Around the World in 100 Words - Five Language Apps for the Business Traveler

If you're a business traveler and a frequent flyer to international destinations, you understand that English can take you many places, but it can't always get the job done. Learning a few phrases in the languages of your foreign business associates can make your experience in their country more pleasant and score you extra credit points.

Too busy to read a foreign-language phrase book or attend a language class before your next trip? Language-learning apps are your solution. Compact and mobile par excellence, these highly engaging applications can accompany you in your travels and help you bolster your language skills at your leisure.

Let's take a look at five free mobile apps that you can combine to acquire foreign language skills on the road and on the fly:

1. Byki

Quick, essential phrases in Danish, Dutch, French, German, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Taglog are at your fingertips with this app. Rather than delving into extensive vocabulary, Byki is strong in teaching everyday greetings across several languages, with the multiple-destination traveler in mind. In three easy steps, you can master everyday cordialities that will take you across Europe and Asia.

The first step involves reviewing the flash cards, which come with images and native speaker audio. In the second step, you see the target language and come up with the English translation. When you've got the gist of the vocabulary, the third step is to translate from English into the foreign language.

Byki has also compiled a database of vocabulary around key themes such as beverages. Want to know how to order a beer in every country you visit? This is the app for you.

2. Busuu

Where Byki offers breadth, Busuu provides depth. Available in Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, French and German, Busuu has a similar interface to Rosetta Stone in terms of exercises and format. Native speaker sound, illustrations, colorful flashcards, dialogues and audiovisual quizzes make for an engaging and active learning experience. Students are rewarded with Busuu berries at the end of each level.

Another great feature is that Busuu allows you to review your mistakes. You can acquire vocabulary pertaining to a variety of themes, including work, sports, days of the week, body parts, telling time, dates and seasons, family members, numbers, colors, meals, directions, pets, geography, clothes, fruits, vegetables and more.

3. Vocabology

This vocabulary-boosting app is designed for the daily language apprentice. It allows you to get a word-of-the-day in Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French and English from a variety of sources. Because repetition is often the secret to retention, Vocabology uses the word of the day in multiple contexts, including an addictive quiz.

4. Flashcards Deluxe

One of the best ways to commit all of this vocabulary to memory is to review it throughout the day. This app allows you to create your own deck of flashcards with words you come across in your studies and to import decks from the shared library. You can personalize the backgrounds of the cards, add photos and sounds from your smartphone or from the app's website, modify font size and colors, set up a slideshow and flag cards for more intensive review.

As you go through your cards, you signal your responses as either correct, incorrect or "strong correct" (meaning no need for further review). The program then schedules the cards in spaced repetition as a function of these responses so that you don't under-study certain words and over-study the ones you have mastered. Using the Leitner card order option, you can also focus solely on the cards you've gotten wrong recently. Spend ten minutes with this app every morning when you wake up and/or at night when you go to bed for optimum retention.

5. Radio/Newspaper apps

As your familiarity with the language increases, you can begin to immerse yourself in the culture of your travel destination by listening to the national radio stations and reading local press articles. If you are traveling to Spain, for example, download the RNE app, Radio Nacional de Espana to listen to any of the six national radio stations, andEl Paisto enrich your vocabulary while reading up on trending topics, current affairs and popular culture. Unlike mobile sites, these radio-streaming and content apps are perfectly adapted to your particular smartphone platform and therefore supply an optimized interface. You don't have to sort through several web pages to get where you want - in one click, you can stream the radio station of your choice, as effortlessly as if you were flipping channels on the highway in Spain. And in one click, you can read news articles in a format carefully tailored to your smartphone screen.

The rapidity of speech may be intimidating at first but if you undertake this exercise regularly, you'll soon be amazed to find yourself deciphering fragments of conversations and recognizing the vocabulary words you have acquired.

There are hundreds of other interesting language apps out there but with these five alone, you can build a comprehensive and personalized program for foreign language acquisition. So how much time do you need to devote to this in order to see any tangible results?

Remember that we are not talking about fluency here (though multilingualism is a fantastic goal), but rather elementary communication in the context of international business. One school of thought makes the argument that you can get by in a foreign country with a lexicon of 100 words. With 100 words at your disposal, you are able to comprehend some of what is said around you, express your essential needs and ask basic questions. A pocketbook vocabulary of 100 words will allow you to order wine for your table at a company lunch, ask when your clothes will be dry-cleaned, inquire as to the best cup of coffee near your hotel and get directions to a local pharmacy.

And if you're armed with 100 words, you're less likely to be taken advantage of by that taxi driver who mistakes you for a novice and opts for the extra-long route to the hotel. Your ability to communicate in the local language, albeit on a rudimentary level, will place you in a different category of tourists or business travelers, one that is treated with more respect. You will also derive more satisfaction from mundane tasks like checking out of your hotel, since everyday interactions such as these become opportunities to practice your newfound vocabulary in context.

So next time you're on the road-lugging around your suitcase, smoothing the wrinkles out of your suit, and struggling to get some shuteye - explore these apps for hours of distraction (even relaxation!) and acquire new language skills in the process. We're sure that doing so will broaden your horizons and deepen your appreciation of the cultures with which you do business.

Acclaro is a global translation and localization firm that helps the world's leading brands succeed across cultures. Acclaro offers a full range of services for creating and maintaining multilingual marketing campaigns, websites, documents, software and much more. From Asia to Europe and the Americas, Acclaro gives clients a local voice in global markets.

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Breaking the Language Barrier

Breaking the language barrier, ergo, finding a way to get to know to know each other and have common ground is a fast track to World Peace. Communications technology has shrunk the globe, but there remains one large boundary to all this togetherness: language. So far, businesses can only spread as far and as fast as they can find people speaking a common tongue.

Developing and designing a universal language for all, the complex "Esperanto" was designed with great hope. There are estimated to be between 3,000 and 8,000 different languages spoken around the world; they can be considered as a great source of division among human kind. On top of the tremendous differences in morals, values, religions, politics and customs, people coming from different countries must also communicate and work around those divisions in separate languages.

"A universal language would help ease some of that tension and push the world closer towards peace and unity. LL Zamanoff agreed with this so strongly that he created Esperanto, a language designed to be learned as a second language by everyone in the world."

Esperanto was derived from many different languages with the purpose of making it as easy to learn and use as possible. The vocabulary was taken predominantly from the Romance languages. For example, the word Esperanto means, "one who hopes," coming from the French and Spanish words for hope, esperer and esperar, respectively.

Esperanto was a good idea that did not work. First, because of its complexities, mostly designed to fit everyone with their own personal national traditions.

Also suggested was sign language; every nation has its own sign in which they alone understand. In much the same way that geographical or cultural forces isolate populations and lead to the generation of different and distinct spoken languages, the same forces operate on signed languages and so they tend to maintain their identities through time in roughly the same areas of influence as the local spoken languages. This occurs even though sign languages generally are not related to the spoken languages of the lands in which they arise. In fact, the correlation between signed and spoken languages is much more complex than commonly thought, and due to the geographic influences just mentioned, varies depending on the country more than the spoken language. That alone does not work, as only the people of that nation would understand. It was also suggested that universal sign would never work because of linguistic relation to the spoken languages of other lands.

In the intellectual field of science surely through the computer, teaching different nations one sign language that works for everyone is not only possible it is probable. Consider Bill Gates and the computer that he visualized many years ago. Mr. Gates has a heart of gold desiring to assist people with just about everything. Imagine genius' like him, putting their highly intellectual head together to come up with One Language-One People. "They" a few experts say it cannot be done. IBM et al., says, "Yes we can!" The multinational currently has 100 staff working on an internal project named "n.Fluent " that offers instantaneous translation across a variety of platforms.

Because today's sign languages are used according to the languages and dialects of differing nations, it is a good beginning. However, it does not cure the language barrier. One Universal Sign Language developed internationally, one that everyone and anyone in the world can understand has all the indications of functioning beautifully and fluently when learned. Think of it, visiting another country and using the Universal sign, nothing misunderstood, a closer bond with all people in the Spiritual Matrix, the Network of Souls.

Everyone on this planet is incredibly important to the goals of Mother Earth, especially in unearthing avenues to communicate and to love one another. One Planet - One Language - One People.

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History Of The Ukrainian Language And The Development Of Ukrainian Translators

From the beginning of its identification as an important and individuated area of the world the Ukraine has been a real melting pot of different cultures. The country is uniquely positioned in such a manner that it stands close to a few different powerful and influential cultures. Most notably the Ukraine is in direct contact with the Slavic nations of the north and directly accessible to the modern Middle East more to the south. These two different cultures formed the earliest influences on the region, which congealed influences from Turkey, Iran and the Slavic nations of the north. This conflicted space was eventually claimed and held by the Slavic nations and the language during this period connects clearest to older Russian. This Slavic language was really set into place by the fact that the written work of the region adopted it.

Ukraine then deviated from the Russian-flavored influence for a time when the region fell under Lithuanian and Polish rule. Both of these nations imparted a large degree of influence on the Ukrainian language and in time on Ukrainian translators, especially the Polish who made it all but necessary for higher ranking Ukrainians to learn and primarily adopt the Polish language. This was further strengthened by the widespread adoption of the Polish Catholic religion during these years, which helped spread the Polish language throughout both the religious and educational orders within the Ukraine.

As the Polish empire and its influence on the Ukraine began to fail the Russians reasserted their influence upon the region. There was even a linguistic split where a significant number within the country spoke Polish while the rest spoke Russian, imagine the effect this would have on Ukrainian translation services in the future. Traditional nationalism didn't play a large part in the Ukrainian character during this time. Such nationalism began to rise later in the nineteenth century, but was subjugated by the Russians fiercely, as they eventually incorporated all of the Ukraine into their empire.

Russian subjugation of the Ukrainian state and its language continued throughout the Russian Empire, and the language primarily existed within the rural regions of the nation until the Soviet Union rose and allowed the Ukrainian language to spread once more. While there was a regular back and forth throughout the years of the Soviet Union, in general the Ukrainian language was allowed to be used by a significant amount of people, and after the fall of the union the Ukrainian state instituted the Ukrainian language as the official tongue of the now-sovereign nation from where several Ukrainian translators are sourced today.

As you can see from this the Ukrainian language was developed over a long time under a wide variety of competing influences. Due to the fact that Russian was the strongest of these influences throughout the life of the region it's unsurprising that to this day Russian and Ukrainian are often considered to be near interchangeable languages, where understanding one usually results in the ability to understand the other.

Charlene Lacandazo is a marketing executive for Rosetta Translation, an international full-service translation company in London, UK.

Rosetta Translation specialises in Ukrainian translation, as well as interpreting services all over the world.

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Spanish Language Learning - Where to Start?

Learning a foreign language like Spanish has become easier than ever than before. The Spanish language has become increasingly popular and as a result there are a brilliant range of Spanish language resources available on the internet. It is now possible to immerse yourself in the Spanish language using only a computer with internet connection. In this article I provide a few places for you to get started learning Spanish online.

Learn how to communicate with some basic Spanish.

Basic conversation is a good starting point to learning Spanish. There are loads of videos available online to help you learn phrases to meet and greet such as hola, adios, buenos dias, buenas noches for example. These first lessons also include basic conversational phrases like 'how are you?' - '?como estas?'. Obviously these first lessons are there to inspire you to learn more about the Spanish language and a basic building block on which to build. This is made a lot easier by the huge amount of Spanish language lessons of this kind online although I would say speaking at this level is a lot better done in the classroom.

Learn some basic Spanish vocab

This is the next step for most Spanish language courses. There are loads of relevant lists online to learn the very basics of Spanish vocabulary - I would recommend playing Spanish language learning games to immerse yourself in the vocab from the beginning, as well as writing your first basic Spanish phrases and self-testing. I would recommend Real Spanish and Spanish Dict as two sites to help with this stage. The normal Spanish vocab areas covered at the start are the numbers, colours and parts of the body.

Learn some basic Spanish grammar

It also helps to learn at least the basics of Spanish grammar at the beginning of your Spanish language learning. Study Spanish is a good site to help learn about the basic construction of sentences in Spanish (ie. adjectives following nouns in the majority of instances), the agreements of masculine and feminine, and the punctuation and structure of questions and answers to basic Spanish questions.

Invest in a beginners Spanish course

The easiest way through all this is to purchase a Spanish course online like Rocket Spanish. This course takes you through step by step from the very beginning and develops all areas of your Spanish simultaneously. The lessons are clear and there is always good support on offer if you do get stuck (something you don't get with a non-virtual Spanish course)

Take it one step at a time

Finally remember to take it one step at a time - you won't be fluent after a few weeks and it will take a lot of hard work. If you enjoy the language learning experience and immerse yourself in as much Spanish material as possible you will get there eventually though.

Go to http://www.topspanishtips.weebly.com/ for a collection of the best Spanish language resources online. The website is a brilliant guide to find those resources you'll need is whether you're just starting out learning Spanish or at a strong level already.

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Chinese Language Learning Software: 3 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Chinese Language Course

Want to learn Chinese online? Great! There are lots of wonderful programs to choose from. Unfortunately, lots of not so wonderful programs have also been thrown into the mix. There are also programs that may be good for some but not so good for others, including you. So, how do you weave your way through the mess and find the program that's right for you? Ask the 3 questions below and you will find the Chinese language learning program that's best for you.

Question 1: Does it Offer a Free Trial?

This is pretty straightforward, but it's important. Never purchase a program that doesn't offer a free trial. All reputable programs have them. Plus, to get the information I am going to outline below, you need to get inside the actual program.

Question 2: Does it Cover the 4 Core Language Learning Components?

A good Chinese language learning program will cover each of the four core language learning components, which are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Even if your main goal is to speak the language, you can't neglect the other three components. Why? Because together they greatly improve the quality of your learning. For example, it would be very difficult to learn how to pronounce Chinese tones if you didn't first learn to read pinyin.

Learning to write? That's a great way to master Chinese grammar, which is something you'll need to understand if you want to speak in a fluent and natural way. Perhaps most importantly, your brain learns in different ways, and if you stick to just one learning style, you will become fatigued and bored. If you mix things up, on the other hand, you will stay fresh, and you will retain information much better, when compared to focusing on just one core learning component.

Why have I made this point? Because I have seen, lately, a flood of new web-based programs that focus, almost exclusively, on audio programs. It's Podcast this and Podcast that all over the place! Don't get me wrong. The audio component of any online Chinese language learning system is the bread and butter of the program, so it's fine that companies focus on it. Before putting your hard-earned money on the table, though, make sure you're getting a complete program, one that offers reading, writing, listening, and speaking instruction, not just a bunch of MP3 audio files.

Question 3: What's the Price Structure

There is something that drives me absolutely crazy, and it will drive you crazy too--tiered pricing. I found a program like this just the other day. It was a subscription-based program that was just a few dollars per month. Pretty reasonable, it seemed. But then I logged into the classroom and found that I could access only the audio programs. I was blocked when I tried to download the dialogues. I was denied when I tried to access the learning games. The door was slammed in my face when I tried to enter the forum.

Those things were only for "Premium Members." Well, some of those things, anyway. Other things were open only to "Gold Members." To access the full course, I learned, you had to pay $25 per month, or $400 a year (if you didn't pay annually the price was higher). That's absurd! The best Chinese language learning software programs on the market can be purchased outright for about a hundred bucks.

Am I saying to avoid all subscription-based services that have tiered pricing? No, but here is what I am saying. When looking at these programs, look only at the most expensive option. That is the only one you can use. All other options are just teasers.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right Chinese language learning program is important. Choose a good one and you'll have a successful learning experience. Choose a bad one and you'll wind up confused and frustrated. To ensure that you choose a good one, take advantage of free trials, use programs that cover the four core language components, and be suspicious of tiered pricing schemes.

Looking for Chinese software? Read my Rocket Chinese Review. I take you with me step-by-step as I learn with the software (lots of screen shots).

Have a great day!

Ryan Wiley
Founder
The Live in Asia Blog

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Learning Language in Spanish Does Not Have to Be Hard - Learn To Speak Fluent Spanish Now

Learning a second language is always a good idea. In the United States today, Spanish is almost as prevalent as English. Consider this, how often do you hear English repeated in Spanish? That is a good reason for learning Spanish. But a lot of people have difficulty with learning new languages. What follows are some helpful tips and a few tricks you can use to make things easier to learn language in Spanish. Learn to speak fluent Spanish now!

Get a course on CD. If you're feeling shy about learning a new language, CDs are great to use. You will be able to listen to someone pronounce the words and use them in sentences. CDs contain the same learning material as used in a classroom, but there will be no stress about talking in front of a class. And it's great because you can listen to your CD just about anywhere. You can just use a CD player, or you can download lessons on an MP3 player and you're all set! So there's no single location where you must learn.

Use labels in your environment. Do this in as many spaces as you can, whether at home, work or even in your vehicle. This way you will get used to associating the correct words with the correct items. When it comes to speaking a new language, you don't want to make silly mistakes. If you take the time to learn what words really mean, you won't do what some tourists and other novices of a language do, and make mistakes that can be humiliating. By using this technique of labeling objects, you'll be absorbing all the right names for things, and you'll find yourself picking up the new language quite naturally.

Practice makes perfect! Don't worry about how you look or sound, it's important to always practice speaking Spanish. Even if you aren't great at putting together whole sentences, using the words you know in place of your native language regularly will help commit those words to memory. So if your new language is Spanish, then just try to use "cena" instead of "dinner" and in place of "one" use "uno." The words will feel like second nature to you, in time. This way you'll be able to understand the words when you hear others speak them. This technique will really help you understand your new language when you talk to others who are fluent in it.

There are lots of reasons to learn another language but figuring out the best way to learn that language can be tough.

You might be thinking about driving to the closest bookstore and getting a book about it. Taking a class is also a good idea, as is getting to know people who are already fluent in the language. There really are many options to learn Spanish or other languages. Be sure to have lots of fun!

So, if you are looking to learn language in Spanish, here is a highly recommended tool for you to take advantage of. Thousands of people, just like you, all over the world have used this fun and effective multimedia Spanish course to hasten their learning, while having a lot of fun in the process. Don't let your inability to speak fluent Spanish now hold you back any longer. Click here to open up a whole new world of Language in Spanish.

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Why Should You Learn Foreign Language

If you want to be able to travel in different countries, to meet people of different cultures, or you only need to make your life more interesting, knowing foreign language is the solution. Knowing the language of other cultures is a satisfaction, but in the latest years, it is also a necessity.

If you learn new languages, you will have the capacity to express yourself in any situation, feeling wonderful and having an immense satisfaction with every conversation you have.

Using new conquests in science and technology, and also the researches on the learning techniques for foreign language, you will be able to be a speaker of Spanish or French language in a short period. Using the method of Lozanov, you will reduce the necessary time to learn another language with more than 75 %.

You can try the foreign language courses of 90 days. You have nothing to lose if you try, and if by one reason or another, you don't like it, or you were expecting something else, you will only need to return the package, paying only the transport expenses. Some of those courses are so effective that you will be able to learn another language only in 20 days.

The main reasons for learning foreign language are traveling, interviews for new jobs, improving your current knowledge, or only because you like to be a polyglot.

Learning foreign words is not necessarily an annoying process. You can learn it using a CD with 20-25 lessons, with duration of 5-8 hours. If you wish, you can have the lessons in an .mp3 format, so you could listen to them wherever you want: in the car, at work, at the gym, while you cook, or before sleeping. However, you will also need the lessons in a .pdf format, as this aspect is essential for accelerated learning.

According to the studies of Lozanov, the person that changed the learning and teaching methods completely, anybody could learn foreign language in a short period, if the person reads, hears, sees, and spokes the words and the new expressions.

What types of lessons must be contained in an effective course?

- Vocabulary and pronouncement - contains the communication themes and exercises for fixing the problems
- Grammatical exercises - grammatical problems with the corresponding exercises
- Recapitulation - repeating the learned words and implementing the teaching methods.

The best courses of this kind will also include free electronic books written in the respective language. You will also need a small dictionary, in a.pdf format, so you could translate using the search feature of Acrobat Reader. However, you must also have a handbook dictionary to use during your travels.

The perfect guide must be more like a package containing all the useful resources needed. The easiest method to learn a new language is to surround yourself with those resources: take the dictionary with you, listen to the lessons, and read the books. You should also try to speak in front of the mirror every night to recapitulate.

Here we offer the helpful and professional language studying soft: Rosetta Stone, so if you're troublesome now as a result of a new and unfamiliar language, welcome to have a look at the Rosetta Stone Spanish.

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How to Hire the Right American Sign Language Tutor

After 16 years of tutoring American Sign Language students, I have realized that there is not enough assistance available to signing students.

American Sign Language (ASL) is the native language of approximately 2 million Deaf and hard of hearing people in America. ASL is a natural language with its own grammatical rules and is the second most frequently used non-English language in the United States.

Now that more schools are providing ASL classes, it has become clear to me that many ASL students struggle to master fluent ASL. As with most foreign languages, what you don't use, you lose. So the question is, aside from an often overcrowded ASL classroom, where can an ASL student practice with native or fluent signers (Level 4 or higher according to the American Sign Language Proficiency Interview)?

Is it wise to pick just any deaf person? The answer is no. Most deaf people are not well trained or like to teach ASL. Just like any other foreign language, ASL teachers need certain skills to teach the language effectively.

Also, we must be aware of several factors when signing with different deaf or hard of hearing people. There are all different kinds of signers. For example, many elderly Deaf people have their own signing styles from their generation. There are different regional signs. And younger generations invent their own "slang" as well. If I were to walk into a Deaf school in another region, I would have to ask students or staff to explain what some of their signs mean.

In addition, there are deaf, hard of hearing, children of deaf adults, and hearing signers who don't know how to fluently use ASL. They instead, use Signed Exact English (SEE) or Contact Language, which are very different ways of expressing oneself. In fact, SEE and Contact Language are considered modes rather than languages. They are a combination of some ASL signs and English grammar. The result is long-winded and not easy on the mind or eyes. ASL is quicker, conserves energy, and accurately conveys abstract and concrete concepts in a visually stimulating manner.

Many ASL beginners unwittingly learn SEE or Contact Language first, not knowing that they're not learning ASL. Then later they wonder why they cannot understand a single thing from fluent ASL native signers. SEE was invented by hearing teachers in the 1970's who thought that they could teach English for deaf students who struggled to learn English grammar, spelling, writing skills, and reading skills. Now it's been proven that deaf students learning ASL first, and then learning English through ASL, master English skills fluently.

So, sign language enthusiasts and students wonder where to find an expert Deaf ASL Tutor. Go to the yellow pages? Good luck with that! I have yet, to this day, to find any certified ASL tutors in the yellow pages.

This is the most challenging step. Since ASL is in its pioneering stage, the American Sign Language Teachers Association (ASLTA) just recently started requiring all ASL teachers to earn a certificate proving they are qualified and ethical instructors. This is great for ASL teachers all across the nation.

But what about ASL Tutors? The expectation is that they have taught classes at a school with a curriculum. For now though, there are no screenings for ASL tutors, so anyone can just claim they are qualified to tutor. But a genuine concern arises inside me as I see far too many frustrated and tired ASL students who have wasted their time, money and energy with ineffective ASL teachers or tutors who misled them.

The way I became a skilled ASL tutor was I took these following steps:

1) Mentored with various ASL teachers (both hearing and deaf) for seven years, and studied what worked and what did not work for the students.

2) Took courses to learn about better teaching strategies for learning-challenged students.

3) Studied to become a Master Tutor at a community college, and learned to ethically tutor students as well as teach others how to properly tutor students.

4) Attended many ASLTA workshops and conferences to keep up with research on ASL linguistics.

5) Studied with two fluency native language hunters - Where Are Your Keys - and

Studied the guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), which dramatically improved my observation and assessment skills for fluency levels.

6) Learned fun game-like tutoring techniques that are much more fun and effective than standard lecture-type models.

7) Always believed that there was room for improving my tutoring skills.

So where are the skilled ASL tutors? They are out there! Start interviewing as many ASL teachers locally or over the internet as you can to see who they refer you to. Also check out the sign language interpreting programs for referrals.

Here are some traits to look for in an ethical ASL tutor. Check to see that the tutor is personable, patient, flexible, and cooperative. You also want someone who packs in a lot of useful tips in a session to save you time, energy and money. I also highly recommend finding a tutor who does NOT voice, as ASL is a visual gestural language. It would be like asking a Spanish tutor to speak English and Spanish at the same time. It creates unhealthy confusing habits which make it harder to unlearn in the long run.

Investing in a compatible and effective tutor will reward you many times over throughout your educational journey.

To hire a culturally Deaf American Sign Language tutor, visit: http://www.aslmastertutor.com/

Culturally Deaf American Sign Language certified Master Tutor of 16 years. To hire an ASL tutor online via web-cam, visit: http://www.aslmastertutor.com/

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Teaching ESL - The 5 Most Difficult Things About the English Language

For native English speakers, none of these are a problem but they can create havoc and apprehension with English language learners, particularly those who do not benefit from being in an English-speaking country.

Number 5 - Idioms and Expressions

Every language has its idioms and expressions and English is no exception. In fact, it sometimes seems that 50% of what we say is idiomatic with the grammatical portion of the language just acting as connectors. I term it 'the colour of the language'. Idioms are phrases that when spoken usually do not have much if anything to do with the words being used. No wonder ESL students have comprehension problems. Let's look at some animal idioms to give you some examples:

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Holy Cow!"

"When I tell my mother, she's going to have a cow!"

"It looks like a dog's breakfast."

"She's barking up the wrong tree."

Try explaining those to students who have never encountered these idioms and have nothing to relate them to.

Number 4 - Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are verbs containing more than one word.

'Up' is one we use all the time: bone up on, break up, bring up, burn up, butter up, call up, draw up, dress up, ease up, give up, hurry up, listen up, look up, move up, smarten up, tie up, wise up...

Off is another one: back off, beg off, face off, hold off, show off, tell off...plus several I won't mention!

Or how about 'back' as in: back down, back in, back off, back away, back up...

Speaking of 'down, we have break down, bring down, die down, dress down, lowdown, show down...

And far from the end but all I can cover here, 'in', as in, call in, figure in, give in, listen in, run in, shoe-in...

Number 3 - Homonyms

Homonyms are words that are pronounced the same but mean different things and are often spelled differently as well. For example:

1. The referee blew his blue whistle.

2. Cheryl rode her bike as we rowed our little boat in the river.

3. She had never seen such a beautiful scene.

4. The new site for our building is quite a sight.

5. It seems the seams in my pants have split again.

6. Years of rain didn't interrupt the king's reign.

7. Due to the dry weather, we do not see any dew on the grass.

8. Our zoo has a new gnu.

9. Some people know that you add to find the sum.

10. They're on their way over there.

11. I ate the eight cakes that were on my plate.

12. How many ways can I tell him that he weighs too much?

13. They banned the crude band from playing at the concert.

14. We only won one prize.

15. They had to raze the old building before the sun's rays could raise the temperature.

16.I'll walk down the aisle on the Isle of Capri.

17. The boy threw the ball through the window.

Is it any wonder, new learners get confused?

Number 2 - Tenses

Past Simple - Present Simple- Future Simple, right?

Well, it's not quite that simple, is it? We add present continuous and present perfect, past continuous, past perfect, future continuous, future perfect and then we have present to talk about the near future, present continuous for the future...

Explaining each of these different tenses to students and expecting them to understand is challenging and it doesn't happen overnight. Then, expecting students to learn when and how to use them is another facet of the task.

I don't have space to go into a full explanation of tense use here but if you want a good explanation, you might like to go to My English Pages.

Number 1 - Word and Sentence Stress

Some languages are described as musical. Well, English has quite a lilt to it when you listen to it. In words of two syllables or more, only one is stressed or spoken a little louder than the rest.

In these examples, I have shown the stressed syllable in caps: CA-na-da, a-MER-i-ca, CHIN-a, ja-PAN, pho-TOG-re-pher, con-sti-TUT-ion.

ESL learners have a tough time figuring this all out. It takes a practiced ear.

Similarly, certain words or parts of words in sentences are spoken a little louder to signify their importance in the meaning of the sentence. Sentences are usually spoken in 'thought groups' and thee is usually only one stressed point per thought group.

Here is an example of a sentence with four thought groups with the stressed point shown in caps:

I'm GOING | to the MARket | by mySELF | on SATurday.

As native speakers, we say it quickly and don't even think about it but for non native speakers, it takes a lot of practice listening to and imitating English speakers.

One of my favourite exercises is to have students pronounce this sentence in nine different ways. Each way has a different meaning.

"JOHN and Sally walked to the small restaurant yesterday evening" (Not Bill)

"John AND Sally walked to the small restaurant yesterday evening" (John was not alone)

"John and SALLY walked to the small restaurant yesterday evening" (Not Susie)

"John and Sally WALKed to the small restaurant yesterday evening" (didn't drive)

"John and Sally walked TO the small restaurant yesterday evening" (not from)

"John and Sally walked to the SMALL restaurant yesterday evening" (Not the big one)

"John and Sally walked to the small REStaurant yesterday evening" (Not the pharmacy)

"John and Sally walked to the small restaurant YESterday evening" (not today)

"John and Sally walked to the small restaurant yesterday EVening" (not the afternoon)

So there you have what I consider to be the five most difficult aspects of learning to communicate in English. If you are learning English, the best way is to be in a country where English is the main language and you have the opportunity to practice it 24/7 (an expression). If you cannot do that, join an English Club, read books, newspapers and magazines, watch English videos. Replay them a few times and listen to the stress, the idioms and the way the language is used.

Robert Taylor

Dr. Robert Taylor is a Canadian educator who lives in Thailand and specializes in teaching English. He has a teacher training school for people interested in teaching English overseas Sunbridge Institute of English and an online club for business people who need to improve their written English communications My Business English Club.

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English Around the World: Separated by a Common Language

Traveling to nations where English is spoken supposedly relieves the pressure of having to learn another language. I have become aware, however, of communication difficulties among English speakers in different cultures and am sharing a few tips I have learned in my travels. If you do travel, you might incur the same issues. However, even in you live in an English speaking country, it is very probable that you will encounter others who have learned English as an additional language.

Although English is so widespread, communication problems do exist between English speakers of different nations. Often what one intends to communicate is lost in the language itself. Why do these problems exist? What can you do about it?

Be aware of the possibility of misunderstanding. Watch the person you are speaking with closely for body language that communicates he did not fully understand what you had to say. When that happens, rephrase your comment.

Do not use idioms. Although a dictionary exists which tries to explain idioms used in American, British and Australian English, avoid idioms altogether.

Stay away from jokes. It is a rare joke that is understood by all cultures. Humor can be effectively used without telling a joke.

Never insult your listener. Resist the temptation to say something like, "I just used simple English." If you had really used simple English, you probably would not have been misunderstood. So, a good rule is to simplify, simplify, simplify.

Take special care if you are teaching or speaking to a group. Often your attendees are a mixture of native English speakers as well as those who have learned English as an additional language. If you have been sensitive in preparing your speech, everyone should be able to benefit from what you have to say. You don't want anyone to spend time trying to figure out what you meant by a certain comment at the beginning of your speech, thus ensuring that the rest of the speech was a loss.

Keep cultural references to a minimum. It can be offensive to others when all of your examples are from your own culture. Personal examples can be effective, however, such as "As a father, I have found that my children watch my every move. This makes me think twice about the kind of leader I am at home and in the business world." Your example can then be very specific.

Even personal examples, however, have their limitations. For instance, if you are speaking to a group in a poor, depressed country, making references about the difficulties of finding what you want while you are shopping not only does not make sense to your audience, it points out the differences between your cultures. They may not have the ability to buy basic things, much less shop around for "just the right thing."

Enjoy the experience. People of different cultures can learn much from each other. Being able to speak the same language is a huge plus, but consideration and humility should always be present in the conversations. If you are truly interested in communicating, your listener will know it and you will be encouraged to return.

Stephanie and her husband, Richard, serve the Lord through Xtend Ministries International. To find out more about Stephanie and her ministry, please visit http://www.onefocusministries.com/.

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7 Tips for Improving Your Mandarin Chinese While in a Language Immersion Program

7 Steps to Mastering Mandarin Chinese in a Language Immersion Program
Studying Chinese in an immersion program can be an amazing time and can take your Chinese abilities to whole new levels of proficiency. Here are some steps that we've figured out from studying and living in Chinese speaking countries for several years. There is a lot you can do that just show up to class to help your Chinese. Being immersed in a Mandarin Chinese speaking environment presents a million different ways to make studying and learning Chinese easy, fun and productive. Equally important, the door of opportunity awaits you. Master Mandarin Chinese with these methods below and watch as new opportunities begin to pop up all around you. Without further ado, why don't you get out and try....

1. Getting a Language Partner
The most common and super effective thing to do. While in an environment with so many Chinese speakers eager to help you learn Chinese and learn your native language, finding a language partner is easy and smart! A language partner is just a friend whom you swap languages with in a meeting every week (or day/whenever you set up the time). They teach you more Chinese, while in turn you spend some time teaching them some of your native tongue. Language exchanges are a great way to help you get over your fear of speaking and also meet a new friend!

2. Read EVERYTHING
With a national language of Mandarin Chinese, no wonder all the signage is written in it! Take advantage of being in the environment that is covered in Chinese characters like a pizza is in cheese. Read the signs as you drive by on the bus. Read the menus searching for new characters and unique cuisine names even after you've already ordered. Pay attention to all of the safety labels and signs posted to get a feel of how to warn others of dangers in Chinese. Signage is a great way to improve you Chinese and its EVERYWHERE! Read it out loud or just to yourself, but make use of it while you can!

3. Dare to Speak
A big fear for most people when learning a new language is actually speaking it. When this fear starts to build in you, the best thing to do to conquer it is the same as any other fear: TAKE ACTION. Start speaking more to your teachers and answer more questions. Don't be shy on the street and try to work through your newly learned vocabulary and grammar to explain what it is you need. You will be amazed when your Chinese starts flowing out more and more naturally when you are sincerely trying to communicate something rather than just thinking of the words themselves. The best part is, you almost never will be met with someone laughing at you because you've already shown bravery and confidence in talking with them. People in general are very friendly and open; don't be scared and head out for a conversation with a stranger today!

4. Find Local Friends
This one may end up being a product of your previously found language partner. If not, even better! When you're in the immersion country one of the best things you can do to take your Chinese to the next level is find some local friends. Search through your college bulletin boards; join interest groups and clubs, participate in local events, and most importantly put on a smile and introduce yourself to people. Meeting and keeping some close local friends will be beneficial in more ways than you can imagine. Not only will they teach you colloquial phrases and help you learn more of the Chinese language, but they will also help you with any other problems you may have while learning in their country!

5. Don't Ask for the English Version
One thing you need to avoid is cheating yourself. Commonly waiters at restaurants will try to hand you the English version of the menu once they have an idea you may not understand the normal Chinese version. If this happens, refuse it and ask for the regular Mandarin Chinese menu. Many times not only is this a missed opportunity for some reading practice, but a lot of information gets lost in translation many times. This 'English' service may be helpful those only here on vacation, however to master the language you should be pushing your self into it as much as possible. This may come with the consequence of some weird dishes showing up on the table here and again, but hey, all in the name of progress!

6. Do What Your Mom Said Not To, Watch TV!
Obviously this one is to be exercised with caution. A better point is to get out and interact with real people in real time with real conversation. Obviously. However, watching television in Mandarin is really a great way to practice your listening AND reading skills. Most shows have Chinese character subtitles along the bottom, so you can listen to what's being said as well as see it. This is great for association of sound and sight, and will have you recognizing more and more characters with each episode. Find something that interests you and tune in every once and a while. Be careful not to over due it though, watching TV is a great relaxing down time study habit. However it is no match for being engaged and involved in the real Chinese-speaking world outside.

7. Make Every Experience a Learning Experience
The world is your Chinese classroom while you're in the immersion country!. Try and make each day and activity and adventure and learning experience. For instance, when you need some things from the grocery store, grab some new vocabulary from your dictionary you can use at the super market. Or perhaps you've got a cold and need some medicine. Grab some new words and run down to the pharmacy or local clinic to explain what your symptoms are to the doctor. Every time you go out into the world there is an opportunity for you to use new words and ways to communicate your wants and needs. Take full advantage and make studying Chinese in a Chinese speaking nation. Its usually much more fun than just sitting in the classroom!

Remembering all of these tips, the most important thing to remember while in studying in the Chinese immersion program is to have fun. Studying Chinese doesn't have to be cramming new characters into your brain. Living in Taiwan, speaking to the locals, and enjoying your time are simple and excellent ways to ensure you have positive memories and associations with Chinese Learning. Plus, once you are able to understand the language of the world that surrounds you, you will be amazed at how many doors of opportunity begin to open up all around you.

This article was written by Christopher Collins, Program Director for Mandarin Taiwan Study Abroad. For more information visit http://www.mandarintaiwan.com/.

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Corporate Business Lessons - English Language Teachers

English has become the language of business. If you are an international company that does any business deals with speakers of another language you are probably doing those dealings in English. English is the language to learn for all international business trading. There are several ways to learn business English. Some of them include being taught by a local non-native English speaker, being taught by a computer program with expensive software, and learning English over video chat with a native English teacher that lives in an English speaking country. English can be learned with any techniques, these are just some of the options.

Learning English from a non-native English speaker can be difficult in a variety of ways. Especially if the person teaching you is not a teacher, things can become very hard. English has a lot of small rules that are often broken. To really know what you are learning and how useful it is to you, you will need to speak with a native English speaker. Also learning from a local person may not give you the business English lessons that you need to do international business. To learn the proper English for your needs you should probably consider another way to get the training you need.

English can be taught effectively by a computer program. The tools are all there to give you the knowledge you are paying hand over fist for. The real drawback to using computer software is that it can sometimes not give the focus that you are looking for. Also there is no real feedback system that lets you know you are doing well or poor in specific areas. If you decide to go with computer software to learn business English lessons you should be prepared to pay a considerable amount. English can be learned with programs but is better suited to human interaction.

With the power of the internet learning to speak English through video chat with a person living in an English speaking country can be simple. The prices are for one person's concentrated time that they give directly to you each time you call. The service will provide feedback and relevant information about the English language. With a proper English tutor business English lessons can be at your finger tips and not for an exorbitant price. If you are considering learning English for your business needs make sure to choose the best option for you. The options are out there for your choosing.

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How To Prepare Yourself To Learn Another Language

So you want to learn another language but you are not sure if you are capable of doing it? Relax, it is not rocket science when it comes to learning a second language. If millions of people can do it, so can you.

What do you gain out of learning a language? You will surely be increasing your intellect because you will be understanding more concepts from different countries or perspectives. You will also have a wider understanding of world issues and views because now you can understand what other people are saying. And in a less serious note, you will feel a lot better knowing you are capable of pulling it off.

And so if you are serious to learn another language, here are a few of the things that you need to understand or prepare yourself with.

Just relax and take it easy. You might even say that you should have much fun out of it because if you are not having fun then everything will surely be harder for you to understand and achieve. Learning a new language is without a doubt not an easy task that is why you should make it as light as possible, at least with how you feel towards it so that it will not feel too tasking on your mind.

Build up your vocabulary. Every language is composed of words and for you to understand the whole language you need to understand each word. Not just the meaning but also how they are used within a sentence. So on the onset of your training you should buy a dictionary. But not just any dictionary, try your best to look for the authority in dictionaries in that language, something like the Merriam-Webster of that language. This is so you know exactly from the start the real and full meaning of the words that you encounter.

You should also make it a habit to listen and read every single day on all the materials that you can get your hands on in that language. For example, if you want to learn Japanese then you should watch Japanese TV shows that are not translated in English. This way you will be familiarizing yourself with how the language sounds, how it is used, and also how every word is spoken or delivered. You should focus particularly with news sites because the anchors there are trained to speak the language as clearly and as perfectly as possible.

And probably the most important thing of all is this: spend the time to learn it. You should allot an hour or two each day just to learning that new language. If you are serious about it then you should spend more hours into it to help speed your learning process. Spend an hour writing in that language, spend an hour listening to that language, and spend an hour speaking it. That is a total of three hours, but for the serious individuals, three hours may not even be enough. It really depends on you.

So there you have it. These are just some of the things that you should be doing if you want to learn another language. It is not easy and you will have to spend considerable time and effort, however in the end it will be all worth it.

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What Resources Are Needed For An Effective Language Learning Process

If you want to benefit from an effective language learning course, you will need to find a complete package containing all the needed resources. A package of this kind will cost some money, but it is surely more effective than the free resources available on the internet.

You will also need to search the blogs and forums. People are usually exchanging impressions about different courses, so you will be able to find the right one for you. You should also determine your needs: it is one thing to refresh your knowledge after learning the language during high school, and another thing to start the process from the beginning.

Many of you already tried all the internet resources of language learning. The ones that promise fast results are usually ineffective, while the elaborated courses are hard to learn. You can also think about the traditional methods of foreign language learning: the common manuals or costly tutoring. However, those methods are overrated now considering the modern ways of language learning.

Everything is simple now. You will be able to find complete packages containing CD's, dictionaries, books and audio books, and useful internet resources. The perfect package must also contain warranty, so you could return it if it is not effective for you.

The complete language learning course must contain resources for different levels: beginners, medium, advanced. Moreover, you should also benefit from a complete customer service, with people that can answer all your questions by mail or phone. We are not talking only about the functionality of the system. We are talking about complete guidance and patience, something like your own personal online tutor.

You won't have to explain your reasons for returning the language learning system. You might return it if you think it is too demanding, hard to understand, or even if you didn't had the time to study it.

We must also talk a little about the payment methods that you can use to pay for the package. One of them is paying with your card, directly on the website. This is a good solution if you trust the site and you have a protected card. However, if you don't trust thee internet payments, you can also chose to pay the value of the package when it arrives at your door. The advantage of the online payment is that you can download the resources immediately after paying. If you choose payment on delivery, you will have to wait for the courier to arrive. Moreover, if you chose the online payment you will pay less.

Think seriously about this opportunity: it is maybe a one lifetime chance to change your way of life. Knowing another language will open the workforce market of the respective country for you. It will also be an opportunity to understand new culture and habits, and to read books coming from another world.

Use the internet resources at your disposal. In our modern world, it is a pity to use the traditional resources as long as you can download all the needed material in a few seconds.

Here we offer the helpful and professional language studying soft: Rosetta Stone, so if you are troublesome now on account of a new and unfamiliar language, welcome to take a look on the Rosetta Stone Spanish.

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What Is the Best Way to Learn a Second Language?

What is the best way to learn a second language? This subject can have many opinions and views, mine are as follow:

Learning a second language can be very frustrating but yet extremely rewarding... as of my personal experience to learn a second language; I started first by nailing the alphabet down, and then moved to learn some vocabulary (meanings). It takes a little while to memorize and a lot of patience. I guess it depends on the learner and how fast can they absorb the information. I had students that learned how to speak, read and write a second language in matter of few weeks...others took longer. The methods of teaching a second language play a big role in making student's comprehension more effective.

There are some language programs and CD's out there can be very helpful, however, learning a second language of a live tutor is very important because it gives students the opportunity to ask about anything they desire on the spot, something videos and CD's cannot provide.

Here are a few tips to consider along the way of your language leaning journey.

‧ Choosing your language teacher is essential; make sure they can "speak" English clearly and comfortably so you don't feel nervous around them.
‧ Write down every note you can get in YOUR language so you know what you wrote without forgetting.
‧ Ask about anything you like don't let anything go without understanding it.
‧ Use the few words and sentences you learned in a conversation and let the natives correct you as this is one of the best methods to master a language.
‧ You have to be inquisitive and detailed about the structure of the sentences of the foreign language, the earlier you get the bigger picture the simpler the details become.
‧ Use some helpful software, they are all over the internet, I will be recommending some programs in a later article
‧ Always learn the proper version of the language, not a dialect.
‧ Have an exchange buddy- someone who you can help learn English, Spanish,...ect and in return he help you learn the target language.
‧ Find and download a free dictionary to keep on your desktop, and research the verity usage of the words in the language structure.
‧ Make a plan and goals to what you want to accomplish first, this was my plan; ALPHABET> MEANINGS +PRONOUNCIATIONS> SIMPLE CONVERSATIONS> DIGGING DEEPER.

I hope you benefit from these tips and I wish you good luck with everything.

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Chinese: The Trickiest Language To Learn And Its Effects On The Challenges Of Chinese Translation

To begin with there really isn't any one single Chinese language. There are a number of languages that are home to China which are completely different from each other. While two languages like Ukrainian and Chinese, or Spanish and Italian, hold a number of similarities and are largely intelligible to each other, this doesn't hold true when it comes to the various languages that were born within China. However in general when people speak about the Chinese language they are speaking about Mandarin Chinese, so let's focus on that one. Mandarin Chinese translation is difficult enough as is without considering all the other potentially relevant languages.

One of the biggest difficulties when it comes to the Chinese language and its complexity is the fact that there is a significant amount of tension between the language as it is spoken compared to the language as it is written. A big reason for this is the fact that the Chinese spoken language has changed significantly and continues to evolve and grow and adapt, taking on new characteristics and losing others as time goes on, while the written Chinese language has not changed to quite the same degree. To oversimplify the issue even further for the sake of brevity, over the lifespan of the Chinese language its spoken component has changed more rapidly and more significantly than its written component.

The written language of Chinese also plays such a significantly difficult role in Chinese translation due to its most apparent characteristics- written Chinese is still heavily indebted to and in entrenched within the nation's earliest hieroglyphics. While many other world languages have adopted a more pared down alphabet revolving around the combination of letters, the Chinese system of writing still revolves at least partially around a system of somewhat abstracted pictographs. This statement once again oversimplifies the point as there is a system of phonics within the written Chinese language, but overall the difference between written English and written Chinese is SIGNIFICANTLY different than written English and written Spanish, or even written English and a language that utilizes a different alphabet such as written Russian.

All of this is to say nothing about the many other significant differences between the languages, such as the importance of tonality as it ascribes to meaning within the different languages, the differences of grammar, etc.

Overall due to the difficulty of the Chinese language it is far better to simply hire on a professional to perform Chinese to English translation for you than it is to attempt to learn and understand the language within a very short period of time. Learning the Chinese language to the degree where you'll be able to produce a clear and accurate translation requires a truly significant amount of time, and unless you choose to learn the language for your own purposes it's almost always better to stick with a qualified and trained Chinese translator from a translation agency.

Charlene Lacandazo is a marketing executive for Rosetta Translation, a leading full-service translation agency in London, UK.

Rosetta Translation specialises in Chinese translation worldwide.

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