, collected in 14 anthologies. Her output did not slow, and she soon reached an average of two novels a year, supported by her popular success and the emotional and personal stability she found with her second husband, the archaeologist Max Mallowan. His work on excavations around the world became Christie’s other great passion.

During this period, she adopted the pseudonym Mary Westmacott — under which she wrote six romantic novels — and produced some of her greatest works featuring the distinctive Poirot: Murder on the Orient Express, Evil Under the Sun, and Appointment with Death, to name just three of her most famous books.

Alice Hallett, dubbed the “Agatha Christie of the 21st century” for her bold reworking of the master’s techniques in novels such as The Appeal and The Killer Question, highlights a striking aspect of Christie’s success: “She wrote close to 70 novels, but only five or six are truly well-known today. The earlier author seems to be the more popular one — the era of surprising puzzles, stories with playful twists — while the later, darker Christie has been left mainly to specialized fans.”

If readers want to move beyond the Christie books that have become part of the Western canon, they might delve into Taken at the Flood, one of Poirot’s darkest cases, The Secret Adversary (Nazis, spies and lost documents in the first case of the Tommy and Tuppence duo); or The Hollow, recommended by Hallett herself.

Agatha Christie photographs Assyrian remains at Nimrud (Iraq), beside an unidentified man.
Bettmann (Bettmann Archive)
Originally trained as a screenwriter, Hallett came to Christie through television and film adaptations — a genre almost impossible to exhaust — which began as early as the 1940s.

“Her structure is perfect. She creates a group of characters who mesh perfectly and integrate into the mystery and only then rips everything apart and moves the characters so you come to believe it could have been any one of them. Manipulating the reader like that is not easy,” Hallett says to explain why Christie has been adapted so often.

A perfect business model
With two siblings 10 and 11 years older than her, Christie spent much of her childhood alone, sustained only by her imagination. From this came those plots that fold and unfold with unexpected solutions — a unique skill that enriches the experience of rereading them. Take, for example, the celebrated The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Crooked House or Murder on the Orient Express: once those groundbreaking endings are known, returning to them and tracing every clue that leads to the resolution becomes an experience in itself.

Marina Sanmartín, a writer and bookseller at Cervantes y Cía in Madrid, offers another insight: “I think what makes her unbeatable is everything you don’t see — Christie’s texts are themselves a great trap. They seem simple, they are short, and their structure can be traced easily once you finish them. However, they are very complex sleight-of-hand games, pure magic.”

Sanmartín’s latest novel, La doble desaparición de Abril del Pino (The Double Disappearance of Abril del Pino), pays tribute to the master: “As a novelist, I try to have my texts mirror hers for three reasons: their timelessness — she still sells steadily today to all kinds of readers; her ability to play with the reader and keep them in suspense until the last page; and her skill at sketching settings and characters in a few, yet razor-sharp, words.”

The British writer achieved success in almost every field, though toward the end of her life she devoted more energy to theater, producing 25 plays. The most famous is The Mousetrap, which holds the record for the longest-running play in history, performed continuously since 1952 in three different theaters. These staggering figures reflect a vast enterprise managed since the mid-20th century by Agatha Christie Limited, now led by her great-grandson James Prichard. Under British law, the estate retains exclusive rights for 75 years after her death, which occurred in January 1976, at the age of 85 — meaning about a quarter of a century remains.

Among current projects — beyond the constant reissues of her novels — are the recent release of the series The Seven Dials Mystery on Netflix, Sophie Hannah’s ongoing authorized continuations of the Poirot novels (she has written six so far, a testament to readers’ enduring appetite), and, in September, the publication of the first Miss Marple novel officially licensed by Christie’s heirs: Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel, written by Lucy Foley.

Kenneth Branagh in 'Murder on the Orient Express'
The custodians of this narrative treasure are keen to find new markets and draw in younger generations. One such reader is María G. S., who has noticed Christie’s influence on other contemporary authors: “Nowadays, for example, I see Agatha Christie in the endings of books by the British writer Holly Jackson and in the way mysteries are resolved. That satisfying yet frustrating feeling when you finish a story — you think everything fits, but then you wonder: why didn’t I see it?”

A meticulously planned ending
In the final stage of her life, Christie slowed to one novel a year — each of them runaway bestsellers during the Christmas season — and in the early 1970s, she began bringing her series to a close. The final chapter of her two most famous ones, however, had already been written and locked away in a safe during the Second World War, a sign of the extraordinary control she exerted over her career and her characters. The plan was for them to be published after her death, but in the end, Poirot took his leave in Curtain, which appeared a year earlier. Sleeping Murder, Miss Marple’s final case, was published posthumously in 1976.

“I am now ready to accept death,” she wrote at the end of her autobiography, written 11 years before her final farewell. We cannot know whether by then she already sensed that her work would continue to feed the curiosity, hunger for adventure, and capacity for enjoyment of hundreds of millions of readers around the world — but the grande dame of crime fiction seemed to have an inkling."
Juan Carlos Galindo
Madrid - JUN 29, 2026 - 07:14 CEST
https://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-06-29/the-mystery-of-agatha-christie-the-most-imitated-and-misunderstood-author-in-world-literature.html
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

" Dictionaries as Limits and Potentialities of Thought
The Power of Words: Dictionaries as Limits and Potentialities of Thought
The author explores how lexicon shapes our reality and proposes the term 'lexical idiom' for untranslatable words.

The author reflects on how language, specifically dictionary lexicon, limits and expands our capacity for thought and emotion, proposing a new term for unique cultural words.

Human thought and our life experiences are intrinsically linked to the words we have at our disposal. Following Joan Fuster's observation, dictionaries not only collect a language's lexicon but also indicate the limits and potentialities of the life we can live within that language. As Ludwig Wittgenstein stated, 'the limits of my language mean the limits of my world,' an idea underscoring how vocabulary defines our knowledge, imagination, and emotions.
Therefore, the author finds pleasure in exploring dictionaries of various languages, seeking words that conceptualize reality in alternative ways. This linguistic exploration allows for the discovery of new perspectives and the finding of terms that lack direct equivalents in other languages. These words, which coin unique concepts, are the focus of the article.
"Cada matís —de color, de so, d’idea— demana una paraula pròpia, i els diccionaris no són tan generosos."

Examples of Japanese words are presented, such as komorebi (sunlight filtering through leaves), wabi-sabi (the appreciation of imperfect, transient beauty), tsundoku (the act of buying books and letting them pile up unread), ikigai (that which gives meaning to life), shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), or mottainai (regret over wasting something useful). These words illustrate how each culture develops its own lexicon to describe particular aspects of the human experience.
Faced with the difficulty of finding a suitable term for these unique cultural words, the author proposes the concept of 'lexical idiom.' This term, derived from the Greek idiōtismós, emphasizes the particularity and inherent character of a language, distinguishing it from other concepts like 'xenism' or 'idiom' (in the sense of a fixed expression).
The reflection on 'lexical idiom' is unexpectedly connected to an anecdote about statements made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, regarding the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. This situation highlights the polysemy and potential for ambiguity in language, recalling Fuster's idea about the need for unique words for each nuance.
Ultimately, the author expresses a preference for the 'lexical idioms' of languages, like Japanese, which enrich our understanding of the world, over the ambiguous use of the term in contexts of diplomatic misunderstandings. The contemplation of light filtering through leaves, evoked by the word komorebi, becomes a symbol of the beauty and nostalgia that language can preserve."
27/06/26 - 09:33
https://diarivalencia.cat/en/la-ribera-baixa/general/the-power-of-words-dictionaries-as-limits-and-potentialities-of-thought
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"The Translation Grant supports the translation of Canadian literary and dramatic works into multiple languages, including French, English, Indigenous languages, and sign languages such as ASL and LSQ. It helps make Canadian artistic works more accessible to diverse audiences across Canada through publication, surtitling, and performance. Funding is administered by the Canada Council for the Arts with support from the Government of Canada.

Overview of the Program
The Translation Grant is part of the Arts Across Canada and Abroad program, which aims to strengthen cultural exchange and accessibility of Canadian artistic works. It enables the translation of literature and drama so that more audiences can engage with Canadian creativity in their preferred language or communication system.

The program promotes:

Access to Canadian literature and drama
Cross-cultural and linguistic exchange
Inclusion of Indigenous and sign languages
National and community-level artistic engagement
Key Focus Areas
Literary Translation
Translation of Canadian-authored books
Publication of translated literary works in Canada
Access for English, French, and Indigenous-language readers
Dramatic Works Translation
Translation of plays and performance scripts
Surtitling for theatre and live performance
Accessibility for multilingual audiences
Sign Language Translation
Translation into American Sign Language (ASL)
Translation into Quebec Sign Language (LSQ)
Inclusion of other regional and Indigenous sign languages
Supports performance and accessibility in visual language formats
Cultural Exchange and Audience Access
Strengthening connections between artists and audiences
Expanding access to Canadian storytelling
Supporting artistic diversity and inclusion
Funding Details
Maximum Funding
Up to $25,000 per title
Funding Scope
Supports:

Translation of literary works
Translation and surtitling of dramatic works
Accessibility adaptation into sign languages
Annual Supplement (Separate Application)
Additional support may cover:

Reading fees for literary publishers
Bilingual editing costs
Promotional expenses for previously supported works
Video documentation for sign language translations
Important Restrictions
Only one translation request per application
Film and video translation/subtitling are NOT eligible
Eligible Languages
Works may be translated into:

French
English
Indigenous languages of Canada
American Sign Language (ASL)
Quebec Sign Language (LSQ)
Other regional or Indigenous sign languages
Who Is Eligible
Eligible Applicants
Artistic groups and collectives
Literary organizations
Supporting organizations
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis groups or collectives
Indigenous not-for-profit organizations
Indigenous for-profit organizations (eligible types)
Artistic organizations
Eligible Works
Canadian-authored literary works
Canadian-authored dramatic works
Eligible Activities
Book translation for publication
Theatre translation and surtitling
Sign language adaptation for performance
Accessibility-focused translation projects
Why This Program Matters
This grant strengthens linguistic and cultural accessibility in Canadian arts by making works available across multiple languages and communication systems. It supports Indigenous language preservation, accessibility in sign languages, and broader national cultural exchange.

Key impacts:

Expands access to Canadian literature and drama
Supports Indigenous and minority language preservation
Promotes accessibility for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences
Strengthens national cultural identity
Encourages artistic collaboration and exchange
How the Program Works
Step 1: Select Eligible Work
Identify a Canadian literary or dramatic work
Confirm rights for translation
Step 2: Prepare Translation Plan
Define target language(s)
Identify translator(s) and methodology
Outline publication or performance plan
Step 3: Submit Application
Apply through Canada Council for the Arts
Include budget and project details
Step 4: Evaluation
Applications reviewed for artistic and cultural value
Priority given to accessibility and inclusion impact
Step 5: Translation and Production
Carry out translation or surtitling work
Prepare work for publication or performance
Step 6: Optional Annual Supplement
Submit separate request for eligible additional costs
Includes promotion, editing, or accessibility support
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applying for ineligible content (non-Canadian works)
Including film or video translation (not eligible)
Submitting more than one title per application
Weak justification for language choice
Missing rights clearance for translation
Tips for a Strong Application
Clearly justify language selection and audience impact
Demonstrate translator expertise and experience
Emphasize accessibility or cultural inclusion benefits
Provide a strong publication or performance plan
Ensure budget aligns with standard translation rates
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Translation Grant?
It is a funding program supporting translation of Canadian literary and dramatic works into multiple languages and sign languages.

What is the maximum funding available?
Up to $25,000 per title.

Who administers the program?
The Canada Council for the Arts on behalf of the Government of Canada.

What languages are supported?
French, English, Indigenous languages, ASL, LSQ, and other regional or Indigenous sign languages.

Can film translation be funded?
No, film and video translation or subtitling are not eligible.

What is the Annual Supplement?
A separate funding stream for additional costs like editing, promotion, and accessibility documentation.

Who can apply?
Artistic groups, Indigenous organizations, literary organizations, and related cultural entities.

Conclusion
The Translation Grant plays a vital role in making Canadian literature and drama more accessible across languages and communities. By supporting translation into official, Indigenous, and sign languages, it strengthens cultural inclusion, artistic exchange, and national storytelling diversity.

For more information, visit Canada Council for the Arts."
https://www2.fundsforngos.org/innovation/applications-open-for-translation-grant-program-canada/amp/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"GHA launches instant BSL interpreting service for deaf patients

An enhanced British Sign Language remote interpreting service has been launched by the GHA aimed at improving communication for deaf patients across its healthcare facilities.

 

The new Convo BSL system uses QR codes to provide near-instant access to qualified BSL interpreters, offering higher-quality video, 24/7 availability and eliminating the need to book dedicated interpreting devices in advance.

 

The service will also be introduced in GHA ambulances, allowing paramedics to connect with BSL interpreters immediately during emergency call-outs, helping ensure clear communication from the first point of contact.

 

GHA Director General Dr Paul Bosio described the initiative as “a significant step forward” in supporting deaf patients, saying it would improve accessibility while enhancing clinical safety.

 

Health Minister Gemma Arias-Vasquez said the rollout would greatly improve communication accessibility for deaf patients in Gibraltar. She said the service had been introduced through a collaborative effort between the GHA Neurodevelopment and Disability Support Office and the Government’s Supported Needs and Disability Office.

 

She added that the initiative reflects the Government’s commitment to improving accessibility, reducing communication barriers and ensuring all patients receive dignified and inclusive care."

28th June 2026, 15:30

Published by GBC News

https://www.gbc.gi/news/gha-launches-instant-bsl-interpreting-service-for-deaf-patients

#metaglossia 

#metaglossia_mundus 

"What does a translator bring to a text apart from their competence in the languages they translate from and into? How do their life experiences shape their literary contributions? To what extent can we separate their skill from their worldview? These questions are worth pondering over as publishers explore translation tools powered by Artificial Intelligence to cut costs and save time.

Navdeep Suri, whose English translation of Nanak Singh’s Punjabi novel Agg Di Khed (1948) as A Game of Fire (2024) received the Jury’s Special Commendation at the Muse India-GSP Rao Translation Awards 2025, spoke at length about his practice as a translator from a social and political lens in this conversation with Scroll at The Sacred Amritsar cultural festival.

His other translated books include those written by his grandfather, Nanak Singh, such as Khooni Vaisakhi, Khoon De Sohile and Pavitra Paapi. He is also involved with the Nanak Singh Literary Foundation, which was established to preserve the writer’s literary legacy.

Suri also served in the Indian Foreign Service from 1983 to 2019. He was India’s Consul General in Johannesburg, Former Ambassador of India to the UAE and Egypt, and High Commissioner to Australia. He headed the West Africa and Public Diplomacy departments at the Ministry of External Affairs.

Do you consider translation to be a political act? To what extent does the current relevance of an older text guide you when you sit down and think about what to translate?
When I translated Khooni Vaisakhi, a 900-line poem written by my grandfather Nanak Singh after surviving the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, its publication coincided with the centenary of the massacre. The massacre took place in 1919, and my translation was published by HarperCollins in 2019. The timing was significant; it became a useful device to remind readers of the egregious nature of that massacre from the narrative viewpoint of a survivor. The massacre was certainly a turning point in India’s freedom struggle.

When I picked my grandfather’s Partition novels – Khoon De Sohile (Hymns in Blood) and Agg Di Khed (A Game of Fire) – to translate, those were conscious selections from within the vast repertoire of literature that he left us with. Those two novels ground you; they remind you of the price that was paid for India’s independence, in terms of the Partition of 1947 and what it led to.

In the foreword to Hymns in Blood, my grandfather asks some very pertinent questions. He says that we knew of the British policy of divide and rule for about 200 years. What did we do with that knowledge? What happened to us in 1947? What made us turn against each other?

He is not willing to take the convenient escape route of blaming the British alone. He asks us to look deep within and examine what really happened, why, and how. He points out that our own political leaders, religious leaders and media must take responsibility. This novel was published in 1948 but these points remain relevant even today. Whether you look at polarisation in India, the United States or Israel, the same elements are exacerbating divisions between people.

My grandfather wrote about how people were oppressed under British rule, and every pore of his being sought India’s independence. He went to jail for it. Yet, as the flagpoles were being erected to hoist the Indian flag on August 15, 1947, he wondered if losing our humanity was a price worth paying to gain our independence. When you translate texts written by a man who asked all these questions, yes, it is a political act. You are saying that his words need to be remembered.

The responsibility to bear witness seems like an inheritance that you have received from your grandfather. Earlier this year, you spoke out against the genocide in Gaza at the Jaipur Literature Festival and at Majha House in Amritsar. How does your grandfather’s writing help you empathise with people suffering elsewhere in the world?
Translating Khoon De Sohile and Agg Di Khed, both set during the Partition, brought home to me his message of humanity, and in a very powerful way. The pain and trauma that he felt when he saw neighbour turn against neighbour hit me in the gut. He wrote them towards the end of 1947, while witnessing those horrors sitting in Amritsar. They were published in 1948.

His writing forces us to confront the fact that many of us have heard only one side of the Partition story, which is the story of the violence inflicted by Muslims upon Hindu and Sikh communities in places like Rawalpindi, where the characters come from. We cannot afford to overlook the other side of the story, which is the story of the violence inflicted on the Muslims of Amritsar by Sikhs and Hindus. According to the 1941 census, 46% of Amritsar’s population was Muslim. Yet I grew up in an Amritsar where there were hardly any Muslims.

My grandfather’s willingness to confront the actions of his own community was a remarkable demonstration of intellectual and moral courage. In the process of translating his books, I was able to discover a bit of that courage in myself. I draw so much inspiration from him.

As a professional diplomat for 36 years, I had to walk the straight and narrow path. When you take up a job, you have to be disciplined. But since I retired from the Indian Foreign Service, I have had much greater latitude to express my own views on whatever subject we are discussing.

The issue of Israel and Palestine happens to be one that I have closely engaged with for several years. My first overseas assignment was in Egypt; that’s where I learnt Arabic. My second diplomatic assignment was in Damascus. Then I went back as an Indian ambassador to Cairo and Abu Dhabi. I have seen the evolution of the crisis in Palestine. I feel that the power of institutions like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the control of media by sections of the Jewish community result in a suppression of the Palestinian message.

Forget the aspirations of the Palestinians; even their voices do not find expression. And that is why I admire people like Sanjoy K Roy and William Dalrymple for the platform that they have tried to provide for the Palestinian perspective. Because of this, when a session at the Jaipur Literature Festival was titled “The Gaza Genocide”, I had absolutely no problem while moderating it. Calling it a genocide is not simply a matter of public perception. The International Court of Justice calls it a genocide. Holocaust survivors are calling it a genocide.

When you go through the United Nations Genocide Convention of 1948, the core idea is “never again”. And that is why it is heartbreaking for me to see sections of a great community like the Jewish community, which has suffered and endured so much over centuries – not just under Hitler and the Nazis, but also under the Spanish Inquisition and pogroms in Russia and Ukraine – now inflict pain on other people. I think that we have an obligation to speak about it.

Among the foremost critics of the state of Israel are Jewish people who reject the idea that Zionism is synonymous with Judaism. While Israel has been conflating the two, these people and organisations like Jewish Voice for Peace have been opposing such attempts, exposing Zionism as a colonial ideology. What are your thoughts on this?
Because the current government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been so extreme in its interpretation of Zionism, the lines have blurred over the last few years. One is the line separating Judaism from Zionism; the other is the line between anti-Semitism and legitimate criticism of the actions of the Israeli government. I have thought deeply about this because I have had the pleasure of meeting many Jewish people and making Jewish friends.

Any criticism of Prime Minister Netanyahu or his government by any foreigner attracts a knee-jerk reaction in the form of anti-Semitism allegations. When the critics are Arabs, they are justified in saying, “Hey, excuse me, we are Semites! How can we be anti-Semitic?”

The conflation that you mention constrains valid criticism. When you put your actions above any reproach, you may be able to suppress reactions, but my fear and my worry is that this kind of suppression makes Jewish communities less secure. It pains me that such intelligent, smart people don’t realise or recognise that the real long-term security will come through living in peace with neighbours, not through the antagonistic relationships they have established.

After reading Holocaust literature and Partition literature, have we still not learned how to be human? It makes me sad and makes me wonder, what then is the function of literature?

Teachers, parents and librarians often push young people to cultivate a reading habit, based on the claim that literature helps us become better human beings; it helps us understand the lives of those who are different from us, and empathise with them. As a translator, how do you feel when literature is perhaps not doing what it was supposed to?
I think the impact of good literature is post-facto. It may take years before people recognise the greatness of what becomes a classic. My grandfather’s Partition novels in Punjabi are considered classics now. They have gone through several print runs and are still being widely read. But I don’t think that they attracted much attention when they were written because everybody was busy with the rebuilding of their lives after the trauma of the Partition. Khooni Vaisakhi, on the other hand, was banned by the British Empire soon after it came out.

We live in an age where the most overpowering influence on people’s minds is coming from the information and disinformation being unleashed at them through news channels, social media, podcasts, and YouTube. How many people take a step back to reflect on the authenticity of what is being thrown at them, or even pause to think about where this is leading us? We keep talking about how social media traps us in echo chambers where we are only listening to people like us. But what are we doing to seek alternative views to combat the polarisation we are seeing?

As someone whose family lived through the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and the Partition, what do you make of the scholarly discourse around intergenerational trauma? Though there is scholarship on intergenerational resilience as well, I don’t see it being discussed as widely. You, for instance, haven’t let your ancestors’ suffering make you hateful. You are eager, instead, to call out violence in other parts of the world because you do not want history to keep repeating itself. How do you process what I’m saying?
I think that the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and the 75th anniversary of the Partition gave many scholars, writers, and researchers an opportunity to discuss the long-term impact of these events. I would like to mention Aanchal Malhotra and Kavita Puri’s work in particular. Some of it does reflect what intergenerational trauma does to people, and the unwillingness to speak about the horrors that were witnessed. There seems to be this almost subconscious effort from survivors to bury those memories and not discuss them with children.

I was born in Amritsar and moved back three years ago. What I find remarkable is that, if you talk to the average person, there is remarkably little rancour against Pakistan or Muslims in India. And I say this very carefully because Amritsar witnessed not just the Partition but also the wars between India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1975, and Operation Sindoor most recently. Almost every house, every village in Punjab, has somebody in the army, almost as part of our tradition.

Lahore is only 50 kilometres from Amritsar, and the border is only 30 kilometres from here. If you are looking for a place with a peaceful constituency, look at Amritsar. This is intergenerational resilience, isn’t it? We must recognise that ties of language and culture can sometimes be stronger than a physical border or a political relationship. And there is an economic dimension that very few people reflect on these days. Amritsar was on the Silk Route. This was the wholesale market from where commodities were pushed into Afghanistan, Central Asia, and other places. Amritsar was where dry fruit from Afghanistan came in, and travelled elsewhere.

The absence of a dialogue with Pakistan and the kind of relationship we have is worth reflecting on. I am not exonerating Pakistan from its actions that have brought us to this situation today, including its continued support of terrorist groups. But at the popular level, the cost of a fraught political relationship is borne by people living in Amritsar and neighbouring villages. Their lands have to be sacrificed. When economic linkages get disrupted, it is the ordinary person who suffers. There should be a greater recognition of the local costs of larger political decisions.

With the profusion of literature and music festivals in both India and Pakistan, it is tragic that we do not have authors travelling frequently across the border to interact with their readers. Why don’t we have such cultural exchanges any longer?
I believe very strongly that, by breaking all links, we are feeding into the othering of the neighbour. We are deepening the polarisation that already exists. I know that there is a very significant constituency in Pakistan that seeks normal relations with India. There are many Pakistanis who look up to India for the progress that we have made as a country. There are many who look up to us as a democracy because they know that their country is in shambles right now.

We may not have Pakistani authors speaking at Indian literature festivals but many of them work with Indian publishing houses and Indian literary agencies. English language publishing in Pakistan is still quite nascent compared to India. What economic opportunities lie unexplored when we close off dialogue?
You are right. This is a discussion that we need to have. I remember the times when the Jaipur Literature Festival would have writers from Pakistan come and speak. My feeling is that saying no to dialogue until terrorism stops is not the best policy option for us. We have to find a way of de-linking the two because the need for dialogue is greater in a difficult relationship.

Isn’t this reluctance to engage in dialogue extending to sports as well?
Yes, that is one more channel closed. It is almost like we are systematically shutting off contact. And honestly, I find this a bit ridiculous because, when you go to Dubai or London or the United States, you always find Indians and Pakistanis living happily with each other.

When I was posted in Abu Dhabi as India’s Ambassador to the UAE, my Pakistani counterpart was a Punjabi from Lahore. We would meet every month for the Asian diplomats’ lunch, even when relations between India and Pakistan were going through a difficult phase. It used to be amusing for the other diplomats to see that we might be at each other's throats professionally, but that did stop us from sharing a joke in Punjabi over a meal. Civility in discourse is useful.

People-to-people contact creates safety valves. When we close off dialogue, we end up allowing the most extreme elements in both countries to hold the rest of us hostage to their agenda. The hateful continue to speak anyway. The ones being silenced, on both sides, are the peaceful ones.

How have the teachings of Guru Nanak inspired you to be an upstander rather than a bystander? After moving back to Amritsar, have you been thinking about this?
Let me say upfront, I am a very agnostic person when it comes to religion. But if there is one religious figure that I would look up to, it would be Guru Nanak because of his conscious effort to put humanity above religion. He forces you to question blind faith.

He insisted on stress-testing your beliefs. When he visited Mecca, he was scolded for sleeping with his feet pointing towards the Kaaba. He said, “Well, please turn my feet and point them in the direction where God is not.” He also went to Haridwar and contested the rituals of the pandits there. Guru Nanak put a lot of emphasis on rationality. I value that a lot.

The decline of a civilisation begins when you stop questioning dogma. Guru Nanak reminds me to maintain a healthy degree of scepticism when somebody claims to give the truth on a platter. Even the Quran urges Muslims to question in order to get rid of their own ignorance.

Last year, the Amritsar Pride March was cancelled by the organisers, fearing safety concerns, after objections were raised by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and other Sikh groups in the city. What are your thoughts on this?
The SGPC is only one of various conservative groups. You have the same reaction from conservative groups in Islam and Christianity. I have a lot of issues with the SGPC, and this is only one of them. I think we need institutions that are fit for the 21st century and follow a minimum degree of accountability. The LGBT+ community is an easy whipping boy for any conservative religious group, and this is highly regrettable. What if someone from the SGPC has a child who is from that community? It’s a facade that they maintain, though they are aware of the reality. This unwillingness to accept what we know to be true is seen across religious groups.

Sikhism places a lot of emphasis on seva. Have you ever wondered if bearing witness to injustice through one’s words is also a form of service to humanity?
If you can tell stories in a way that my grandfather did, I’d say yes. For him, storytelling was an instrument for social reform. He realised that a character well-crafted and a story well-told can perhaps leave a greater impact on a person than just a lesson being given out or a law being made. Human beings relate to stories. I don’t think I have the gift that my grandfather had, so the next best thing that I can do is to translate his stories and bring them to a wider audience. In the process, I hope I’m able to address prejudices, change mindsets, and also implicitly acknowledge that the issues he was combating are still around – economic oppression, caste-based discrimination, the wretchedness of those in power, and how they treat others. Many of these ailments are still prevalent in our society. We say this is Naya Bharat, but not much has changed.

Chintan Girish Modi is a writer with a background in peacebuilding.

https://amp.scroll.in/article/1093625/ties-of-language-and-culture-are-stronger-than-political-borders-punjabi-translator-navdeep-suri
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"From the Association’s Foundation to Its Institutional Consolidation
Ethical Responsibility of Translators
This event occurs in the context of an increasing demand for effective professional regulation within the translation industry, which is vital for advancing the knowledge economy and enhancing intercultural communication, especially as Morocco engages more with the global community.

The forum was marked by the notable attendance of delegates from regional bodies and various professionals from the field, indicating a growing interest in creating a unified framework to regulate the profession and improve quality standards.

The president of the National Association of Translators of Morocco, Tayeb Boutbouqalt, remarked that “this phase signifies a decisive turning point, where our goal extends beyond the foundation of the association to executing organized professional initiatives through clear programs and established objectives.”

Tayeb Boutbouqalt, president of the National Association of Translators of Morocco, delivering his address – PHOTO/M. AKHRIF
Additionally, the management reports, financial statements, and organizational updates presented during the assembly provided a basis for assessing the founding phase, highlighting both achievements and ongoing challenges.

There was also an emphasis on the necessity of integrating continuous professional development within the organization, particularly concerning digital transformation and artificial intelligence, underscoring a recognition of the need to modernize professional tools.

The general forum hosted in Tangier carries significant symbolic weight. The city serves as a cultural and linguistic bridge connecting Morocco to its Mediterranean and international neighbors, elevating the event beyond mere organization to a historically and culturally significant milestone.

From the Association’s Foundation to Its Institutional Consolidation
In what can be deemed a pivotal moment for professional organizations in Morocco, the National Association of Translators of Morocco hosted its first general forum in Tangier, marking its transition from the founding phase to a state of greater maturity, focusing on institutional consolidation and enhancing its role in the nation’s cultural and intellectual landscape.

This meeting transcended a mere organizational gathering, serving as a platform for a comprehensive evaluation of a nascent organization, determined to solidify its status within the professional translation sector, a field entangled with cultural, legal, media, and diplomatic dimensions.

The Secretary-General presented the organization’s initiatives, highlighting training and career guidance, as well as the effects of artificial intelligence on communication. This perspective acknowledges that translation has progressed from being a basic linguistic exchange to a multifaceted sphere of expertise.

The meeting also reinforced the organization’s governance with the ratification of its internal regulations, an essential step toward clarifying responsibilities and the allocation of roles among its members.

This organizational evolution signifies the association’s dedication to forming a professional, influential, and forward-looking institution in a national context demanding the utmost rigor in translation and multilingual management.

Ethical Responsibility of Translators
A significant conclusion from the inaugural general forum of the National Association of Translators of Morocco was the introduction of a code of ethics, recognized as a crucial step toward regulating professional practices.

This code, unveiled during the meeting, seeks to create a framework of values and behaviors that delineate the responsibilities of translators, while promoting integrity, accuracy, and impartiality in their work.

With the increasing significance of translation in sensitive sectors like law, diplomacy, and media, professional ethics have become a vital factor for fostering trust among all parties involved.

Moreover, this code provides a mechanism for standardizing practices within the profession and minimizing inconsistencies, ultimately ensuring higher service quality.

During discussions, it was emphasized that translation professionals contribute beyond mere word-for-word conversion: they are instrumental in shaping meaning and fostering intercultural dialogue.

Notably, embedding ethics at the core of the Association’s structure not only signifies its institutional maturity but also reflects its strong commitment to solidifying a profession where ethical values are as critical as technical competencies.

(Mohammed AKHRIF is the CEO & Founder of Magestic-Things Translations S.A.R.L, an accredited Translator and Interpreter by Consulates, and a Business Outsourcing Consultant)"
Tanja7
June 27, 2026
https://tanja7.com/en/12478
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"Many languages recycle words, giving them different meanings. For example, in English, "run" can mean to move quickly but also to manage something, like "run a company." In Spanish, "lengua" is both the word for tongue and language, as in "la lengua española." This type of word reuse is known as colexification.

 

But there is another type of recycling, and that is partial colexification, where languages reuse only parts of words. A good example is the word "grand," which is shared in "grandfather" and "grandmother." Until now, very little was known about the rules, patterns and how widespread this type of recycling is across different languages.

 

A new study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour explores how different languages systematically reuse these smaller word parts while balancing efficiency with the need to keep meanings distinct. Barend Beekhuizen at the Department of Language Studies at the University of Toronto Mississauga in Canada has published a News & Views piece on the research in the same journal.

 

A linguistic tug-of-war

Before setting out on their study, the research team hypothesized that there is a constant tug-of-war between two opposing forces that shape how meanings are mapped to words. They are lexical compression (reusing words to keep things as simple as possible) and lexical differentiation (using different forms to help distinguish meanings). Language can reuse forms for related meanings, but excessive reuse can make meanings harder to distinguish.

 

The study authors examined a massive linguistic database called Lexibank, which contains word lists from many languages. They studied data from more than 1,900 languages spanning 192 different language families.

 

To see how these two forces operate in the real world, the researchers used two tools. First, to measure how closely related two ideas are in human memory, they used data from a word-association game in which thousands of people were given a word and asked to say the first thing that came to mind.

 

Second, they used AI computer models to analyze millions of sentences and measure how similar the contexts of different words are. This gave them a way to estimate how easily two meanings might be confused if they shared the same form.

 

Making life easier

The team discovered that reusing word parts is not random and occurs across many different language families. Full word reuse happens when one word is used for more than one closely related meaning that people can easily tell apart, such as "mouth" (used for a body part and the opening of a river).

 

Partial word reuse is a middle-ground compromise. It occurs when two ideas are highly related but frequently pop up in similar contexts. In these cases, language reuses parts of words with related meanings to make things easier, but keeps the words slightly different to avoid mix-ups. As the researchers note in their paper, "partial colexification appears to arise as a middle-ground strategy when full colexification risks ambiguity in overlapping contexts."

 

An example predicted by the researchers' model is "fourteen" and "ten." They are closely related numbers, but since they are used in similar situations, giving them the exact same names would create confusion. Instead, languages may favor forms that share some material while remaining distinct.

 

The study authors say future studies could explore whether the same balance between efficiency and clarity helps shape other parts of language, such as grammar.

 

Written for you by our author Paul Arnold, edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you."

Jun 22, 2026

How languages recycle parts of words to avoid confusion

by Paul Arnold, Phys.org

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan

Colexification patterns. Credit: Nature Human Behaviour (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41562-026-02488-3

https://phys.org/news/2026-06-languages-recycle-words.html

#metaglossia 

#metaglossia_mundus 

"The bill would see English recognised as an official language alongside Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.

Unlike Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language the English language currently has de facto official language status, meaning it's widely used and accepted as an official language but its status is not set in legislation.

The proposed legislation is part of the coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First.

The committee received written submissions from 1601 people and groups, and heard from 22 submitters in oral hearings about the bill.

Supporters said the bill posed little harm, would remove confusion and allay concerns that English is being treated differently from other official languages.

Almost two-thirds of submitters opposed the bill, on the grounds it was a waste of time, undermined Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language and risked stoking division.

Opposition parties were highly critical of the move.

The Labour Party said it risked complicating a straightforward situation because English is already an official language through custom and usage in New Zealand.

"Legislation for Te Reo Māori and NZ Sign Language was and is necessary to recognise both of these important and significant languages that are, despite revitalisation and education efforts, still only used by a minority of the population. English does not need the same support to ensure its survival," it said.

"This bill, in practice, changes nothing. It is a waste of time, and offensive to those who fought hard to make Te Reo Māori an official language in 1987 and NZ Sign Language an official language in 2006."

The Green Party said that, in general, an official language status is provided to protect languages under threat in order to put a spotlight on the need to protect and resource their survival and revival.

"Submitters have also raised concerns that by legislating English as a de jure language it would have unintended consequences, such as the risk to social cohesion and increased likelihood of racism in Aotearoa New Zealand, as has been seen in the United States," it said.

"Instead of using Parliament time to address the more urgent needs of our communities in the midst of a cost of living crisis and fuel crisis, this bill is a frivolous and petty issue for this Government to take forward."

'Committee didn't agree with that'
The chair of the Justice Select Committee Andrew Bayly has rejected suggestions the bill would undermine Te Reo Māori or New Zealand Sign Language.

"The committee didn't agree with that.

"Those other official languages already have bespoke legislation and there was no way that this was an attempt to undermine them. It was just recognising that English is commonly used in New Zealand, it's a common language of the government and that's why the commitee agreed to leave the bill as it was introduced."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/633090/english-language-bill-no-changes-suggested-by-justice-select-committee
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"It took nearly 2,000 years to translate the Bible into 400 languages. The next 400 took just 28 years. As the Bible reaches its 800th language, Wycliffe Bible Translators’ Jeremy Weightman explores the remarkable acceleration in Bible translation - and the immense task that still lies ahead for the 1.5 billion people without scripture in their own language

 

It had never occured to me.

 

Week after week, for years, I had turned up to church meetings with my Bible in my hand. I’d spent time in my secret place, reading passages from my Bible. Originally it was the King James, then the Good News and Living versions, before the NIV became my go-to. And that is how it has stayed – with occasional forays into The Message or some of the many other versions in English.  

 

I took it for granted that I have all these options for reading the Bible in English – the language that speaks to my heart the most.  

 

It never occurred to me that if I had spoken another language (such as Nobonob in Papua New Guinea) I’d have no choice – there would only be one translation available. 

 

It never occurred to me that if my heart language was, say, Bunong (Cambodia), I wouldn’t have the complete Bible at all. Or even, like the Kinuku people of Nigeria, none of God’s word in my language. 

 

But that’s the reality for 1 in 5 people worldwide. They don’t have the whole Bible in their heart language. 

 

A shocking injustice 

I only discovered this when I started to work for Wycliffe Bible Translators, in 2018.  

 

Once I began working for Wycliffe my worldview was turned upside down. Around 1.5 billion people do not have the Bible in their language, I was told. That shocked me. Why didn’t I know this? How could this injustice exist? Why was I able to have God’s word in multiple translations in my language, while so many had none? 

 

Since that eye-opening moment, I’ve had the privilege of reporting on the tireless work of Bible translation teams worldwide. They faithfully serve their communities, translating the word of God into their own languages. They’re in for the long haul – translating the New Testament can take 8–10 years, the Old Testament a further 10–12. Or more. There are no easy solutions or quick fixes. It’s painstaking, detailed work where accuracy is vital. 

 

But there is good news! The work of Bible translation is accelerating at an unprecedented rate – so let me share the latest exciting news with you! 

 

The 800th

In 2020 we celebrated the major milestone of the translation of the Bible into its 700th language. 

 

Then, last week, we celebrated the Bible in its 800th language! In itself, an extraordinary moment for Bible translation.  

 

But when I began looking deeper, I realised just how much progress has been made in recent years:

 

The number of languages that have the whole Bible translated has doubled since 1998

It took over 1,900 years to translate the Bible into 400 languages, but just 28 years for next 400 languages to get the Bible

500 million more people have access to the complete Bible in their language now than in 2020

We can’t pick out the actual 800th – many recent translations are in digital form only. However, we can celebrate a representative, such as the Koma Bible, which was launched in Ghana in 2024 after 37 years’ work. 

 

 

 

Sylvester Kwame Nkrumah said at the launch: “We have seen the impact that having the scriptures in the language the Koma speak has had on their community. As the Koma Church has grown confident in using the scriptures in their own language, so people have been transformed.”

 

Lives transformed by having God’s word in your heart language – that’s what this is all about. Lives like Abraham, a Gamo speaker I met in Ethiopia (pictured, right). Born into a voodoo family with a father who was a shaman, Abraham was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps. But then he read God’s word in his Gamo language, and his life was never the same again. He told me: “Having the Bible in my language brought me from darkness to light.” Now he’s a strong and vital member of his local church. 

 

Hitting the accelerator 

There has been extraordinary acceleration in translating the Bible into new languages. This has been possible through the far greater involvement of Bible translation teams from the communities, plus increased prayers and giving of supporters, and advances in technology.  

 

The acceleration means communities are receiving the Bible far sooner than seemed possible only a generation ago. As churches engage with the scriptures in their own languages, they are better equipped for evangelism, discipleship and ministry. Lives are transformed; communities and cultures are changed. 

 

The 800th Bible is an astounding feat worthy of celebration, but with well over 7,000 languages in the world, there is still much to do. The good news is that the rate of progress is increasing dramatically. 

 

So next time you open your Bible and read God’s word in your language, take a moment to thank God for those who laboured to give it to you. And pray for Bible translators worldwide as they seek to end Bible poverty and ensure their communities can access God’s word in the language that speaks to their hearts. 

 

For more about Bible translation, and how you can get involved, visit wycliffe.org.uk

 

Jeremy Weightman is the Communications Specialist for Wycliffe Bible 

https://www.premierchristianity.com/opinion/good-news-the-bible-has-just-been-translated-into-its-800th-language/21757.article

#metaglossia 

#metaglossia_mundus 

"The link between confusing instructions and product returns
Data: How language quality affects return rates
Setup guides, FAQs, and error messages as causes of returns
Calculating the cost of bad translation vs. better localization
How to reduce returns through better multilingual UX
Frequently asked questions
Consumer electronics manufacturers frequently discover a frustrating pattern. A flawless product launches internationally, only to see return rates soar in specific regional markets. The hardware is identical across borders, and the software functions perfectly. The failure point often lies entirely in the documentation and interface language. Poorly translated setup guides, confusing error messages, and inaccurate support portals create artificial friction that leads directly to product returns.

Key takeaways
Tech product return translation quality directly correlates with profitability, as linguistic errors in manuals often masquerade as hardware defects.
TranslationOS provides a centralized hub that synchronizes global assets, preventing inconsistent terminology across digital and physical touchpoints.
Purpose-built AI models deliver superior context awareness for technical documentation compared to generic alternatives.
Time to Edit (TTE) serves as the new measure of first-pass translation quality, measuring the exact efficiency gains of enterprise-grade localization.
The link between confusing instructions and product returns
Buyers abandon complex devices when they cannot understand how to operate them. A consumer purchasing a smart home hub expects clear, immediate guidance during the unboxing process. If the initial setup guide contains awkward phrasing or mistranslated technical terms, the user automatically assumes the product itself is flawed. This friction quickly transforms a localization error into a measurable financial loss for the company.

When international customers encounter product return translation errors, their frustration bypasses customer support and goes straight to the return desk. A mistranslated step in a quick-start guide can make a simple pairing process feel impossible. The customer does not blame the translator for this failure; they blame the brand. Providing an intuitive, native-language experience is a baseline requirement for consumer electronics localization quality.

How hardware defects mask linguistic failures
Retailers process millions of dollars in returns annually for defective items that actually operate perfectly under factory testing. The defect was entirely linguistic, not mechanical. When users cannot decipher the intended meaning of an app interface or an instruction manual, they lose trust in the device entirely. They pack the item back into its box and demand a refund.

Hardware teams often spend months troubleshooting non-existent engineering problems based on customer return data. In reality, the issue stems from a disconnect between the engineering intent and the localized instructions. A single mistranslated technical specification can lead users to operate the device incorrectly, resulting in perceived failures. Fixing the translation is significantly cheaper than redesigning the hardware.

Data: How language quality affects return rates
Analyzing the financial impact of bad translation causes returns reveals a stark reality for global brands. Every returned product carries compounding costs, including reverse logistics, restocking fees, and potential refurbishing expenses. These costs quickly erode profit margins in new international markets. Companies must track the correlation between language quality and regional return rates to understand their true operational efficiency.

Enterprises tracking the ROI of localization clearly see this correlation in their quarterly metrics. Measuring translation efficiency requires objective, data-driven standards rather than subjective reviews. Industry leaders now rely on advanced metrics to quantify the accuracy of their multilingual content before it reaches the consumer. This proactive approach prevents costly post-launch corrections and protects brand reputation.

Using Time to Edit for predictive quality analysis
Time to Edit (TTE), the average time a professional translator spends editing a machine-translated segment to bring it to human quality, is the new metric for machine translation quality and translation process efficiency. Lower TTE scores indicate highly accurate, context-aware translations. This metric provides a reliable leading indicator of content quality before manuals go to print.

When TTE scores are consistently low, brands can confidently ship products knowing the localized instructions are clear and precise. High TTE scores, conversely, signal that the machine translation struggled with the technical terminology. Identifying these issues early allows human experts to intervene and correct the text, preventing user confusion and subsequent product returns.

Tracking TTE across different languages helps companies identify specific markets where their terminology might be causing friction. If the TTE spikes for the German translation of a user manual, localization teams can focus their resources there. This targeted approach ensures that translation budgets are spent effectively to minimize user frustration in high-risk regions.

Setup guides, FAQs, and error messages as causes of returns
A user’s journey relies heavily on supporting documentation at every stage of product ownership. Setup guides establish the critical first impression when a customer opens the box. If a user cannot progress past the initial configuration due to a poorly localized instruction, the device is useless to them. They will likely return it.

Beyond the initial setup, customers frequently turn to online resources for troubleshooting. FAQs designed to deflect support tickets fail entirely if the answers use the wrong technical terminology. A user searching for a solution to a connectivity issue needs precise, accurate language to resolve the problem. Inaccurate translations in support portals only amplify customer frustration and accelerate the return process.

The high cost of inconsistent digital support
Error messages represent another major vulnerability in the multilingual user experience. An opaque or poorly translated error code provides no actionable path for the user to fix a minor issue. Instead of attempting to troubleshoot the problem, the confused user simply boxes the product back up. Clear, contextually accurate error messages are essential for retaining customers during moments of technical difficulty.

Discrepancies between printed materials and digital interfaces create further confusion. If the physical manual refers to a feature using one term, but the mobile app uses a different translated word, the user is left guessing. Website translation services ensure that online troubleshooting portals remain consistent with the physical documentation, providing a unified support experience.

Maintaining consistency across all these touchpoints requires a strategic approach to enterprise language operations. Brands must view localization as an integrated system rather than a series of isolated translation tasks. When setup guides, FAQs, and error messages speak with a single, clear voice, product return rates naturally decrease.

Calculating the cost of bad translation vs. better localization
The expense of processing a single returned electronic device far exceeds the cost of localizing its documentation correctly. Companies must factor in reverse logistics, restocking fees, product depreciation, and permanent customer churn. When compared against these compounding losses, investing in enterprise-grade localization yields a clear, immediate ROI. The math strongly supports prioritizing language quality from the beginning.

Many organizations mistakenly attempt to save money by using generic machine translation tools for technical documentation. These generic systems are trained on broad web data and lack an understanding of specific industry terminology. The resulting translations are often technically inaccurate and stylistically awkward. This approach ultimately costs the company more in product returns and damaged brand equity.

Why context-aware models outperform generic alternatives
Generic language tools cannot handle the specificity required for complex technical consumer goods. They translate sentence-by-sentence, often losing the broader meaning of an instruction manual. Lara, our purpose-built, context-aware LLM for translation, is designed precisely for these complex scenarios. Lara maintains full-document context, ensuring that technical terms remain accurate and consistent across hundreds of pages.

By analyzing the entire document at once, Lara understands how different instructions relate to one another. This deep contextual awareness prevents the contradictory translations that often plague technical manuals. When human experts review Lara’s output, they spend less time correcting basic terminology and more time refining the final style. This symbiotic approach delivers superior quality at scale.

Investing in advanced, context-aware translation AI is a strategic business decision, not just an operational expense. The initial investment in high-quality localization is quickly offset by the reduction in customer support tickets and product returns. Brands that prioritize clear, accurate communication in every language gain a significant competitive advantage in global markets.

How to reduce returns through better multilingual UX
Preventing language-driven returns requires treating localization as a core component of the user experience. Technical writing and translation must happen in parallel, ensuring that all regional markets receive the same level of clarity. Treating translation as an afterthought guarantees inconsistent quality and frustrated international customers. The goal is human-AI symbiosis, where AI handles the scale and human experts ensure technical precision.

Establishing a robust terminology management system is essential for maintaining consistency across global product launches. Companies must define their core technical terms and ensure these definitions are applied uniformly across all languages. This proactive terminology management prevents the confusing discrepancies that lead users to abandon products. It builds trust and ensures a smooth user journey from unboxing to daily operation.

Implementing a centralized language operation
Managing this process globally requires the right infrastructure and strategic oversight. TranslationOS acts as a centralized, transparent AI service delivery platform for enterprise language operations. It synchronizes global assets and prevents brand drift, ensuring that the terminology on the box matches the app interface exactly. This centralized approach provides complete visibility into the localization process for every product line.

By using a centralized platform, global teams can collaborate effectively and maintain strict quality control standards. Updates to a product manual in one language can be quickly and accurately reflected across all other localized versions. Consistent custom localization solutions eliminate the friction that causes users to return perfectly good products. They transform international expansion from a logistical challenge into a reliable revenue stream.

Ultimately, successful global product launches depend on clear, accurate communication. When brands invest in enterprise-grade localization technology and expert human oversight, they remove the language barriers that cause customer frustration. Reducing linguistic errors directly reduces product return rates, protecting profit margins and building lasting loyalty in international markets.

If your organization might benefit from the support of an experienced strategic partner for localization, contact Translated to explore the possibilities.

Frequently asked questions
How does translation quality directly cause product returns?
When technical instructions or error messages are mistranslated, users often cannot operate the device. They perceive this linguistic failure as a hardware or software defect and return the product out of frustration.

What is Time to Edit (TTE) and why does it matter?
TTE is the average time (in seconds) a professional translator spends editing a machine-translated segment to bring it to human quality. It is the new measure of translation quality, serving as a precise metric for efficiency and accuracy in localization workflows.

Why are generic language models insufficient for tech product localization?
Generic models translate sentence-by-sentence, often losing the specific technical context of an instruction manual. Purpose-built translation AI maintains full-document context, ensuring accurate terminology across complex technical guides.

What role does a centralized management hub play in reducing returns?
A platform like TranslationOS ensures that all localized assets (from physical manuals to digital interfaces and support websites) use consistent terminology. This prevents user confusion and brand drift across different touchpoints.

Daniele Patrioli
Daniele Patrioli is the VP of Marketing at Translated, responsible for driving strategic growth initiatives to enhance brand visibility, demand generation, and customer acquisition in the global language services market. Outside of work, Daniele enjoys hiking and mountain biking, often exploring the outdoors with his two children, Lorenzo and Matteo."
https://translated.com/resources/why-tech-product-returns-spike-when-translations-are-bad
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"782 Years After Paris Burned the Talmud, the Steinsaltz Translation Brings It Back to France
To mark an historic occasion of completing the full French translation of the "Steinsaltz Babylonian Talmud" volumes, his son Rabbi Meni Even-Israel explains the French connection

In a festive event held this week at the residence of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the completion of the French translation of all volumes of the Babylonian Talmud with the commentary of the late Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz zt"l was celebrated, with the support of the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation under the management of Amalia Zarqa.

Rabbi Steinsaltz's son and president of the Steinsaltz Institutions in Israel, Rabbi Meni Even-Israel, shared the unique family connection between his father's lifelong Torah enterprise and the French language in a special interview with JFeed: "French is the third most spoken language in the world and is considered the language of intellectuals, and on a personal note, France is also the birthplace of my late mother," revealed Rabbi Even-Israel.

A Date That Says Everything

The date chosen for this special event was no accident. The 9th of Tammuz marks 782 years since the burning of the Talmud in Paris in the year 1242, when thousands of Talmud volumes were set ablaze by order of King Louis IX.

The launching of the late Rabbi Steinsaltz's elucidated Babylonian Talmud specifically in French on this day serves as a definitive answer and a living testament to the fire of Torah burning within the souls of Jews studying all over the world, despite persecution and antisemitism throughout the generations.

Rabbi Even-Israel described the workflow behind translating his father's lifelong work, the unique method of reviving the Talmudic debate and its sages in the commentary, noting that his father "saw the Talmudic sages Abaye and Rava alive in his mind's eye." He also revealed the next major initiative of the Steinsaltz Institutions: translating Rabbi Steinsaltz's books on the world of Hasidism into English and other languages.

The French translation of the Steinsaltz Babylonian Talmud marks another significant milestone in spreading the light of Torah to the entire world.

For centuries, studying the Babylonian Talmud, known as Gemara, required years of yeshiva training and a teacher to guide you through its dense Aramaic text, cryptic abbreviations, and compressed legal debate. Most Jews never accessed it directly at all.

Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz changed that.

His landmark elucidated edition of the Talmud, decades in the making, did something revolutionary: it restored the vowels to the Aramaic text, added punctuation, translated difficult words inline, and provided running commentary in plain modern Hebrew, making the page readable for the first time to anyone with basic Jewish literacy. He famously said he wanted the Talmud to be as accessible as a newspaper.

The impact was seismic. Learners who had been locked out of the primary text of Jewish law and thought could now open a page of Gemara and begin. Study groups multiplied. Ba'alei teshuva, Jews returning to observance, found an entry point. Daf Yomi participants, who complete the entire Talmud on a seven-and-a-half-year daily study cycle, increasingly turned to the Steinsaltz edition as their primary text.

When the Steinsaltz Talmud was completed in English in 2020, it marked the first time the full Babylonian Talmud had been translated into English with such depth of commentary. The French translation, now complete, carries that same mission into a new language, and a new generation."
Ariel Sharfer
JUN 25, 2026 18:43
https://www.jfeed.com/jewish-world/steinsaltz-talmud-french-translation
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"...Sanas is advancing its speech AIgʻ platform with expanded Universal Accent Translation and Language Translation capabilities.

 

Universal Accent Translation continues to enable bi-directional accent transformation that preserves tone and expression in real time.

 

Building on that foundation, Language Translation now supports more than 30 languages with automatic language detection and low latency in live environments. While many providers rely on third-party models, Sanas builds and deploys its own speech technologies, enabling greater control over performance and a more consistent experience.

 

A New Layer of Speech Intelligence

 

Sanas is introducing Speech Intelligence, allowing teams to surface risks, identify trends and monitor compliance while conversations are still underway. The offering includes real-time sentiment detection, fraud and abuse signals, compliance monitoring and PII redaction.

 

Speech is analyzed in real time, enabling teams to identify compliance risks, operational issues and emerging trends while interactions are still in progress. Processing happens on-device, allowing teams to generate insights without exposing sensitive information to external systems or introducing additional risk.

 

This is particularly critical in environments such as healthcare and financial services, where data sensitivity can limit the ability to act on live interactions.

 

"If you are only analyzing conversations after they end, you are missing the moment where outcomes can change," said Shawn Zhang, CTO and Co-founder of Sanas. "Our focus has been improving speech in real time so every system that depends on it starts with a cleaner and more reliable signal."

 

Sanas for Individuals and Small Businesses

Built for complex customer operations, Sanas is bringing its technology beyond the contact center through a new self-service experience designed for individuals and small businesses.

 

Users can access Sanas directly, test capabilities in live environments and evaluate performance without navigating lengthy procurement cycles. By reducing barriers to entry, Sanas makes it easier to deploy and scale speech AI across more applications.

 

Introducing the Sanas Developer Platform

Teams can now build directly on the Sanas platform through a new developer experience and SDK, enabling integration of its real-time speech technologies into applications, products and workflows. Whether supporting customer communications, collaboration tools, AI applications or entirely new experiences, developers can embed Sanas directly into the environments where speech happens.

 

By starting with a cleaner and more reliable signal, organizations can reduce transcription errors and improve overall system performance. Sanas integrates into existing systems without requiring new workflows, retraining or infrastructure changes."

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sanas-reaffirms-commitment-to-universal-accent-translation-expands-language-translation-to-30-languages-and-opens-its-platform-to-developers-and-small-businesses-302807214.html

#metaglossia 

#metaglossia_mundus 

"The article presents a comparative study of Inuit circumpolar literature and its translations into major colonial and other languages, marking a significant contribution to the field. It highlights the work of Greenlandic writer Niviaq Korneliussen, analyzing her original text alongside its English translation to uncover colonial and postcolonial stereotypes in the translations. Additionally, the article examines the Naukan (Nuvuqaq) poetry of Zoia Nenliumkina, discussing her efforts to preserve her native language and the impact of her correspondence with the author on the analysis of her poetry's translations into multiple languages. This study sheds light on the complexities of translation within the context of Indigenous literature. [Extracted from the article]"

Authored By: Bell, Elena S. 3 of 3

Authored By:

Bell, Elena S.

https://www.ebsco.com/articles/literature-and-writing/b805694f-5ac4-573b-bfb6-01d48770aee2/introduction-translating-inuit-circumpolar-literature

#metaglossia 

#metaglossia_mundus 

"RWS wins "Machine Translation Solution of Year" award for third year running

Latest AI Breakthrough win underscores RWS's leadership and innovation in enterprise AI translation

MAIDENHEAD, England, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- RWS (AIM: RWS.L), a global AI solutions company, has won "Machine Translation Solution of the Year" at the 9th annual AI Breakthrough Awards for Language Weaver Pro – the latest sign of its accelerating momentum in enterprise AI translation.

Language Weaver Pro is RWS's most advanced AI translation solution. Built in partnership with Cohere, the 100+ billion parameter model is purpose-trained for translation and engineered to help enterprises and government organizations translate business-critical content with greater accuracy, fluency and security.

Launched in early 2026, Language Weaver Pro is purpose-built to handle context, ambiguity and complex content – including high-end marketing and creative copy. In both human-led and automated benchmarking, it outperformed competitors across sentence- and paragraph-level datasets spanning technical and marketing content.

"I couldn't be prouder of what the team has achieved with Language Weaver Pro," said Ben Faes, CEO of RWS. "Working with Cohere's scientists and our own linguists, we've created our most advanced translation model yet – and embedded it into a product that enterprises can actually run at scale, without runaway costs or the hallucinations that come with general-purpose AI."

Language Weaver Pro is also integrated across the Trados portfolio, putting advanced AI translation directly into the tools linguists and organizations already use throughout the localization process.

"Translation is one of the original AI applications, and yet it remains one of the few categories where the best consumer-grade output still falls short in the regulated, brand-sensitive environments that most enterprises actually operate in," said Steve Johansson, Managing Director, AI Breakthrough. "RWS has built Language Weaver Pro to operate in exactly those environments, with a large language model purpose-built for translation, embedded linguistic expertise and the deployment flexibility that enterprises require."

Language Weaver Pro sits at the heart of RWS's Language Intelligence capability, combining multilingual AI models, RWS's linguistic expertise and secure language technology – giving organizations the accuracy, adaptability and governance to act on multilingual content in the most complex global environments.

This year's AI Breakthrough Awards attracted the strongest field in their near-decade history, with thousands of nominations from more than 20 countries across categories spanning Agentic AI, Generative AI, Computer Vision, AIOps, Robotics and Natural Language Processing – making RWS's third consecutive win all the more significant.

Learn more about Language Weaver Pro.

About us
RWS is a global AI solutions company empowering the world's most trusted enterprise AI.

Our proprietary Cultural Intelligence Layer, powered by 250,000 data specialists, cultural and language experts and deep domain professionals, backed by 45+ patents, makes enterprise AI culturally fluent, contextually accurate and secure, ensuring every interaction reflects a brand's tone, context and customer values.

Through our Generate, Transform and Protect segments, we deliver intelligent content, enterprise knowledge, large-scale localization and IP protection for global growth. Trusted by 80+ of the world's top 100 brands, RWS provides the confidence, governance and expertise organizations need to deploy AI safely, responsibly and at scale.

Headquartered in the UK, RWS is listed on AIM."
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rws-wins-machine-translation-solution-of-year-award-for-third-year-running-302810823.html
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"The Future of Translation Services in the U.S.: Why ‘Location-Based’ No Longer Means Local

So, if you had to get a document translated for a visa or immigration application, you would search your local area – maybe a notary who did translations on a part-time basis, maybe a bilingual professional in the community. The nearness seemed to be a stand-in for reliability. This conviction has been unshaken, in a way. Not because the quality of local translators has decreased, but because the definitions of ‘accessible’ and ‘trustworthy’ have grown – and geography can no longer keep up. The U.S. translation services market has restructured itself beyond the zip code, and USCIS applicant translations have become a more significant part of the business.

I’ve spent considerable time watching this shift unfold, and what’s most striking isn’t the technology behind it. It’s the change in what people expect. When I look at how immigrants and visa applicants are actually making decisions today, the pattern is clear: they’re not asking “who’s closest?” They’re asking “who’s most reliable, fastest, and most likely to get this right the first time?” In that context, platforms like RapidTranslate.org/locations have gained real traction not by being local to any single city, but by being consistently reachable from every city simultaneously.

How the Old System Worked, and Why It Broke
The traditional translation model wasn’t built on competence. It was built on logistics. Before cloud-based document handling became routine, you genuinely needed someone physically present. Physical stamps, wet signatures, and in-person handoffs made proximity a functional necessity, not a preference. A certified translator in Chicago couldn’t efficiently serve a client in Albuquerque when everything had to move by mail or scheduled appointment.

This created something that looked like a market but functioned more like a lottery. If you lived in a large metro area with a substantial immigrant population, you had real choices. If you lived somewhere smaller, your access to qualified, USCIS-familiar translators might be limited to two or three providers – none of whom necessarily specialized in your specific language pair or document category. The quality of your translated documents ended up depending heavily on where you happened to live, which is a strange basis for something as consequential as a federal immigration application.

What USCIS Requires, and What It Doesn’t
Here’s what often surprises people: USCIS imposes no geographic requirement on translators whatsoever. What it does require is specific. Any foreign-language document submitted with an application must include:

A complete English translation of the entire document.
A signed certification from the translator.
A declaration of competency in both languages.
A statement confirming the translation is accurate to the best of their knowledge.
The agency does not require the translator to hold a license, pass a government exam, or operate from any particular state. Selecting a provider based on physical proximity, when none of these standards reference location at all, means optimizing for something with zero bearing on whether your application advances or lands in a Request for Evidence.

The Completeness Standard Most Applicants Underestimate
The most common reason certified translations get flagged isn’t a meaning-level error. It’s a completeness problem. USCIS requires that every element of the source document appear in the English version: official seals, stamps, headers, margin annotations, everything. A birth certificate that omits a municipal seal or leaves a government heading untranslated will draw scrutiny regardless of how precise the name and date fields are. Missing a single structural element is enough to trigger a delay that can stretch across months.

The Standardization Advantage Local Providers Can’t Easily Match
When a translation service handles thousands of USCIS-bound documents per month, formatting stops being a judgment call and becomes institutional. The certification statement reads consistently, the layout mirrors what federal reviewers are accustomed to seeing, and edge cases: documents with multiple embedded languages, deteriorated stamps, and handwritten notations get resolved through established internal workflows rather than improvised on the spot.

A freelance translator – even a deeply skilled one – builds their process from personal habit. There’s no external compliance system enforcing that their certification statement matches current USCIS formatting expectations or that their layout of a foreign civil registry document aligns with what reviewers at a particular service center have come to expect. That’s not an indictment of individual capability; it’s simply the structural reality of solo work operating without an institutional framework behind it.

Why Consistency Translates Directly to Faster Approvals
Larger platforms that concentrate specifically on certified translation for federal submissions maintain internal style guides mapped directly to USCIS requirements. The practical differences show up clearly:

A client in Miami and a client in Seattle receive identically formatted documents.
Certification statements follow the same structure across every single order.
Non-standard cases are resolved by established protocol, not on-the-spot judgment.
That uniformity carries real weight when the agency processing your application handles millions of filings annually and has limited bandwidth for documents that require a second look. A document that mirrors what reviewers already expect to see moves through the process with considerably less friction.

Speed and Accessibility in 2026
The last argument that genuinely favored local providers was turnaround time. Walk in, hand over the document, and return the next day. That edge has effectively disappeared. Most established online translation services now deliver standard certified documents within 24 to 48 hours, with expedited options when deadlines press harder. The entire workflow – uploading the source material, receiving the certified translation, downloading the finished document – happens without a physical visit or office-hours constraint.

Conclusion
For applicants managing immigration timelines, this is practical, not philosophical. Visa appointment dates don’t flex, application windows close on schedule, and biometrics appointments aren’t forgiving. Having access to certified translation at midnight, from a rural area, without coordinating anyone’s availability, is no longer a differentiating feature. It’s simply what applicants now expect as a baseline.

What the market has absorbed by mid-2026 is that “local” was never the real point. Qualified, consistent, and fast – those were always the criteria that mattered. It just took the industry a while to figure out how to deliver all three without a storefront."
by Staff
June 24th, 2026
https://triad-city-beat.com/the-future-of-translation-services-in-the-u-s-why-location-based-no-longer-means-local/
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"The complete translation project of the Talmud was launched at the residence of the President in the presence of President Herzog and businessman and philanthropist Patrick Drahi

In a ceremony at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Israel marked the completion and publication of the first full French translation of the Babylonian Talmud. The project is based on the landmark commentary of the late Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz and funded by the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation.

The date was not chosen by coincidence. The ceremony fell on the 9th of Tammuz, exactly 782 years after the Paris Disputation of 1242, which ended with King Louis IX ordering the burning of thousands of Talmud volumes and Jewish manuscripts in the city's public square. Marking the launch on that same date was a deliberate act of historical closure.

President Isaac Herzog, who hosted the event alongside businessman and philanthropist Patrick Drahi, called the translation "a gateway to making the Talmud accessible to the entire world." The project is expected to open Talmudic study to millions of French speakers across France, Belgium, North Africa, Canada, and Israel's own French-speaking immigrant community.

The translation builds on Rabbi Steinsaltz's pioneering method, developed over nearly five decades and guided by his conviction that "the Torah is the inheritance of every Jew." Steinsaltz restructured the traditional page layout, divided the text into paragraphs, vocalized the Aramaic, and added scientific, historical, and biographical commentary, making the Talmud's dense Amoraic discussions accessible to the modern reader. He passed away in 2020, having received the Israel Prize for his work.

Drahi, whose foundation financed the project, reflected on what the Talmud's culture of debate might offer the wider world: "Dispute is an inseparable part of the Talmud, and in the Talmud it leads to mutual enrichment. I hope this edition will also contribute to our ability to listen to the voice of the other."

Rabbi Meni Even-Israel, the rabbi's son and CEO of the Steinsaltz Center, framed the publication in broader terms: "Today's event marks the continuity and eternity of the Torah of Israel and the people of Israel."

Disclosure: The Drahi family, which leads the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation, owns i24NEWS"
i24NEWS
2 min read
June 25, 2026 at 10:27 AM
latest revision June 25, 2026 at 10:26 AM
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/culture/artc-the-first-complete-french-translation-of-the-talmud-is-complete
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"Jurisdictions increasingly expect their offices to provide multilingual services in spite of resource constraints.
Artificial intelligence
Diversity and Inclusion
Public Engagement
A new Washington law that went into effect this month calls for state leaders to create standardized language access guidelines in a bid to enhance the government’s service delivery.

The Washington bill, signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson in March, directs the state’s Office of Equity to develop guidelines for agencies to ensure the consistent and effective delivery of state-administered content, such as written, verbal, virtual or recorded communications.

A similar effort is underway in California after lawmakers passed a bill late last year that aims to enhance the public’s access to and participation in state and local legislative meetings. Starting July 1, for example, agencies must offer multilingual translation services for public meeting agendas and other communications.  

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The bills reflect a longstanding priority among state and local leaders across the U.S. to expand language accessibility, including translating real-time events or written content, for increasingly diverse communities. But the cost and difficulty of hiring human interpreters presents major challenges to many jurisdictions hoping to help residents better understand critical announcements, public meetings and other resources.

Artificial intelligence has been touted as a solution to optimize translations for government settings, said Suresh Venkatasubramanian, director of Brown University’s Center for Tech Responsibility. But the technology should not be treated as a blanket solution to language accessibility.

Wisconsin policymakers, for instance, introduced legislation last year that would have allowed state and local organizations to permit the use of AI translation tools instead of human interpreters in courtrooms. The bill, which received pushback from observers concerned that AI interpretations were not suitable for replacing human knowledge and judgement, died earlier this year after it failed to pass both chambers.

But recent survey findings suggest growing confidence in AI-powered translation tools among professionals who manage meetings and events. The data, based on more than 200 respondents, found that nearly 95% of professionals agreed that AI translation solutions are easier and more affordable than human interpreters. At the same time, nearly 80% of respondents said the share of non-English speakers is increasing at events.

The report, commissioned by software company Wordly and conducted by Dimensional Research, also found that 66% prefer AI-powered translations and only 25% said they still prefer human interpreters.

Those findings are particularly valuable for state and local leaders who may have been hesitant to use AI for translation services thus far, said Dave Deasy, chief marketing officer of Wordly.

As more jurisdictions deploy AI tools to translate communication during public meetings, public safety broadcasts and other events, “we have found with a lot of communities, as they have started to offer more language support, they’re actually getting more [community] participation,” Deasy said.

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That means more individuals can, for instance, better understand and comply with policy changes to benefit programs they’re enrolled in, developments in immigration enforcement laws or participate in feedback opportunities like public comment periods, Deasy said.

While language accessibility and inclusivity is a vital function of government, AI-based solutions to language gaps should not come at the cost of responsible adoption, testing and implementation of the technology, Venkatasubramanian said.

“Serving a population is not just about the cheapest way to do it, but the most efficacious way to do it,” he said. For instance, the common argument for AI translation tools is their potential to reduce expenses for hiring and retaining human interpreters, which could be tempting for governments already facing limited funding and staff capacity, he explained.

Realistically, state and local leaders should prepare to spend the appropriate money and time to vet AI translation services from vendors and ensure outputs are accurate and relevant to local community needs, Venkatasubramanian said.

He suggested governments and agencies looking to adopt AI translation tools to start with temporary contracts that enable them to pilot such services. This approach can also help government leaders exercise more leverage to customize and evaluate AI tools based on their unique needs, he said.

Jurisdictions often have specific terms for their geographic locations, department titles, documents and other government-affiliated language, and officials must ensure a proposed AI model can address and maintain such specificities across languages, he explained. That is where an AI product that worked for one city may be less effective for another, making it crucial for state and local leaders to conduct their own evaluations of such solutions.

Venkatasubramanian also underscored the value of human interpreters as part of the process of adopting and deploying translation tools. While AI-powered translations are relatively accurate and successful for one-on-one conversations, like between locals and tourists, government-based use cases require heightened scrutiny when a resident’s safety and well-being could be on the line.

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Indeed, human interpreters can be especially valuable when it comes to assessing the accuracy and validity of AI-powered translations, as they can better understand nuances and sentimental differences between languages, Minnesota officials said at Code for America’s 2026 Summit last month in Chicago.

During a breakout session at the conference, officials for the Minnesota Department of Human Services also shared a framework to help government leaders assess whether or not AI is the right solution to language translation services.

Venkatasubramanian also pointed to Boston as an example of a municipality taking a “very thoughtful and careful” approach to AI’s use in government, including AI-enabled translations. In 2023, city officials released generative AI guidance that directs municipal staff to limit their reliance on the technology for conducting translations.

For instance, users should keep in mind the limitations of the technology because “it is not well documented the extent to which ChatGPT and other models can use other languages,” according to the guidance. The document also encourages users to avoid using content generated in a language they are not familiar with without consulting someone proficient in the language and to ensure AI models can consider different regional dialects within the same language.

Ultimately, an AI translation tool “is going to be much better for you in the long run, if you have a solid [AI] system that is actually tuned to your context,” Venkatasubramanian explained, adding that “you have to do your own due diligence.”"
By Kaitlyn Levinson | June 25, 2026 03:30 PM ET
https://www.route-fifty.com/digital-government/2026/06/ai-translation-tools-require-due-diligence-state-and-local-leaders-expert-says/414436/?oref=rf-homepage-river
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"For centuries, people have dreamed of undoing Babel.

Sci-fi novelists envisioned universal translators, and linguists devised international languages, all in pursuit of a world where one person could speak and another could understand, regardless of where either was born.

Artificial intelligence appears to be taking humanity one step closer toward that goal.

AI-powered tools are already being widely used by lawyers to translate legal documents from one language to the next. The mass market romance publisher Harlequin has turned to AI to translate its novels for international audiences. And hospitals are deploying AI translation to communicate directly with patients in multiple languages.

The speed and skill with which these AI-powered translation tools operate are certainly impressive.

But there is an important frontier for translation technology, one that it might never be able to breach: the poem.

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That’s because translating poetry, thus far, has been a uniquely human experience. It demands intimate knowledge of two languages, which large language models certainly possess. But it also requires a mastery of different cultures and perspectives, what literary critic Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak calls a “worlding” of language and culture.

Pushing the limits of language
When scholars have studied the creativity of chatbots by prompting them to produce poetry, they’ve noticed that the poems tend to be more homogeneous and standardized than those written by humans.

Chatbots’ poetry translations have similar issues.

AI seems to struggle in three main areas: rendering metaphor, decoding complex sentence structure and creatively conveying mood or emotion.

To demonstrate these flaws, I worked closely with Adeeba Shahid Talukder, an award-winning poet and translator, to write this piece and to translate the 1953 poem “Mulāqāt,” or “Meeting,” composed by one of the most famous Urdu poets of the 20th century, Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
Faiz was born in 1911 in Sialkot, in pre-Partition India. In 1947, when that area in the Punjab became part of present-day Pakistan, Faiz became a citizen of the newly founded country, though his relationship with it was marked by both hope and disillusionment. He lived in different parts of the world for long stretches of time, but he returned to Pakistan toward the end of his life. He died there in 1984.

His poetry is celebrated for its marriage of classical tropes like the ache of unfulfilled longing for the beloved — and the lover’s willingness to be consumed or destroyed in his pursuit of her — with the political struggles of his time, like the plight of working people and the dream of a Marxist revolution. His poetry is notoriously difficult to translate because of its highly ornate, extended metaphors, which have few easy equivalents in English. This forces the translator – be it human or machine – to push the limits of language.

From 1951 to 1955, Faiz was imprisoned on allegations of sedition against the Pakistani state. His first three months were spent in solitary confinement.

From Faiz’s letters, scholars learned that despite the isolation of his imprisonment, he felt as if the experience made him more attuned to his senses, as if he were “falling in love again for the first time.” His time in jail was also among his most prolific as a poet, with “Meeting” composed during his sentence.

Here’s our translation of the opening verses of “Meeting”:

This night is the dark,
lush tree of a grief greater
than you and I—

greater, for caravans
of torch-bearing stars
have lost themselves
in the siege of its branches;

in its shadow, a thousand moons
have wept away all their light.

This night is the dark,
lush tree of a grief greater
than you and I—

but from the tree of this very night
the amber leaves
of these moments
have fallen,

grown entangled
in your locks and flowered
as the fires of pomegranate
blossoms; its dew

has rained drops of silence
upon your brow,
bedecked it with a silver
string of pearls.
When prompted to provide a “lyrical translation into English,” ChatGPT produced the following:

This night is a tree of pain,
Vaster than you, vaster than me.

Its branches bear
Thousands of torches in place of stars,
Caravans lost
Within a thousand moons’ shadows,
And all my light has wept itself away.

Yet from this very tree,
A few golden leaves of fleeting moments
Fall into your hair,
Entwined, they bloom like roses.

From its dew in quiet,
A few drops rest upon your brow,
And glitter like tiny diamonds.
Chatbots fail at translation’s most basic task
When Faiz composed “Meeting,” he had been separated from his wife and two daughters for two years. He was keenly aware of missing parts of their childhoods that would never return.

This biographical information can help translators understand the poem’s exploration of “vaṣl,” or the meeting of lover and beloved. A common trope in classical Urdu poetry, it usually captures the joy and exultation of the lovers’ union.

But in Faiz’s poem, the union with the beloved also contains an acute awareness of mortality and the transience of beauty – a recognition of what has been lost, and the suffering still to come.

That’s why we rendered the opening lines of “Meeting” as “This night is the dark,/lush tree of a grief greater/than you and I.”

ChatGPT’s translation is more literal: “This night is the tree of pain.”

While there is nothing technically wrong with this translation, the chatbot’s version doesn’t capture the nuances of the tree metaphor and the way its dense, expansive branches can encompass the complexity and beauty of the emotions evoked by the night of the lovers’ union.

AI also fails to grasp the poem’s intricate sentence structure. ChatGPT has translated “in its shadow a thousand moons / have wept away all their light” as a nonsensical construction: “Within a thousand moons’ shadows, / And all my light has wept itself away.”

This error appears to have happened because the chatbot translated “apnā” – a reflexive possessive pronoun in Urdu – as “my,” inaccurately parsing it as referring to the speaker instead of the moons.

Finally, and most importantly, AI models lack the ability to express emotion the way a human can. A machine with no bodily experience of being human cannot meaningfully perceive a poem so enmeshed in human experience. Its engagement is merely superficial.

In its attempt to convey the mood of the original piece, ChatGPT offers: “From its dew in quiet, / A few drops rest upon your brow, / And glitter like tiny diamonds.”

It’s clear that ChatGPT is struggling to decode the grammatical structure of the poem and is trying to make the text lyrical enough to convey the awe and wonder of the original. But the model’s contrivances toward the lyrical – for example, describing diamonds as “tiny” or “glittering” – have no relation to the original poem.

“From its dew in quiet” is an incoherent clause. The phrase that seems to have thrown the model off is “isī kī shabnam se khāmoshī ke yeh cand qaṭre,” or “its dew / has rained drops of silence.”

Urdu literary critic Shamsur Rahman Faruqi has explained how Urdu poets “treat metaphor as fact and then go on to create further metaphors from that fact.” In “Meeting,” the metaphor of the night of the reunion as a tree becomes a fact, which allows for the flowering of a new metaphor – that of the dew on its leaves as drops of silence that fall on the lover and their beloved. These silences, heavy with sorrow, then adorn the beloved like precious jewels, conveying the idea that only a profound grief can beget such beauty.

The model has failed at conjuring this sense of wonder because it cannot parse the poem in accordance with the literary conventions of Urdu poetry.

ChatGPT prefaced its translated text by assuring us that it had “crafted a lyrical, poetic English version of Faiz’s ‘Mulāqāt,’ keeping the imagery, rhythm, and emotional flow intact so it reads like a poem rather than a literal translation.”

Yet as we have shown, its translation fails to accomplish the most basic task of literary translation: to convey the heart of the original.

Chatbots, in other words, are a poor substitute for the literary translator, and they bolster the assertion of the late Indian poet, scholar and translator A.K. Ramanujan that “only poems can translate poems.”

Adeeba Shahid Talukder helped with the research and writing of this article, in addition to the translation of Faiz’s poem."
https://theconversation.com/the-art-of-literary-translation-exposes-the-limits-of-ai-282955
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus

"«Chiche kebab para tutti», «Bee do bee do bee do», «Poulet tikka masala»... Fidèles, irrésistibles et maladroits, les Minions ne parlent pas notre langue, et pourtant, nous comprenons certains de leurs mots.

Et pour cause, d’après Pierre Coffin, le créateur de ces adorables personnages en salopettes bleues et de leur étrange dialecte, il s'agit d’un mélange de français («tu pues des bras», «pignouf»), d’espagnol, d’italien et d’anglais («bello» pour «hello»).

Les Minions utilisent également certains mots japonais («como taki ?» pour «comment ça va?», «kampaï» pour «santé !») et comptent en coréen (hana, dul, set...).

une langue universelle
Dans une même phrase, Pierre Coffin s'amuse à assembler plusieurs mots qui n’ont aucun rapport entre eux et qui sont donc issues de différentes langues, ce qui donne le langage minion, un charabia délirant qui doit quand même coller à l'action et dont on doit comprendre globalement le sens.

Ne soyez donc pas surpris si vous entendez «chipolata», «bido», «poopaye» ou encore le fameux «banana» quand vous vous replongerez dans la franchise, notamment à l'occasion de la sortie du long-métrage «Des minions et des monstres» ce mercredi 24 juin.

D’ailleurs, c’est Pierre Coffin lui-même qui double chaque Minion depuis le premier «Moi Moche et Méchant» (2010), et ce, dans une seule langue pour tous les pays. "
https://www.cnews.fr/culture/2026-06-23/les-minions-quelle-est-cette-langue-etrange-que-parlent-les-celebres-petits
#metaglossia
#metaglossia_mundus