Lost in Arabic translation

The federal government’s lack of Arabic translators and the insufficient understanding – and consequent poor translation – of the language by the translators it does have may mean more Arab-Americans, immigrants, and foreigners could find themselves caught up in the government’s dragnet.

When Bill Gates goes to China, students hang from the rafters and scalp tickets to hear him speak. In China, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America, Britney Spears is Britney Spears… Throw out your kid’s idiotic video game, shut off the television and get Johnny and Suzy to work, because a storm is coming their way.

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Many people (both supporters and critics) say globalization will lead to a homogenization of culture — people around the world, enticed by McDonalds and Hollywood movies, will devalue their local culture and adopt American ways instead. I don’t know if that will happen or not, but some recent articles and studies got me thinking about one way to test this theory.

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I recently gave a presentation on Global Culture at Cardinal Health in Houston, Texas. See the Linguistic Solutions Web site Resources page and the Linguistic Solutions Blog Global Culture category for resources.

HispanicBusiness.com reports on 2003 Census estimates.

China Digital News lists the keywords filtered by all Chinese ISPs. Hat tip: Smart Mobs.

Popular devices spread obscenity, authorities say Hat tip: Smart Mobs.