Effective Communication: what is it? Effective communication consists of information that is well shared. It could be verbal, non-verbal, written, etc. One considers emotions, the ability to speak, engaged listening, etc. What makes effective communication tricky? Semantic barriers. The misunderstanding between the sender and the receiver. They are due to the different meanings they give to words. People use symbols or words that can mean more than one thing. Or, also, a technical jargon. Organizational barriers. Obstacles in the flow of information. For example: among parents and children, teachers and students. And also employers and employees, etc. Emotional barriers. Lack of attention and premature evaluation. But also poor retention and distrust. Firstly, people are interested in other things and do not listen with attention. Secondly, they jump to conclusions without considering all the information. Thirdly, the brain retains just the information that could be helpful in the future and nothing more. The sender and receiver have to trust each other. If not, the communication will be meaningless. And there are also personal communication barriers… Personal barriers. Life experiences, attitudes, emotions, and behaviours. These lead to a lack of listening, attention, knowledge, and vocabulary. The receiver listens with his ears but not with his mind. He hears only what he wants to. The sender and receiver do not have the same knowledge of a specific topic. The sender uses words that are difficult to understand. We should also mention barriers related to disability. For example, how to make a visual message accessible to the visually impaired? And how to make an oral message accessible to the hard of hearing? These...
T-glottalization or t-glottaling? T-glottalization: the misperception of the letter /t/or T-glottaling, is when the sound of the consonant /t/ changes into a glottal stop. A glottal stop is literally the spot to take a break when you are supposed to produce a sound, in this case, the ‘t’ sound. It just stops in your throat. It’s like when you are about to say something and someone cuts you off. This pronunciation of the /t/ occurs in many varieties of English. Take an example of writ’t’en, Bri’t’ain, or impor’t’ant. Before pronouncing the /t/, there is a sudden pause and then you go for /ː(ə)n/ː(ə)nt/. To find out more about what is a glottal /t/ sound and how it is used in English, check out this informational video on glottal /t/ sound in American English. Using this video, practice your American pronunciation and speak like a native! The glottal stop or T-glottalization The glottal stop can actually replace a consonant so, for example, the letter /t/. Therefore we call it “T-glottalization”: the misperception of the /t/. Check out the pronunciation of ‘button, cotton or kitten’ and other words in the video above. Certain studies such as the one of Jeremy Obrien from UCSC Linguistics Research Center showed that the place of articulation of the letter /t/ could be confused with one of the glottal stops. The letter /t/ is part of the stop consonants which are /t/, /p/, /k/ but the /t/ is the only consonant that can get dropped for a glottal stop. It rarely happens with the /p/ and the /k/. In general, the glottal stop occurs especially on...
How many Valentine’s Traditions do you know? Valentine’s Day, on February 14th, is the second-largest card-giving day of the year, just after Christmas! On that note, if you forgot to read about Christmas traditions, take a look here! As for Valentine’s, people celebrate it in many different ways around the world. How people celebrate lovers’ day? Let’s check it out! The History of Valentine’s Day Around the world, this day is celebrated in the name of Saint Valentine. But who was he? Saint Valentine lived during the 3rd century in Rome, under emperor Claudius II. Claudius thought that single men were better soldiers than married ones so he outlawed marriage for young soldiers. Valentine thought it was an injustice and started to perform secret wedding ceremonies for people upon request. When the emperor found out, he ordered his murder. Gradually, word spread about Valentine and couples all over the world started celebrating Valentine’s day as a day of love. Valentine’s Day in Argentina Argentinians don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day in February but during “the week of sweetness” in July. During this week, lovers exchange kisses and receive chocolates every day! We at LingoStar believe that exceptions and differences make the world an extraordinary place to live in! Don’t you? Lovers’ Day in France France is considered the country where Valentine’s Day originated, and the first Valentine’s Day card was sent. Moreover, on this day, people decorated yards, trees and homes with love cards, roses and proposals for marriage. Unquestionably, this is probably the most romantic tradition in the world! Lovers’ Day in South Korea In South Korea, people celebrate the day...
How to learn a foreign language? Usually you learn your first foreign language in primary school. In many countries around the world, English is the second language to learn. When you learn a new language, it means starting all over with the basics, and then trying to put everything together to make sense. Some say that children learn faster. According to an article on the website “Testbig“, the capacity that children have to learn quickly is considered an advantage in learning a foreign language. That could be the reason why we start learning very young. How to learn a foreign language at home When it comes to improving the learning of a foreign language, there is one option that is obvious: go abroad. But we all know that traveling or studying abroad is not affordable for everyone. Even though many universities offer scholarships, not all students are eligible. However, if you are able to study abroad, it can be a valuable experience. Check out this student article “Study in Vancouver” on the LingoStar website. But if you are not able to travel, there are other alternatives. First, being familiar with the sound of a language helps a lot. The more you hear it, the more you will understand it and be comfortable with it. Your pronunciation will improve and it will be easier to speak by becoming familiar with the accent and vocabulary. Secondly, audiovisual works, music or even a friendship with a foreigner are some of the best ways to master a fluid accent, understand the different nuances of a language, and learn different local accents. Convinced to...
What is Audiovisual Translation Audiovisual translation, also known as ‘AVT’, is the translation for audiovisual works. This is as a series of related images accompanied by sounds and projected on various devices. Translation for audiovisual works has its own rules. It requires a special method of translation. Many new tools and apps have been created for this purpose. You can also read about these new developments in technology in our post on automatic translation. Issues with Audiovisual Translation Even though new technologies have evolved tremendously in this field, the interesting part about AVT translation is the language register. This register represents the tone and style of writing and it can be formal or informal. Also, different situations and people call for different registers. Translators specializing in audiovisual translation usually work with many different registers. In this field, it is not a question of translating words for words. It is necessary to retransmit the feelings of a script. Why? Because the source text and the final written translation must have the same effect. For example, cultural research is very important in order to translate an onomatopeia. ‘Meta magazine’ points out these problems with AVT: the synchronization between image and sound from one language to another, especially in voice-overs; the distinction between oral and written language. AVT is Evolving The demand for audiovisual translation is growing worldwide. At LingoStar we have completed numerous audiovisual translations, including voice-overs in Chinese Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, French, European and Latin American Spanish, German, Czech, and others. A decade ago, English was the main language used for all AVT translations. But thanks to companies such as...
How many New Year’s traditions do you know? Obviously, we are sure you know at least two or three New Year’s traditions from different cultures. Alternatively, we would like to share with you some of the most unique New Year’s traditions that we know from around the world. And, if it wasn’t enough, take a look at this amazing page containing 50 New Year’s Traditions from around the world! Canada Firstly, we are going to mention something about Canada. A tradition started in 1920 involves jumping into the freezing waters of English Bay on New Year’s Day. This is called the Polar Bear Swim. Do you dare to? 😉 Italy In Italy, it’s a very strong New Year’s tradition to spend New Year’s Eve with friends or family, at home for dinner or at parties. In fact, they usually eat lentils for good luck, together with zampone, a typical salami from Emilia-Romagna. After that, they countdown to midnight and toast with sparkling wine. Moreover, wearing red underwear is thought to bring love, prosperity and good luck! Czech Republic The Czechs believe that, as a New Year’s tradition, it is possible to predict what is going to happen in the coming year by cutting an apple in half and looking at the shape of its core. New Year’s Traditions in Argentina and Bolivia Argentinians believe that wearing pink underwear will attract love in the new year. Moreover, eating beans will help people to keep their current job or find a better one. Different from Argentinians and Italians, Bolivians believe that wearing yellow underwear will increase their fortune for the new year....
