What good is an internet-connected toaster if your smart kettle doesn’t know to boil water for your tea? As more gadgets go online, the Open Connectivity Foundation is working towards a universal language for the Internet of Things, making life simpler as tech gets more complicated.

In a country where there are more than two dozen dialects and over a billion mobiles, many experience difficulties using handsets because they’re not fluent in the English or Hindi they see on-screen. That’s why, from July 2017, every phone sold in India will feature at least one regional language.

The English language is constantly shifting, with merging communities and tech making it evolve faster than ever; 86% of British parents think teens speak a different language on social media. So how can brands use words, emoticons and colloquialisms to better communicate with their audiences?

Half a million visitors will descend on Rio for the 2016 Olympics. But while Brazilians are a sociable bunch, only 5% of the population speaks English. In a bid to minimise language barriers, Google has launched the Eu Falo Tradutor scheme to help locals make the most of Google Translate.