English Speakers

Read more about the article Affect vs. Effect, Who vs. Whom, and One EMBARRASSING Mistake

Affect vs. Effect, Who vs. Whom, and One EMBARRASSING Mistake

https://youtu.be/tsPnjbn3KFA Hey everybody! In my last video I talked about 10 words and phrases that even native English speakers get mixed up.  If you haven't seen it, check it out here: https://youtu.be/AP2gUskPwEo Before we continue... I want to remind you that I'm definitely not one of those annoying people who points out everyone's spelling and grammar mistakes...er, at least not anymore. It's true that in 2013 I did point out a misspelling in one of…

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Read more about the article Writing: 10 Words That Even Native English Speakers Get WRONG

Writing: 10 Words That Even Native English Speakers Get WRONG

https://youtu.be/AP2gUskPwEo Hey everybody!  I decided to begin this week's video with a story to help you get to know me a little better before we all get super intimate. You, me, and your English writing, that is.When I was in fourth grade, I won the school spelling bee. For the WHOLE SCHOOL. Yes, that means I beat out the 5th and 6th graders to represent Waynewood Elementary at the preliminary regionals. Mind you, I was…

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15 Things That Helped Me Learn Arabic In 15 Months

When I speak Arabic to someone new, I'm often met with a sort of wide-eyed, fascinated, look of shock...and sometimes I'll get the “you’re half-Arab, aren't you?!" (from native Arabic speakers).Non-Arabic speakers? I'll get off the phone after speaking in Arabic and they ask "were you speaking Russian?" or even "is that Hungarian?" (these languages sound nothing like Arabic, so I assume they are judging based on my looks...if I covered my hair, maybe the guesses…

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Thanks for coming to our first Arabic-English Exchange MeetUp!

Our first Meetup event was last Saturday, January 18th at Layali Cafe/Marsa Restaurant & Shisha on Wilshire (or as one of my friends calls it, "Wilshrine"). The crew at our Arabic-English Language Exchange! According to the group page, we had 15 RSVPs. Expecting only half to show up, I asked the restaurant to prep a table for 8. I remember walking in at 5:50pm and seeing 5 people already sitting down. Tbh I was a…

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Your 5 Most-Requested Translations for Arabic Tattoos

Please note that we now have a tattoo translation service available for a minimal fee.  Link here: https://www.lahjaty.com/shop/arabic-tattoo-translation-one-tattoo/We posted a Youtube video a few months ago on general advice for Arabic tattoos.  I was happy to see many responses from people regarding their own ideas for Arabic tattoos, and replying to your comments has been both fun and gratifying.   the comments read (below, in Arabic): "The Westerners get so many dumb tattoos"Well, I'm not sure I…

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MUST Watch before getting an Arabic tattoo

As a translator, I get a lot of inquiries regarding tattoos in Arabic.  I've seen some great stuff and I've seen some...let's just say "not so great" stuff. For those of you new to the language, here is a bit of introduction.  In the below video, I address basics of Arabic script and a few common misconceptions. Hope it helps! Love, Shannon

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