tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post2922827659839898903..comments2009-07-10T16:39:52.400+09:00Comments on The Monster Flower: I only make it look easyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-38465008529339922222008-09-14T21:39:00.000+09:002008-09-14T21:39:00.000+09:00So, there are a couple of things I can tell you ab...So, there are a couple of things I can tell you about the culture of this particular neck of the woods. For a start every G speaker speaks some English, some fantastic, some not as bt still pretty good. The student I spoke to wasn't exactly forthcoming when I explained why I wanted some advice for a Japanese person living in their midst - he seemed to think she needed tourism advice! But he did point out one thing - never start eating until everyone else has their meal in front of them because it's not taken kindly to. I remember in Japan things were different in that respect, but G-speakers, either from their native land or the other European countries where the language is spoken, are particularly blunt which might make your lady feel uncomfortable. <BR/><BR/>It's a shame she's not furnishing you with much opportunity to branch out in your sessions. There are bound to be more people coming to my work from this part of the world to learn Enlgish so I will keep asking questions about what might be useful language to work on.Emskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01695482838326498180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-91169785498828240872008-09-09T09:08:00.000+09:002008-09-09T09:08:00.000+09:00Thanks, Emsk. Any input you have would be very, ve...Thanks, Emsk. Any input you have would be very, very appreciated.<BR/><BR/>I can tell you that she is going to live in a predominately "G" speaking area and her work environment will definitely be all English (though the headquarters is now in this other country, the company was originally in England). I looked up the country in question in the book "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands" which outlines cultural differences for many countries, but the information is relatively generic.Orchid64https://www.blogger.com/profile/07132543155589881288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-84768281677477142722008-09-09T05:56:00.000+09:002008-09-09T05:56:00.000+09:00Okay, I can guess where she's going, but won't say...Okay, I can guess where she's going, but won't say any more. But it might be a good idea to find something online relating to English spoken by non-natives as they don't sound like the language spoken by their 'host' lands, for a start, and this must affect the English they speak.<BR/><BR/>For the most part, these people do speak pretty good English. I ahve a student from this country whose antive language begins with the letter G, so tomorrow I'll ask him about cultural differences between the various people and their languages and what might be useful to someone who's relocating there for work.Emskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01695482838326498180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-51624343238213595732008-09-08T13:41:00.000+09:002008-09-08T13:41:00.000+09:00Helen: You are so not stepping on my toes! I appre...Helen: You are so not stepping on my toes! I appreciate any advice that'll make it easier.<BR/><BR/>The student has been abroad for travel before, but not for business, and she can communicate okay for the most part. Her TOEIC score is in the 700's. <BR/><BR/>I can't say too much about her situation because I don't want to reveal enough to spill private data (or allow any third party to guess who I am from my blog), but the situation is really complicated. She won't have to go to a real bank because the office she'll work in has a cash machine located in it (though she does not work in any industry related to finance). She can ask for assistance from coworkers in using the machine (which is part of what we practice - requests of coworkers).<BR/><BR/>We did cover restaurants, though the etiquette issue is complicated because she's not going to a country with a unified culture. In fact, none of the 4 languages spoken in it are English, but it is the common language. So, there is no uniformity of manners or etiquette as there is the possibility of a mix of 4 cultures. We discussed some basics, but it's hard to do more than that.<BR/><BR/>I can't role play in any way which assumes any particular behavior on the part of the staff she deals with because of the cultural variations, though I did make some situations tough for her where it seemed possible.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your advice! I'll take any help I can!Orchid64https://www.blogger.com/profile/07132543155589881288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3398781353996043657.post-24447250931052860192008-09-08T12:42:00.000+09:002008-09-08T12:42:00.000+09:00Just a quick question...has she been overseas befo...Just a quick question...has she been overseas before? I'm just wondering because the banking system in Japan is very different than it is in Canada and I imagine in Europe too. She really might want a refresher on how to use a bank machine or fill out/in a deposit/withdrawal slip. Even a little chat about the differences between the machines could be useful. I'm a little surprised that she would turn down your advice/suggestion.<BR/><BR/>Have you spent any time going over menus/restaurant etiquette? That's one of the hardest things for my husband when he's abroad. Just decoding a menu is tough...even when I'm there to help.<BR/><BR/>Sorry...don't mean to step on your toes. <BR/><BR/>I actually like the little real life scenarios, I do a mean waitress one (complete with gum chewing!) but I agree, 2 hours of it is a bit much. <BR/><BR/>Good luck!Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00476943539943172099noreply@blogger.com