The history of dollar

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 29/12/2015
  • English, etymology, Linguistics, literary translation, literature, Spanish
The word dollar has a curious and convoluted history: It is derived, as a word, from Thaler, which itself comes from the  Joachimsthal silver mine in Bohemia. In 1519, the silver from Joachimsthal was first used to mint the Bohemian coin Guldengroschen (‘great guilder’, made of silver but equal in value to a gold guilder). […]
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Spanish in the United States – Part 2

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 07/12/2015
  • Spanish, Translation blog
Spanish in the United States Part 2 After the Spanish-American War (1898), the United States gained control over Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. The Spanish-speaking immigrants who came to the United States as a result settled mostly in California, Florida, New York, and New Jersey, where they kept their culture and language alive. […]
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Spanish in the United States – Part 1

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 02/12/2015
  • Spanish, Translation blog
How did Spanish come about in the United States? Juan Ponce de León was one of the first Spanish speakers to set foot in what is now the United States. In his search for the mythical fountain of youth, he came upon what he thought to be an island, naming it after either its profuse […]
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Spanish Translation Twists – Part 2

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 24/08/2015
  • español, Spanish, traductor
Spanish Translation Twists – Part 2 Here are some more examples of Spanish translation twists: The mayor of a city or town is an intendente in Argentina, a presidente municipal in Mexico and an alcalde in Spain. A waiter is a mesonero in Venezuela, a mesero in Colombia and most South America, and a camarero […]
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Spanish Translation Twists -Part 1

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 20/08/2015
  • Spanish
Spanish is the fourth most widely spoken language − after Mandarin, English, and Hindustani − and is arguably the most translated language in the world. This Romance language, originally spoken in northern Spain, gradually became the principal language of government and trade in the European country. As the Spanish Empire expanded in the 15th and […]
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