I want to speak..

Diam’s- La Boulette Okay, so any French learners out...

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:57:14 -0400

Diam’s- La Boulette

Okay, so any French learners out there?

This song should give you a good laugh!

5 Reasons why it is beneficial to know a foreign language

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:58:00 -0400

It increases your empathy towards others- Nelson Mandela said that if you speak to a man in a language he understands, it goes to his head. If you speak in his language, it goes to his heart. These words are very powerful and show how much of an impact and difference, speaking and understanding someone’s native language has. Once you know a language other than your own, you can begin to think in that language and perhaps view the world from a slightly different perspective. You can think of the world, the way that native speaker does. This helps you to understand another nations thinking and ideas more. It is all wonderful and mesmerizing.

It can open doors for you- You are once again going through that list of job vacancies when, there you see it! Eureka! The perfect job description. The one you had been looking for in months. Everything is going perfectly well until you realise that they are asking for the knowledge of at least one foreign language. At that very moment you wish you had taken your French lessons in school more seriously.

A lot of times, a job opportuniy or even a travelling opprtunity can appear out of nowhere but you need to be able to provide something as well. In these instances your knowledge of foreign languages would enable you to enter worlds you would not have not been able to go in before.

Travelling becomes easier- It’s nice to go ona trip abroad and be able to speak the same language as the people living there. It not only gives you the chance to relate and understand the local people more but it also shows that you have taken the effort and time to enter a different world from your own. The people there will even appreciate you more, knowing that someone who is not a native speaker still knows their language. To a certain extent it makes you less egotistical and self-centred. You have put your roots aside and ventured into someone else’s origin and culture.

Makes you more employable- Knowing a foreign language is great asset to have and most employers will take into consideration the fact that the more languages are spoken, the more people can be reached or influenced. The fact that you know more than one language will look fascinating on your CV. In these austerity times where jobs are lacking and companies are struggling to keep up and redundancies are ever so frequent; it is important that you stand out and have something that will help the company. You might have exactly the same qualifications and skills as a colleague but you know three foreign languages. Your more valuable to the company than the one who only speaks one language. It is an unfair world.

You will feel more self-accomplished- Learning a foreign language is not easy. It takes effort, determination and perseverance. It might take you up to one or even two years before you have mastered a language well but once you know the language; you will feel extremely proud of yourself. It will be a great achievement. You know it will be worth it. Just the fact that one point that language you were learning was completely ‘foreign’ but once learnt it will be a familiar sound which you can understand perfectly! If that’s not awesome, then what is?!?

This page has a brand new twitter page!

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:48:00 -0400

This page has a brand new twitter page!

what languages do you speak?

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:52:22 -0400

Hey!

Well, I speak Italian, English, French and twi (ghanaian language.)

I’m planning on learning new languages soon though.

Thanks for asking!

“You’re never too old or too young to learn a language.”

Gaining fluency in foreign languages.

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:58:00 -0400

In order to be fluent in a language you need to speak it as often as you can and also hear it being spoken on a regular basis. The internet provides you with numerous resources which will help you to enrich your language knowledge and skills greatly. What makes all of this better is that most of these sites are free! Why by the latest ‘RosettaStone’ if you can get the same knowledge and practice for free?*

There are a great deal of sites available on the net, with exercies and tests which which will help you to not only test yourself but also to improve your language skills. Here below is a list of some good websites for learning languages:

LingQ- This site is great! The whole aim and objective of the website is to help you learn a language. There are a great range of activities and resources. The former Canadian diplomat, polyglot, Steve Kaufmann is the CEO of this website.

BBC Languages: Very useful site. Especially for beginners. It tells you the level you’re at and directs you towards to the right exercises. The great thing about this site; is that it is always updated and it is entertaining. It’s so varied!
Babbel: This website is very good on the social side. It is good for making skype friends so that you can talk together and help each otherout. As for the exercises, they are all very basic; if you are beyond the begginer level it is not that much helpful
For those advanced or intermediate leareners who are in search for more challenging exercises and tests I suggest googling or searching for language exercises in the language you are learning. E.g. if you’re studying French, go on google.fr and search using key words there

*If you prefer RosettaStone and feel like that suits you best, then by all means go and buy it! I’m not insinuating it is not useful or effective. However there are cheaper alternative ways available. For example, your local library might have a RosettaStone program for its users. Go and find out!

"❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his..."

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:57:00 -0400

“❝If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞”

- Nelson Mandela

Hey, your blog is so cool and I love the reoccurring theme. What made you decide to do this? ps its greeeeeaaat keep up the good work.

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:42:00 -0400

Hii! Wow, thank you!!

Well, I love languages and I thought that sometimes when you are learning a language you can get overwhemeld by it all. So, I decided to make an encoraging or motivational blog to keep those language students motivated and happy!! Oh why, thanks a lot!

Always remember: ‘You are never too young or too old to learn a language.’

I Love you 100x Just a ‘taster’..‘I love...

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:02:00 -0500

I Love you 100x

Just a ‘taster’..‘I love you’ in a 100 languages! So cheesy but sweet! haha :) Love is universal..

Motivation is the key!

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:31:25 -0500

A fantastic, heart-felt encouraging post on staying motivated whilst learning a language.

Read about Richard Simcott. he is an another amzing man!

Become more motivated :)

Disney’s Greatest Songs Multilanguage Mix Enjoy! :)

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:58:45 -0500

Disney’s Greatest Songs Multilanguage Mix

Enjoy! :)

Luca's official blog!

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:57:53 -0500

Luca's official blog!

An easy way to learn foreign languages Luca, who has been...

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:35:02 -0500

An easy way to learn foreign languages

Luca, who has been studying languages for 20 years; has some pretty good points and tips for language enthusiasts (stick too these things):

Work on a daily basis (even if as little as 30mins) it is much better than doing 3 hrs once a week as consistency is very important
Listening to the spoken language frequently is more helpful than spending hours studying grammar books
Learning languages should not be a burdensome task, it should be a pleasurable event
Don’t get too worked up if you can’t recall something you’ve learnt recently, keep studying and more sooner than later you’ll realise that you know it within seconds
So learning a language has to be a constant, natural and pleasant way to learn

"Most people say it’s easier to pick up languages when you’re younger, but people can..."

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:15:00 -0500

“Most people say it’s easier to pick up languages when you’re younger, but people can learn languages at any point in their lives. Being immersed in a language is important. Personality is a contributing factor too - not being able to tolerate feeling foolish from making inevitable errors will make learning a new language a difficult process.”

- David Green, University College London, who specialises in bilingualism (BBC article)

As cheesy as it sounds, a new language will broaden your...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:05:00 -0500

As cheesy as it sounds, a new language will broaden your horizons.

Wow! Check out this amazing hyperpolyglot...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:01:00 -0500

Watch and read about Alex Rawlings who speaks 11 languages.

You will be amazed!

P.S. Don’t worry, if you only know one language and are struggling to learn your second one, you are not alone. ;)

Italian Hand Gestures This is a funny video which will introduce...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:34:00 -0500

Italian Hand Gestures

This is a funny video which will introduce to some of the most common gestures which Italians use. Next time you go to Italy, try and integrate some of these during conversations!

Five things about Italy.

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:34:00 -0500

Italians are wordly famous for numerous things: from their beautiful scenary to their to their cuisine, to their famous designer clothing, to their Ferraris and much more. As an Italo-Ghanaian who was born in Italy and grew up there myself, I cannot help but highlight that Italians are such a unique and special people.

Here below is a brief list of 5 random things about Italy and Italians:

There are two separate states in Italy. You may not be aware of this but Italy is home to two independent states: San Marino and Vatican City. They are both enclaves sorrounded by Italy. They are are considered as individual countries and both have thier own democratic system. In fact, the Rebuplic of San Marino is said to be the oldest surviving rebuplic in the world. Similarly, Vatican city, home to the Roman Catholic church, is the smallest state in the world.
Italians do not eat pasta every day. Despite it being a popular food in Italy, Italians do not eat pasta on a daily basis. There are numerous other foods such as minestrone, (soup) capeletti and tortelli.. depending on the regional area there are foods which Italians alternate with pasta.
Italians always applaud on arrival after a plane flight. Italians have truly mastered this art. After the arrival of any flight, whether it be a twenty four hours flight to Australia, a sixhour flight to America, or a 1hour flight to France. Once the final destination has been reached successfully, an applause to congratulate the pilot will always be heard in a plane full of Italians. It’s a fact of life.
Any Italian will lose a lot of respect for you if you like pizza with pineapple. The only thought of eating pizza with pineapple makes Italians shiver. It is just a no-go area. If pineapple is one of your favourite pizza toppings; simply do not let any of your Italians friends know. Or you might wake up with one less friend on your Facebook friends list. Share your taste at your own peril.
Gesticulating. Italians are very expressive people and using their hands as a way of aiding communication is a norm. Italians naturally implement their hand gestures in order to comunicate. there are numerous hand gestures which Italians use (see my next post)in order to express themselves. Is part part of their body language. Why use your hands when you are already sending your messages across verbally? It’s just an Italian thing.

* Please note, before you attack me with any ‘Not all italians are like this’ or ‘you are generalising’ kind of comment; take into consideration the fact that, indeed, I AM stereotyping. So please, hold your horses! Thank you. :)