Shiver ye voice boxes mateys and take part in today's international 'Talk Like a Pirate Day'

Put on an eye patch, grab a parrot and head to the open seas as people around the world celebrate 'Talk Like a Pirate Day' today.
Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a day that sees thousands of wannabe swashbucklers across the world putting on their best pirate voice.Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a day that sees thousands of wannabe swashbucklers across the world putting on their best pirate voice.
Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a day that sees thousands of wannabe swashbucklers across the world putting on their best pirate voice.

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a day that sees thousands of wannabe swashbucklers across the world putting on their best pirate voice.

To celebrate the day a competition has been launched, Pirate Factor, a parody of the X Factor, the popular ITV singing competition.

Q: Why are pirates pirates?A: Because they ARRRR!

The aim is to find the UK’s best pirate impersonator, a person that knows their ‘aarrrs’ from their ‘yo ho hos’ for the chance to win a pirate hat, money for a charity of their choice and the glory of knowing they have the finest pirate voice.

Entries are still open for those wishing to enter. Participants must submit a voice clip of their best pirate impression to www.Piratefactor.com, there is also the option to include a photo of themselves in their pirate gear as well if they want to upstage other landlubbers.

For each voice submitted £5 will be donated to charity.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day was originally invented by John Baur and Mark Summers in 1995, after exclaiming ‘Arrr’ after a sports injury, and has reached global recognition since. According to a recent survey conducted by BGO, over 1/3rd (36%) of people asked said they will be celebrating today.

Q: Where do pirates go when they want to have fun?A: To the pARRRRk!

Angus Konstam, one of the world's leading authorities on pirates, when asked about the popularity of the day said: “International Talk Like a Pirate day is a success because it taps into all the things that make pirates so appealing to us all, regardless of our age.

“Forget the realities of historical piracy for a minute - this is all about celebrating their sense of adventure, their rebellious nature and their freedom from authority. Add in a heady mixture of fictional pirates, with their eyepatches, wooden legs, parrots and strange ways of talking and you've got a celebration just about anyone can have fun with.”

Google Search and popular social media website, Facebook, have even introduced a ‘pirate’ language option in their settings, allowing hard core pirate fans, or just supporters of the day, to view their search results and feed entirely in pirate talk and according to survey data nearly half (46%) of participants admit to using this setting at some point.

On the topic of the pirate accent people are most familiar with, Angus said: “The "pirate speak" most people think of comes from one person - Robert Newton, the English-born actor who played Long John Silver in Walt Disney's Treasure Island (1950). He came from Dorset, so he used an exaggerated version of his own local accent for the part.

Pirates were all seamen before they crossed the line into a life of crime, and so most came from the great sea ports of Britain, as well as France, Holland and colonial North America.”

“So, on International Talk Like a Pirate Day, you can pretty much use whatever accent you want - you shouldn't just stick to Robert Newton's one!”

The official International Talk Like a Pirate Day page has over 134,000 likes on Facebook, and every year social feeds are full of pirate statuses. Including posts from global brands such as NASA, McDonald’s, Captain Morgan Rum and Bud Light to name just a few.

In support of the day, BGO.com have pledged to donate £5 per entry submitted to the website to the winner’s charity of choice.