English is fast becoming the world's universal language, and instant translation technology is improving every year. So why bother learning a foreign language? Linguist and [...]

The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and has been observed throughout the [...]

French-speaking green party Ecolo would like to see Dutch or German become required for pupils in Wallonia. In Brussels, Dutch is required in French-speaking education [...]

Over the course of human history, thousands of languages have developed from what was once a much smaller number. How did we end up with [...]

Language is complex, and when abstract or nuanced concepts get lost in translation, the consequences may be catastrophic. Given the complexities of language and cultural [...]

There are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world -- and they all have different sounds, vocabularies and structures. But do they shape the way [...]

You can conjugate in French, you can get your tongue around most Dutch pronunciations, you might even have a smattering of German. But have you [...]

When we talk about 'English', we often think of it as a single language. But what do the dialects spoken in dozens of countries around [...]

A Finn and a Spaniard walk into a bar. How do they strike up a conversation? It would be exceptional for either to speak each [...]

Is America ruining English or giving it new life? Most of this old transatlantic debate concerns words. Is elevator an improvement on lift? Why say transportation when transport will do? Sometimes [...]