06/05/2006 - 06/06/2006

germany prepare for first world cup match with cultural awareness training

Germany have been studying Costa Rica's culture and lifestyle for clues on how their opponents will play in the opening match of the World Cup on Friday.

As well as the usual video clips of set-pieces and players to watch, the German team have been viewing a short film about the friendly Central American country, famed for its diverse wildlife and the fact that it has no military forces.

"We introduced the players to the country, how the people live there and what their mentality is like," Germany's assistant coach Joachim Loew said on Tuesday. "We've also seen from games that they're technically skilful and they love to play beautiful football," said Loew. "That's a reflection of the national character."

globalisation and the management of expats

The concept of the mobile worker is deeply entrenched in the modern, globalised business environment. Particularly in the case of professional services providers, there is a growing trend for companies to deploy specialised staff to international locations on extended assignments. However, as this trend gains momentum it is of critical importance that organisations sending resources to destinations where difficult circumstances may prevail fully understand the dynamics of expatriate management.

bbc appoints diversity tsar

BBC television has appointed a diversity executive to improve the portrayal of ethnic minorities and disabled people in its programmes. Mary FitzPatrick - who previously worked for Channel 4 advising on shows like Wife Swap - is the first person to fill the newly-created role.

She will review programmes to ensure they are "culturally authentic".

managing diversity

We are always told that diversity is critical to business success, but if that’s the case, why do we hear so much about businesses failing to implement it? Media attention constantly focuses on a minority of women holding down top jobs and the need to get under-represented groups into senior positions, says Judith Watson, head of employment at leading law firm, Cobbetts.

spanish: world's 2nd fastest growing language

Between 1980-2040 the world´s Spanish-speaking population will increase a 103 %, as UNO estimations indicate. 538 million people will have Spanish as first language.

23,45 millions of Europeans (excluded the Spaniards) declared to be able to speak Spanish, as Instituto Cervantes published recently. In 2001, 3,4 million European citizens studied Don Quijote´s language.

English is still leading the interest for those who want to learn a foreign language , and Chinese Mandarin keeps its first position as the world´s most spoken language –1.000 million native speakers.

german phrases for the world cup

It is no secret that the English are well behind their European counterparts when it comes to making the effort to speak another language and according to Euro London Appointments, the specialist language recruiter, there is likely to be a definite over reliance on English by UK visitors to Germany this June. “Contrary to popular belief, loudly speaking English in a German accent accent won’t help the locals understand you�, says Director David Shacklock. So, for those of you whose German only stretches to “Zwei bier bitte�, here’s Euro London’s guide to the top ten phrases – with translations- you may need while cheering your team on:

1) I think I’ve damaged my metatarsal
Ich denke ich habe mir den Fuß verletzt
2) They think it’s all over – it is now
Sie glauben es ist alles aus - Es ist tatsächlich vorbei

world cup 2006: phrase of the day - rattle the bar

One of many common phrases used to describe the ball hitting the post(s) or the cross bar. Shots will shave the post or remove paint from the woodwork but when smashed against the cross bar it leaves it rattling.

word of the day: bravura

bravura \bruh-VYUR-uh; brah-; -VUR-\, noun:
1. A florid, brilliant style of music that emphasizes the technical force and skill of a performer; virtuoso music.
2. A showy or brilliant display.

But it was not just the bravura of his self-expression that gave him such a hold on his contemporaries. -- Peter Ackroyd, "Oscar Wilde: Comedy as Tragedy,", New York Times, November 1, 1987

The straightforward narrative account is set down with old-fashioned punctilio in prose of classic distinction, singularly free of bravura, and marked by the hard clarity of outline that is one of Waugh's several manners. -- Charles A. Brady, "Figure of Grace", New York Times, January 24, 1960

cultural awareness training - O.K. or K.O?

Are cultural training courses a necessary part of the integration process, or a ridiculous, even harmful attempt to repackage,commercialise and sell ‘culture’? ANDREA ENRIGHT and NEIL CONNOLLY don their gloves to fight it out in the cultural training debate, while EKATERINA DIMITROVA invites you to join her in an integration experiment. You make the final call - cultural training OK, or K.O.? Let the sparring commence...

future looks good for translators and interpreters

Employment of interpreters and translators is projected to increase faster than the average for all occupations over the 2004-14 period, reflecting strong growth in the industries employing interpreters and translators. Higher demand for interpreters and translators in recent years has resulted directly from the broadening of international ties and the increase in the number of foreign language speakers in the United States.

football without language barriers

PROMT (www.e-promt.com) has announced launching a new specialized dictionary “Football� at Online-Translator.com engine. Now football fans and amateurs can enjoy accurate translation of any information about football “on-the-fly�.

According to the research made by the COMCON (http://www.comcon-2.ru), football is the most popular sport in Russia. The inquiry has showed that “the total number of football fans among the urban population in Russia is more than 15 millions� and every second person living in Russia is a football fan.

immigrants should 'play by the rules' says brown

Immigrants coming to Britain must learn English, Gordon Brown has insisted. He argued that people entering the UK should "play by the rules" and that means learning the language in order to get work, the chancellor says.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that those who refused to learn English should be made to do so.

world cup 2006: phrase of the day - pundit

Pundit - an Indian word used for wise men or gurus but now used in the football world for someone who comments of the game, usually in newspapers or on TV.

word of the day: contumely

contumely \kon-TYOO-muh-lee; -TOO-; KON-tyoo-mee-lee; -too-; KON-tum-lee\, noun:
1. Rudeness or rough treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt; scornful insolence.
2. An instance of contemptuousness in act or speech.

Nothing aggravates tyranny so much as contumely. -- Edmund Burke

The pedlars find satisfaction for all contumelies in making good bargains. -- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks