May Day is a popular tradition all over the world, but celebrations tend to vary dramatically from one place to another. Traditions around this day are sometimes so different that the holiday itself is not even on the same day in every culture so anyone working virtually should be aware of how their international counterparts [...]
All over the world people are looking forward to the coming Easter Sunday which marks the height of the Holy Week and the end of the 40-day-long Lent period. Easter is an annual festival observed throughout the Christian world whose date shifts every year within the Gregorian calendar.
As Easter is always celebrated on the first [...]
According to the uSwitch.com Quality of Life Index in September 2011, the UK was rated the worst place to live in Europe. This Index calculates the quality of life of 10 European countries using factors such as cost of living, income, hours of sunshine, life expectancy, culture and working hours.
Although some may argue that bad [...]
English as the lingua franca we know today is facing challenges that affect its long term stability in the business world. Although many rely on it heavily to communicate across cultures, it may not be long before we say ‘adiós’ or ‘zai jian’ to the dominance of English in business. The need to take Spanish [...]
Legal correspondence forms an important part of the day-to-day work of a lawyer, particularly since the advent of the email. It is often assumed that emails are less formal than letters. However, in reality, the required degree of formality will invariably depend on factors such as the relationship of the writer with the recipient, the [...]
Anyone learning a foreign language should set aside some time for self-study, engagement with the language, immersion, discovery or whatever else you like to call it. What takes place in the formal language learning setting during the allocated times is not enough if you want to make real progress on your language skills. Anyone learning [...]
In response to current government thinking that standards in spelling, punctuation and grammar have fallen among British school leavers, the Department for Education plans to introduce an external SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) test that children will take before they leave primary school, as reported by the BBC. Head teachers have responded negatively to this [...]
Few conversational topics in the workplace are more emotive than the use of the ‘CC’ or ‘carbon copy’ function when sending and receiving professional emails. Who would think that the clicking of one or more items in an electronic address book could cause such consternation? Originally designed to improve the flow of information, CCing has [...]
If someone asked you for a document ASAP, sent you one FYI or offered you some TLC you would most probably understand them. If they asked for the document by COB (close of business) or EOD (end of day) you might be less sure. Asked for the MO (Modus Operandi), would you know how to [...]
