In this cast, an explanation of piñata politics– and why that approach won’t work on election day. Then the political and linguistic divide between Chinese immigrant voters and their Chinese-American offspring. Then two hits on speaking two languages: Oregon votes on bilingual education, while more American parents chose to raise their children bilingually. We round off this episode with a tough-to-translate French phrase. Listen on iTunes or here.
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It’s the second half of our presidential election alphabet. We pick it up with N, for nuclear/nucular energy. Then it’s on to Spanish language ads, Chinese language ballots, and the Canadian who wishes he were American — but perhaps just on election day. Listen on iTunes or here.
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This week and next, we’re alphabetizing the presidential election campaign. A is for Auma, B is for Bangladesh — and you’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear the rest. Among the issues: Islam, political cliches, and foreign versions of Joe Six-Pack. Listen on iTunes or here.
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It’s Arabic week at The World in Words. First, how Arabic and Hebrew both help and hinder Middle East negotiations. Then, Arab-American writers and the words they have to use post 9/11. Finally, The Simpsons gets an Arabic language makeover — and a cultural makeover too. That plus our inauguaral hard-to-define foreign word segment (a title for this please, listeners…). Listen on iTunes or here.
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We have two takes on Spanglish this week, along with many fine examples of America’s fastest-growing language. 
First, Ilan Stavans explains why he is translating Don Quixote into Spanglish. Then, Bill Santiago explains why he delivers much of his stand-up comedy in Spanglish. In non-Spanglish news, we consider the charge from a Nobel Lit Prize judge that American writers are too insular…because they don’t read enough translated fiction. Listen on iTunes or here.
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