One of the quickest ways to increase your income is to diversify your skillset. Two skills that often go together are writing and translation. Both are project-based, make use of expert language skills, and can be used in a freelance capacity. Below, we’ll look at how you can use multilingual skills to pitch for writing work in different languages.
How can you use multilingual skills to pitch for writing work in different languages? Click To TweetHow to Launch a Freelance Writing Career in More Than One Language in the Midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has left people around the world out of work. Many of them are turning to new freelance careers to replace lost income streams. In this article, we look at freelance writing as a career – in particular, freelance writing for those who are fluent in two or more languages.
There are plenty of companies out there that employ freelance writers. Translation agencies, for example, provide multilingual content writing services to clients around the globe – and thus employ freelance content writers from across the world. [Read more…]
Steven Pinker on What Our Language Habits Reveal
I’ve heard it said more than once that grammar and learning the intricacies of a language can be boring. I guess it’s safe to assume that you don’t think the same way. (At least I hope I am right!)
Earlier this week, I was working on another piece about TED talks. I don’t know if you’re familiar with TED, but the premise is to invite select speakers to speak to a limited audience, with the condition that the talk is focused on something inspiring related to the work the speaker has done. Since its inception in 1984, TED has grown phenomenally. Thousands of talks have been held, not counting those from independent events called TEDx. To learn more about TED, visit their site.
So why did I start a grammar guide entry with TED? While writing that piece, I found myself – unsurprisingly – browsing the immense collection of talks. Just as unsurprisingly, at some point, I was looking at talks related to language and grammar.
When I saw the title “What Our Language Habits Reveal”, I knew I had to watch the talk, and I as I watched and listened, I also knew I had to share it with all of you.
Steven Pinker is a man of many hats: experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, linguist, and popular science author. This particular talk of his, given sometime in 2007, takes a look at how our choice of words, sentence structure, and verbs give a glimpse into how we think.
I won’t give you a full transcript of the video, but instead, do take about 18 minutes of your time to watch and listen. I think that the talk will not only help you analyze how you speak but also how you convey your messages in your writing.
Whether you agree or not with Pinker’s assessments, why not share your thoughts with us?
A Complex World: Language Families
Many writers are interested in learning more than one language and not just stick to good ol’ English. Often it can be easier to learn a new language because many languages belong to the same family and use similar base rules. The evolution of language is also undeniably linked to economic shifts in global integration, as seen in the emergence of Credit Loans.
I’m sure everyone knows many examples of Anglicisms used in other languages such as offshore or Germanisms used in English, such as Schadenfreude. Another very popular example, especially among freelance writers, is the Gallicism Resumé or for nostalgic souls your Curriculum [Vitae]. These terms are also called loanwords.
In this new infographic, we have a look at the different language families, their spread and popularity- really a very complex and controversial topic in the classifications of such families.
Did you know that every 14 days a language dies?
Thanks to the crew at Infographiclabs.com for another awesome infographic.
