Weird but true: Your environment can change your native language
Today, in the middle of a conversation, I forgot the word “organic”. Funny thing is, I could say it effortlessly in my second language,...
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aiaTranslations
- Jun 15, 2015
Five misconceptions many Americans have about English
Being an American abroad has its challenges. One you might not expect is how Americans are perceived outside the US. Sure, we have this...
aiaTranslations
- Jun 8, 2015
Is your education keeping you from being multilingual?
In a well-meaning opinion piece in James Madison University’s newspaper, The Breeze, sophomore Rachel Petty writes that after two months...
aiaTranslations
- Jun 1, 2015
Cultural differences and the doctor-patient relationship
When I first saw my new GP’s examining room, I gasped in grateful surprise. Unlike my previous doctor’s office, this one looked clean...
aiaTranslations
- Mar 30, 2015
Taking a Grammar Pet Peeve to a New Level
A lot of us have grammar or spelling errors that we just can’t stand. Bryan Henderson has this issue, too. But unlike most of us, he’s...
aiaTranslations
- Mar 9, 2015
What influences the sounds of language?
Do you ever wonder why languages sound the way they do? Psychologist Iris Berent wanted to test whether we prefer some sounds because...
aiaTranslations
- Feb 16, 2015
Etymologists’ unlikely friend
I’ve often written about how, when it comes to translation, nothing beats a professional, qualified human being. There may be some...
aiaTranslations
- Feb 9, 2015
Why most of us just can’t shake a foreign accent
“You have an accent! Where are you from?” is a question that I get a lot here in France. I’m not the only immigrant who’s come to learn...
aiaTranslations
- Jan 26, 2015
Does Language Come From Instinct?
There is little doubt: we don’t slide into this world as beings capable of conversation. We make lots of sound but no words until we...
aiaTranslations
- Nov 17, 2014
Is Language Inherent?
Do we have a built-in linguistic instruction manual? For decades, linguists have been debating, well, a lot of things. But one major...
aiaTranslations
- Aug 18, 2014
Too afraid to get treatment?
At first, a doctor might believe I’m just an average patient. But the minute a needle comes out, all bets are off. A boyfriend of mine...
aiaTranslations
- Aug 11, 2014
Getting to know Globish
There are various reasons why. For one thing, you can rant and rave all you want to against the kids today and their pop music, but if...
aiaTranslations
- Jul 28, 2014
Is correct grammar always correct?
If you love impeccable grammar and feel conflicted about the song “Blurred Lines”, music parody superstar “Weird Al” Yankovic’s new...
aiaTranslations
- Jul 14, 2014
Survey says: You can’t always trust statistics
Nine out of ten journalists say that statistics are an important part of their research and reporting. Okay, I made that up, but it...
aiaTranslations
- Jul 7, 2014
Healing Priorities
Do you read things even though you know they’ll make you angry? I do sometimes, and apparently I’m not alone; a word has recently been...
aiaTranslations
- Apr 7, 2014
Looking for (the language of) love
Every year as February turns to March, my boyfriend starts telling me about colleagues who’ve found love. “You know, it’s springtime,”...
aiaTranslations
- Mar 10, 2014
“Whom” Do You Love?
According to a recent Wired magazine article on how to create the perfect online dating profile, men who use the pronoun “whom” in their...
aiaTranslations
- Feb 24, 2014
Buzzfeed: Lists…and Linguistics
My name is Alysa, and I’m addicted to the website Buzzfeed. If you are, too, I’m not judging you. But sometimes other people are. ...
aiaTranslations
- Nov 18, 2013
What Not to Say at Work
Has a coworker ever said something that made you cringe? I’m not sure what I was expecting when I read this list of phrases that...
aiaTranslations
- Sep 30, 2013
Open the Gates
Not fantastical entryways to alternate universes, patient portals are a new way to connect with patients on an individual basis. A...
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