In Latvian, a name like George Cole is written Džordžs Kols. That is no typo. It is one of many surprises in a language most English speakers know very little about. Latvian is a Baltic language and the official language of Latvia, spoken natively by about 1.5 million people. It is one of only two
English and Spanish are the most widely spoken languages in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Diné (Navajo), Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, and other Indigenous and immigrant languages also contribute to the city’s linguistic diversity. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 25.9% of Albuquerque residents aged five and older spoke a language other than English at home during 2020–2024.
Ask a taxi driver in Kinshasa and a teacher in Mbandaka to say the same thing in Lingala, and you may hear two different versions. The Lingala language is spoken by millions of people across Central Africa, and its vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation vary from region to region. Those differences go back to the language’s
Multilingual business meetings are a regular part of doing business in New York. Companies work with international clients, employees, investors, vendors, and business partners who may feel more comfortable communicating in languages other than English. That reflects the city itself. According to New York City’s 2026 Newest New Yorkers report, 48% of residents aged five
Spoken Italian is not the same across the country. The regional differences in spoken Italian can affect how words sound, which expressions people use, and how sentences are formed. A conversation in Milan may sound different from one in Rome, Naples, Palermo, or Cagliari, even when everyone uses Standard Italian. Standard Italian gives people across
Classical Nahuatl and the Nahuatl spoken today belong to the same linguistic tradition, but they are not identical. Classical Nahuatl generally refers to the form of the language documented in central Mexico around the time of the Spanish conquest and during the early colonial period. Much of what linguists know about it comes from written
Brazilian and European Portuguese do not always require different interpreters, but the interpreter needs to be comfortable with the variety the speakers actually use. Both are Portuguese, and the two are generally mutually intelligible. Differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and formality still affect live interpretation, where there is no chance to re-read a sentence. A
A Modern Hebrew speaker can understand parts of Biblical Hebrew without learning an entirely new language. The script, many roots, and much of the vocabulary remain familiar, so comprehension is real but partial. The gap is far smaller than between Modern and Old English. Shakespeare or the King James Bible gives a rough sense of
The theme of International Translation Day 2026 is “Linguistic Diversity and Language Rights,” with the subtitle “The power of being understood.” The International Federation of Translators (FIT) set the theme, and the day falls on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. Each year, this day honours the translators, interpreters and terminologists who help people communicate across languages.
Over-the-phone interpretation connects you with a qualified interpreter remotely through a phone call. On-site interpretation places the interpreter in the same physical location as the people involved in the conversation. Both options can support clear communication, but they work best in different situations. Your choice may depend on how quickly you need an interpreter, where
