Category Archives: English

How would you answer “Fit like ma loon?”

By admin | Published: 9 October 2008

Me I stood and let my jaw drop, wondering what language it was. In fact it turned out the question was in English. Or at least the variant of it spoken in the north east of Scotland. I was asked the question when introducing myself to a family I was to stay with in a [...]

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Should Italian use English words?

By admin | Published: 11 September 2008

No visitor to Italy can miss the stream of adverts using English phrases, or the now ubiquitous “il weekend”. Today, the BBC news site has a report on a study in Italy about the infiltration of English into Italian. The study by the respected Dante Alighieri Society [website in Italian] shows that many feel it [...]

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Signs of confusion

By admin | Published: 3 September 2008

A newspaper snippet the other day set me thinking about the problems any copywriter or translator can face in getting a wording which is not only accurate but also pleases their client. It seems Tesco have been having problems with the signs at their express checkouts which are deigned for customers with a small amount of [...]

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