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"Still lie the sheltering snows, undimmed and white;
And reigns the winter's pregnant silence still;
No sign of spring, save that the catkins fill,
And willow stems grow daily red and bright.
These are days when ancients held a rite
Of expiation for the old year's ill,
And prayer to purify the new year's will."
Helen Hunt Jackson, A Calendar of Sonnet's: February
And reigns the winter's pregnant silence still;
No sign of spring, save that the catkins fill,
And willow stems grow daily red and bright.
These are days when ancients held a rite
Of expiation for the old year's ill,
And prayer to purify the new year's will."
Helen Hunt Jackson, A Calendar of Sonnet's: February
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Once you are a member, don't forget to check the calendar(s) for session times. Sessions are held on different platforms, so be sure to find out where the session will take place:-
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LEN English sessions:-
http://www.learnenglish.de/calendar/learnenglishcalendar.html
Listening Practice 24/7
English radio playlists on Discord.
Is cultural knowledge more important than language skills?
mheredge
TeacherHere and therePosts: 36,096 mod
Learning the local language might seem an obvious goal for anyone moving abroad. But in an increasingly globalised world, whether this is an effective use of time is increasingly up for debate. English is spoken so widely that working abroad, it is potentially easier to socialise with young locals by speaking English than in the past. The British Council estimates that by 2020, two billion people will be using it, well over a quarter of the world’s population.
“You can exist quite easily in many locations globally without speaking any of the local language,” agrees David Livermore, author of Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The New Secret to Success.
However, his research spanning over a decade in 30 countries on the concept of cultural intelligence (CQ), highlighs four key areas:
- Having the drive and interest to work in cross-cultural environments
- Knowledge of cultural similarities and differences
- Having a strategy to help monitor, analyse and adjust plans in unfamiliar cultural settings
- Having the ability to act by choosing the right verbal and nonverbal behaviours, depending on the context
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20180518-is-cultural-knowledge-more-important-than-language-skills
What are your experiences? Do you work abroad and have you learned the local language? Do you think it is important to do so, or can you just get by with English?
“You can exist quite easily in many locations globally without speaking any of the local language,” agrees David Livermore, author of Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The New Secret to Success.
However, his research spanning over a decade in 30 countries on the concept of cultural intelligence (CQ), highlighs four key areas:
- Having the drive and interest to work in cross-cultural environments
- Knowledge of cultural similarities and differences
- Having a strategy to help monitor, analyse and adjust plans in unfamiliar cultural settings
- Having the ability to act by choosing the right verbal and nonverbal behaviours, depending on the context
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20180518-is-cultural-knowledge-more-important-than-language-skills
What are your experiences? Do you work abroad and have you learned the local language? Do you think it is important to do so, or can you just get by with English?
Tagged:
1
Comments
And I like learning languages.
But I agree that the knowledge of customs, etc may be more important, at least sometimes. E.g. in Iraq it happened that locals tried to touch my mum (a blonde European lady) in marketplaces. Being a woman, she could not defend herself directly. She devised a clever tactic: she discreetly hit them with a sandal. They didn't complain because it was demeaning to be a victim of feminine violence.
I think customs and culture can be hugely important in countries where tradition plays a large part. In Asia for example, there are many things that you only learn by being with locals. If you step on someone's feet, you should be aware that this is a serious matter and apologise profusely for example, as touching feet is something that is definitely not on.
I have seen people live in a country for a long time, but unless they want to immerse themselves in the country's culture, they are usually able to live in a bubble with their other ex-pat friends. I see this a lot in Nepal with the expat community there, and even here in France, where a lot of people don't speak French and don't even seem to make any effort to learn the language.
Whilst my command of the Nepali language is not that good, I am often complimented on how much I understand their culture however - sometimes better than the locals as I am interested in all the ethnic groups and most of the local people know very little about their neighbours' traditions if they come from the same group. But maybe I should have studied social anthropology!
Believe it or not, the same is true about Poles e.g. in the US. In Chicago, there are Polish enclaves, their inhabitants use their own Polish, e.g. lookning przez window ha ha ha.
However, they do speak English so they aren't that much isolated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poles_in_Chicago#Culture
There is a tendency sometimes to hang on to traditions when away from the home country, in an almost exaggerated way. I sometimes found the British community in Nepal were more British than the British.
But shops normally don't stay open late in the evening to make up for their long lunch break, mostly closing around 5pm.
I wonder how a common working person manages to buy something? Especially if as I've heard, they aren't open on Sundays. Do they open at 6 a.m. or 7?
Moscow is a busy city indeed, but most shops are open to 11 p.m if they sell foodstuffs or to 9 p.m. if other goods. Priviously most food chains worked 24/7 until the government banned booze sales after 11 p.m. A DIY supermarket near my place is open 24/7 while a bigger chain works 8-23. The Metro cash and carry is 24/7 too and the missus drives there to 6 a.m for groceries. She's waked up at 5 a.m all her life.
There is not much of a 24/7 culture here, which I respect and think is much more civilised than in the UK or US where people expect everything to be open all the time.
I went by the field of the slothful and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding. And lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stonewall thereof had broken down. And I looked upon it and considered it well and received instruction: yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth, and thy want as an armed man. (Proverbs 24 30:34)
Well, after office hours are best for retail sales and why the French shops close is something mysterious for me. They could open later instead since few people usually shop for clothes or like in the morning. The customers would be only grateful. As for the balance, I agree that relaxing and socialisation are important, but why are the closed shops necessary for that? Why not giving people the choice instead? I don't approve spending all free time on shopping either, like they do in the UK or the USA, but I think the solution is in preaching the right values, not forcefully barring people from shops. As for the sales personnel, if they work 12 hours a day, they usually have a day off after two of work, so they have enough free time too. As for France, I believe that the waiters and chefs are the most disadvantageous people in the social dimension there. In Croatia they even close the petrol stations at 11 p.m., what was horrible to learn.
Don't get me wrong, a lot of shops are open Sundays (at least until lunch time and some, like clothes shops and supermarkets are open all day) and I don't think that there's any huge demand that everything stays open 24/7.
harvardpolitics.com/world/poland-bans-sunday-trading-law-and-justice-remembers-the-sabbath/
https://theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/11/poland-sunday-trading-ban-takes-effect
I'm not sure if this is such a great idea, but maybe just limiting the time when stores open on Sundays, so it's not as long on other days might be a good compromise.
The UK government tried to make Sunday trading the same as the rest of the week a couple of years ago, but happily for shop workers, it didn't get passed into law. They weren't at all keen as they said they'd be forced to work Sundays, like it not, regardless of family commitments and choice.
Ha ha perhaps the governing party will change until then.
Well, as I said I don't mind it as long as shop keepers are happy. Perhaps more time is needed to collect reliable data.
> Here Law and Justice has introduced the law banning trade on two Sundays a month. I don't mind it. But I am not sure if this is a good solution. Perhaps yes, perhaps not. We will see.
I wouldn't be happy if religious or any other morally motivated practices were being installed with a police force. Such things should be done by talking people round.
They say they care for family: free Sundays mean more quality time for families. They are Catholic of course but their Catholicism is rather pragmatic.
Hm, it is true though that employees in supermarkets are often exploited. As long as free Sundays help them I am OK with the trade ban.
We will see.
What is more serious is the demolition of democratic institutions, like Constitutional Tribunal.
> Hm, it is true though that employees in supermarkets are often exploited. As long as free Sundays help them I am OK with the trade ban.
The right measure to address this is new labour rules/laws and not a trade ban which hits the customer. Since the modern Catholic Mass is quite short, as well as fasting before it then a forced day off isn't relevant. And quality time isn't necessarily long time.
Yeah, of course, the Catholic Mass is usually short, about an hour or less. And not everybody wants to attend one.
All in all I have mixed feelings.