Happy Monday, GV'ers! 

Hello and welcome to the last translator newsletter… of 2015! Had you there for a second, didn't I. I hope you've all been enjoying your wonderful holidays and are ready to sit back and learn about…

Native Speakers

Screenshot taken from blogs.transparent.com

As native speakers of languages, have you ever had that moment where someone asks you why a certain phrase is correct and you can't explain why it is? You just know! Transparent Language dives deeper into this top in a blog post entitled “Teach Me! Aren't You a Native Speaker?” to talk about why sometimes native speakers may not be the best teachers of a language, even if they seemingly know it well. Take a look and tell us what you think!

Interpreters for Refugees

Screenshot taken from www.opensocietfoundations.org

In these incredibly difficult times surrounding the Syrian refugee crisis, one of the most important services that can be provided to those fleeing war and danger is seeing a familiar face or hearing a familiar language. In an article called “Making Sure No One Is Lost In Translation“, Open Society Foundations talks about interpretation services they support and shares accounts from refugees and interpreters.

Is the Internet Endangering Languages?

Screenshot taken from bigthink.com

“According to a recent study by prominent mathematical linguist András Kornai, less than 5 percent of the world's languages are going to make the transition to the digital realm and the Internet is contributing to the demise of the other 95 percent.”

Sounds scary, right? Big Think explains how languages need to be able to work digitally in order to survive the upcoming years, but many of them are already dead. What's going to happen next? Click here to learn more!

How Does Language Influence Emotion?

Screenshot taken from www.theatlantic.com

In this interview with cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith, author of “The Book of Human Emotions”, the Atlantic discusses how language affects the things we feel and asks the question, “Do you feel something less strongly if you don't have a word for it?” Read along to find out!

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As always, thank you all for your hard work and dedication to GV!

Wishing you all a wonderful new year & looking forward to continuing our work together in 2016!