The translation sector, like many others, has been through the pandemic’s wringer and emerged looking very different from when it went in. Growing rapidly, the number of translators is expected to grow 24 percent from 2020 to 2030, far faster than the average for all jobs. Apart from that, with Covid-19 being very much present today’s world, the globe is still adapting to it: businesses are focusing their efforts on the new digital natives as more users get online everyday (a

Greece has produced some of the most influential figures in human history, including philosophers like Plato and Socrates, scientists such as Aristotle and Hippocrates, women who changed history like Aspasia of Miletus or Hypatia of Alexandria, and leaders like Alexander the Great. But how much do you know about the Greek language? Today we’ve brought together 5 surprising facts about the language that in its own way helped to define today's Western culture. Ready? Greek is t

Happy (almost) New Year from YOKO! As this year draws to a close for many of us — note that while most of the world celebrates New Year's Day on January 1, there are many cultures that recognize the start of a new year on different dates — we’ve decided to bring together different celebrations from all around the globe designed to bring luck and instill hope, prosperity and optimism in the year ahead. A little bit of that wouldn’t go amiss these times, right? Worldwide, cultu

Communication and education go hand in hand, one cannot be accomplished without the other. Classrooms in many countries today are culturally diverse with a mix of children from all over the world, and many cannot understand or speak the local language of that country. To ensure that all students have equal access to their education system, and to ensure parents or legal tutors are well informed of the progression and educational life of their child, there is a vast need for i

Happy World Arabic Language Day to you all! This time last year, we took a moment to appreciate the Arabic language and its many contributions to humanity as we cleared some things up about this rich language. Today, we would like to pay tribute to this language by talking about the present demand for Arabic translations and of course, the reasons for it. Why are Arabic Translation Services important? Huge number of speakers The world’s Arabic speaking population is currently

The importance of good, high-quality translation is obvious, but sometimes it is even more when things go wrong. Today we’ve brought some examples that show just how high stakes the job of translation can be. They are just worth reading! A $71 million word Quality is of the utmost importance when lives hang in the balance, so skilled and specially trained medical translators and interpreters are essential to avoid fatal errors. Consider the story of 18-year-old baseball playe

There can be no denying that social media has a significant impact on the ways that we communicate, so consequently, they have influenced our language. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter have altered our vocabulary: new words have been created and there’s been a huge growth in ‘text-speak’-- just think how often we use acronyms to shorten a phrase to just a few letters, such as “OMG” (oh my god). Even shorthand writing takes the form of emojis most of the time! The

Spoken by about 341 million people as their first language, Hindi is the fourth most spoken language in the world. As we’ve previously done with other languages, today we are dedicating to this ancient and pure one, and we’ll go through some amazing facts about it. How many did you know before? Hindi is one of the languages spoken in India, but not THE national one. In fact, India does not have a national language, but Hindi and English are both recognized as official languag

Sworn translation is generally recognised as an officially accepted translation of a legal document or any document that needs to be accepted in a legal situation. This includes birth certificates, university degrees, academic records, certificates of incorporation, statutes and other official documents. Sworn translations are regarded as having formal status by the authorities, so they are always needed when a translation is to be used for administration purposes or governme

Today, as every 24 October since 1948, we celebrate United Nations Day, which marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. The United Nations is the world’s largest universal multilateral international organization, with the legitimacy, convening power and normative impact like no other. Their mission of maintaining peace, advancing human rights and promoting justice, equality and development inspires people from around the globe, counting with off

Some time ago we brought a very curious list of funny expressions and their meanings with no exact English equivalent. They were just words and phrases to describe life situations English speakers never knew they needed. In that list our name itself was also included, remember? Yoko Meshi (in Japanese), which means "the peculiar stress of speaking in a foreign language." Today we want to make this funny list even bigger, and we’ve come up with ten more words that are, again,

The tech industry is undoubtedly focused on innovation, creation, and growth. We could even say that no sector has as much potential for international projection as the tech industry. Digital operations are more important than ever, with many transformative changes accelerating over the past year. In today’s world, the influence of technology is massive. It’s clear that Apple, Samsung Electronics or Microsoft, which lead the list of the World's Largest Tech Companies in 2021,

Have you ever wondered where, as humanity, would we be without translation? What our current world would look like without it? Among many famous and beautiful quotes I have pumped up with, is still George Steiner’s the one that perfectly gives an answer to this question, the one that summaries it all: “Without translation, we would be living in provinces bordering on silence.” Translation is the things you do and see happening around you almost every day: the news you’re read

According to the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), there are around 72 million deaf people across the world. Collectively, these people use over 300 different sign languages. Today, 23 September, we are celebrating the linguistic identity and diversity of deaf people and sign language users worldwide. While any sign language is different structurally to any spoken language, they should be given just as much credit and importance. For that reason, we’ve brought together some

Every wine lover would agree that wine is as much an intellectual pleasure as a sensory one… In fact, it is said humans started drinking wine in 6000 BC! And even if you don’t drink alcohol, wine can be used as a commodity you can invest in and sell at an auction. Little more to add! The global wine market size was valued at USD 417.85 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4% from 2021 to 2028. Besides, wine is an integral part

Luxury products are crafted to the finest detail by creative designers and artisans. In fact, the complete luxury aesthetic creates and environment of desirability, sophistication, and elegance, we all know that. But how you ever wondered how luxury brands manage to convey their values? Think about it. From visuals and sounds to aromas and colours, everything is always considered in detail to enhance the luxury brand narrative. But what about language? Luxury brands are full

It occupies one-tenth of all the land on Earth, it spans 11 time zones across two continents (Europe and Asia), and has shores on three oceans (the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Ocean) … Are you there yet? Yes, today is all about Russia, and the potential of the Russian-speaking market. Let’s begin with some basic facts about the Russian language. Which ones out of those had you heard before about? - Russian is an official language in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhs

Whether it is a conference, a convention, or a webinar that will deliver critical information to clients, prospects, or employees, there are multiple challenges that will inevitably come forward during any event planning process. Among all of those, facing languages barriers can become one of the most troubling ones if not approached properly. When the language of your event is not one that is well understood by all the participants, delivering your content to multilingual au

With Japan being one of the world’s leading industrial powers, Japanese language services have become extremely important in social and business settings. The Japanese language is in fact, a window into the country’s cultural and social etiquette. This East Asian language spoken by about 125 million speakers presents some features that makes it unique. For that reason, today we’ve brought together some of the most curious facts about this harmonious language. Let’s discover t

We already know that professional language services like translation and localization are imperative for reaching foreign markets, but what about those languages which are less-commonly translated? Could minority languages also offer major branding opportunities? Well, in the words of Nelson Mandela: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Very little can be added, right? Let’s cle