Language Learning Blog
When All the Pieces Fall Into Place
Jul 26th
Scheduling interpreters for specific assignments can be tricky. Contrary to general belief we don’t have several interpreters on stand by, waiting to be deployed any given moment. In fact interpreters are scheduled sometimes months in advance. But of course, in the real world things seldom go according to your routine. More >
24 Hours to Find Chinese Sports Commentator and Produce 30 Second T.V. Spot
Apr 27th
On Wednesday April 13th we received an urgent phone call from the Rochester RazorSharks requesting our assistance in finding a native Chinese sports commentator for their game that Friday. This game was to be broadcasted to an audience of 50 million people in China. Although this request was outside of the services offered by Language Intelligence, we used our extensive network of resources to secure a Chinese commentator. In recognition of our effort, the RazorSharks gave us a 30 second T.V. spot that was aired during the live broadcast of the game. With the help of our creative and multi-lingual staff we produced this spot within 24 hours!
Speak the language of your customer. from Language Intelligence on Vimeo.
Thank you to the RazorSharks for entrusting us with this last minute request and recognizing our contribution by airing this T.V. spot. Thank you to our commentator, Paul, for taking on this challenge.
NPR: Being Bilingual May Boost Your Brain Power
Apr 5th
This article by Gretchen Cuda-Kroen was published on NPR Morning Edition and is also available as an audio clip.
“In an interconnected world, speaking more than one language is becoming increasingly common. Approximately one-fifth of Americans speak a non-English language at home, and globally, as many as two-thirds of children are brought up bilingual.
Research suggests that the growing numbers of bilingual speakers may have an advantage that goes beyond communication: It turns out that being bilingual is also good for your brain.”
Here is a link to the article on the NPR website: Being Bilingual May Boost Your Brain Power.
The Power of Languages
Feb 4th
I was 14 when I first felt the power of knowing a foreign language. My two brothers and I had all chosen German as our foreign language elective upon entering high school. It wasn’t long before we discovered that we could use this new knowledge to an excellent advantage. The secrets that we siblings kept could now be shared openly, at the dinner table even, without our parents understanding a word we said! We happily schemed together from that moment on. In fact, we planned an entire 25th Anniversary Surprise Party for our parents right under their noses. They never had a clue. More >
Press 1 for English
Jan 28th
Does it bother you when people speak other languages around you? Even if it does, you probably wouldn’t confront the speakers about it, because that would be socially unacceptable. However, it’s amazing how these social rules tend to disappear online.
I regularly log on to Facebook and skim along to see what fun or interesting things my friends are involved in. As a Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages, I love to see any interesting cultural or language-related items. I was startled when I came across this Facebook group: “Why do I have to press 1 for English, This is America, learn the language or get the **** out.” I was startled because I couldn’t imagine the person who posted this saying those words in a face-to-face conversation. The second emotion I felt was confusion. Why is there so much anger directed at people simply because English is not their strongest language? I decided to dig deeper, because my initial feeling was that this sentiment is based on ignorance and fear, not on issues of language.
More >
Polish Film Festival 2010
Nov 11th
This weekend, the University of Rochester’s Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies will be hosting the Polish Film Festival 2010 at the Little Theater in Rochester, NY. The film showings kick off Saturday November 13th and end Wednesday November 17th. This year’s festival includes seven full-length films, three documentaries, two shorts and an animated short. Polish Ambassador to the United States Robert Kupiecki and one of Poland’s most popular actors will be in attendance!
3 Benefits of LI’s Blended Learning Program
Nov 2nd
Blended Learning combines the advantages of live instruction with the convenience of online learning. Here are some of the benefits of this combined approach:
1. Learn prerequisite material online, and focus on critical development in the classroom. Learning online before class allows for more meaningful classroom sessions. Students prepare for each class by completing all online activities for a particular topic beforehand and reinforce what they’ve learned by practicing with classmates and/or the instructor.
Imagine that next week’s French class is about making a hotel reservation and you will spend the class making pretend phone calls to hotels in France. Having practiced using the online tool, you’ll already be familiar with the vocabulary and possible dialogues you could have with a hotel receptionist before you arrive to class and you’ll be ready to start practicing right away. More >
Wall Street Journal Article: Building a More Resilient Brain
Oct 20th
Recently, we have been noticing an increase in articles regarding multilingualism and its impact on the brain. This article by Shirley S. Wang was published on October 12, 2010 by the Wall Street Journal.
October 12, 2010-Wall Street Journal
“A lifetime of speaking two or more languages appears to pay off in old age, with recent research showing the symptoms of dementia can be delayed by an average of four years in bilingual people.
Multilingualism doesn’t delay the onset of dementia—the brains of people who speak multiple languages still show physical signs of deterioration—but the process of speaking two or more languages appears to enable people to develop skills to better cope with the early symptoms of memory-robbing diseases, including Alzheimer’s.”
Welcome to Language Intelligence’s language learning blog!
Oct 12th
We believe that learning a foreign language is a precious investment in your future. It opens many worlds. Globalization has made all business international. People strongly prefer doing business in their own language, which is why today more than ever, the following statement is true: The language of your customer is the language of international business.
Our mission is to show you the benefits of speaking foreign languages, to prove that everyone can learn a foreign language and ultimately convert all monolinguals into multilinguals!
A Firsthand Account of the Benefits of Language Learning
Oct 12th
At Language Intelligence, we believe that learning a language is not only a personally rewarding journey, but a professionally astute move. This belief is reinforced each day through the work that we do. When you work at Language Intelligence, it’s impossible not to feel that this is true.
Our summer intern, an International Relations student at SUNY Geneseo, recently wrote about his experiences working at Language Intelligence and how those experiences solidified his beliefs about the importance of language learning:
Globalization has brought the world closer than it has ever been. We see it in the movies we watch, the food we eat and the people we see on a daily basis. At no other time in history has it been easier to travel or communicate with people around the world.
