· January, 2011

Stories about Language from January, 2011

Hungary: Filtering Foreign Media Content?

  29 January 2011

Hungarian Spectrum reports that the official Hungarian news agency seems to be supplying other media outlets with “wrong translations” of foreign media content, perhaps trying “to conceal some of the bad news–bad that is from the point of view of the government–from the Hungarian public.” Galamus Csoport, however, offers “accurate...

Pakistan: Slogans Of Revolution

  28 January 2011

iFaqeer opines that the most exhilarating part of a street movement is often the slogans being chanted. This Pakistani blogger urges to the protesters in Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia: “I would like to request, beg, supplicate those on the ground, and watching from afar and who speak Arabic to please...

Caribbean: Walcott Wins T.S. Eliot Prize

  25 January 2011

“He has won almost every other poetry award he’s eligible for, and this evening in London it was announced that Derek Walcott has won the 2011 T.S. Eliot Prize for his latest book, White Egrets”: Caribbean bloggers are thrilled at this latest literary accomplishment.

India: Protecting Apatani Language

  21 January 2011

Dr. Hano Hailang at Arunachal Diary informs that Apatani language of Arunachal Pradesh in India has become endangered and a linguist named Nending Ommo is publishing a book on the sound systems of Apatani language to protect it.

Arab World: Racism and the Slave's Head Candy Controversy

  21 January 2011

Are we - Arabs - racist? It's really hard to tell. Some might argue that racism is against our religion, and that people are never discriminated against because of their skin colour. On the other hand, other tiny aspects of our lives might prove that we are. It seems to be normal, for instance, to make fun of black people [Ar] in the cinema, and even call a candy “The Slave's Head” because of its colour.

Jamaica: Skin Bleaching

  13 January 2011

“All of a sudden the problem of skin bleaching is in the spotlight and we have top DJ Vybz Kartel to thank for it”: Active Voice explains.

Russia: Internet for Tatar Diaspora

RuNet Echo  12 January 2011

Paul Goble writes about the role of the Internet in connecting dispersed Tatar communities both in Russia and abroad. “… the Tatnet is thus serving as a virtual space in which all of them can come together, something Tatars in Kazan have long dreamed of but up until now they...

China: Microbloggers meet their maker, but is he the only one?

  11 January 2011

Writer Ran Yunfei examines the scorching welcome China's most public Internet censor received when he tried to start microblogging last month, and looks at what this means for the future of companies hosting such services as well as despised government officials themselves.

Lusophone collective conscience and cyberspace

  7 January 2011

“Lusophony, identity and diversity in the network” [pt] is the title of an article written by the Portuguese researcher Lourdes Macedo (republished in the blog Buala), with reflections on the contribution that “cyberspace may offer to consolidate the collective conscience of a Lusophone community. “

Featured Translator: Sarah Standish

Sarah Standish is a young American teacher and blogger with a mission. In addition to teaching Arabic to high school students in the US, the Arabic Lingua member hopes to bridge the gap between the East and West and create more understanding of the Arab way of life and thinking. Shams Ahmad interviews her in this post.

Paraguay: Government Enacts Law on Languages

  5 January 2011

E'a [es] reports that the Paraguayan government has enacted a Law on Languages. Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources explains that,”The law requires public institutions to use the Guarani language as determined by the Constitution.”