Cutler4Life

I have been around the block a few times and have a lot of stories I remember about marketing mistakes by companies when expanding abroad. I have a few here and I hope you can add a few on. Starbucks, who doesn't love a great latte in the morning? Latte means milk in Italy, in english it means coffee drink. Okay those are fine... But in German the word latte means erection. Yes, so when you go out and say you would like a morning latte, some people might be thinking something else. Lost in translation: The Nintendo character donkey kong was supposed to be Monkey Kong, but the smuged fax paper they received in America made it look like donkey kong. Many candybar makers have had trouble marketing products to the Asian countries because it a cultural belief that peanuts and chocolate cause nosebleeds. In fact, peanuts and chocolate are something many Chinese are allergic to, but that could be the reason why they experience such nosebleeds, not because of the mixture itself. They only avoid them to prevent nosebleeds, no scientific research has shown that they do cause nosebleeds, don't worry. Eat up!

English can be a tricky language, but I am going to outline the basics of the idiom (in english). An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words. Lets look at some creative examples I have written. First, A bad apple. The saying goes, one bad apple can ruin the bushel. This phrase generally means that one bad kid or circumstance can ruin a perfectly good record. Second, as blind as a bat. When someone refers to themselves as being blind as a bat, that means they can't see well. A true oldie, kick the bucket. The phrase kick the bucket means that someone has passed away. Lastly, the last straw. This is when a string of incidents occurs and after the final incident you cannot take it anymore, that was the last straw. Add on to this list with those that come to mind!

You can take the PSAT as early as freshman year in high school, so do it! I have read that kids who take the psat are more likely to enroll in test taking classes and ultimately score better on the act and sat. By taking this practice sat early, you can identify which skills you need to strengthen and which skills are already solid. The test itself isn't difficult, it is just tricky sometimes. Buy a sat test prep book and look over like you would any other homework assignment. Starting early (same to investing money) is the foundation for a success. Ask any questions about any of the tests here, I took them all, my kids will also be taking them soon.

I learned about this subject when taking computer sciences a while back. Simply, it uses parse trees to explore the different structures of sentence composition. For example, many sentences can have different meanings depending on where the emphasis is placed. It broke sentence structure (S: NP: VP: N: adj PP: a P, etc.) It is very interesting, but I have only been exposed to this in computer science. S | /|\ S - S / \ /|\ /|\ S * S S / S / | | \ /|\ x /|\ / | \ ( S ) S * S ( S ) / | | \ /|\ z y /|\ S + S S + S | | | | x y x x Has anyone else seen this before?

When I was learning the english language (any language for that matter) paging through large encyclopedias and dictionaries are part of what made it fun. It made learning the language seem challenging, it was massive collection of words and knowledge packed into hundrads of pages. Now, I think todays youth are exposed to language in a different way. Spellcheck on computers, online resources, they won't go through the same struggles the older generation did. Will this make them less or more motivated to learn the language?

I took some years of spanish and at one point was "fluent" back in my highschool/college days. I have some tips and tricks that I hope will make your life a little easier when learning simple. First of all, never ever ever ever end a sentence with a proposition in Spanish. It happens in English, but it can't happen in Spanish (English is weird). You don't have to use "a" or "an" (un, or una) when speaking about an occupation. The difference in estoy and soy make spanish simple like that, you just need to know a little bit more vocab. Also, when introducing yourself, you don't need to include "es". When saying my name is Mike (Me llamo Mike), the es is redundant. Lastly, don't try and form your sentences how you would in English. Spanish is a much different language in some respects, take these tips for example, they aren't straight English sentence structure.

I can tell this is going to be a fun thread. Let me add some off the top of my head: Waltz / Walzer Apple Strudel / Apfelstrudel Nickel / Nickel Hamster / Hamster Bratwurst / Bratwurst Hertz / Hertz Diesel / Dieselmotor Keep adding to the list!

The following tips helped me improve my spoken English and overcome my hesitation in the language. Hope they are useful for you too. Don’t worry about making mistakes because you will. Be patient. This isn’t a one day process. Learn certain phrases that can be used in multiple situations. Learn how to greet someone properly. Talk slowly and carefully. Don’t rush through your sentences. Restrict yourself to simple sentences until you gain confidence. Watch out for your pronunciation. Many online tools will tell you how to pronounce a word correctly. Check one of them out when you’re in doubt. Carefully observe how proficient speakers of the language pronounce words and frame their sentences. Ask your friends, relatives and anyone you can to point out your mistakes and correct them. Speak to them in English only. Practice is a must. Record yourself reading one article aloud every day. Focus on pronunciation, speed, clarity and emphasis. Many online sites offer you the opportunity to voice chat with another user. This is an effective way to practice. Learn at least one new word every day and use it as a part of your conversation with people. By the end of the week, you should know seven words really well. Learn new words everyday Read at least one article of your choice aloud every day. Watch English movies with subtitles. Watch English shows. Read books and magazines. Keep a pocket dictionary handy for any word you may need to know the meaning of. When you hear a new word, try to find its usage and its antonyms. Best of luck!

I know google translate is used many times in classroom settings and the professor (fluent speaking), knows that they used the translation site. It is not always correct, I am wondering why. I personally love that facebook now has a translate feature under posts because many of my friends live in foreign lands and speak non english languages sometimes. It is nice to be able to keep up with them. Do you think google translate is a good online option for translation?

I often used sites like study blue to create and collaborate with coworkers and classmates on flashcards and test prep. They make it very easy to find courses and find friends on the site. The url is here: http://www.studyblue.com/ It is completely free and they have never tried to "sell" me anything.

Site: http://www.examenglish.com/ Description: This web site is for people studying for an English language exam. These pages contain free online practice tests for the most important international ESL exams: IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, and the Cambridge English exams such as CAE, FCE, KET and PET. They offer a free level test and placement plan. I strongly recommend this for anyone learning english as a second language or anyone who is looking to polish up on language.

Hey guys, I have been a writer for over 20 years. I started my career as a journalist for my local newspaper while making my way through high school and college. I then transitioned to online communities. I specialize in blog posts, web copy, and commentary. One day I plan to write my own novel. I have a lot of experience with linguistics, but I am only fluent in English, Spanish, and know some ASL.