The LuxMob Info Tags

There are lots of ways to learn a language, but nothing can beat actually visiting and studying in the country where the language is spoken. Daily immersion in the language and culture is the key to gaining proficiency in a language. So where better to learn the Italian language than in Italy! Italy is a beautiful and diverse country with friendly people, fantastic food and an astonishingly rich cultural heritage.

For anyone who hasn’t realised, Italy is a country rich in history, beauty, romance and style. It’s also a country where good taste in fashion and food abound. Italians take an immense, and justifiable, pride in their national assets, and often refer to their country as the ‘bel paese’ or ‘beautiful country’. Italy is among the oldest and most fascinating European countries, with art and architecture are second to none. Whether you choose to explore Italy by foot, by gondola, or by Vespa, the journey is breathtaking! To appreciate ‘la dolce vita’ fully, knowledge of the Italian language is essential, and there is no better place to learn than right in the midst of Italian life.

Italian language schools are located throughout Italy, from world-famous Venice and Milan in northern Italy to historic Taormina and Otranto in the south. Choice of location is one of the most important factors in deciding which language school to attend. Without a doubt, time spent outside the language classroom is at least as important as time spent in class. In larger cities, language programs typically emphasise amenities and activities but, depending on the size of the program, can neglect individual student attention. While there may be no shortage of cultural activities and museum visits, intimate cultural experiences are more likely to occur in smaller towns and villages. It is also much easier to fall back on speaking English in large cities, which of course defeats your original purpose entirely!

Throughout Italy, English is less spoken in smaller towns and villages than in cities. In such locations, it is almost impossible not to speak the language you’re there to study. Generally, people in the more rural areas of Italy will be quite honored that you’ve chosen to learn Italian in their home town and will be more welcoming, making it easier to establish lasting friendships and feel right at home.

The type of Italian language program you choose will of course be determined partly by your specific needs. There are many different types of program offered by language schools in Italy, including general Italian, Italian for business, Italian for academic studies, and Italian for art courses, music, design and culinary arts.

Whichever program you choose, there are several features to look for which are shared by all good programs: flexible, communicative instruction methodologies, a friendly atmosphere, personal attention, enthusiastic and qualified teachers, small groups. Depending on your requirements, the program should also provide a language qualification recognised by national and international colleges and universities.

In summary, to get the most out of an Italian language program in Italy, look for schools with small groups, qualified native-speaking teachers and programs providing plenty of individual attention. Cultural programs including excursions and activities are important, but they should not substitute for real language learning which occurs best in smaller groups and more intimate contexts. Whatever happens during your time in Italy, the most important thing is that you thoroughly enjoy the language learning experience! You will learn much better if you are happy with your program and enjoying yourself!

Do you think that you can’t learn a new language? Think again. Our brains maintain the capacity to soak up new knowledge of all types far into our advanced years. No matter what your background or past learning experience, you CAN learn to speak another language using these six quick techniques.

There are a multitude of reasons for wanting to speak the lingua franca of another people; travel, business, education, personal pleasure, even family or friends. Indeed it’s no small feat to habla español, parlez francaise, or sprechenze Deutcsh, but the prestige, financial gains, personal satisfaction and envy that can accompany this easily nurtured skill can be most rewarding.

But, “Can I really develop good communicative skills in a new tongue?” you may well ask. Yes, you can if you’ll use these 10 quick tricks for heightening your language – learning experience and incorporating your new language into your everyday life.

1. Take a short course: A number of language courses are immediately available in most areas at a local community college or university. Courses in the continuing education department tend to be more consumer-oriented, less academic and more focused on the prospective needs of students like you. The internet likewise abounds with foreign language course offerings. You can learn Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or Finnish via multimedia at http://www.caselearning.com. The Definitive Worldwide Guide to Learning the Thai Language and Studying Thai Culture is online at: http://study-thai.com if you’re up for the exotic.

2. Mimicking: “Mom, he’s mocking me!” Have you ever heard this complaint when one sibling repeated everything the other said? One imitating word – for – word the speech, sounds even actions of the other? It’s called mimicking and it’s so effective you’ll be using this technique to get talking in record time yourself. The procedure is simple, you repeat exactly, word-for-word, everything your model says. That model can be a newscaster, character on a soap opera, documentary narrator or the voice coming from your tape player or radio. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect. Just start by trying to get your tongue around the words. You’ll acquire speed and ease with practice. You may feel silly at first, but persevere. You’ll get there sooner than you think.

3. Reading Aloud: One of the most effective language-learning tricks is to use the counsel found in The Bible itself at Joshua 1: 8, “…and you must in an undertone read in it day and night, …” and again at Psalms 1:2 stating, “… And in his law he reads in an undertone day and night.” Read passages in the target language aloud to yourself. This powerful technique not only develops speaking and pronunciation skills, but contributes to listening comprehension, vocabulary and grammar too.
Almost any reading material in your target language will do as long as it’s interesting and fairly short. You wouldn’t start an English language learner off by reading “War and Peace” now would you?

4. Watch TV: If you have cable, is there a station broadcast in the language you’re interested in? Many metro areas carry programming in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese. Even Chinese and Hindi are available in some regions. Check with your cable supplier or programming guides to see what’s listed. Programs to watch are the news, soap operas and documentaries. Have a VCR? Tape a couple of programs and play them over and over to accustom yourself to the flow of the language. Many VCR models have slow-motion and stop-action features allowing you to slow down the program to aid your understanding.

5. Listen to Music: In Japan, English students karaoke the Beatles. In Latin America, students mimic Bruce Springsteen. In Africa, the Backstreet Boys rule the airwaves. Lip-syncing popular songs is all the rage for English language learners, so why don’t you turn the tables and use it to your advantage. Check at music shops and bookstores for song CDs and tapes. Ask around for recommendations on where recordings in your target language might be available. Ethnic restaurants and shops are another good source for music or referrals. Lyrics to literally thousands of songs are available online. Songs are frequently available online in many major languages. Check the local library. The internet will yield hordes of song titles and stations worldwide in dozens of languages. A good online source for starters is www.live365.com which has live global feeds 24 hours a day in multiple languages.

6. Read: Stop at the library for a grammar book and some reading material. The grammar book will be an infrequent guide through those rough spots when the target language grammar differs substantially from English. But don’t overburden yourself with grammar and rules. A copious variety of entertaining magazines exists in most major languages and unless you’re learning Cochimi or Kukapa, you should be able to find something. A newspaper, general interest magazine, the bible, brochures, even comics can help you along. Short articles are best at first. Although you can wade through one or more of those in a matter of minutes, your personal satisfaction at doing so will be boundless. Try www.amazon.com for hard-to-find titles.

You can’t pick your family; but you can pick your friends and you can pick conversations with native speakers of your target language. In the supermarket, in the mall, in the park, a restaurant or a convenience store – almost anywhere you happen to meet or run into a native speaker of your new lingua franca, don’t just stay there mum – say something. People are generally flattered that you’re trying to meet them on their own terms or in their own language and are usually more than happy to chat. Surely, you can say “Buenos Tardes” to someone passing down the aisle in the supermarket. It’s also great practice for breaking the ice when you finally light out for foreign soil.

These quick tricks in conjunction with a short language course will make your language-learning efforts less painless, more interesting, more pleasurable and much easier. Try to do something each and every day. Just think how green with envy your friends are all going to be - and start packing your bags.

Larry M. Lynch is a writer and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines in print and online. He travels researching articles throughout Latin America and teaches English at a university in Cali, Colombia. To get original, exclusive articles and content for your newsletter, blog or website, contact him at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com.

When a business goes global, there is a risk of being not properly understood in other languages, or, even worse, misunderstood. That is why, when you are going to expand your business, your success can depend on the person who translates your website, documentation, ads and so on.

Don’t insist on translating your text word-by-word or sentence-by-sentence. Contrary to the popular belief, the translation won’t be more accurate this way. Just the opposite is true: a translator who translates word-by-word is a BAD translator, or a mediocre one — at the most.

A MEDIOCRE translator will diligently substitute words, word-combinations and idioms of one language for those of another language. He searches piles of dictionaries for various lexical units. He will be really proud of the result. Don’t blame him — he probably is conscientious and hard-working.

The only drawback is that his translation won’t work.

A GOOD translator will care for the MESSAGE of your text. He realizes that good translation isn’t just finding right words. He will try to find right linguistic means to convey your message; what’s more, he will leave your style intact. He will be proud of the result, too — and he has the reason to think so. Your message will be conveyed — in every respect. Will it work? That’s another question.

The difference between a GOOD and an EXCELLENT translator is the following: an EXCELLENT translator will care for the GOAL of your message. Before he stats the work, an excellent translator
asks himself simple questions: does your message fit into this particular culture? Will the audience accept it? If the answer is “no”, he will always warn you about it.

Will you appreciate his advice? You’d better do. It might be not too pleasant for you to learn that your text is not perfect (especially if you thought it was). Of course, you can put this smart Aleck down. You are the Client, so you’re always right. He will translate the text he is given the way you want. As a result, you will get the very thing you ordered — a MEDIOCRE translation.

That is why it is reasonable to listen to an expert (an excellent translator will always serve you as an expert on the culture of your target audience — even if you haven’t asked for it and are not going to pay extras for such a consultation.) Sometimes these advice might seem a bit odd to you; that’s because such a translator is able to think like a person who will be visiting your website.

Be prepared 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 change photos and illustrations, sometimes redo the graphics and alter the whole style of your website if necessary.

Cooperate with your translator — it pays. Do this work now and you’ll be rewarded with success of your business in a foreign country.

Linguist by profession, Alexandra Gamanenko currently takes part in a design studio project. It offers localization and translation of websites into Russian and Ukrainian, as well as lots of other useful services.

Learn more — visit the website http://www.clever-crayon.com

The I Ching is the oldest known classic Chinese text and is one of the most important philosphical books of all time and one of the most popular having been read by billion of people

Why is the book so important? Simply, it helps us understand ourselves better and derive more from life.

The I Ching focuses on the idea of the dynamic balance of opposites ( a fundmaental cornerstone of Chinese philosophy) seeing the evolution of events as a process, and an acceptance of the inevitability of change.

The oldest parts of the book were written around 5,000 years ago and parts of it and parts of it are attrubuted to the legendary safe Fu His, but the book itself has had many authors and has changed over time.

In Western cultures, the I Ching is regarded by many as a system of divination; others believe that it sets out a general guide to Chinese philosphy and wisdom.

The inevitability of change and how to adapt to it

In Chinese, “ching” means book. “I” translates as change, or changelessness.

The symbols are written using characters derived from the ancient Chinese symbols for the moon and the sun. They represent the change from day to night and polarity. The change from day to night can be seen as an unchanging state which is in equilibrium

The Book of Changes views all of the changes that we and the world go through as an unfolding of the immutable laws and principles of existence.

By explaining our present situation in terms of the natural laws that have given rise to it, we can decide and immediate course of action and see what the future holds of for us

The I Ching View Of The Universe

The I Ching views the universe as a natural and well-coordinated system in which the process of change never ceases.

It presents human nature and destiny as based on principle and order. Study of the I Ching makes it possible for us to see individual human activities and situations within the larger context of harmonious interactions between man, nature, and the cosmos.

Giving us strength to confront everyday life

The I Ching is a practical guide to helping us cope with the changes we all confront in our daily lives. It roots our actions, experiences and expressions in the fundamental ground of our existence. It’s beautiful and moving commentaries help to give us moral strength to pursue our individual pasts in life. The imagery helps study our lives and contemplate the future.

I Ching Imagery

The heart of the book is in its images. There are sixty-four in all. Any reader can learn the particular meaning of each image, as well as the ways in which one image relates to, and may change into, another image in the course of time, helping the reader to gain a better perspective on life.

The I Ching Cosult it on anything to do with life

The book started by being consulted by 49 stalks of yarrow, now it is more common to throw coins, attributing an unbroken line to one side of the coin and a broken line to the other side.

You can ask the book any question you wish and it will give you the answer. Broken lines are considered ying and unbroken lines are considered yang. The answer appears as a hexagram you drew with the coins.

Learning from one of the most important books in history

The book is based on an ever changing life, in an ever changing world, there is no one rule only change is at work and it is this concept that has made it so useful for many people for over thousands of years.

The I Ching can be consulted for a psychic reading on virtually any subject of concern to us.

The I Ching had proved of value to the billions of people who have read it throughout history making it one of the most important and influential books of all time.

For more information on the I Ching and other alternative philosophies visit:

http://www.net-planet.org/newage.html

Some Absolutes:

1. Foreign Language courses are not like other courses you must never
procrastinate. Procrastination=failure in foreign language courses. Therefore you
must spend a minimum of 15 minutes each day and a minimum of 3 hours a week.
And additional time whenever possible. However, you should never spend more than
45 minutes studying the language in one session. Split your study up into several
small sessions.

2. Class Attendance is mandatory and necessary in order to pass the course and
learn the language.

3. Some occasional review of all material you have learned previously is also very
important to your success. (for example, the vocabulary)

Some suggestions to make the different parts of learning a language easier and
more successful.

Reading:

1. Concentrate on reading for comprehension without looking up every unfamiliar
word. Look up only those words which cannot even be guessed or determined based
on context.

2. Read a little bit of the language every day. Especially the chapters in the
textbook.

Speaking:
1. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, listen carefully to your classmates and
SPEAK UP!

2. Practice speaking out loud on your own, in a group of friends studying the
same language and with your pets such as a dog or cat.

Writing

1. Practice writing every day

2. Try having a friend dictate some of the language to you while you write it down
and then check what you wrote for accuracy.

Some Miscellaneous Helps

1. Develop a Good Attitude, have reasons and goals for studying the language.
Know what you plan to learn and how you will get there successfully

2. If you need help get it. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask for help for fear
of sounding stupid, or being embarrassed.

3. Get audio tapes of the language and listen to them or make you own tapes and
listened to yourself in order to perfect your pronunciation.

4. Read out loud.

5. Make flash cards for vocabulary and try using different colors for different
genders of the words and for different categories of words such as nouns, verbs,
and adjectives.

6. Practice in study groups, become good friends with some of your classmates
and they can help you out.

Some additional reading sources which can help you.

http://muskingum.edu/~cal/database/forlang.html#Menu
How to learn a language quickly, easily, inexpensively and on your own by Barry J.
Farber

How to Learn a Foreign Language By Graham E. Fuller

AnnaLaura Brown has a MA in French and also speaks Spanish. She is a successful team
leader in an international marketing company. To learn more about her and to contact
her go to http://www.annalaurascandlesandscents.com

THE WRONG APPROACH

Did you know that the teaching methodology accounts for over 90% of the students’ success or failure in learning a second language effectively?

In other words, it’s not your fault if you have not been able to achieve your goals so far. Most likely, the kind of work you’ve been doing may be the one to blame.

Most language courses revolve around grammar and vocabulary drills which result in nothing but frustration and the feeling that “you are not cut out to learn Spanish.”

Those courses focus so much on students’ errors, that they cause you to lose confidence and drastically reduce your oral fluency in the language by “punishing” you any time you use the language.

It is common in these settings to find students mentally struggling with patterns and structures before making any single utterance, for fear of being corrected, told they are wrong or even ridiculed.

This sad but nevertheless real situation produces two main results:

a) many students cannot put up with the mental stress and frustration and drop out their Spanish courses with the feeling they are not up to the challenge of acquiring Spanish as “this is a very hard language to learn.”

b) Other students keep working hard even for years, but still cannot progress beyond a certain level and start to feel stuck. Many start to question whether they are to blame for their lack of improvement.

Have you ever found yourself in one of the two situations described above? If you have, the good news is:
You are NOT to blame! And… you are far from alone!

Over 90% of students of second languages, not just Spanish, feel exactly the same way.

Why is this so?

Simply because the MAIN teaching methodologies currently used worldwide, even on the Internet, are WAY OUTDATED!

They simply reproduce teaching models that were in vogue over 100 years ago but in a digital format.

Does this sound difficult to believe? Read on.

Almost EVERY single course available on the market today is rooted in the GRAMMAR TRANSLATION METHOD of second language acquisition.

This method started to be used in the 1890’s and it consisted mainly of explanations of grammatical rules, some sample sentences, and lots of exercise drills to practice the new structures. Does this sound familiar?

This system was mostly used to learn to translate Classical Greek or Latin into other languages and it offered little opportunity for real second-language acquisition or should we say “offers”?

It may be acceptable to learn dead tongues but it will be of no use to you if you want to learn to communicate in Spanish effectively.

This clearly shows you why no matter how hard you may have tried, you have been unable to learn Spanish. It is NOT your fault. It is the methodology used; it is the course providers’ fault! Not Yours!

Who can put the blame on you if so far you have been prepared for a reality that does not exist outside the classroom?

After all, as we have seen in our previous mini-articles, children acquire their native language easily and effectively, without boring and repetitive grammar and vocabulary drills, without sentences or structures in isolation, so why should you do that to learn a second language? However, language courses force you to do that time and again.

Worst of all, the language that is shown to you has been simplified to such an extent that if you showed the study materials to a native speaker s/he won’t be able to help sniggering.

Students are presented with unreal and unnaturally simplified samples of Spanish that no one ever uses. In real life, that is NOT how language acquisition occurs!!!

You are NOT to blame!!! How come you be expected to communicate effectively if you’ve never been given a single chance to communicate or to be exposed to REAL language, just as it is spoken worldwide.

Imagine a pilot-to-be whose only experience in flights has been in flight simulators. Would he be nominated for flying an airline’s top commercial airplane? Would YOU like to be on that flight? Would you like your family and beloved ones to be there with you? I definitely wouldn’t.

Just because a person practices and practices and practices in an unreal or controlled situation does not mean that s/he will be able to succeed in a real-life situation. Now see this analogy in language courses.

Language students are obliged to repeat words, phrases and sentences in a parrot-like fashion, they are forced to do grammar exercises, repetition drills just to “hammer the structures into their heads” and they are never ever given a real chance to interact even with another person in a real setting. Would you expect them to use language effectively if real communicative needs arise? Of course not! Most likely they will dry up and be unable to say a word! But it is NOT their fault! They are just the expected result of a bad product.

Having identified the problem, the solution is just one step ahead. But that will be the main topic of our new article on Second Language Learning.

Julio Foppoli is a teacher of English as a Second Language and a teacher of Spanish as a Second Language. He is the creator and owner of http://www.esaudio.net/Spanish/online_classes.html, an online educational website with a technological edge, specialized in the teaching of Spanish as second language via audio-conference to native speakers of English from all over the world.

The website offers free listening comprehension activities with Spanish from all of the Spanish speaking world.

Second language learning has associated with it many types of benefits. Among them include: social, economic, intellectual and linguistic. Children who engage in second language learning typically outperform their peers in the area of vocabulary development as well as intellectual development. As important as learning a second language is, learners can be viewed as experiencing difficulties with language development when in reality they are displaying linguistic differences.

There is often a period of time when a second language learner is viewed to not speak much, this is due to their processing information in the new language and has been termed as the silent period. Additionally, speaking with an “accent” is a normal part of second language learning because the person is using the sounding system of the first language while speaking the new one. Often, help is required so that the person can enjoy positive communication interactions with others in the second language.

Children who come from homes where English is not the primary language also are at risk within the educational system of being labeled as special and deficient when in reality they have not acquired enough English to be able to succeed in school. Specialized support is often needed for children like these and is not always provided by school districts. The topic of second language acquisition is one that needs to be better understood and supported in our social, educational and business communities.

Clearly, this help is available to those who seek it out. When doing so, please make sure the professional you choose has a background in second language learning and has access to research and experience in best practices relevant to providing language support to English language learners. This can make the difference between a child receiving the help they need when they need it or being referred to a restrictive setting like special education. For accent training, it is important to look for a professional with a background in articulation, sound systems, and second language learning which will enable them best to understand your situation and tailor a program that will suit your needs.

Deborah Chitester MS CCC SLP is a bilingual Speech Language Pathologist who has extensive expertise with second language learners and provides accent training services as well. Her practice is Second Language Literacy and Learning Connection, LLC. She is working on a book and a tutorial to be used by teachers in schools so as to minimize the amount of second language children being referred to special education due to the presence of second language differences. She also provides supports and education to parents in order that they learn valid information concerning how to raise bilingual children.Please see our website http://www.slllc.org

What’s in a word?
Apparently more than we might want.

For others, the ability to express yourself in the most meaningful way.

I have written articles before on how bizarre the English language can be and for that matter; many languages have special challenges with interpreting meanings.

There is one word in China that I heard has about 40 different meanings, (one source said the two words have over 80 meanings) depending on usage and emphasis. That word is Wu Li.
Gary Zukav (author of “The Seat of the Soul”) talks about it in his book “The Dancing Wu Li Masters.

For the book “The Dancing Wu Li Masters”, it means patterns of organic energy or physics.
Other more popular meanings are:

My Way
Nonsense
I clutch my ideas
Enlightened

For those who study both metaphysics and quantum physics, like myself, I find it interesting that it carries physics and enlightened as meanings.

In English, we have many words that people will interchange yet have different meanings, which can further confuse the receiver of your message.

Two such words are, effective and efficient.
Effective is doing the right thing, that which you set out to do.
Efficiency is doing whatever you set out to do well.

You can have one without necessarily having the other. Most people understand doing the right thing but not well, yet they get caught up on understanding how you can do the wrong thing well, efficiency without effectiveness.

Imagine you are on a sailboat traveling across the Pacific when you are informed:

We have some good news and bad news. First, we have picked up a great wind and can get back on our time schedule; however, our compass broke and we haven’t the slightest idea where we are.

So, they are traveling very efficiently, but not very effectively.

Even the spelling of words can cause grief and misunderstandings. I remember when I was in elementary school and the teacher would just say, sound it out. However, that doesn’t always work. There is the whole issue of synonyms and homonyms, as well as the issue that we have this habit if breaking the rules in order to have more expression and growth in our language. (Growth by the way is important).

Yet, one of the most enforced rules that I had to remember in schools was:

Use i before e (from here on it gets complicated)
except after c
or when sounded as ‘a’ as in neighbour and weigh.

But does it stop there, noooo.

Some more exceptions that don’t seem to follow any of the above are:

Counterfeit

either

foreign

forfeit

Height

seize

leisure

efficient

(and ironically or suitably) weird

Many more words can be spelling traps for people. They sound similar and many people are not sure where to put them.

Some common ones are:

Affect -a verb -to influence
Effect- a noun – a result, a verb- bring to pass

Allude –refer indirectly to
Elude – slip away

Can –ability
May- permission

Farther –physical distance
Further – abstract relationships of degree

Imply – A speaker implies

Infer – A hearer infers

Such as- examples
Like – resemblances

You can see why good communicators are in a high demand for many corporations and businesses. It is never too late to invest the time and effort into your self and master your ability to communicate on a higher level.

All the Best!
Maria Boomhower
The Master Communicator
To get a free report on Communication Mastery, go to:
http://www.falconfreedom.com
http://www.mariaboomhower.blogspot.com

P.S. If you like what you’re reading in this ezine, you’ll
love the book, “Overcoming Barriers to Communication.”
It’s a manual that helps you overcome the challengers that start with
Intrapersonal to Interpersonal and on to Mass Communication.
Overcoming Barriers to Communication

The subject of dead languages has come up a lot for me lately. In a recent conversation, I mentioned my desire to learn Cornish, a Celtic language closely related to Welsh, and the response I got was “Oh, yeah, that’s a dead language, right?” I quickly came to the defense of Cornish, a language alive and well by my standards, but what began was a lively debate on what exactly constituted a dead language and whether or not Cornish fit the suit (yes, that was a Johnny Bravo reference).

I won’t get into all of that particular debate now (articles on that subject are fast on the heels of this one) but I’d like to explain my take on Cornish, why it never died and why it is alive and well when there are, at best, a few thousand people who understand it, and a few hundred who are actually fluent.

By most accounts, the last native monoglot speaker of Cornish was Dolly Pentreath, who died in 1777. So, if we assume that the death of the last native monoglot speaker is a reasonable requirement for a language to be considered dead, then that’s it. Cornish is a dead language, right? Not so fast.

First of all, by some accounts, Dolly Pentreath wasn’t a monoglot speaker of Cornish. She could speak English but simply refused to do it, or so legend would have it. Cheers to Dolly. Secondly, there is plenty of evidence that there were other polyglot (bi-lingual with English) speakers of Cornish at the time, and of living use of the language between 1777 and the present. It’s possible the people of Cornwall never completely let it go.

There are accounts of Cornish fisherman counting in Cornish right up until the 20th century. I doubt the fishermen of Dollys time stopped counting when Dolly died and neither did they start counting in Cornish later in her honor. They had been using it all along. Sure, it’s not fluency but bear with me on this.

There was also a ‘revival’ of Cornish that began almost as soon as Dolly died. A small community of non-native Cornish enthusiasts (many of whom may have learned from native speakers) maintained the language until more popular revival movements took over. Kept alive by enthusiasts, it seems that Cornish never actually died.

Although there isn’t a need to establish a direct ‘lineage’ from the native speakers of pre-1777 to modern times, I think it helps to provide a real connection between the speakers of Cornish then and today. A small cadre of non-native speaking enthusiasts have kept the language ‘in trust’ until a larger community of native speakers were prepared to take it up again, as it appears they are now doing.

There are official government-recognized bodies with tax-dollar budgets, local church services and road signs in Cornish. There are festivals, public gatherings and competitions to promote the language. There is a recent and official recognition as a European language. The people of Cornwall are acting as if Cornish is not a dead language nor a dying language, but a living and growing one.

It is exactly this attitude which makes Cornish a living language, now that the larger community has taken it up again. There are thousands of languages worldwide that are dying and will truly be dead because the indifferent communities around them don’t care, and the people who speak them can’t see the cultural treasure which they possess. The people of Cornwall are realizing what they have, and if Cornish is a living language to them, it will be a living ‘native’ language to their children.

Ron is a long-time language enthusiast, exploring Spanish, French, Swedish, Cornish, Esperanto and others. Learn more about studying a language on your own at Language Learning Advisor This guide for self-study language learners has reviews and recommendations of language learning methods and products, links to online learning resources, learning tips to maximize your study time and effectiveness and articles on language learning.

In today’s ever-expanding world of business on an ever-shrinking planet, not only is it easy to market your organization’s products and services globally, but it is also just good business sense. With the prevalence of the Internet in every aspect of our English-speaking culture and society, it makes sense to reach out globally and put your products and/or services out for the whole world to take advantage of. Though it seems like the Internet has reduced the size of our world, marked cultural and language barriers still exist which make marketing a product or service from an English-speaking organization to a foreign market an immense challenge. In order to succeed globally, you must consider foreign language translation as a necessary faction of your organization. Whether you are considering opening offices internationally, or you just want to make your services available to foreign markets, consider employing the services of a professional foreign language translation firm in order to make every aspect of your business (both electronic and paper-based) understandable and user-friendly to whatever nationality you decide to promote your business to.

In order to fully make the most of the foreign expansion of your business, you might want to open offices in other countries in addition to providing services and products via the Internet. This might require you to hire staff members in those countries who are not native English speakers. Though this will no doubt be a benefit in helping your organization immerse itself into another culture, and help your products and/or services gain a foothold there, it will also prove challenging in trying to adapt your organization’s policies and procedures to a group of employees that will not be able to read manuals and documents in English, and not understand some of the informal grammar. For this reason, hiring a foreign language translation organization is a sensible business decision.

A foreign language translation firm typically employs native speakers from many different countries. Not only do their employees have an inherent grasp on one or more foreign languages, but they are also fluent in the English language. In addition, it is possible to hire staff that are specialists in particular areas of business, which helps to facilitate translations and allows the translators to convert your materials into understandable, relevant, and culturally sensitive documents. For your business, translators can adapt software, training and development materials, web sites, and internal organization documentation. Foreign language translation firms utilize the latest software that will translate documentation into nearly every language on Earth, as well as translate documentation into English, so that the lines of communication will be open and unhindered. Many different fields of industry utilize foreign language translation firms, including the medical field, the legal field, the computer industry, and of course, the business and marketing fields.

If you are considering the global development of your business, educating yourself on the cultures of those countries you plan to approach is very important. There are often strict differences among countries, even if they are neighbors to one another. There are also often strict differences between English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries. Being sensitive to other cultural standards will help you to understand the business climate of whatever country you want to expand your business into. This is of utmost importance for successful expansion into non-English-speaking countries. For that reason, taking advantage of one of the many online foreign language translators that are available is a sensible method of education for yourself and your organization. There are several web page translators that are available online for free. Taking the time to research the demands of your potential customers will pay off for you in the long run.

For worldwide expansion of your business, there is no more sensible decision to make than to employ a foreign language translation organization to tend to the conversion of all of your English-based business documents into whatever foreign language you need. And taking the time to research the non-English speaking markets you wish to expand into will help you understand the cultural climates you intend to take your products and/or services into. Foreign language translators make the transition into the global business community easier for your business. www.foreign-languages-school.com

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John is a director of numerous Internet companies and is a published author. Many articles have been produced on a variety of subjects with excellent content and depth. All his articles may be reproduced provided that an active link is included to www.foreign-languages-school.com

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