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Randall Munroe of xkcd: Language chat and weird bee laws.
Episode 898
898. Randall Munroe joined me back in October 2022 to talk about his language-themed xkcd cartoons, his simple-language project Up Goer V, his bigges…
2 months ago
What it really takes to translate Shakespeare, with Daniel Hahn
Episode 1193
1193. Today, we talk to award-winning translator Daniel Hahn, author of "If This Be Magic," about what it really takes to translate Shakespeare, star…
2 months, 1 week ago
How to get started as a freelance writer
Episode 1192
1192. How do you get your first writing jobs when you don’t have much experience? Grammar Girl shares stories from her own early career and offers ad…
2 months, 1 week ago
The case for language clarity, with Iva Cheung
Episode 1191
1191. This week, we talk to Iva Cheung, a plain language expert and editor who has helped shape Canada's accessibility standards. We look at what pla…
2 months, 2 weeks ago
Does Yoda speak 'real' English? Is it 'a real trouper' or 'a real trooper'?
Episode 1190
1190. This week, we look at what makes Yoda's English special, and we look at the difference between “trooper” and “trouper,” including whether singu…
2 months, 2 weeks ago
Everyone has a story to tell, and why your memoir matters, with Grant Faulkner
Episode 1189
1189. This week, we talk to Grant Faulkner, co-founder of Memoir Nation and former executive director of NaNoWriMo, about what makes writing a memoir…
2 months, 3 weeks ago
How ‘bee’s knees’ became high praise, and why do recipes sound so bossy?
Episode 1188
1188. This week, we look at how “the bee's knees” went from meaning something tiny to the cheeriest slang of the 1920s — and why it outlasted the cat…
2 months, 3 weeks ago
Why your topic isn't a point (and how to fix it), with Joel Schwartzberg
Episode 1187
1187. Today, we talk to workplace communications coach and author Joel Schwartzberg about how to clearly and effectively get to the point, and he out…
2 months, 4 weeks ago
How many people is a 'troop'? Why spelling bees are called 'bees.'
Episode 1186
1186. This week, we look at why the word "troops" is surprisingly ambiguous and what style guides say about using it to refer to individual service m…
3 months ago
The hidden logic of English spelling, with Colin Gorrie
Episode 1185
1185. Today, we look at why English spelling is secretly optimized for readers. Colin Gorrie, linguist and creator of the Dead Language Society newsl…
3 months ago