The Language Forest: how are world languages related?

Have you ever wondered how different languages in the world are related to each other? Some of the answers may be surprising… Did you know, for example, that the Finnish language isn’t directly related to Danish or Norwegian? It’s actually a Uralic language, in the same family as Hungarian and Estonian, whereas the others are North … Read more

Travels with a language geek

After almost three years as an (unofficial, for the last year) member of the EuroTalk family, I’ve finally decided that it’s time for me to move on and take my passion for languages and cultures on the road. So, I’m hanging up my localisation project manager hat (not literally of course – there’s no designated … Read more

Are you ever too old to learn a language?

As a small child, I was practically a real-life Harry Potter. Without the magic. Or the mean Aunt and Uncle. Okay, well really, the only similarity is that I spent a lot of my days in the cupboard under the stairs. Now, before you call the authorities, don’t worry. It was my favourite place! I … Read more

A Language Journey

Today we’ve got a fantastic guest post from Kelly Wang – English teacher, accidental traveller, cake whisperer, dinosaur believer – on her personal language learning journey. If you’ve got a language story to tell, we’d love to hear it! Now over to you, Kelly… My journey through languages began in sequins and shoulder pads. At the … Read more

Introduction to: Tok Pisin

Halo! Nem blo mi em Nat. Gutpela lo meetim yu! Or, in English: Hello! My name’s Nat. Nice to meet you! Today we’re having a short introduction to Tok Pisin (literally, ‘Talk Pidgin’), one of the three official languages of Papua New Guinea (along with English and Hiri Motu). We recently recorded Tok Pisin for our uTalk … Read more

The benefits of being multilingual

Today, we’re welcoming back EuroTalk blogger Kirsty with some of the biggest benefits of learning other languages. How has knowing more than one language helped you? Let us know in the comments! 1. It makes you cleverer It has long been thought that learning another language, and being competent at it, indicates a high level of … Read more

Languages of the week: Scotland

This week we’re celebrating Scotland, in honour of the Braemar Gathering of the Scottish Highland Games, which took place this weekend. The Braemar Gathering is one of many events that make up the Highland Games from May to September each year. It’s attended by 16,000 people, including members of the Royal Family. Events include tossing the caber, putting … Read more

What’s your excuse for not learning another language?

Even as a pretty serious language geek, who actually learns other languages for fun, I still find myself making excuses sometimes. I spotted this chart the other day (I’m not sure where it originally came from, but I found it when translation agency Finverbus shared it on their Google+ page) and recognised a lot of the excuses … Read more