Success With Languages» english

Acronyms That Mean Something Else: PUB, BRA And PLN

Hanifa K. Cook — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:47:33 +0000

Acronyms shorten the use of full names. In some cases, such as these ones, PUB, BRA and PLN, they have different meaning depending on how they are used. Here are the 3 acronyms which can be words with real meaning in a language.

Google Chat Lost In Translation? “Chinese Fight Here”

Hanifa K. Cook — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:07:27 +0000

Here's another reason that you shouldn't be using the online dictionary to help you with translation. While browsing on Youtube, I came across a video lesson on how to use Google chat to translate Mandarin to English. This is what I have discovered.

Getting Employed As A Non-native

Hanifa K. Cook — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:17:32 +0000

More people are required to know at least two languages in the business world today. If you are able to show on your resume you can speak at least one other language, you certainly have an added advantage. Unless you have formal education in more than one language, you may be challenged to prove that [...]

Abbot and Castello: Teaching English Homophones, Homographs and Homonyms

Hanifa K. Cook — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 03:58:55 +0000

Some of us may remember these comedians Abbott and Castello. This particular comedy sketch is very useful to learn what homophones, homographs and homonyms are all about.

Hong Kong Or Singapore PR: Bilingual Letter In The Mailbox

Hanifa K. Cook — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:47:58 +0000

In my country, it is common to receive letters our mailboxes which are written in at least 3 languages. It is handy to know all the languages!! Here is a typical note from a person looking for a place to rent. It has been written in English and Mandarin. If you read it carefully, Mr [...]

Beyond English: Must Have In The Language

Annie Cook — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 03:45:42 +0000

One of the followers of Success With Languages, Jonathan Senior, Director of Sharpend Training UK sent this tweet to me a few days ago. RT @businessgp Beyond English – what is the ‘must have’ business language? < < Ask @hiannie I have pondered over this question. Although I do not have a perfect answer, I [...]

5 Basic Skills At Reading A New Language

Hanifa K. Cook — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 09:32:31 +0000

Reading is a crucial part of learning. It does not matter what subject you are studying or what object you are observing, reading opens the path towards gathering knowledge. It raises awareness of your learning faculties and has the potential to make you a powerful person when you use the knowledge. Unfortunately reading a written [...]

Collaborate At RealTime With Your Language Partner

Hanifa K. Cook — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:18:40 +0000

Here is an example of how you can collaborate at real time with your language partner online. And you can get it for free without having to download any application. To get started, you need to have: a good internet connection headset with speaker and a language partner For this session, we are going to [...]

Mother Tongue Language Leaves A Heavy Weight On The Shoulders

Hanifa K. Cook — Wed, 12 May 2010 06:42:02 +0000

In recent weeks, there have been discussions on whether to reduce the weighting of Mother Tongue Language (MTL) [1] for PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examinations) students. Mother Tongue Language is a subject in the Singapore education curriculum. The languages are Tamil, Malay and Mandarin. Students can choose to study one of these languages other than [...]

Understanding Metaphors

Hanifa K. Cook — Mon, 03 May 2010 10:14:20 +0000

Definition: A metaphor, or commonly known as a figure of speech, is used as analogy of ideas and objects. It usually begins by transferring the same word into a new sentence, the sense of which changes with the subject matter. By itself, the meaning of the word remains unchanged but it somehow transforms itself when [...]