Learning a new language is a very tough but intensely rewarding experience. Knowing a second or even a third language is a highly marketable skill which, in some places, can almost guarantee you a job with a substantial salary. Not only that, but it can make you feel more cultured and help you reach out to other cultures you wouldn’t have understood before-literally!

That is why so many companies are marketing special software or providing special phrasebooks and dictionaries to help others in their endeavors. But if you don’t truly apply yourself to the process, all the software in the world will be lost to you. So here are a few tips to help you potentially go from struggling student to fluent speaker.

First, when it comes to learning a language, you get what you give. Even if you are enrolled in a formal class or not, you need to “go the distance,” and apply yourself to learning at all times.

Study ahead. Go back to lessons which your teacher skipped over because of time constraints. Ask extra questions. Be engaged with the language–don’t just jump through hoops assigned in the classroom.

This means you should also add depth and dimension to your studies. Look for opportunities to write, read, and speak in the language you are learning. This can mean everyday simple things.

For example, when I was studying French in high school, I would always read the labels on my cosmetics, as they were written first in English and then in French. I found myself understanding turns of phrase and new vocabulary faster than ever. Try translating things in your mind or describing whatever you are doing to yourself in the new language. It keeps your mind active and engaged!

Try exploring various music genres of one of the cultures that speaks this new language. Read the lyrics as you listen. Sometimes music can be more difficult than the plain spoken word to understand, so if you can get the hang of their version of rock or rap–or whatever else-you may have an easier time understanding their speech.

Plus, music can be an easier way to be introduced to how certain tenses are used. I had a French teacher in the early days of my university studies that used certain contemporary rock songs to teach us the elusive subjunctive tense. Trust me–it works!

Go to your local bookstore and consult the foreign language portions of the children’s books. Find a familiar storybook or even a child’s novel that you are familiar with. Make the purchase and start reading. If you already know the story fairly well, you should be able to follow what is going on. As you read, you will be able to pick up on more and more of what’s going on!

There’s so much more you can do to enhance your learning; if only I had time to share all of my suggestions. But the greatest suggestion I can give you is just to get out there and practice! You know what they say: practice makes perfect!

International Language Programs (http://www.ilp.org/)is a international language program. Art Gib is a freelance writer.

[tags]service abroad opportunities[/tags]

If you are expanding your business operations overseas to non-English speaking countries, you definitely need a professional translator. The professional translator will translate all your business documents such as business proposals, whitepaper, contracts, user manuals and website content to the native language.

Translation is not an easy job. It is more than replacing one word to another target word of a foreign language. Today, you can find many free translation software on the Internet. But these software aren’t reliable at all. For accurate translation, the translator must understand the culture and dialect of the target country.

Finding a capable translator is very important because bad translation can result in poor communication. This will directly affect your brand and business. In this article, let me share with you a few tips to hire a good translator.

1. Look for accredited translators. Accredited translators are more reliable as they will follow a set of standard quality and accuracy. Usually they will follow a set of procedure for specific language to ensure accurate translation.

2. Ask for samples from the shortlisted translators. Before you hire anyone, you should look at their work to ensure their capabilities and qualities. They should have ample experience and portfolio for you to browse through.

3. Get a native translator. Native translators are more experienced to translate your business documents to their native language. You should find translators that live or work in the target country for at least 3 to 5 years. This will ensure that they fully understand the culture of the country and produce accurate translation.

4. Ask for a second opinion from native speaker. Once the work has been done, get a native speaker to read the translated text to give you a knowledgeable opinion about the work. It is also important that the native speaker is familiar with the source language so that he or she can detect small differences in meaning.

5. Choose someone who has experience. If the translator does not have any legal experience, do not ask him or her to translate your legal documents. Before you assign any project to a translator, do consider his or her specialization.

Choosing the right translator for your company is extremely important. Competition in the business world is getting tougher each day and in order to have an edge over your competitors, you need a capable translator to convey the message very clearly and reach the target audience effectively. You cannot afford to make mistake when it comes to business translation.

To look for Japanese translator, visit www.whizwordz.com now.

[tags]japanese translation, japanese translator, translation, translator, language translation[/tags]

2009 is the year of recession but China does not seem to be affected at all. The market in China is so big that local businesses in China are self-sustaining. Today, many companies want to enter the China market. If you are one of them, you definitely need to translate your business documents from English to Chinese.

When it comes to translation, many people don’t feel there is a need to pay for it. There are so many free translation programs online that one can use to translate text. So why pay the money? This is true for anything other than business translation. If you want accuracy, you definitely need to hire a professional translator to assist you.

English to Chinese translation is not easy. The Chinese language has all sorts of strokes and combination and if you are not well-verse in it, you cannot translate accurately. Also, there are 2 types of Chinese characters: Ancient and modern characters. Some countries are still using the ancient characters and this is something you must take note.

With the internet, you are not short of choices when you are looking for a Chinese translator. So what makes a good Chinese translator? In this article, let me share with you 4 tips to hire a professional Chinese translator:

1. Look for native speaker. Native speakers can produce more accurate translation as Chinese is their mother tongue. When you are translating English to other languages, you must understand that the grammar and writing are very different. An experience native speaker will know the best way to write and communicate clearly with the people.

2. The translator must have a deep understanding of the target and source language. Knowing Chinese is not enough. The translator must be proficient in the English language too.

3. Choose a translator who has experience in your industry. The translator must be specialized in the field of the translation work. For example, if you want to translate your legal documents, you must hire a translator who is well-verse in the legal industry. This is to ensure quality and accuracy.

4. The translator must be focus and time-oriented. Time is money when it comes to business. You must find someone who is focus and can keep to deadlines. This will ensure your operations can flow smoothly and start making an impact in China.

Take your time to look for the right translator to work with. Do not rush into a decision to hire someone you are unsure of. Finding a good Chinese translator is very important if you want to do business in China. With him or her to assist you, you can accelerate your expansion and grow your business faster.

For English Chinese translation services, visit WhizWordz now:

Click Here: English Chinese Translation and other language services at WhizWordz.

[tags]chinese translation, chinese translator, translation, translator, language translation[/tags]

Globalization makes businesses decide to expand their operations overseas. When you expand your business to non-English speaking countries, you definitely need to hire a professional translation agency to translate your business documents to the target language.

There are many things that you need to translate when doing business in non-English speaking countries. Some of the things are: web content, business proposals, contracts, legal documents, marketing collaterals, whitepapers, technical reports, etc.

When you hire a professional translation agency, they will ensure that the text are translated accurately and communicate your message to the people there. A good translation agency will help you to overcome the language barrier and makes your expansion goes smoothly. Now, let me share with you some tips to look for a professional agency.

1. Go for experience and reputation. You cannot afford to screw things up when it comes to business translation. Therefore, it is safer to go for an agency with experience and powerful portfolio. Visit their websites and look for client testimonials and case studies.

2. Ask for recommendations from your friends, family members or business associates. Recommendations from someone you know are more reliable than some random agencies. So call your friends and associates to ask for recommendations now.

3. Getting a translation service at a low price may not be a good idea. There is a saying: you pay peanuts you get monkeys. Saving a few hundred dollars in business translation is not a good idea if the quality of the work is jeopardized. An experienced agency charges a premium for their service because they know they can produce accurate and quality work.

4. Make sure that the agency has native translators. The translators should be native speaker of the target language so that they understand the different culture, grammar and the style of it. Also the native translators should also be good in the source language too.

5. Choose an agency with a full-suite of services. A professional agency should offer more than text translation. They should have the capabilities to handle website localization, software localization, multi-linguistic SEO, etc.

Last but not least, you should choose an agency with good customer service. Is their account servicing guys friendly and willing to go the extra mile to do the job for you? Take your time to choose the right agency to work with. Google, local directory like Yellow Pages and recommendations from friends are the best ways to look for translation agencies.

For English Chinese translation services, visit WhizWordz now:

Click Here: English Chinese Translation and other language services at WhizWordz.

[tags]chinese translation, chinese translator, translation, translator, language translation[/tags]

If you intend to do business in Japan, you definitely need a professional Japanese translator to translate your website content to Japanese. Japan is a non-English speaking country and if you want to deliver your message clearly to the Japanese audience there, you need to translate your web content.

I believe that your web content is most probably in English right now, so how do you translate your content from English to Japanese? There are many free software online that you can use for simple translation. But when it comes to business translation, free software is not good enough. Good and accurate translation is more than replacing a word to another foreign word. You need a professional native translator who understands the culture and dialect of the target language in order to form logical and meaningful sentences.

If you are not well-verse in the Japanese language, I advise you to look for a translation agency to do the work for you. The agency should be well-verse in English to Japanese translation and they should provide the following deliverables:

1. Translate the content of your website to the Japanese language accurately. They should also offer English content and make it available on the website so that user can choose which language they want to read.

2. Offer professional copywriting service. The agency should have native Japanese translators providing copywriting service that focuses on Japanese keywords and uses the appropriate tone for the Japanese. This is to ensure that your message is communicated clearly and accurately to the Japanese audience.

3. Offer SEO service. SEO or search engine optimization is the process of improving the volume of traffic to your website from search engines via natural search results. The earlier your website appears on Japan search engines listings like Google and Yahoo, the more visitors you will receive from search engines. The agency that you engage should understand Japan SEO and implement the necessary strategy to help you achieve prominent positions on search result listings.

4. Design and develop your website. Once they have translated your website content, they will design and develop a website and make it live on the Internet.

When choosing an agency to work with, you should take your time to look for the right partner. Accurate translation is very important to a business. If you want to deliver your message clearly and accurately to the target audience, you need to have a capable translator with you.

To look for Japanese translator, visit www.whizwordz.com now.

[tags]japanese translation, japanese translator, translation, translator, language translation[/tags]

George Bernard Shaw once said that the United States and the United Kingdom are “two countries divided by a common language” and Oscar Wilde once wrote that “we have really everything in common with America nowadays, except of course, the language”. Although I don’t necessarily agree with Wilde’s entire statement, I do agree that, although both the US and the UK speak English the two forms of the language differ quite substantially.

The first and one of the most noticeable differences between the two languages is the vocabulary. In America, if I were to ask you “Where abouts are you going on holiday this year? Are you using the on or off airport car park?” it would translate to something along the lines of “where do you plan to vacation this year? do you know which airport parking lot you’ll use?”

Even typing the ‘American English’ sentence, I can hear that all too familiar accent sounding out the words; to me, the differences between the two countries are very apparent.

There are many differences between the American English and English vocabularies including the following, from English to American: Crisps = Chips, Jelly = Jello, Trousers = Pants, Lift= Elevator, Dual Carriageway = Freeway, Pram = Baby Carriage, Nappy = Diaper, Pavement = Sidewalk, Torch = Flash Light, Dummy= Pacifier, Car Park = Parking Lot, Holiday = Vacation.

I find it difficult, to say the least, that these words seem to have been plucked from the ether and added to what, I believe, is really a fairly substantial language, all on its own. It bemuses me how a nation could steal a language, rename it by essentially calling it theirs and adding vocabulary and nuances which, in reality, do nothing to add to either its charisma or technical form.

This all seems a little bit harsh especially because it comes from someone who, honestly, is not in the least bit patriotic. It must also be made clear that I am aware that these differences do not come from an inherent desire, of the US, to give the UK the ‘big finger’. There are in fact several historical reasons that the English language has adapted and grown into the form that is used in America today.

English, as a language, does not just differ from the UK to the US, it differs from region to region within both countries; colloquialisms change, accent changes and the meaning of certain words often becomes blurred, due to general usage by millions of different people. The differences that are noticeable in the UK reflect the long history of developments in the different dialects between several confined populations and it is these changes, only magnified, which have resulted in the now American English.

The English language was first introduced to the Americas in the early 17th century when the British colonized different parts of the country. Since then the two forms of the language have diverged in many different ways, and these changes have lead to what we know today as American and British English.

The wider range of differences between the two languages, other than vocabulary mentioned above, include; pronunciation, grammar, spelling, punctuation, idioms, formatting of dates and numbers and so on; however, as has been suggested by other writers on the subject, the differences between written forms of the language vary much less than the spoken form.

The vocabulary differences listed above are just a few of the more easily distinguishable changes that have occurred between the two forms of English, but a small number of words have a completely different meaning or are even unknown or not used in one or the other. One of the more major reasons for these differences came from the publication of the American dictionary in 1828 by Noah Webster; the intention of the dictionary was to highlight the differences between the two languages.

It remains the case that although spoken American and British English are generally mutually intelligible, there are enough differences to make it quite embarrassing at times, for example, some words that are quite innocent in one England may be considered out of place in the other i.e fag.

Despite the fact that there are obvious differences between the two languages some researchers today suggest, similarly to Henry Sweet when he stated in 1877 that within the century in that American English, Australian English and British English would be virtually indistinguishable.

Since 1877 there has been increased worldwide communication in English through radio, television and the internet and so regional variation has become less distinct as people are subjected to all different dialects and forms of the language.

Something that I do find rather disturbing however, is that due to its tremendous size, influence, power, wealth and apparently ability to influence the rest of the world, it would seem that more recently, or since World war II, American English has grown steadily in international significance and is apparently now the ‘dominant influence on world english”.

If this truly is the case and the ‘English’ of the world will soon be polluted with multiple z’s, a lack of u’s in some cases a complete ignorance of spelling (aluminium = aluminum, polythene=polyethene) - then I EAGERLY await the day that I will…

‘travel in my truck down the highway to buy diapers for my kid while on the way filling up with gasoline from the gas station (which is a weirdly odd color) pick up some soda pop so I don’t get thirsty on the drive back to my crib where I’ll unload my trunk, unpack my groceries, chill in front of the tele with some potato chips, get up when the mailman drops off some mail, put a band-aid on the cut I got from picking up the mail…

…eat some jello, get fries for dinner put the waste in the trash can, give the kid his pacifier, put him to bed, watch the soccer and go to bed and dream of the president (or of having the exact same life as they do in ‘Marley and Me’)”.

All this being said, and ignoring any patriotism that oddly I seem to hold toward the British English dialect, we have done precisely the same things as the Americans did to the language we introduced to them in the early 17th century and many of the spellings, colloquialisms, grammatical forms, idioms and formats seem completely illogical!

Added to this, although the differences between American English and British English are undeniable and probably more, there are also huge differences between county and regional dialects within England, some of which to me are completely indistinguishable.

Different words are created by different friendship groups, some of which will be spread far and wide and others which will be isolated, maybe even to a single town or county. Differences in language between regions doesn’t just stop at English but are global, inevitable and occur within every single different world tongue.

Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Gatwick Long-Stay Parking, Gatwick Meet and Greet and Gatwick Valet Parking

[tags]English Language, American English, British English, Difference, Airport Parking, Vacation, Holiday[/tags]

You may want to learn Spanish fast for personal or even professional reasons, why exactly you have chosen o learn this language as a second, third or how many ever language really depends on your motivation to acquire the necessary skills to be able to converse in this language. Some interesting facts regarding the language, which may even motivate you further is that it is the second most natively spoken language in the world. It is the official language of no less than 21 countries, and is an official language of the European Union, the United Nations and the Organization of American States, to name but a few, and the language is estimated to be spoken by more than 500 million people either as a first or second language.

The decision to learn Spanish fast must be accompanied by the desire and commitment of the learning process. This will involve effort on your part to ensure that you can learn and apply the language, within the correct context for the purpose that you wish to acquire this linguistic ability. Effectively you should be able to set aside some time to conduct the learning activities regardless of the method that you have chosen, and this should preferably be a combination of methods so that you can accelerate the process and learn Spanish fast.

You should make the effort to practice every single day, as this daily practice will definitely help you in grasping onto the basics of the language. If you have access to a native or even second language Spanish speaker, on a daily basis, this will help even more. Perhaps someone in the local shop that you frequent speaks the language, in this instance you should attempt to communicate with them on a daily basis and therefore you will have a forum to practice on a regular basis in trying to learn Spanish fast.

Some people have recommended watching a movie on television with the Spanish subtitles on, which can provide a good source of getting to know the language, however as a complete beginner this may not really help you, and is rather recommended for those that have established a basic understanding as well as for those seeking to extend their vocabulary further. This is also an ideal way to practice your reading skills in acquiring this language on a holistic basis.

Obviously there are the traditional routes to pursue, when you want to learn Spanish fast, which include that of physical lessons or even online training, whichever of the methods you prefer should be mixed in with some additional effort on your part, like the tips mentioned above. Once you have decided to learn Spanish fast and you do acquire the skills and master the language, you will truly appreciate the advantages and benefits that accompany learning an additional language.

To learn Spanish fast will place you in a great position for both business and personal benefits. Visit Fast Learn Spanish at http://www.fastlearnspanish.com for the best resources.

[tags]fast learn Spanish, learn Spanish fast, Spanish second language[/tags]

Everybody thinks Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn, but it’s actually one of the easiest! The two major hurdles are:
a) Most sentences in Japanese are structured backwards from English (eg. English: I’m going to the supermarket now. Japanese: Now, supermarket to, I’m going).
b) Japanese has 3 separate “alphabets” (including the Kanji system, with over 10,000 characters! Compare that to English’s 26 character system, and you’ll have an idea of what I mean), so it’s one of the hardest written languages to learn.

So, in terms of grammar structure and writing, it’s a hard language. But what’s the major purpose of learning a language? It’s to communicate, and to interact with the local people. And as a spoken language, Japanese is one of the easiest!

Once you get over the initial hurdle of everything being backwards, things start to make a lot more sense. The actual grammar used in everyday conversation is basic, and most people only use simple words in daily conversation. You’ll find the quickest way to learn the language is to meet locals, and speak as much as possible. Mistakes are all part of the learning process - the more you make, the faster you learn. The biggest hurdle people face is they’re too embarrassed to speak to locals. Don’t be shy! It will help you improve much faster if you just make some effort!

Learning a few grammar points should be your first goal though - once you learn the grammar, you can apply it to almost any situation! Ie. You learn “I walk to the supermarket every day”, and, using the same grammar, suddenly you can say things like “I play guitar twice a week”, “I often watch TV in the evening”, “I go to bars with my friends on Friday night” etc. etc. Lesson 1: learn basic grammar. Many people try to learn languages using phrasebooks, and remembering set phrases - but without actually understanding each individual part of the sentence they are saying or hearing, it’s easy to quickly become confused (eg. A beautiful girl asks you if you “want to go for a drink”, but you only learned the grammar for “would you like to go for a drink”, so you don’t understand the first part of the sentence, fumble, and you’ve missed your chance). Nobody likes to do it, but learning grammar is invaluable in comprehension, and gives you a much broader range of things to speak about.

After you’ve learned some simple grammar, get a vocab book, and a notebook, and start writing vocab down. Vocab is the key to being cool, and improving your expressions (eg. Without vocab, you could say “Hello lady, do you like to dance and drink alcohol?”, but with vocab you could say “Hey baby, do you wanna sip margaritas and tango in the moonlight with me?”). Vocab includes nouns, verbs, and adjectives. My favorite way to do it is to think about what you do every day, then write a list of all the verbs “wake up, eat, exercise, work, etc…” - then translate, and memorize them. Then do the same with all the nouns you interact with every day “door, shower, friend, racecar…” and the adjectives “cool, great, incredible, amazing, beautiful…” all of which can be translated as “sugoi” in Japanese… actually, it’s probably not so important that you learn adjectives then, just learn “sugoi” and “ii”!

So now you’ve learned some simple grammar, verbs, nouns, and the two all-important adjectives, it’s time to have some fun. Learning languages is not about tests, and long nights studying at your desk, conjugating the present perfect conditional and volitional forms of verbs… now that you can speak a little Japanese, there are 120,000,000 extra people you can communicate with in the world!!! It’s time to open your mind, and get over to Japan! And when you get there, go somewhere with lots of Japanese people, get drunk, and talk to strangers. They’ll love you, you’ll learn a lot, and best of all, you’ll make a handful of new friends every time you walk out the door.

Good luck with everything, and don’t forget - to Learn Japanese means to meet people, experience culture, and open up a whole new world for yourself.
http://www.boobooski.com/ski.html

[tags]learn japanese[/tags]