“Did you ever notice that life seems to follow certain patterns? Like I noticed that every year around this time, I hear Christmas music.” Tom Sims 1. The word “carol” comes from the French carole which means a circular dance 2. The word “carol” first appeared in the English language in the 16th century. 3. “Christmas” carols began in the 15th century and had no dance element to them. 4. …
Hotels, especially the larger ones, can be so much more than just a place to rest your head these days. The facilities they offer are becoming more and more diverse and sophisticated – from fully fledged spas to impressive wedding venues and of course locations where business meetings or conferences can be hosted comfortably. With increasing competition from the likes of Airbnb, staying ahead of …
It’s that time of year again… across the UK over the last few weeks we’ve seen the flurry of activity that comes with the release of A Level results and the subsequent scrabble for university places, with those successful students getting ready to pack their bags in a couple of weeks. Heading off to University to …
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The bits & pieces machines just can’t do! As technology develops we hear more and more about AI – Artificial Intelligence. It sounds all very futuristic… is the world portrayed in TV series “Humans” edging ever nearer to becoming a reality? Technology giants such as Microsoft are constantly working on developing their AI technology …
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Keeping ahead of innovation and change. When FSTL first began back in 1990, the world looked very different. The Berlin wall divided East and West Germany, Nelson Mandela was still in prison in South Africa and Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher was still our Prime Minister! We’ve seen much innovation and change across the globe …
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Are some languages spoken faster than others?! With around 7,000 languages in the world (although 90% of those are spoken by less than 100,000 people), you’d be forgiven for thinking that some languages are spoken more quickly than others. As an English speaker when you hear someone speaking another language it can sound like …
8am – Today I’m booked in to transcribe an interview. We tend to transcribe a number of these which could range from interviews conducted for grievance or disciplinary hearings to journalist-led interviews for media outlets. 11:45am – I have a large monitor where I can split the screen so I can easily access information from different sources. A message …
There are a number of phrases that many of us use in everyday life to convey a particular meaning, proverbs that people use to express themselves. Think of phrases such as “two wrongs don’t make a right” or “better late than never” and you’ll know where we’re coming from. The reason so many of us use them …
Transcription isn’t a fly by night or passing phenomenon – on the contrary, it’s played an important role across the globe for thousands of years. Developments in history such as the printing press and the onset of the digital environment has meant that it has been forced to evolve and adapt, but one thing’s for certain: …
It’s something that we hear about in the news, but what exactly is an NHS inquiry? An NHS inquiry is undertaken when something goes wrong with the care provided by any NHS funded service. When this happens, that service is required to be open and transparent about the healthcare of the families and patients involved. The …