NELSON MANDELA SAID: ” If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.If you speak to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” We should take these words to our hearts!
Language is the means of getting an idea from my brain into yours without surgery! – Mark Amidon
I would really (veramente) like to recommend the following website, proposed by Larry Ferlazzo, with videos, handouts, basic dialogues or games (giochi) to English learners/students. If you click on the link here below (qui sotto) you see the book “ESSENTIAL DIALOGUES” which you can open and read a dialogue before watching (prima di guardare) the respective video.
http://community.eflclassroom.com/page/basic-conversations?xg_source=msg_mes_network
Do you want to watch a video where you can learn how to book a hotel room? Then click here below:
http://www.englishcentral.com/video/12805/hotels
or do you want to know how to order drinks?
http://www.englishcentral.com/video/10096/ordering-drinks
This website is, of course, not only for beginners or learners/students but there is also a lot of material for teachers.
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Now you can watch a funny video about the importance of languages and the misunderstandings (malintesi) that may arise because people don’t understand each other! Enjoy yourselves.
I very much hope that this material will be a challenge for my highly motivated “over 6o’ ” learners.
(Spero tanto che questo materiale può essere una sfida per i miei studenti d’inglese, molto motivati e oltre 60enni!)
Last but not least, I’ve just read on British Council that there will be clear economic risks for England in this globalized world, if the country and its citizens are not able to change their attitude towards language learning. Business people, governments, schools and parents should, therefore come together and show young and “old people” how they can reap real practical benefit in interpersonal/intercultural communications from learning a language! (This article is for people of an advanced level in English.) I hope that Swiss citizens/students will become more aware of the importance of blurilingualism and keep up or even improve their standard of flexibility which will be needed in the future in order to be or to remain successful or attractive!
Which of these languages will be the most important one in the future according to you?
Which of these languages will be the most important in the future according to you?
Categories: AMERIKA/AMERICA, ENGLISH/MAR, MACHT DER MENSCHEN/POWER OF PEOPLE
Rivella49's Blog 
I can never emphasize enough to know another language, I like you write your post in German, Italian, and English which it’s great.
English it’s not my mother tongue, but I decided to write my blog in English to reach more people, and as a challenge to myself.
Like you, would like for most people to learn at least another language, I know fairly well two, and can with some difficulty manage my way in another two. learning another language help us a lot to have a wider Weltanschauung.
I can kick myself that at an early age didn’t try to learn more!
I can figure I could had mastered at least another two, fairly easy.
Well, it is what it is.
Take care Martina, and keep up the good work, and hope you are reading some nice books. 🙂
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I have always liked to be in contact with people from all over the world and to know differnt languages helps! We, in Switzerland, have four National languages, which represent our natural resources. Last week we had the WEF (World Economic Forum) in Davos and besides Mr. Trump there were very interesting people from all over the world , discussing the environmental proplems in English. It really is an advantage to know languages, you know this for yourself!
By the way at the moment I am reading “Gatti’s Variétés” by Anne Cuneo, in French. It’s about the very poor families in Ticino, Switzerland in the 19th century, which had to emigrate, in this case to London where this family was so successful that one of the decendents even became mayor of London!! They were able to give work to many poor people!
I thank you so much for your interests and wish you a good day.:)
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There you go Martina, French it’s not one of the languages I am able to read, and seems Anne Cuneo’s books are not translated into English, except for one; “Tregian’s Ground: The Life and Sometimes Secret Adventures of Francis Tregian, Gentleman and Musician.” and I am not sure if she is translated in other language but German! 😦
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But you know Spanish, which, I more or less understand, but cannot write! About Anne Cuneo, you know more about her than me! People here read her in Italian! I have also her ZAIDA. She seems to love writing about people who succeeded in doing exceptional things in their time. I hope it’s not to cold where you live!:)
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Yes, Spanish it’s my native Language, English my second, and more or less I can manage Italian, and Portuguese reading, not speaking, or writing for lack of practice.
Hardly, I lived for 31 years in Los Angeles, just moved 7 months ago, across the border 300 Km South from Los Angeles, today will be sunny and 24C, although nights can be chilly, but not much, last night was only 13C, but the weather can get cooler, or hotter, you never know we got a spell last three days when it got pretty warm around 30C, when the days before we where about 18C
Best regards Martina! 🙂
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I think you are doing pretty well also as far as languages are concerned.:) We heard on the radio that children in certain regions in Mexico can’t even go to school because of the cold. It’s good to hear that in your part this is not a problem.
By the way, Francis Tregian seems to have been a very interesting Roman Catholic muscian and even knew William Shakespeare.
Have a good weekend.
Best regards Martina
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