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The United Nations’ International Day of Friendship is a movement to address many of the everyday challenges faced by humankind. Underlying this undertaking is the belief that solidarity of the human spirit in the form of friendship can combat the crises that undermine peace, development and social harmony across the

Vandat ek kan onthou, wil ek myself uitleef in alles wat kreatiwiteit behels. Ek is baie dankbaar dat my ma ons van kleins af boeke by die biblioteek laat uitneem het – daar het my liefde vir woorde en verbeeldingsreise begin vorm aanneem. Ek het besef dat ek my kreatiwiteit

  Observed annually on 23 April, United Nations Spanish Language Day (Día del Idioma Español en las Naciones Unidas) was first held in 2010 as a means of linguistic, cultural, and historical celebration, while raising awareness about the use of Spanish as an official language at the UN. The date

  The 4th Africa International Translation Conference (AITCO) was held from 8-10 February 2024. The venue: M Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. I was pleasantly surprised by how much interest in the event has grown since I first attended the 2nd AITCO in Arusha in 2020! With representation from 21 countries,

World Hello Day was created on 21 November 1973 by brothers and university graduates Brian and Michael McCormack in response to the Yom Kippur War. The brothers started the movement by gathering money and sending letters to as many world leaders as possible in order to gain support for this

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is an observance dedicated to the preservation of cultural histories and traditions by means of audiovisual archiving. Equal parts celebration of and commitment to cultural conservation, this day emphasises the need to preserve society’s histories as audiovisual artefacts and to acknowledge the work done by

Africa has proven itself to be a dark horse in the global gaming industry boom, with regional revenues expected to surpass the $1 billion mark by 2024. While these sales are largely driven by increases in mobile gaming across the continent, PC and console games remain steadfast contributors to the

In June we marked World Environment Day. A day underscoring the fact that a healthy environment is the foundation of a prosperous society and that attaining such a state is the collective responsibility of every global citizen. Encouraging awareness in this respect is especially pertinent in the wake of the

As jy vir my drie jaar gelede gevra het of ek vir die res van my lewe wil vertaal, sou ek gehuiwer het oor my antwoord, en vandag huiwer ek steeds. Dit is nie vanweë ’n gebrek aan passie vir die vaardigheid as sodanig nie, maar eerder ’n nugter vrees

  Education is not only a basic human right, but also a civic and governmental responsibility. This is because education is a public good which plays a vital role in attaining and maintaining peace, resilience, and sustainable development of our global community. First observed in 2019, 24 January is marked

International Dictionary Day (ITD) is celebrated annually on the 16th of October and celebrates the birth of Noah Webster, an American writer who was born in 1758. Webster is best-known for publishing the first English dictionary in 1806, which he continued to compile and expand for the next 27 years.

I am currently pursuing my honours in translation at Stellenbosch University and it has been an eventful year. I have learnt a lot and my perspective of what translation really entails has changed significantly. As with any other experience, Translation Studies came with an unforeseeable challenge or two from the

  I have never had a clear idea of what I wanted to do with my life after school. I have always been a girl of many interests: from science and mathematics to literature and art, my head has always been everywhere, and I have never had a main passion

Like most people at school, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. I just knew it was going to be something with languages. I never even considered anything else. I was going to work with language, because what else would I do? What exactly I

The 9th of August marks International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. This occasion is dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging recognition of indigenous identities, rights, and traditions. Although indigenous communities comprise less than 5% of the world’s total population, they account for 15% of the world’s poorest peoples –

World Chocolate Day is an annual observance which has been celebrated globally on the 7th of July since 2009. Though several chocolate-centric days exist, this date is widely believed to be the anniversary of the day chocolate was introduced to Europe in 1550. The United States alone has at least four additional occasions – one such day celebrated on the birthday of Milton S. Hershey, father of the Hershey’s Kiss. Historically, however, chocolate consumption can be traced back thousands of years, originating with pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures such as the Olmec, who were the first major civilisation in modern-day Mexico. The tropical lowlands inhabited by these peoples fostered the ideal environments for fruit trees such as avocado and cacao, or cocoa.

Autism spectrum disorder comprises diverse conditions related to brain development. June 18 marks Autistic Pride Day. This day is dedicated to recognising and celebrating autistic people and commemorating the role autistic pride has played in bringing about positive change for people on the autism spectrum all over the world. First put forward in 2005 by autism rights group, Aspies For Freedom, the celebration is intended to focus on the achievements of the autistic community – emphasising that it is an event for autistic people, created by autistic people.

The 21st of May marks World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. This auspicious date is dedicated to celebrating the bounteous wealth of cultures all over the world and commemorating the importance of intercultural dialogue in achieving and maintaining world peace and sustainable development. First conceived in May 2002, this day continues striving to enhance the potential of culture to improve the livelihoods of people all over the world.

The 21st of March marked World Poetry Day – an internationally eminent day dedicated to supporting and celebrating linguistic diversity through poetic expression. This observance also aims to provide increasing opportunities for endangered languages to be heard through the promotion of the reading, writing, publishing, and teaching of poetry.

International Mother Language Day was established to raise awareness of the importance of multilingualism, and linguistic and cultural diversity. Inspired by the 1952 Bengali Language Movement, which sought recognition for the Bengali language, this annual observance is part of the United Nations’ larger initiative to “promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world”[1].

Like many others in this line of work, my love and appreciation for language started at an early age. As a child, I was an avid reader and the highlight of my days was going to the library with my mother. I would write short stories for my friends to read, and this inspired me to pursue a career working with words. My younger self assumed the only way to do this was to become a journalist. For some reason, they seemed to be the only people allowed to have fun with language and proofread stuff (something I delighted in doing for my friends and family). I was not yet aware of the exciting opportunities waiting on the horizon.

This Heritage month, Folio takes a look at issues of language, heritage, and heritage languages. Language is a fundamental part of cultural heritage. That’s a given. Even when overlooking subcategories such as linguistic heritage, the languages we speak are some of the primary building blocks that make us who we are and indicate where we come from, both geographically and socio-culturally.

The two most memorable gifts I’ve ever received were an alphabet picture book for my 4th birthday and a South African Oxford School Dictionary when I turned 8. Both were given to me by my father, who sought to instill both my brother and me with an appreciation for words from an early age. For my brother that manifested as a love for novels and poetry, whereas my literary love took shape through writing and translation.

Folio’s South African Sign Language (SASL) interpreters share their experiences. Receiving antenatal bookings is always exciting. From administration, examination and consultation to delivery, you experience everything with the patient. The way we are received and welcomed is totally different from doing other bookings. I don’t know if it’s because there’s another little life involved, but it feels as though you become a light in the life of the doctor and the patient.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the second Africa International Translation Conference in Arusha, Tanzania. According to my African friends in the industry AITCO2019 resulted in valuable connections and insights, so it was with much anticipation that I booked my ticket on Kenya Airlines.

Listening to my grandparents’ stories about all the crazy adventures they’d experienced in all the different countries they’d worked in sparked my interest in travelling and languages when I was a small child. I enrolled at the Gymnasium Marne Europaschule in Northern Germany which specialises in various exchange programmes.

Nowadays, young adults are pressured to know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives. But the reality is they rarely do. I’m the exception.

Nowadays, young adults are pressured to know exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives. But the reality is they rarely do. I’m the exception.

I recently had the opportunity to meet Nombulelo Cekwana, Folio’s experienced South African Sign Language interpreter who shared details of her fascinating job.

Seeing as much of the world as possible has always been my wish. After graduating high school early, I had plenty of time before university.

Listening to my grandparents’ stories about all the crazy adventures they’d experienced in all the different countries they’d worked in sparked my interest in travelling and languages when I was a small child. I enrolled at the Gymnasium Marne Europaschule in Northern Germany which specialises in various exchange programmes.

GALA conferences are intense. And the GALA Conference in Munich held from 24 to 27 March 2019 was no different.

Long ago I was already convinced that the world was so much more than those streets around my home and my high school in Fuenlabrada, and that was what I wanted to explore. In the complete confusion of choosing a future career, I let myself be guided by my passion for languages.

To celebrate International Mother Language Day we asked thirty of our trusted translators two related questions: Do you speak your mother language at home and; Should mother languages be promoted at school, university and in business?

On 12 November 2014 a space module bounced gently in the vastness of space before settling down on a comet millions of kilometres from Earth. Philae had hitched a ride on the European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe to analyse and photograph 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. On 19 July 1799 Pierre-François Bouchard inspected building rubble near the town of […]

Linguists come up with some very strange terminology in their quest to classify all the different permutations of language. In this blog I give a brief overview of some of these terms. You may find it interesting if thesephenomena crop up in everyday language and you may even impress your colleagues with your newly acquired […]

Despite being a globetrotter of note*, Bag was slightly nervous about the prospect of flying to the SATI Triennial Conference after reading a story in the news about bees nesting in a Mango plane’s engine, but a cursory glance before entering the plane allayed his fears.

Finding the right career path may seem scary to a teenager, but everyone has to go through it, and a few years later I’m now finally able to say that I know exactly what I want to do with my life. Sometimes it’s good to take some time off and travel, just to become aware […]

  Market research firm Common Sense Advisory recognises Folio Online as a leader in the $46.52 billion global translation, localisation, and interpreting services industry. (Cape Town) – Folio Online (Folio) announced today its official ranking as one of the largest language service providers (LSPs) in the global translation and interpreting industry. Issued June 2018 by […]

Folio featured in the latest version of Muratho, Journal of the South African Translators’ Institute. Volume 17, Number 2, October 2017. Laetitia Sullivan interviewed Director, Johan Botha (Folio Online), and Senior Manager, Simon Hill (Folio Translation Consultants), after Folio was recently recognized by Common Sense Advisory as the second largest language service provider in Africa […]