Wendy Hollands - Professional writer

25/01/2020

This is the mug for me!
What would yours say?

14/01/2020

Not only the most powerful word in the English language, but one that has simplified learning English for both native speakers and non-native speakers.

The most commonly-used word in English might only have three letters – but it packs a punch.

04/11/2019

Cambridge Dictionary has released its word of the year — upcycling. It's not a new word, nor concept, but it's made it to the top regardless. Here's why:

https://dictionaryblog.cambridge.org/2019/11/04/cambridge-dictionarys-word-of-the-year-2019/

Our Word of the Year 2019 is . . . upcycling. This word was chosen based on the Word of the Day that resonated most strongly with fans on the Cambridge Dictionary Instagram account, …

07/09/2019

At least French rarely has alternative regional spellings, unlike English:
• colour/color;
• customise/customize;
• programme/program;
• catalogue/catalog;
• centre/center;..and plenty of others.

Spelling of the word 'colour' in the United States (2014)

22/08/2019

Predictive text is everywhere — in Gmail, mobile phones and many other systems — and it's changing our habits.

Artificial intelligence can now predict what we want to type, making it quicker write messages to friends, colleagues and family, but do we risk losing something in the process?

19/08/2019

It burns my eyes.

https://www.lefrancophoney.com/do-not-stair/

Places driven by tourism invest in translations for guides and pamphlets, yet their efforts can be shot down with one very visible sign that makes no sense — like the one shown here.

08/06/2019

English words can be as tough as some French words.

27/02/2019

All in a day's work.

Afghan walking is described as a nomadic style of walking touted as ‘meditative walking’ with certain similarities to some yoga techniques. Not all experiences are the same!

30/01/2019

I find the alphabet is truly fascinating. Is it just me?

Matt Baker of Useful Charts creates helpful visual guides that condense hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of years of history into streamlined flowcharts. His poster Evolution of the Alphabet looks at nearly 3,800 years of the alphabet's evolution, tracing it from Egyptian hieroglyphs (c. 1750 BCE)

10/10/2018

I'm in my hometown of Melbourne at the moment, and enjoying the Victoria State Library, where an exhibition on the history of books is about to start. Printing presses, ancient books made of stone, and much more!

https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/explore-collections-theme/history-book

!

29/06/2018

One of my clients did a talk last night about machine learning (a form of artificial intelligence). I'm not sure if the challenge for me was in the technical concepts or the fact that it was all in French!

“Top night last night opening the doors to during an artificial intelligence conference at . Were you there? Get in touch if you'd like the slides. ”