Localization is a crucial element in the process of translation because it involves the precise understanding of meaning. This is obviously a factor when communicating a message from one language to another. But it also comes into play within languages, for example from one region to another. As in this story about a chance encounter.

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Have you ever asked yourself: “If I can postpone something why can’t I prepone it?”

Well, you definitely can. It’s just that sometimes we are not aware of the word. Prepone is an everyday word in India, where meetings, elections, weddings, movie releases, exams, court cases, and more are preponed all the time:

prepone (pree-PON) verb tr.
To reschedule an event to an earlier time.
[Modeled after the word postpone, from Latin pre- (before) + ponere (to put).]

This item was published by wordsmith.org. Those interested in words might like to visit this site and sign up for their word-a-day.

A preview of Tony Beckwith’s latest wordplay:

They say if we bring the kit, they’ve got the kaboodle.

From xcdc, a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language: a commentary on the national language debate. 

A recent post on Language Log pointed to a GI Joe Navajo Code Talker action figure (it speaks seven phrases in Navajo and English) with a link to the Amazon page where it’s sold.