Maybe I'm just weird, but I really like learning stuff. I like using what I've learned, struggling to revisit what I once knew, reading familiar passages and discovering new ones. This past weekend I attended a language philosophy conference; it's been a few years since I read any strict language philosophy texts, and the subject matter was highly challenging to begin with. In spite of the fact that the whole conference revolved around ideas about how meaning gets communicated, I spent much of the time wondering if I'd entered some alternate universe where English was not actually my first language — how else to explain my blank brain when anaphora in event-related counting sequences get mentioned in passing? I've heard all those words before, but they don't compute very well in that order, and the conference did not come with a technical glossary.

Jargon aside, it was a highly enjoyable weekend. Thinking that intensely is somewhat exhausting, but it can also spur euphoria. As human beings, we like stimulation. Mental stimulation, particularly for the more nerdy of us, is right up there with (or preferable to) cliff-jumping and going to packed reggae concerts.

Providing continuing education and mental stimulation is what this magazine, in theory, is all about, and this issue in particular covers education and e-learning. In our focus, Andrea Edmundson starts things off with a look at cultural values in e-learning, followed by guidelines for its localization from Diana Karel-Longuevergne. Next, Jinny Bromberg and Irina Jesionowski give an overview of the court interpreter training situation, and Tim Altanero similarly explains the options for a degree to help localization professionals get a leg up. Finally, Xiaochun Zhang details how video games are currently being used in Chinese education.

In our columns, Tom Edwards lauds the live contact business travel affords, John Freivalds expounds on Panama, Adam Asnes explains internationalization budget expectations, Susan Remkus offers some marketing tips and Adam Blau has some additional words on translating e-learning. There's also a review of memoQ 4 by Angelika Zerfaß, and Dimitra Anastasiou has an article on localization metadata. It's all topped off with Gabriel Fairman's Takeaway arguing for review of 100% translation memory matches.

So keep readin' and you might just learn something.

–Katie Botkin, Managing Editor