Apr 30

Speaking Globally, Communicating Locally

English Language Training, Language Training Courses 1 Comment »

In recent years, there has been a steady decline in the foreign language skills of native English speakers. Not only does this skills gap increase the need for English speakers to rely on interpreters with the risk that they misinterpret implicit messages or miss the cultural nuances of what has been said, but it also limits the credibility of professionals working internationally. This has been highlighted by UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague’s recent decision to reopen the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s language school as reported recently by the BBC. The Commons Affairs Committee has stressed the need to focus on language skills when implementing promotion criteria for diplomats and has increased the FCO’s spending on language training by 50%. If language ability is neglected the government runs the risk of losing respect internationally and reducing its ability to influence key stakeholders within overseas governments and organisations.

Flags 2 Daniel Cardiffi Speaking Globally, Communicating Locally

© istockphoto.com/Daniel Cardiff

Sceptics may point out that developing high level language skills can be extremely costly and time consuming and that using interpreters or even translation software can be a more immediate and viable alternative. And with the rise of English as a global language don’t most large organisations and senior officials speak English fluently anyway?

However, organisations that adopt this attitude are missing a trick. Speaking the local language fluently improves the speed and ease of communication often leading to smoother messages, speedier decisions and a more engaged audience. Demonstrating an ability to speak the local language fluently also helps enormously when building relationships and establishing trust which in turn leads to increased business opportunities. After all, people do business with people they like and demonstrating that you can speak your counterpart’s language shows that you are interested in them and their culture and are investing your efforts in getting to know them better.

However well you may think your international counterparts speak English, nothing replaces the ability to speak, listen, read and write in their native language. It may be challenging to learn a new language in adult life but motivation will increase when the organisation shows that it values these skills and where professional development or personal improvement are at stake.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2013

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Nov 12

How to Learn a Language – Part Two

English Language Training, Language Training Courses 3 Comments »

Putting certain fundamentals in place at the beginning of the learning process will help you to progress independently. The role of a language training course is to help you study and learn by yourself as your trainer cannot always be present to provide new information, help with the practice of the language or to answer questions. As far as speaking is concerned, it is therefore advisable that you are able to recognize and pronounce the different sounds of the language you are learning. It is important to know how these sounds are produced and what the phonetic symbols are. In this way, when you come across an important new word or expression, you will be able to look it up in a dictionary and work out its pronunciation without having to ask a trainer.

Business meeting 8 track5 i How to Learn a Language – Part Two

© istockphoto.com/ Track 5

In English, for example, the different ways of pronouncing ‘ough’ only become clear with the help of a trainer or the phonetic script in a dictionary (compare: though , through, bough, trough, thought, etc).
Arming yourself with a good dictionary, a practical grammar book and a list of a few good websites can help this independent progression. Websites can provide practice in all of the four skills. Some examples of these are:

Watching the news, documentaries and films in the language you are studying is also a great help. Even if you cannot understand everything that is said, getting used to the sounds and rhythm of a language is very helpful. Podcasts are a wonderful tool as the same extracts can be listened to as many times as one wishes.

The best way to become a competent and accurate user of the target language is to learn its grammar. Methods which teach set phrases without explaining the mechanics or grammar of the language are not doing you any long-term favours. It is only when you understand what lies beneath the structure of a sentence that you will be able to start making your own sentences in a fully independent way. It is important, however, that you find the approach to grammar that works best for you as there is an enormous amount of material on the market and on the Internet to choose from. Slogging away at grammar exercises when these bring back bad memories of English lessons at school is obviously not the right way.

By focusing on the functions of the language or on the lexical chunks could help you move away from the word ‘grammar’. In the same way, it is important that you know yourself and the way that you learn best. You might be more of an aural or a visual learner, for example. If you are a more visual leaner, it is important that you supplement what you have heard with written documentation (look at the audio scripts, read the subtitles, etc). If you need to see the written word before you can register it correctly, then it is important that you note down new vocabulary. Most trainers will adapt the language training courses according how best each delegate learns but it is always beneficial for you to think about your own learning style and apply what you discover.

Immerse yourself in the target language as much as possible. Take opportunities to listen to the radio on the Internet, watch TV or films in the target language, read articles on the internet and in publications. Travel to a place where the target language is spoken. It might be possible to join an association or club in your home town, which groups together people who share the desire to practise the language. Make the most of those journeys to work by car, train and underground by listening to a podcast, CD or MP3 files. If you are interested in anglophone music, then go one step further and discover what is being sung. Singing along can help pronunciation as well.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Oct 15

Is Your Company Suffering from a Lack of Language Skills?

Business English Training Courses, Language Training Courses No Comments »

According to a report published by the European Commission, there is a direct link between language skills and successful and profitable businesses. The survey, conducted across nearly 2000 European SMEs, also indicated a genuine demand for language skills among their workforces. Companies who set clear language strategies (such as providing language courses or hiring native speakers) are getting better results than those that don’t.

Chinese businesspeople 5 Izusek i Is Your Company Suffering from a Lack of Language Skills?

© istockphoto.com/ Izusek

The report goes on to highlight that 11% of EU SMEs surveyed are losing considerable amounts of money because of their lack of language skills while 37 firms admitted they had lost contracts valued between 8 and 13.5 million Euros because of language problems. From writing emails to drafting contracts and making phone calls, every aspect of the business and negotiation process has to be dealt with carefully and misunderstandings must be avoided at all costs as they can jeopardize the whole business winning process.

This report also underlines the existence of several business lingua francas. While English is now widely recognised as the universal language for business, the importance of Russian when doing business in Eastern Europe or French in African countries is not to be underestimated. The same goes for other parts of the world: Spanish speaking employees will help to create business opportunities in Latin America, while being able to speak Mandarin Chinese is an invaluable asset for companies seeking to develop the Chinese market.

There are several options for SMEs wishing to improve the language skills of their workforces. Recruiting native speakers or hiring translators or interpreters are possible solutions; however, they can prove difficult to find or come with a high financial cost. Another possibility for these firms is to provide specific language courses to their employees and help develop their skills. Business French courses or Survival Chinese language courses can help firms to improve the language skills of their employees and prove an invaluable retention strategy.

The report concludes that the overall economical performances of the EU could be dramatically improved if exporting firms were able to enhance their language skills. As an increasing number of businesses are considering working with foreign countries, particularly if their home market is in recession, the importance of mastering foreign languages will become more and more crucial for firms wishing to be successful in the international arena.

© Communicaid Group Ltd.2010

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Oct 11

Benefits of Intensive Language Training

English Language Training, Language Training Courses No Comments »

The best way to learn a foreign language is to build on what is already known, i.e. ‘going from the known to the unknown’. This ‘known language’ is more readily built upon in back-to-back intensive language training courses. The short amount of time between a morning session and an afternoon one or between an afternoon session and one on the following morning does not give the delegate time to forget what he/she has seen. Consequently, the trainer has the opportunity to build on the ‘known’ with more immediacy.

Definition Language kdow i1 Benefits of Intensive Language Training

© istockphoto.com/ Kdow

On a classic one-session-a-week course, the delegate rarely finds that he/she is starting to ‘think’ in the target language. This is because outside the weekly one and a half-hour or two-hour training slot, the delegate is using his/her first language. It is only during an intensive period in which target language use outweighs first language use that the delegate starts to process the second language in a natural way (i.e. without translating).

In her research paper, Shona Whyte makes the following statement about second language acquisition ‘there is a general agreement that acquisition… implies a change in individual learners’ internal linguistic systems, which in turn occur through understanding and interacting in the target language, with some form of focus on linguistic features’.

This understanding and interaction is only going to occur after the delegate has started to feel comfortable in the target language and is willing to use this language in discussions, tasks and problem-solving. This moment arrives sooner on an intensive course than a course composed of weekly sessions. This comfort in the target language and willingness to interact is partly a result of the rapport that is built between the delegate and his/her trainer; a rapport that is quickly established on an intensive course. Some organisations, however, prefer to vary trainers during the week; this also has the advantage of exposing the delegate to different personalities, ways of training, experiences and accents.

The organisation of intensive language training coursesenables the delegates to focus better on the task in hand. The fact that an intensive course is easier to reserve in the delegate’s professional agenda means that the number of distractions should be reduced significantly during the training period. Interruptions prevent the brain from focusing on the linguistic tasks and intersperse the target language with the delegate’s first language. This increase in L1 interference reduces the efficiency of the learning process.

The number of hours on an intensive training programme provides the trainer with the opportunity to vary the content, the tasks and the methodology of the course. Variety is the key to keeping the delegate’s interest and levels of motivation high. The volume of the content should be such that the delegate feels as though he/she is really making progress. This feeling of achievement further increases motivation and interest for future training.

Delegates usually follow language training courses because they require some professional knowledge and skills, the acquisition of which cannot always wait. Intensive training courses provide the delegate with the opportunity to learn a significant amount in a short period of time and consequently to be in a position of competence straight away.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Aug 10

Key Tips for Improving your English Language Skills

Business English Training Courses, English Language Training, Financial English Training Courses, Insurance English Training Courses, Language Training Courses, Legal English Training Courses 1 Comment »

Learning a new language can be extremely difficult, especially at first. However if you look around you will find many tools you can use in your daily life to help you improve your skills. Many people find that once they have learnt the basics of a language, the hardest thing is remembering what they have learnt and taking it a step further. Here are a few tips for taking your English language to the next level.

Immerse Yourself
One of the most important things to do is to practise not only your listening, reading and writing skills but also your speaking skills. The best thing to do is to immerse yourself in an English-speaking country and sign up for a Business English course. Being immersed in the country where the language is spoken will improve your comprehension and pronunciation and thus help you to have real exchanges with your neighbours, friends and colleagues. Seeing the language in the newspapers or on English TV everyday will also significantly help you improve your skills. Having to speak English in shops or if you are lost in the street or the tube can also be really helpful, while also challenging, as it forces you to speak and try the new words, grammar or expressions you have learnt.

Watch English Films
If you do not have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the country where the language is spoken, you can find a plethora of American and English series or films that you can watch in the original English version. If you do not have any English films, you can rent them easily either in stores or online through many easy-to-use services. When you do find English films, it is best to watch them in their original version with English subtitles. This will help you associate the spelling of words to the pronunciation as you hear it. If you own a modern television, you can also change the settings so English subtitles appear on your screen as you watch programmes in English or even your own language..

Newspapermuharrem öner i Key Tips for Improving your English Language Skills

© istockphoto.com/ muharrem öner

Read English Magazines or Books
Reading English magazines and books is a great way to further develop your English skills. In large cities you can often find bookshops which carry English books, while in airports and train stations there are usually a few magazines in English that you might find of interest. If you are just starting out, don’t be afraid to buy books which you might consider quite basic in your own language as they will be easier to follow and cause you less frustration. As you read, it can be really helpful to look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary. As you go, you can record any words you didn’t know in a small notebook where you can read them every day until you know them by heart.

Listen to English Music
Listening to music is also a very good way to improve your comprehension in a new language. As you listen you can try to write down the lyrics and correct your work by comparing your lyrics against those you can find on the internet. This will help you improve your listening skills, vocabulary and spelling.

These are just some of the things you can do to improve your language skills on your own. However if you want to rapidly improve your language level, the most effective way is to enrol on a language training course where the trainer can help to correct your mistakes and pronunciation as you go. Communicaid’s language training courses are ideal for anyone looking to take their language skills to the next level

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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