Posts Tagged ‘learning’

 

Gap Year in Italy, the ideal program to study abroad in Italy

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Once again, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, one of Italy’s largest provider of in-country Italian courses in Italy, is saying the new programs for the year 2006 presenting innovative plans to push the learning of the Italian language. Now, universities, colleges, community faculties, high faculties and students worldwide are invited to scan concerning our wide alternative of Italian language and cultural courses.

This year following the good success of the inaugural Educational School Year in 2005, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci will feature the Academy School Year course in Italy in all its college centers (Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena).

The “Tutorial Year” could be a thirty two week language and culture course for college kids who want to expertise living and finding out in Italy. The course combines not only language courses with Italian culture classes at the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci but the syllabus conjointly incorporates the basic parts of level C2 of the European Language Portfolio. “All in all, the course offers students the opportunity to see at first hand the various aspects of Italy’s wealthy history and culture”, said Chiara Poggi, the Head of Studies of the Italian Faculty in Florence.

Needless to say, lessons are taught solely in Italian from the terribly start. “At the top of the course, the scholar is ready to write down a final dissertation on a topic related to Italian culture (art, history and business Italian)”, said Wolfango Poggi, director of the Italian language faculty Leonardo da Vinci in Milan.

Created to produce an chance for motivated and deserving students to experience the magic of study abroad one year, the Academic Year Program in Italy aims to:

* progress from the Beginner and/or the Elementary level to the Intermediate stages, working on the fundamentals of Italian grammar (articles, prepositions, present and past tenses) to more complicated subjects like the subjunctive.
* develop speaking and listening skills through daily conversation classes.
* provide an introduction to the everlasting beauty and charm of Italian art.
* take you thru the globe of business and current affairs and the world of fashion: a sector where Italian artists are at the forefront, where we tend to aim to reveal some of the secrets behind the “Made in Italy” label.
* allow you to perceive the mixture of tradition and change which characterizes contemporary Italy.

When asked concerning her experience, Sanda S., who studied in Milan with Scuola Leonardo da Vinci last year, commented: “I was delighted at the prospect to travel to Italy and attend Scuola Leonardo da Vinci for thirty two weeks. I believe the programme helped me to boost my Italian during a friendly and supportive environment. I really enjoyed meeting people from round the world. Being able to check in Italy conjointly helped me gain an understanding of the Italian culture. It had been actually an experience I will always remember and shall repeat in the future.”

Program details and supporting data, together with students opinions and histories on the Educational Year Experince in Italy, could be found on the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci Net site at http://www.scuolaleonardo.com/gap-year-in-italy.php. Next Starting dates, as written on the Internet Website, are 02 January, 08 Might and twenty five September 2006.

For 29 years, Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, the market leader in in-country Italian language courses, has been completely dedicated to the teaching of Italian to foreigners. Each year the corporate welcomes students from sixty countries to its colleges in Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena. The company’s Net site, http://www.scuolaleonardo.com, an Italian language portal giving informations and pages of Italian language courses, culture and resources on twelve languages, receives a lot of than three,000 visits daily.

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How To Get Your Kids To Speak Your Language

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Note: This experience had to try and do with preserving Spanish for our youngsters however the principles are valid for anyone trying to help their children speak and preserve any language and culture.

COUNTRY OF MANY PEOPLES
This country,,, (The authors raised their children in the United States however they believe that their expertise will be helpful for folks in alternative non-spanish-speaking countries.) This country is made from individuals from all over the world. We or our parents came from Latin countries. We tend to now live here. We tend to function in two totally different worlds, the Yankee world and the planet of our parents. All people live in these two totally different worlds in several ways. A number of us were born in the countries our parents came from; others folks were born here. This makes a distinction in how and the way abundant we live in our 2 worlds.

COUNTRY OF MANY LANGUAGES
The one thing that is most vital in our parents’ world is their language that is also ours in several ways. The Spanish language of our parents is a problem to all or any folks each day. We tend to might be proud to talk it well. We tend to might be ashamed at not speaking it well. Some of us might have responded to periods of attempting not to talk it as a result of we needed to talk English better. We might solely speak it after we return across someone who needs help in understanding English. We have a tendency to may solely remember some sayings of our grandparents or children’s songs taught to us by our parents.

You may wish to review (or study it for the primary time) your Spanish. We have a tendency to could only find one reference for you. It’s expensive and is a textbook, not too appealing however complete. Take a look at Nuevos Mundos, Spanish for Native Speakers 2nd Edition, Workbook : Curso de espanol para estudiantes bilingues”

F. Bruce Robinson, assistant director in the National Endowment for the Humanities’ division of education programs asks “How does America preserve this vital resource of folks who are proficient in different languages? Rather than making an attempt to depress the information these students come to highschool with, we tend to ought to be making an attempt to build on it.” (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. a pair of, 1994, page A15)

OUR CHILDREN AND OUR LANGUAGE
We tend to all need our children to talk the language of their heritage. We have a tendency to discount the opinions of those who say that it’s higher to forget Spanish and to target speaking English well. These individuals are just wrong. It will not hurt your English to speak another language; it helps. Spanish is notably useful to youngsters in their learning English vocabulary. Simply today I taught my daughter the difference between vowels and consonants. Knowing Spanish very helped with the idea of the consonants. I told her {that the} consonants don’t have any voice; they can only be pronounced with the vowels. The con-sonants suenan con the vowels.

However although most of us agree that it’s a good issue for our youngsters to talk Spanish, most kids within the US whose oldsters were born in Latin American countries do not speak Spanish well.

Whether or not each folks speak Spanish at home, very often the kids answer their oldsters in English. Look around at your Latin friends and relatives and you’ll see that the majority offer up on teaching their kids to talk Spanish. Chicano and Puerto Rican families appear to own a very little higher luck than Latinos from different countries with keeping Spanish alive in their barrios however even their younger generation is losing fluency in Spanish.

But, folks who need their children to speak Spanish can go against this and set the stage for his or her children to become older speaking Spanish. It’s not easy. Most families fail in their resolve however it can be done. This report will offer some hints on how to improve your chances.

REASONS FOR OUR CHILDREN TO SPEAK SPANISH
There are many reasons why it’s good for the youngsters to talk your language. One obvious reason is the advantage that it may be for them in the duty market. As long as we have a tendency to live in a world with shrunken distances and growing international trade, somebody has to be able to talk with individuals from alternative countries.

Professor Francisco X. Alarcón of the University of California at Davis says that “currently that we are moving toward a world economy, it’s O.K. to be bilingual within the U.S.” (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb.2, 1994, page A15)

Another smart reason for you to figure at your children’s learning to speak Spanish is as a result of it will create you proud to listen to the compliments of your friends and countrymen as a result of your children are able to speak your language. You grow in prestige as a one that values your roots.

Your youngsters will also be in a position to speak with their relatives because of improved phone service that is getting into the most remote villages of our countries. Direct dialing from the United States is economical enough to be able decision some times a year. The thrill of being able to speak to their uncles, aunts, and cousins can get the youngsters curious about keeping up their language.

They can be chatting with their relatives not solely by phone but will be able to visit them. The experience of knowing another culture can place them prior their classmates who have no ties to their roots.

Another reason to encourage our children to speak Spanish can be gotten from the history of a previous cluster of Latin immigrants to the United States, the Italians.

“Some social critics were alert to the consequences of sudden assimilation. Mary McDowell, a social worker, wrote en 1904:

‘The contempt for the experiences and languages of their oldsters that foreign children typically exhibit… is probably due in half to the overestimation that the school places upon speaking English. This cutting into his family loyalty takes away one of the most conspicuous and valuable traits of the Italian child.’ She attributed the lawlessness of a number of the immigrant kids to their disrespect for their parents and thus for all authority.”

(La Storia: 5 Centuries of the Italian American Expertise, Mangione and Morreale, p. 222)

Finally, the power to speak another language will be a nice boost to a child’s self esteem. If the child’s parents make it clear that they’re pleased with their language and of their individuals, the kid can feel closer to his folks and to their heritage, customs, and most importantly to their values.

HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO SPEAK SPANISH
Begin early. Strive to talk only Spanish to the child. If only one parent speaks Spanish well, that person should forever speak Spanish with the child. Do not be scared of “confusing” the child. Youngsters can identify with different speakers of various languages as they grow up.

1. Scan simple stories and fairy tales to the child in Spanish. if you cannot realize children’s literature in Spanish, then make your own translations as you go along. It is not necessary that the interpretation be perfect. Create up your own stories. It is important for your child to possess the reminiscences of hearing nursery rhymes in Spanish.

2. Leave your radio tuned de Spanish language stations. Linguists place a nice deal of importance on “passive listening” as half of learning a language, particularly for young children.

3. In most areas there’s a Spanish language TV station. Put on the Saturday morning cartoons in Spanish.

4. Teach easy nursery rhymes and straightforward songs to your child. If you don’t remember them or if you were not taught any from your parents’ traditions, rummage around for them in garage sales, faculty bookstores, or your local library. Does one remember el patito or pinpón? Look for songs in Spanish.

5. Rent videos in Spanish. They are starting to be offered – and not only in cities with a massive Spanish-speaking population!

6. Use proverbs and dichos in Spanish. Some expressions that you would say in English are just as legitimate proverbs in Spanish. Get your kid used to hearing them in Spanish. You can do this whether or not you do not speak Spanish well. For example, say mejor tarde que nunca rather than “better late than never”. Very little by little, poco a poco, you may feel accustomed to a lot of uniquely Latin expressions. They have something of the culture wrapped up in them. They’re stubbornly completely different from Anglo Saxon proverbs.

7. Get used to saying menos mal in preference to “simply in addition”. The English expression is “better than nothing”; in many Southamerican countries, the equivalent expression is peor es nada. Realize proverbs.

8. Do not correct their Spanish after they speak. Don’t interrupt the flow of their conversation. Don’t create their speaking Spanish to be another homework assignment. It should be something special, even one thing “secret” in your family. Children just like the mystery and intrigue of getting something special of their own. Their speaking Spanish should be a joyful, non-threatening experience. If they create mistakes in their grammar, correct their errors by using the same expression properly a few minutes after. Don’t come right back at them with the proper kind or they can begin to feel acutely aware of their expression and choke off their freedom of expression.

9. Get a smart syllabary to teach them the value of the letters and a way to browse in Spanish. If your child’s 1st language is Spanish teach them to browse Spanish before they learn English. You may be doing them a huge favor. They can learn to sound out the regular spelling of Spanish that can be a smart base on that to learn the way to browse in English. You will get the identical results as those that spend money on expensive Phonics programs.

10. The simplest means to get your youngsters to grow in Spanish is to send them to pay some time with relatives or friends where they will only speak and listen to Spanish. This works best at around seven years recent when children play simply with one another and when Spanish will just return naturally even to the kid who has terribly very little exposure to the language. Another smart age for a child to be exposed to a Spanish speaking atmosphere is at around twelve years old. At this age, the child has greater mental development and can observe customs and things in which sure expressions are used. At twelve years old most youngsters are still pre-adolescents and are not hampered by the embarrassment, self consciousness, and “feeling completely different” which wait teenagers from learning a language or customs different from their own.

Use any of the higher than methods however begin! Your efforts will communciate to your kids the importance that you give to Spanish even if these efforts don’t seem to be continually completely successful.

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English Grammar Really Does Matter

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Whether or not we have a tendency to are talking concerning a 5 year old that’s concerning to start out learning to read or whether we have a tendency to are talking about a thirty year old woman who is attempting to write a thesis for her master’s degree, we tend to cannot deny the very fact that taking time to learn correct English grammar is important.

Once we see or hear about English grammar, the immediate reaction of many people I know is to cringe. They are reminded of junior high and high college English class and therefore the way that their English lecturers created them to English grammar exercise when exercise. As a result of English grammar is typically seen in such a negative sense, it’s all the additional important that individuals replace those lies with the truth that learning English grammar really is vital for anyone who desires to possess a proper perspective of the English language.

After we are speaking or hearing English, not too several of us take the time to consider the actual fact that English grammar is that the terribly issue that permits us to communicate with and perceive one another. It’s not therefore much as a result of we tend to use the same words of the English language, but it is as a result of we tend to all place our words together in bound ways in which to form thoughts and sentences that we tend to can perceive each other. This, in brief, is the purpose of English grammar.

English grammar is that the mechanics of the English langauge that allows for 2 people who use the identical vocabulary to be ready to communicate without misunderstanding. Definitely there will forever be some level of misunderstaning that happens when 2 individuals communicate, however thus abundant of our issues can be lessened if we tend to all take it slow to learn English grammar.

Many schools nowadays are moving removed from creating English grammar a half of the regular curriculum. Therefore while students may learn the way to scan and write successfully, they will likely never learn the English grammar or the reasons why they are speaking and writing as they are. Therefore if you or someone you recognize is struggling with any part of the English language, or if you know a child or someone who is making an attempt to find out English for the primary time, then create sure English grammar is included as an necessary part of the learning process.

Being able to talk, perceive and write a language is a vital part of being successful no matter what you do in life. And taking the time to find out even the fundamentals of English grammar can go far in helping individuals communicate even better.

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Cockney Rhyming Slang

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Sir Winston Churchill once observed that Americans and therefore the British are ‘a standard individuals divided by a typical language’ …

Never was that as true as when describing the Cockneys.

You’ve actually heard their accent, created famous in everything from movies based on Dickens and George Bernard Shaw novels to laptop-generated gekkos telling real gekkos how to travel forth and sell car insurance. The Australian accent has its roots in Cockney culture, as they comprised a massive proportion of prisoners who were shipped there by the British once they viewed the Land Down Below as an ideal penal colony. Cockneys are the crafty characters from east London who admire those among their lot who will build a living simply by ‘ducking and diving, mate,’ that is their version of wheeling and dealing on a working-category level.

To be a ‘true’ Cockney, one should be born ‘within the sounds of the Bow bells.’ That’s a reference to the St Mary-le-Bow Church in the Cheapside district of London ‘proper.’ Their sound carries to a distance of approximately three miles, that defines the Cockney digs better than any zoning ordinance may do.

The term ‘Cockney’ initial appeared in the 1600s, but its actual origins are vague. Its initial known reference was connected to the Bow bells themselves in a amount satire that gave no reason for the association.

Some believe that ‘Cockney’ came from the second wave of Vikings, known as the Normans. These were descendants of the Northmen (’Norman’ was the French word for ‘Viking’) who settled in that part of northern France that came to be called Normandy when King Charles the Straightforward ceded it to the Vikings in exchange for ceasing their annual summer sackings of Paris. William the Conqueror was a Norman, and when he took England in 1066, a considerable quantity of French influence permeated the Anglican language.

Normans usually spoken London because the Land of Sugar Cake, or ‘Pais de Cocaigne,’ which was an allusion to what they saw as ‘the nice life’ that could be had by living there. Ultimately, this gave rise to a term for being spoiled, ‘cockering,’ and from there, Cockney was a brief derivative away.

Cockneys are famous for dropping the ‘H’ from the start of words and infamous within the mind of each grammar teacher for their coining the word ‘ain’t’ to replace the formal contraction for ‘is not.’ But, their most unique feature is their distinctive and catchy rhyming slang.

Legend has it that, throughout the course of their ‘ducking and diving,’ they might occasionally run afoul of the law. It was not uncommon for groups of Cockneys to be transported along to and from custody and courtroom, clearly in the corporate of policemen. So that they may speak brazenly to every alternative and deny the officers any ability to understand what they were saying, Cockneys devised a word/phrase association system that only the really-indoctinated may follow. This became known as their rhyming slang.

It’s easy, really. As an example:

Dog-and-bone = telephone
Apples-and-pears = stairs
Troubles-and-strife = wife

Thus, if a Cockney wanted you to go upstairs to tell his wife that there is a phone decision for her, he’d ask you to ‘take the apples and tell the bother she’s needed on the dog.’

As a general observation, their technique is {that the} second word of a rhyming phrase is that the link between the ‘translated’ word and the first word in the rhyming phrase, which becomes the word used when speaking. Sometimes, though, to emphasize the word, the entire phrase might be used. Therefore, if you’re completely exhausted and want to create a point of it, you would exclaim, ‘I am cream crackered!’ This is as a result of ‘knackered’ is an English term for being tired; cream crackers, incidenally, go well with tea.

There are even dictionaries for Cockney rhyming slang, from pocket versions tailored for tourists to online listings. 2 good sites for the latter are London Slang and Cockney Rhyming Slang. As with most slang, its vibrance is cause for constant enlargement and/or modification of terms, therefore the Cockney rhymes are always a piece in progress.

One note of caution: nothing sounds worse than a visitor attempting to over-Cockney their speech. If you’re thinking of touring an East End market or pub and want to pay your respects by using the native vernacular, be ready with some easy terms and deploy them with a smile solely when the occasion permits. Otherwise, not being positive if you are ‘taking the Mickey’ out of them or simply ignorant, the Cockneys can presumably view you as a ‘right Charley Ronce’ and flip away.

Providing ‘ponce’ is common English slang for a fool — which had its origins in describing a ‘fancy man,’ now called a ‘pimp’ in modern times — you may initial want a ‘British’ translator to tell you what word the Cockney was using. By that time, you will no doubt agree that Churchill wasn’t ‘alf Pete Tong (ie- wrong).

Of course, he didn’t even need to refer to another country in order to be right.

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Learn Spanish Fast

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

How fast is it potential to be told a distant language?  You see product that claim to teach you to talk in weeks or perhaps days.  I am attempting to be told Spanish fast, but like any other language it is an extended and tiring method that take months and even years to become proficient.  It’s doable to be told some Spanish terribly quick, but you may notice that can principally  be swear words and slang terms that wont extremely get you anywhere when it involves actual conversation.

Generally I have dreams with a few of the Spanish words I know in them however they unfortunately normally revolve around how dumb I’m and the way I don’t recognize any alternative words.  After all some people are ready to learn Spanish terribly fast, or any alternative language for that matter, merely as a result of they need what’s frequently referred to as an “ear or languages”.  I want I was one of these people.

Not matter how well you learn languages I have to mention that I accept as true with the varsity of though that says the most effective manner is through immersion.  Living in an exceedingly country that speaks the language is by way the best way to actually learn a language.  You can also browse books, hear tapes, and use interactive software. Or there’s another additional novel method I found that involves learning through music.  While this sounds interesting and quite fun I have to say the words used in the lyrics to the Latin songs I have encountered here aren’t the words I would wish to be learning.

To truly learn Spanish quick and well a pleasant combination of all the higher than mentioned ways would be nice.  To measure in the country, hear tapes and music, browse books, use software, and speak nothing but the language would be ideal and in all probability terribly successful.  Unfortunately nobody really has the time this could entail so we tend to must instead settle for an extended, drawn out, frustrating process.

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Learn Spanish – Quick And Easy

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

The primary thing I discovered upon my arrival in Caracas was that I remembered abundant less Spanish than I believed I did.  As it had been over 5 years since I had taken a Spanish course I assume I very shouldn’t are surprised right?  Who can very expect to recollect abundant from a high faculty course that was mediocre at best?  As I attempted desperately to order a simple sandwich and something to drink, I noticed that if I didn’t at least attempt to find out Spanish I would possibly starve when every week or so.

How exactly will one go regarding learning Spanish in an exceedingly Latin Yank country?  Seems pretty easy right?  Well I assure you it’s not, especially when your entire day is spent speaking English.  Another obstacle that I quickly encountered was the very speedy manner in that everyone speaks during this city.  It is amazing how a sentence containing ten words or so can return out sounding nearly like one long word.  Is that what English sounds like to folks who don’t speak English?  It’s exceedingly troublesome to learn words in another language when you are unable to decipher specifically where one word ends and another begins.  This method is created even tougher by the actual fact that almost all individuals here fail to pronounce the full word anyway.  There were many words that I used to be convinced I knew and was using quite frequently.  Imagine my dismay when I found out they’d whole alternative syllables on the tip of the word.  No surprise I had been obtaining funny looks from individuals on the street and in restaurants. 

I finally came to the conclusion that an actual course was needed or maybe higher, a non-public tutor of some sort.  The sole method I used to be ever going to find out Spanish was by truly sitting down and learning with someone who could answer the myriad of queries that arose everyday.  Unhappy isn’t it?  Here I sit, living in a Latin Yank country and I am unable to pick up the language while not resorting to personal lessons.  Some individuals appear to own an ear for languages and will pick them up merely by listening, too unhealthy I will never be one of these people.

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Using Visual Mind Mapping to Learn a Foreign Language

Monday, February 1st, 2010

http://clk.bz/notetaking

Learning and retaining any new information is not always easy, and foreign languages are no exception. For those looking to learn a new language, remembering the pronunciation and meanings of words is often the greatest challenge of this task. Many people, thus, resort to the use of note cards or other memorization techniques to aid them in mastering a new language. Yet, few, if any of these techniques will contain the advantages found in Visual Mind Mapping. Research on learning has shown that the “brain functions best when it compares, integrates, and synthesizes” the information it receives.1Visual Mind Maps allow users to process information in this manner through use of a unique, spatially constructed, highly associative and quickly processed diagram.

With Mind Maps, foreign language learners, therefore, have the ability to learn words in an effective, creative, and intuitive manner.

What are Visual Mind Maps and How Are They Created?

A Visual Mind Map is “a means of organizing information that allows individuals to create diagrams, pictures, and other graphic visuals in order to show the relationship between ideas or other types of information”.2 With a Visual Mind Map, the creator makes use of colors and symbols to construct the map and represent his or her ideas in a non-linear format. When creating a Visual Mind Map, the individual will usually begin by showing the key concept or main topic of the information as a graphic image, located in the center of the map. Any themes surrounding the main idea are shown on “branches” that are attached to the central topic. Subsequent themes of less importance are then attached to these branches using “child branches”, and so on. The resulting diagram is a “map” of the ideas and information presented that includes the images, visual graphics, and colors the individual associates with each of the themes and ideas.

Creating a Visual Mind Map for Foreign Language Learning

Suppose that a student is trying to learn French as part of her foreign language requirement. Having found little success memorizing vocabulary words and their pronunciations using note cards, the student decides to try Visual Mind Mapping. She starts her Mind Map by placing a graphic representing France in the map’s center. She continues by listing the vocabulary words she needs must learn for an upcoming test on “branches” that are attached to the central topic. On “child branches”, the student lists the word pronunciations and their meanings. Throughout her map, the student makes use of graphics and colours to make the words easier to conceptualize and remember. When she has finished her Visual Mind Map, it looks something like the attached Mind Map diagram.

Foreign Language Recall Using the Visual Mind Map

As the student memorizes each new word, she makes sure to note the visual and color associations shown alongside the word. These associations help the student to internalize word meanings and pronunciations more comprehensively than she did when she used only note cards. With note cards, the student had the task of conceptualizing words that were listed in a linear, non-visual manner. She therefore, lacked the many visual cues contained in the Visual Mind Map that help her process information much more naturally. As a result of her learning her vocabulary words using her Mind Map, the student found it easier to remember these words, giving her a much better grasp of the French language. Visual Mind Mapping has, therefore, made the usually difficult task of learning a new language much simpler and more enjoyable for the student than would otherwise have been.

  1. Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/k-12-education-articles/mind-maps-maximize-your-learning-power-1417918.html
  2. Farrand, Paul; Hussain, Fearzana and Hennessy, Enid (May 2002). “The efficacy of the ‘mind map’ study technique”. Medical Education 36 (5): 426–431.

 

To Learn a Language (like German) FIRST Find the Similarities

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Even if you do not understand a single word of German, you’ll be able to in all probability browse and perceive the following German text. Did you recognize that English and German descended from the same language? (Proto-Germanic) Many words in each languages are the same or similar.

A link to this story’s translation can be provided at the top of this article.

* GERMAN STORY *

Guten Tag! Mein Name ist Monika. Ich bin Autorin. Ich habe einen Bruder namens Bob. Bob ist auch Autor. Ich bin Bobs Literaturagentin. Er schreibt interessante Artikel und Bücher. Er schreibt im Moment ein neues Buch. Der Titel ist: «Das Telefon klingelt für Dich.» Letztes Jahr hatte er two Bücher auf der Bestsellerliste.

Bob lebt in Kanada – in Montreal. Er ist 30 Jahre alt, mit blondem Haar und blauen Augen. Er hat ein altes Auto. Freitags fährt er mit dem Auto zum Supermarkt.

Im Supermarkt findet er Kaffee, Tee, Mineralwasser, Milch, Zucker, Butter usw. für Mutter. Er findet auch Frucht wie Bananen, Äpfel, Orangen usw. Dann geht er zur Bank und wartet eine Weile auf Mutter. Er fährt danach mit Mutter nach Hause und parkt sein Auto.

Das Haus ist weiß und blau. Es hat einen Garten mit wundervollen Blumen und luxuriösem grünem Gras.

Im Haus sitzt Bob auf dem Sofa und trinkt oft ein Glas Bier oder Wein und hört Radio (laut). Mutter sagt: «Bob! Das Radio ist zu laut!» Bob lacht und geht in den Garten.

Im Sommer, wenn die Sonne scheint, sitzt Bob im Garten. Wenn Mutter will, mäht Bob das Gras.

Im Winter schaufelt er den Schnee oder sitzt im Haus beim Feuer.

Meine Mutter hat eine Katze namens Löwe. Löwe ist braun, grau und orange. Sie miaut, wenn sie Bob sieht, springt auf Bobs Knie und schnurrt laut. Mutter hat auch einen Hund – namens Bär. Bär ist ein Dachshund.

Ach! es ist spät – Mitternacht. Ich muss zu Bett gehen. Gute Nacht! Ich schreibe mehr morgen früh.

* MORE EXAMPLES *

Winter kommt im November.

Sommer kommt im Juni.

Die Toilette ist beige.

Das Papier ist weiß.

Meine Hand hat zehn Finger.

Mein Arm ist gebrochen.

Wir haben eine Party!

Bring den Salat hier!

Der Mann tanzt und singt.

Der Wind ist eisig.

Die Tomate ist reif.

Das kostet five Dollar.

Komm hier!

Er hat Hunger und Durst.

Der Film beginnt um 8.

Sie fotografiert die Familie.

* HOW DID IT GO? *

Perhaps you didn’t perceive the German text completely. Scan it a second – and then a third time.

If you are observant, you’ll notice some details:

*German typically uses a ‘K’ instead of a onerous ‘C’: Canada=Kanada, Monica=Monika.

*The English ‘ph’ typically becomes ‘f’: telephone=Telefon.

*Nouns are capitalized: fruit=Frucht, milk=Milch, butter=Butter, sugar=Zucker.

*Possessives aren’t shaped with an apostrophe + s: brother’s=Bruders.

*The English ’sh’ becomes ’sch’: shines=scheint, shovels=schaufelt.

*Several words are specifically the identical: Winter, November, Finger, Party, Wind, Hunger, Film.

Currently that you’ve got a few hints, you’ll most likely read the German text again and perceive even more. Suppose of the words in context, and allow your mind to fill within the blanks.

Related words, like those above, with common ancestral roots are called ‘cognates’. There are many, many additional than those presented here.

Over the years, however, many words that used to mean the identical issue in both languages have evolved and have acquired completely different connotations. For example, the recent German word for ‘wife’ – ‘Weib’ is nowadays typically applied in a deprecating manner. It may be used in a phrase meaning ‘you crazy lady!’ or in instances where an English person would say ‘broad’ or ‘dame’.

The German word ‘Gift’ does not mean ‘gift’ – it suggests that ‘poison’.

The point that’s being made here, however, is that you must actively rummage around for similarities. Over time you’ll discover the exceptions. You will feel comfortable with the similarities and form a foundation on which you can build. The training task then becomes less daunting – and even enjoyable.

Over the centuries the planet has become a melting pot of cultures and languages. Many words and phrases have crossed borders. Globalization – spurred by newspapers, radio, TV, the internet, and jet travel – has accelerated the process. We have a tendency to often use foreign-derived words without even realizing – angst, soup du jour, restaurant au lait, poltergeist, true, carte blanche, nom de plume, savoir-faire . . .

Every time you come to a replacement text passage, scan it to search out what you already know (or can guess) for a general sense of what it means. Then tackle the unknown parts.

Your learning will progress more quickly as a result.

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The Push to Learn Chinese in Our Schools

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Recently, a trend has developed in high faculties and communities round the United States. Many individuals wish to or are currently learning the Chinese language. This might be a sensible flip of events, but it will also be problematic. This can be significantly so for people who apprehend nothing about Chinese culture, history and also the state of affairs in China today.

In mainland China they not use the ancient Chinese characters that go hand in hand with Chinese history. For some reason, the Chinese Communist Party determined to alter the Chinese language and thereby amendment the vehicle for written communication.

Traditional Chinese characters evolved naturally over a period of time from pictographs or tiny drawings. By contrast the simplified Chinese created by the Chinese Communist Party has watered many of the ancient characters all the way down to the purpose that they not are rooted in additional ancient traditions.

Here is an example. The ancient Chinese character for the word ‘love’ contains a image of a heart in it. This makes sense as a result of love is closely associated to the heart. Not so in simplified Chinese. There is no heart within the word ‘love’ in simplified Chinese. One could ponder how you’ll be able to love without a heart.

Simply as this instance shows, in many ways in which the Chinese Communist Party has removed the guts of the whole language, distorting and altering it into a water downed version of its former self. In Taiwan, but, they still use traditional characters.

So if your community or children’s college is coming up with to teach Chinese, you’ll would like to confirm that you are obtaining the traditional variety. It additional fully encompasses the rich history of China and the Chinese people. By distinction, those that teach our children simplified Chinese are from mainland China and sadly, they can conjointly be passing on the values and concepts of the Chinese Communist Party. Whether they are doing so on purpose or automatically as a results of growing up in that surroundings, the end result’s the same. Only you can decide if you wish the influence of the Chinese Communist Party imparted to your children.

Be positive to insist that our children are taught traditional Chinese and not the simplified version. This way the richness of traditional Chinese culture will be more totally enjoyed and appreciated. There can be a more solid foundation to perceive the additional ancient Chinese traditions.

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Translation: Cooperate With Translators — It Pays

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

When a business goes world, there’s a risk of being not properly understood in other languages, or, even worse, misunderstood. That’s why, when you’re visiting expand your business, your success can depend on the one who interprets your web site, documentation, ads and therefore on.

Don’t impose translating your text word-by-word or sentence-by-sentence. Contrary to the popular belief, the interpretation will not be a lot of correct this way. Just the other is true: a translator who translates word-by-word may be a BAD translator, or a mediocre one — at the most.

A MEDIOCRE translator can diligently substitute words, word-combinations and idioms of one language for those of another language. He searches piles of dictionaries for varied lexical units. He can be really happy with the result. Don’t blame him — he probably is conscientious and exhausting-working. The sole downside is that his translation will not work.

A GOOD translator can look after the MESSAGE of your text. He realizes that sensible translation isn’t simply finding right words. He will try to find right linguistic suggests that to convey your message; what’s a lot of, he can leave your vogue intact. He will be pleased with the result, too — and he has the explanation to suppose so. Your message can be conveyed — in every respect. Will it work? That is another question.

The difference between a GOOD and an EXCELLENT translator is the subsequent: an EXCELLENT translator can take care of the GOAL of your message. Before he stats the work, an excellent translator asks himself easy questions: does your message match into this explicit culture? Can the audience accept it? If the solution is “no”, he can continuously warn you regarding it.

Will you appreciate his recommendation? You’d higher do. It might be not too pleasant for you to find out that your text is not good (especially if you thought it was). In fact, you’ll place this good Aleck down. You’re the Client, therefore you are continuously right. He will translate the text he is given the means you want. Thus, you’ll get what you ordered — a MEDIOCRE translation.

That’s why it’s affordable to pay attention to an expert (an wonderful translator will perpetually serve you as an skilled on the culture of your target audience — even if you haven’t asked for it and don’t seem to be visiting pay extras for such a consultation.) Generally these recommendation may seem a bit odd to you; that’s because such a translator  is able to assume like a one that can be visiting your website.

Be ready to throw some expressions, phrases, or whole paragraphs away or re-write them – working perfectly in one language, they won’t do in another. Be ready to vary photos and illustrations, sometimes redo the graphics and alter the full style of your website if necessary.

Cooperate along with your translator — it pays. Do this work currently and you may be rewarded with success of your business during a foreign country.

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