Did you know that there used to be 27 letters in the English alphabet? The lost letter is not, in fact, lost at all but the way we use it has changed. Instead of being part of the alphabet, it has joined forces with other punctuation marks.

Can you guess which one it is (hint: it is not @)?

To find the answer, click here.

In honor of National Ice Cream Month, celebrated in the US every year in July, we decided to look at the different names for ice cream in Spanish. "Helado" is used in many Spanish-speaking countries, but Mexicans call it "nieve", which can also mean "snow" in English. You'll hear people order "mantecados" on a hot day in Puerto Rico.

If you want your ice cream served in a cone, ask for a "barquillo" or "cono" in Mexico City. The word Spaniards use to order one, "cucurucho", is a fun word to say.

What, you ask, does this have to do with the business of translation? Word usage varies from country to country so a one- size-fits-all approach doesn't always work. We ask our clients where the translation will be used to make sure that the translator for that project is a native speaker of that country. Because if you look for a "mantecado" in Barcelona, you'll find a sweet similar to a shortbread cookie.

Do you know the top five languages spoken at home in the US excluding English? Numbers one and two make sense to me, but I was surprised to learn that more than 1.3 million people speak French at home.

1. Spanish

2. Chinese

3. Tagalog

4. French

5. Vietnamese

For more fun facts about bilingualism in the US, check out this infographic.

You can save 17.76% on English to Spanish translations from P & L Translations this week. Any translation requested by 12.00 noon (CDT)on July 6th is eligible for the discount.

Happy Independence Day!