Salut! Just a bunch of cool links for articles, news, organizations, and interesting things related to languages that I’ve recently come across.

The website ArtsHub has a “So you want my arts job: _____” series, and I came across one for being a literary translator. For some reason, I’m able to access the article on one of my devices, but not the other. Apologies if you’re stymied by a paywall. Author and translator Elizabeth Bryer talks about how she became a translator, what it’s like working in the literary translation field, and what advice she has for beginner literary translators.

I’ve just started reading “Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language” by Gretchen McCulloch (recently published in 2019). It’s witty & interesting, and full of linguistic tidbits that are new to me. I know the author from her podcast Lingthusiasm (I highly recommend you take a listen); she has a degree in linguistics from McGill University and she continues to research all sorts of interesting linguistic projects. Her new book is about language, the internet, and what recent updates to English mean for the future of the language. Here is an article on NPR about the book; I’ve borrowed mine from the library, you should check it out!

There is an interesting lending library in Mexico City called TlacuiloBiblioteca, and it’s run through instagram. The owner of the library collection is Pedro Reyes, and with the help of Carolina Peralta, he’s trying to open up private libraries in tandem with public libraries and expand local access to reading. Here’s the article from Literary Hub.

The most recent Nobel Prize in Literature was given to Olga Tokarczuk, a Polish author & activist. I’ve read a number of articles regarding her win, but there’s a good piece on The Paris Review written by her Polish to English translator Jennifer Croft.

There’s a language teaching organization called Transparent Languages. They create software, as well as courses, and other language resources. I really like to read their blogs (you can choose general language news, or a blog about a specific language), and I came across this article about their non-profit partnership with the organization 7000 Languages and their recent addition of language courses for four native Alaskan languages. Which is really awesome, considering this is the United Nation’s Year of Indigenous Languages. I had previously heard of 7000 Languages on Kerstin Cable’s podcast The Fluent Show. Kerstin is a polyglot & a language teacher, and someone who is all around interested in languages. She interviewed Alexa Little, from 7000 Languages, about her work with endangered languages, and that was an interesting talk as well!

In other news:

Dìa de Muertos in Mexico and other Spanish speaking countries- a good time to read articles about it on Spanish news websites like El Paìs.

The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival happened in early October, and there’s a good guide to the history and vocabulary here at the Chinese blog on Transparent Languages.

Iceland Airwaves will be taking place November 6-9, 2019. It’s a really cool indie music festival with awesome Icelandic musicians, and Seattle’s KEXP radio goes to Reykjavík to stream select performances online on their website and their facebook page. Good practice for my Icelandic, and I get to discover some cool, new-to-me music!

Have you come across any intriguing language articles? Feel free to send me the links!

Hasta la próxima xx