Most Popular Tweets of 2015

Here, in ascending order, are the 10 most popular* tweets about language and translation I shared during 2015 from my @Smart_Translate Twitter account:

10. Whether you’re an American planning to land in London or a Brit plotting your tour of New York, take care, these 12 English words mean something completely different to Brits and Americans.

“Vulgarity is no substitute for wit”

9. Le site de traduction en ligne Reverso est victime de son succès. Des internautes sont tombés sur certaines phrases porno qui se sont malencontreusement glissées dans la base de données.

8. This one has been largely shared in the media: Google Translate error sees Galicia celebrate ‘clitoris festival’.

7. Here are some rude Italian terms that just don’t translate word for word into English.

6. La traductrice Sarah Wafflard-Walker, une conseillère municipale, était mortellement poignardée en novembre.

5. A quiz from Oxford Dictionaries: test how good your Canadian English is.

4. Angela Merkel inspired a German dictionary manufacturer’s youth word of 2015.

BERLIN, GERMANY – MAY 16: German Chancellor Angela Merkel greets students at the Sophie Scholl school during a visit on the fifth European Union school project day on May 16, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. The nationwide initiative is meant to foster a stronger understanding young people of the role of the European Union. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

3. The Local France gave 20 French words a ‘Franglais’ makeover…

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Time to add a few words to your vocabulary. Photo: Lagotic/Flickr

2. What are the advantages of self-discipline for a translator? An article by Dutch and English to German translator Désirée Staude.

1. And the winner is … 15 Hilarious Translation Fails In Video Games

This particular phrase became an internet sensation around the turn of the millennium.

P.S. In June this year I was delighted to come 8th in Blabla‘s Language Lovers Twitter competition, a list of the Top 25 Twitter Accounts world-wide to do with translation, language interpreting, linguistics, bilingualism and everything about languages.

Do you have a favourite article published in 2015 you’d like to share? Don’t hesitate to leave it in the comments below.

* ‘most popular’ = most clicked on, according to Hootsuite.

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Most Popular Tweets of 2014

Here, in ascending order, are the 10 most popular* tweets about language and translation I shared during 2014 from my @Smart_Translate Twitter account:

10. In May colleague Kevin Hendzel blogged about inspiring the next generation of translators.

9. In July I shared ProZ.com’s call for nominations for the 2014 Community Choice awards. The winners were announced here on September 30th, International Translation Day.

8. Articles about the differences between US and UK English are always popular. This post on Separated by A Common Language blog explored the difference between ‘hire’ and ‘rent’.

7. Following on the same theme, here are Five Tiny U.S. Phrases With Opposite Meanings In The U.K.

A first floor elevator. (PhotoAlto via AP Images)

6. Articles about French culture are another popular theme: Ten French customs that confuse Anglos.

5. Can you name 15 differences between a normal friend and a French friend? (et en français : 15 différences entrée un ami normal et un ami français)

4. How many of France’s favourite idioms do you know? Find out here.

3. Back to the US/UK theme: Can you tell if someone is British or American just from the description in their Twitter profile?

2. More seriously, can an algorithm (that of Google Translate) be racist?

1. And the winner is … A dozen must-have programs for translators: how to move them to a new computer. This blog post written by colleague Emma Goldsmith in late February was the year’s most clicked-on tweet!

P.S. In June this year I was delighted to come 4th in Blabla‘s Language Lovers Twitter competition. This was only the second year in which I’d been nominated, and I also came 5th overall.

Do you have a favourite article published in 2014 you’d like to share? Don’t hesitate to leave it in the comments below.

By the way, here’s a cloud of my the words I use most in my Tweets, courtesy of TweetStats:

According to the same source the top five hashtags I use are: #language, #translation, #translators, #translator, #traduction, and my top five words are: #language, #translation, thanks, new, words.

* ‘most popular’ = most clicked on, according to Hootsuite.

Related articles:

Most Popular Tweets of 2013

Posted by Catharine Cellier-Smart (Smart Translate) in social media and tagged with blogging, Twitter December 30, 2013

Blog readers who follow me on Twitter will know I’m a fairly prolific and experienced ‘twaducteur‘ (translator who tweets). Nevertheless I’m always amazed by which tweets are the most popular – it’s not always those that you would think. Anyway, here, in ascending order, are the 10 most popular* tweets I sent in 2013:

10. Translator vs. Translation Agency “It is a monumental misconception that bilingual speakers are also able to translate”.

9. How can you find out if your language is endangered? on the TermCoord blog.

8. Vivre avec un traducteur : ces phrases à ne pas prononcer… the only Tweet in French to make the Top 10.

7. A detailed account of of the IAPTI conference in London on October 5th by Charlie Bavington.

6. 10 handy French phrases to use in an argument ten handy phrases to have ready for the next time you unexpectedly end up in a slanging match.

5. English Has a New Preposition, Because Internet Linguists are recognizing the delightful evolution of the word “because.”

4. Why some people retain an accent in a second language – this was a retweet, originally shared by Erik Hansson and Gaëlle Gagné.

3. Jose Mourinho literally gives press conference interpreter the shirt off his back.

2. Top 12 French expressions they don’t teach you at school some of the best and most colourful French expressions that you wouldn’t pick up in a classroom.

1. Why plural days and nights in Spanish greetings? Why ‘Buenos Dias’ in Spanish whereas in other languages the greeting is singular? This tweet in late April was the most clicked on link that I tweeted!