06/12/2006 - 06/13/2006

Closing the cultural gap through media analysis

Five University honors students made small steps toward closing the cultural gap between the United States and the Middle East last semester by interacting and corresponding with Islamic students at the American University of Dubai.

Edward Lenert, journalism professor and Fred W. Smith chair of Critical Thinking and Ethical Practices, collaborated with his American University of Dubai colleague, Hamid Khani, an education and media literacy professor, to form a new course, dubbed “intercultural media literacy.�? The two sought to help students increase awareness of cultural similarities and critically analyze and dissect media.

korea: management considerations

Korean democracy is a new and relatively recent development. Many Koreans feel it is natural to protest as part of their newfound freedom. Marches and rallies are part of daily life, albeit less intense than one might think from the news coverage. Only a small percentage of these demonstrations ever get out of hand. The press tends to focus on what makes up perhaps a mere 1% of the story. Only on relatively rare occasions do some Koreans act unruly and out of control. If the reality was as represented in the media, as one resident foreign CEO challenged, why is Korea doing so well compared to many other countries? His answer: the fact is 99% of the real story is about a highly educated, very hard working labor force that is fiercely loyal and committed to company goals.

Still, the prudent manager needs to pay close attention to employee sensitivities. This applies especially to foreign businesses that lack deep roots in Korea and, therefore, are more susceptible to labor problems among their potentially skeptical local employees.

To acquire a basis for dealing with some sensitive labor issues, the international executive may benefit from a summary of potential management responses to common situations.

book release: succeed as a freelance translator

The United States is facing a critical shortage of translators and interpreters. From our increasingly multilingual population to the accelerated pace of international business and even the global war on terror, there are not enough qualified language professionals to keep up with demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment prospects for translators and interpreters will grow faster than the average for all occupations until at least 2012. In addition, the translation industry's need for self-employed independent contractors allows freelance translators to earn healthy incomes while working primarily or entirely from home. However, many would-be translators and interpreters fail, not because they lack good language skills, but because they make common and avoidable business mistakes.

what you need to know before localizing your website

It's a given that the Web makes it easier to take your business global. Why, then, according to JupiterResearch senior analyst W. Gregory Dowling, do many companies end up going back to their local default design after 12 to 18 months? The cost and risks of creating an internationally targeted site-especially one in a different language-may outweigh the benefits for many, he said.

"There's a huge cost associated with localization and translation of a corporate Web site," he said. "Cost-benefit analysis should be done at the very early stages. At the very least, you should have 10% to 25% of your traffic and revenue coming from outside the U.S. [before you design an international site] to make the process justifiable."

new translation tool is ferrari of pocket translators

If you want to take the temperature of Japan's economic relations with China, forget recent heated exchanges over Japan's World War II legacy. Focus instead on something cool - really cool: the tiny Wordtank V90, the latest entry in Japan's electronic-dictionary market.

Introduced in April by Canon (Research), the Japanese camera and copier company, the V90 is to electronic dictionaries what the Ferrari is to racecars.

china and korea in top 10 for isp addresses

South Korea ranks ninth in the number of Internet protocol (IP) addresses, a local Internet development agency said Tuesday.

The country had a total of 43.41 million IPv4 addresses, or version 4 of the IP, according to the National Internet Development Agency of Korea. IPv4 is currently the dominant network layer protocol on the Internet. The United States topped the list with 143.17 million IP addresses, followed by the European Union and China, with 75.13 million and 73.86 million, respectively.

word of the day: practicable

practicable \PRAK-tik-uh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Capable of being done, accomplished, or put into practice; feasible; as, "a practicable method; a practicable aim."
2. Capable of being used; usable.

The authors give easy-to-follow instructions on coping with a whole ham leg, and so many ways to cook with it that the project even seems practicable. -- Corby Kummer, "Ham & Beans to the Rescue", The Atlantic, February 16, 2000

It was considered best to baptise the child on the same day as its birth, if such haste were practicable, since an infant unbaptised would be consigned to limbo after its death. -- Peter Ackroyd, The Life of Thomas More

somerset companies get cash injection to go global

Small business in West Somerset could soon be selling their products and services world-wide on the internet thanks to a cash injection from Europe.

A £130,000 cash boost from the European Regional Development Fund designed to enable local specialist businesses to compete globally has been hailed as a massive financial shot in the arm for the district's fragile economy.

Brits love foreign culture.. but take their own grub

Britons lap up local cultures when they go abroad - but they still take along their own baked beans.

A study showed we are gradually shaking off our "Brits abroad" image by throwing ourselves into foreign customs when we are on holiday. But although we claim to enjoy trying local food, many of us still pack our suitcases with tins of beans, chocolate and tea-bags. In the survey, 90 per cent of holidaymakers said they explored local cultures when taking trips overseas.

scottish minister seeks to attract more poles

A guide to help Poles coming to Scotland as part of the Fresh Talent initiative has been launched by Tom McCabe, the Finance Minister, during a visit to Warsaw.

Mr McCabe said: "It is no surprise that our Fresh Talent initiative has had an impact in Poland. In the past two years, around 20,000 Poles have come to work in Scotland. "However, promoting Scotland in Poland and attracting people to come to Scotland is not enough. We must support individuals to integrate and settle into Scottish life once they arrive.

Australian envoys lacking language skills

Cutbacks and a lack of departmental focus are being blamed for the ambassadors in Australia's most sensitive regional embassies being unable to hold basic conversations in the local language.

None of the ambassadors to Australia's most important Asian neighbours are fluent in the language of the host nation, although their foreign counterparts in Canberra are multi-lingual.

Multimedia Tutorial to Launch 'English as a Second Language' Programs

Multimedia Tutorial Services, Inc., a leading developer of educational content and marketer of tutorial programs announces today the plans to launch its 'English as a Second Language' subsidiary. This series of programs is being developed so that people who speak a 'specific foreign language' are introduced to specific Real Life situations in English.

bank targets chinese students

Chinese students in Britain are being offered a dual-language hotline by the Royal Bank of Scotland in cooperation with the Bank of China. The service is launched today as one perk offered by RBS to attract some of the 55,000 Chinese nationals said by the British Council to be in higher education in the UK.

chinese internet firm to expand

TOM Online Inc. (Nasdaq: TOMO; Hong Kong GEM: 8282), China's leading wireless Internet company, announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a wireless entertainment company Infomax. Through the acquisition TOM Online will gain access to Infomax's extensive TV distribution network which reaches out to hundreds of millions of Chinese households. It is expected the purchase will further strengthen TOM Online's leadership in China's wireless Internet market.

word of the day: billingsgate

billingsgate \BIL-ingz-gayt; -git\, noun:
Coarsely abusive, foul, or profane language.

Chaney would yell at him in his own particular patois -- an unapologetic stream of billingsgate far more creative than Marine drill instructors or master rappers. -- George Vecsey, "Learning at Temple: Se Habla Chaneyism", New York Times, March 19, 2000

Its style is an almost pure Army billingsgate that will offend many readers, although in no sense is it exaggerated: Mr. Mailer's soldiers are real persons, speaking the vernacular of human bitterness and agony. -- David Dempsey, "The Dusty Answer of Modern War", New York Times, May 9, 1948