Speaking Each Other's Language
Two of the leading issues needing urgent attention in our world are the environment and proper communication between two major opposing cultures. From these dual problems stem many other concerns. The environment is a dilemma, about which we can all do something; we just need to curb our greed and laziness. British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has promised to spend up to $3 billion over the next 10 years on projects aimed at tackling the environmental problem. This is a significant gesture and the publicity alone is valuable in focusing our attention on the issue. The great gift the media has, is the constant ability to shine a light on aspects of our lives for good or bad. This is definitely one for the good and Sir Richard's gesture may prod others to follow suit. The other issue is more complex and is based largely on the economics and power games of man's ambitions. Just three weeks ago the actor, Mr. George Clooney addressed the United Nations Assembly on the tragedy in Darfur, which is growing into a runaway catastrophe. As ever, this is a man made disaster made from different tribal/religious/power factions reminiscent of Nazi Germany, determined by a better equipped, more powerful section of the region to annihilate a weaker group, who have the same human rights to live peaceful lives without fear or hunger, as their oppressors. Mr. Clooney warned the UN that this tragedy "would be on their watch"; this is a very powerful phrase and I wondered how it translated into the other languages of the listeners. Would it lose some or much of its strength in its interpretation by the very detached and unemotional renditions by the UN interpreters? If only we spoke the same language, would we be able to communicate as powerfully as is often necessary to get the message across? Two weeks ago US President George Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad each individually addressed the UN, regarding Iran's position on nuclear development. What if President Bush spoke Farsi and President Ahmadinejad could or would speak English and they sat down together and communicated with each other properly. Naïve, you may say. But maybe not, after all they are only men, human beings like the rest of us and if they could communicate and speak each others language, maybe they would find the humanity in each other. The more we speak to each other, in the other's language and acknowledge and respect each other's culture, the safer our little planet will be.
Other Articles
Natural Language Computing In working with providing computer programs that leverage the use of natural language as a means for program command control, one of the first responses some people have is, “You mean I have to type?” The aversion to typing out thoughts to accomplish tasks seems unreasonably daunting for some at first, but when the advantages of using simple con ...Which of These 7 Signs of Flirting Does She Show? Women and the signals they send us can be quite confusing. When talking to an attractive woman, a lot of men are left wondering if she's just being nice or if she is showing classic signs of flirting. Since many women tend to send men mixed signals, it can be quite hard to figure out if she is actually attracted to you.But there are a f ...English As a Tool For Work Language is the main vehicle for communicating between human beings. It seems, therefore, natural not only to associate it with exchanging ideas and points of view, but also to consider it a medium for achieving goals and getting a job done.The main feature of language as a tool is its facilitative function: the focus is on the goal to be ...Exploiting an Authentic Reading Passage for English Language Learning Teachers of EFL, English as a Foreign Language, are almost constantly strapped for time and fresh materials to use in their English classes. If they teach in a non-English speaking country, the situation can reach critical proportions quickly and often. With the advent of the internet, however, authentic readings in English are now only a few mo ...Spanish Holiday Home Insurance If you have recently bought or are about to buy a property in Spain, either as let; a holiday home or as a permanent residence, then you may have found that getting adequate home insurance is overly difficult.Buying a Spanish home insurance policy is fraught with difficulties, such as understanding the policy document and the level of cov ...After Eve (Part Two: Chapter one and two) Description & Ancient Language DescriptionFor a description of my character, and that of my comrades in the dream you may want to go to the end of the book to review: the ‘Profile of Characters’ and look at some of the pictures I have provided, but for this part of the book, let me be descriptively speaking, on my looks--: my upper jaw extended out, but not too far out ...Secrets to Powerful Body Language What is Powerful Body Language?What does your body language say about you?When you walk into a room, what do you think people “read” from your body language?Try this out – the next time you are with people (perhaps you are right now?...), notice their body language, and see what impression they create on you.Do they a ...What Does an Interpreter Do? Many people get confused as to the difference between an interpreter and a translator. There is a common tendency to think translators interpreter, or that interpreters translate. In fact, the two are very separate jobs requiring different skills. To explain who and/or what an interpreter as opposed to a translator we set out the main difference ...The Ultimate Language Travel Site A look back at what the Spanish language world was twenty-five years ago is in strong contrast to what it is now. Who would have said only a few decades ago that a community of 250 million speakers with a low economic development would jump into number two as a world langauge and as a thriving culture which has managed to captivate the rest of t ...In Success Language, Failure Means You Are Almost There! We all know as we are progressing towards our personal goals, dreams and aspirations that we will fail repeatedly, and then all of a sudden we achieve our ultimate outcome and attain our WHY in LIFE! Each failure is a stepping stone to Success, which in turn will become a very long and lovely stone walkway into the castle of your DREAMS. You m ...Need Translation Help - Don't Forget the Forums Spanish-English translators have a great tool in the Internet. Research and collaboration with other translators that previously took days and months can be had in a matter of minutes.Instead of translators having to search through countless paper dictionaries or call numerous colleuges over the phone to find an unknown or unclear definit ...Read This Article If You Want To Learn A Foreign Language By learning a foreign language you will open many new vistas in your life. You will pave the way for new friends, travel at a level not experienced by those who are simply “tourists” are will have an essential key to enter another culture to whatever depth your time and interests may allow. Your knowledge and view of our world is going to unfold ...How To Say Happy In Japanese How To Say Happy In JapaneseTelling someone that you're happy and that you're having in Japanese can be very useful and motivating for someone else. For example, if you're on a date and you want to continue seeing the other person, you will tell him / her that you enjoy the date. But how do you express hapiness, joy or pleasure in Japanes ...Cross Cultural Advertising "Culture is a like dropping an Alka-seltzer into a glass – you don’t see it, but somehow it does something," Hans Magnus Enzensberger.Culture affects everything we do. This applies to all areas of human life from personal relationships to conducting business abroad. When interacting within our native cultures, culture acts as a framework ...There's Only One Way to Spell Aluminum “Aluminum? What’s that?” This is the first thing a British person would say when coming across this word. Then, they might say "Aha, you mean Aluminium; because as everyone British person knows aluminium is spelt with an i, and there’s no such thing as aluminum."Then again an American would look at the English spelling and make funny nois ...Join to Mass English Learning Obsession English remains a dominant and universal language, which presently serves as a connection-link between great varieties of different nations. Now English is spoken mainly in every corner of the world. It is very convenient in terms of facilitating contacts between people from different countries.The British council put the figure of 750 mi ...The Semantic Properties of Animal Vocalizations It is well-known and widely accepted, that the main attribute which distinguishes human kind from other living creatures is language. But animal vocalizations also do contain semantic properties. Let’s consider several examples.Gibbons are several species of our closest surviving non-human kin. Like humans, they communicate in various wa ...An International Call to Action It is important to gain an understanding of the potential impact of your online business. If you have been considering your market share by localized or regionalized standards then your vision may be too small.Going GlobalConsider the following:Nearly 70% of all ecommerce is from areas outside the United States.Standa ...Language in the Philippines The Philippines is a multi-lingual country. Its rich history and highly segregated demography have allowed for the development of several dialects.The national language of the Philippines is Filipino or Tagalog. The language was originally called "Pilipino" but was changed in 1989 to its current name by virtue of an act in Philippine Con ...Study Foreign Language Abroad - A Scam? What if, after repeated failures in trying to learn a foreign language, you read the following in a magazine:"Come and study in the land where the language is spoken. You cannot possibly learn a foreign language unless you come and enroll in a beginning, intermediate, or advanced course in the country where the target language is spoken." ...Creative Club Ideas For a Kid After School Activity School is back in session and you’re looking for a creative after school activity for kids. Whether you’re a parent or after school care provider, keeping kids busy, happy and safe can be a challenge. Between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. is when kids need fun activities to keep them from being bored. I have listed ideas for after school clubs that are ...Dog Training - Dog Language Many people find it difficult to train their puppies because they cannot comprehend dogs' behavior. Well, that should not be so difficult if only we'd stop being so busy training and start showing our pets a little respect. Respecting our dogs doesn't mean allowing them to do whatever they want, but understanding that they are pack animals tha ...France Travel Coming Up? Two Ways to Brush Up Those French Language Skills Many people with France travel on their agenda would like to brush up on their French language skills before their trip. Make no mistake, learning a foreign language is very difficult. However, if you studied the French language in high school or college you might be able to put some of that long-ago effort to good use. Being able to communicat ...Personalise Your Characters with Body Language Have you ever stood and watched a long queue of people. It makes no difference why they are waiting; just standing, waiting is boring, and those waiting come across as bland, boring people.That’s exactly how your characters will appear without some ‘character traits’. They need personality, distinctive dialogue, and their own unique body ...Verbal Software We have identified Six Critical Skills™ as fundamental to sales excellence. The Six Critical Skills are Presence, Relating, Questioning, Listening, Positioning, and Checking. How well salespeople execute these fundamental skills is one of the major differentiations among the good, very good, and superb salespeople.If asked which is the mo ...What is a Mystic? The mystic finds the eye of the needle and enters into the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven within.What Is Mysticism? More and more people have been asking me lately “What do you mean by the word mystic?” There seems to be quite a lot of blurry, confused notions and outright misconceptions about the word. And yet, it ...
|