08/16/2006 - 08/17/2006

Become a culturally competent expat

Wal-Mart recently announced it was pulling out of Germany, losing $1 billion along the way. Critics said it failed to understand the culture.

Its attempt to introduce 'greeters' to every store, with orders to smile at every customer, is said to have been particularly unpopular. As we become more global the skill of seeing things from other cultures' points of view is becoming vital. Not just for the success of corporations but also for individuals to pursue careers and lead happy lives as expatriates.

Regional firms put accent on business

Business people in the East of England are among the most likely in the UK to drop their local accent when engaged in commercial discussions, according to a new survey.

And the region also has the highest proportion of business people who claim either not to have a local accent or to have lost it during their careers.

The Accent Factor study, conducted by communications provider NTL Telewest Business, found that more than half (56%) of people in the East of England said they consistently altered their accent when conducting business compared with a national average of 48%.

Verbalplanet.com Launches Global Online Language Tuition Marketplace

Verbalplanet.com is a global marketplace for online language tuition services, enabling language tutors to sell their services online and interact with language learners across the globe.

Verbalplanet.com founder, Andrew Moore, established the company to provide language learners with a more interactive learning experience, and to provide a sales channel for language tutors to reach out to clients around the world and sell their services online.

why india is learning chinese

There was a time when students keen to pick up at least one foreign language headed to either Alliance Francaise to learn French or the Max Mueller Bhavan for German.

Today, students and professionals are waking up to economic realities and opting for the language of dragon country, China. Actually, the need for Indians to learn Chinese couldn't have been greater than it is today. China could well emerge as India's largest trading partner, surpassing the US soon.

Asia Society Publishes Chinese Language Program "Start- Up" Guide

In response to unprecedented interest from schools and communities to meet the growing demand for instruction in Chinese language and culture in the United States, the Asia Society has developed a new guide to help educators plan, launch, and sustain new K-12 programs.

Creating a Chinese Language Program in Your School: An Introductory Guide, provides practical action steps for schools and districts as well as school board members, administrators and parents to take to establish a high-quality Chinese language program. A new comprehensive companion website, provides data on existing Mandarin instruction in the U.S., teacher and technology resources, a Chinese program locator map and detailed program and background information for policymakers and the media.

Dollar Rent A Car launches japanese translation service

Dollar Rent A Car, a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: DTG) today announced a new driver's license translation service for its Japanese customers traveling to the United States.

Japanese customers who travel to the mainland of The United States must carry their original driver's license, as well as a version translating their original license into English.

word of the day: chary

chary \CHAIR-ee\, adjective:
1. Wary; cautious.
2. Not giving or expending freely; sparing.

What do you suppose the Founding Fathers, so chary of overweening government power, would make of a prosecutor with virtually unlimited reach and a staff the size of a small town? -- "U.S. trampling rights at home and abroad", Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 17, 1998

Investors should be chary, however, for the returns are far from sizzling. -- "The Stampede Into Variable Annuities", Fortune, October 13, 1986