Just like every family, every company uses specific terms and vocabulary known only to the family members or to the people working at that company; you can almost say that companies speak their own ‘language’. An internal lexicon is a tool or document that helps you control consistency problems.
As someone who used to read novels quite frequently (not so much now that I have a lot more other responsibilities), I have always been quite particular about the adaptation directors and screen writers make of novels to be viewed on the big screen. Interestingly enough, I happen to be married to a lovely man that works in the film and video industry, and over the years he has taught me to appreciate the aspects of editing and adaptation and the reasons why movies such as “The Lord of the Rings” end up having sections slightly modified or edited out.
Every language uses terms on a regular basis that do not make sense or that are so old that we do not remember where or how they originated; all we know is what they mean and when to use them. Did you know where these expressions came from?
When our ancestors realized that they were burying some people alive, they tied a string onto the "dead" person’s hand and then buried them. The string was then tied to a branch and a little bell was added. If the buried person revived enough to ring the bell, their survivors would rush out and dig them up. That is how they were "saved by the bell".
By Amy Williams
Growing up in the United States, although things have changed quite a bit from when I was growing up, it’s unlikely that a person feels compelled to learn a second, let alone a third, language. There are, of course, foreign language requirements in universities of two years, usually Spanish or French, which is enough to request the beverage of your choice, find out where the bathroom is and, perhaps, count to ten.