#105: Simon Prentis - The Evolution of Communication

Simon Prentis is an experienced interpreter, translator and author. Simon joins us to talk about the history and evolution of language and how it has impacted our development as a species. Prentis argues that speech and language is often overlooked in academic and popular evolutionary studies. Examples such as Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens or Sir David Attenborough’s Life on Earth seem to sweep over the evolutionary impact of human communication.  Simon has spent his professional life working with different cultures and languages in over fifty countries. Much of his work has been with broadcast media, mainly for Japan, but he has also worked extensively on projects with musicians, fashion designers, film directors, dancers, architects, and much more. Prentis is a fully-qualified member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting since 1990, has translated four books and hundreds of technical documents over the years, has given testimony as an expert witness in high-profile intellectual property and patent disputes. Prentis has also written about translation and interpreting for professional journals, and taught and presented papers of these subjects at educational institutions and international conferences.  Drawing on his wide experience with language and other cultures, Prentis has now written a book which explores the origins of language and its consequences for human history: SPEECH! How Language Made Us Human is available now on Amazon.    You can check out his YouTube short video here explaining the significance of human language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKdRlt6YL30  You can check out his book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B096DRBHPH/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0  #language #communication #evolution #civilization