Finished vs Complete

The difference

To explain the difference between the word "COMPLETE" and "FINISHED"...!! * Some people also say there's no difference, but apparently there is: When you marry the right woman, you're COMPLETE. But when you marry the wrong woman, you're FINISHED. When your wife catches you with another woman, you're... COMPLETELY FINISHED! .. And when your wife likes shopping so much, you're... FINISHED COMPLETELY...!!!

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Hotel Arrival this way

Shouldn't this sign read "Hotel Entrance"? I was amused at the English. This is a four-star hotel, managed by Singaporeans, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I would assume the English would be better.

Well, my friend who speaks fluent Vietnamese enlightened me: translation problem. Ha! That's the culprit!

Funny English. Happens everywhere.

Have fun with a new language!

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Reinforce bilingual education at home

There has been quite a bit of news on bilingual education in Singapore recently, more specifically, on the learning of the "mother tongue". What is the "mother tongue"? It is defined as the language a mother uses to speak to her children, which is usually her native language, not necessarily the national language. Some people will refer to this language as the "heart language".

If both parents come from different language groups, then the mother's native tongue will be taken as the "mother tongue", not the father's language. I assume this is because in the first few years of a child's life, the primary caregiver would be the mother, rather than the father.

Many children in Singapore are better at English than their mother tongue, partly because the medium of instruction in schools is English. Hence, the Ministry of Education is pushing for parents to read to their children in their home language, rather than in English. But why the push for bilingualism in Singapore?

The more languages you know, the easier it is for you to communicate cross-culturally. The world is shrinking as far as the working world is concerned. The average person will come into contact with people of different languages and cultures. To develop a good working relationship, it will help greatly if both sides at least try to learn a bit of the other's language and culture. After all, if you speak my language, you touch my heart.

Want to touch someone's heart? Start learning a new language! You'll gain more than just someone's heart; you'll make your life so much richer!

Have fun learning a language!

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"I prefer to talk to God in my own language"

Approximately every one in four residents of Singapore is a non-citizen. Non-citizens come from many parts of the world. They come here to work, many doing jobs that no citizen wants to do. Then there are those who come to offer their expertise, like the Spanish-speaking Christians featured in this article.

Most foreigners living and working in Singapore can speak English fairly well. English may not be their first language, but they can function comfortably in English on a daily basis. However, when it comes to matters of faith, they would much rather attend a place of worship that speaks their "heart language".

Churches in Singapore have responded positively by opening new services in various languages as the need arises. Trinity Christian Centre, the church featured in this article, is one of the few that have a Spanish service. The African service at Cornerstone Community Church is in English, but the style of service is typically African, to suit all the Africans from different parts of the continent.

The beauty of all this diversity is that each one is worshipping God in his own heart language and style, which gives him a brief moment of being "at home" away from home. It is a place where they can be themselves and not have to explain to anyone why they speak or behave in a certain way. Living overseas is not easy. Little touches like this help relieve homesickness.

Have you been able to overcome culture shock? Do you appreciate being with your fellow countrymen every now and then? Crossing cultures is not easy, but little touches like this make a world of difference.

Have fun crossing the cultural divide!

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Don't insult my family name!

Janice Worth was a New Yorker, used to White American culture until she married a Hawaiian. She moved to Hawaii and embraced a new culture such that is has become her own. She may not be Hawaiian, but she has adopted Hawaiian culture and all that it represents, including her husband's family name, Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele (35 characters, in case you are wondering).

Janice may now be a widow, but she stubbornly refuses to give up her Hawaiian family name. She said, "Over the last 22 years I have seen Hawaii being bulldozed and the culture of Hawaii being trampled upon and this policeman treated my name as if it is some mumbo jumbo." I don't blame her one bit for being so upset. Names represent individuals, families and a whole culture. You can't make fun of someone's name and expect to get away with it. Someone, somewhere is going to get insulted.

What is the problem? Her family name is too long to fit into her driver's license! Either a few letters at the end get left out, or as the policeman (mentioned above) suggested, revert to her maiden name. She was hurt, hurt enough to take her case to the local television station. That put pressure on the Hawaii Department of Transportation, who is now working hard to rectify the problem. How many other Hawaiians and Polynesians are similarly affected but have not spoken up?

I fully sympathise with Janice. A few years ago I was on a conference call with colleagues of different nationalities in different parts of the world, none of them Asian. They were talking about a mutual friend who had registered for a conference under her maiden name, which no one knew because she always used her married name. Since her full maiden name sounded more like an alliteration, everyone thought it was a big joke and carried on for several minutes laughing at her name. I tried very hard to get a word in to explain, but no one was listening. I was upset. It was not my name, but she was my fellow countryman. I felt trampled upon by all these non-Asians. They were making fun of Chinese culture! Of course I was adamant!

How protective are you of your culture and heritage? I can't say that I am, unless ... until you start trampling on it. I meet many people of different nationalities in my course of work. I do my best to ask questions and try to learn about their culture and language. I am very particular that the pronunciation must be correct, not skewed to my accent. I respect their culture and language. My new friend will appreciate that. I'm here to make friends for the long haul, not trample on them at the first meeting.

Whichever culture you come from, whatever language you speak, let's endeavour to cross our cultural barrier. Make new friends. Fill this world with love for one another!

Have fun learning another language and culture!

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Excuse me I am sorry

Are you confused on when to use "Excuse Me" and when to use "I am sorry"? You should not, but many do, especially non-native speakers of English.

Here are some practical examples in English:

"Excuse Me": If someone is blocking my way and I need to get to the other side, I will say to the person "Excuse me, may I get through, please?" A simple "excuse me" will also tell him that he's in my way and should move aside.

"I am sorry" is used when I have done something wrong and need to apologise. It can also be used if I cannot help someone who has asked me a question. For example, if someone asks me for directions and I don't know where the place is, I would answer, "I'm sorry, but I don't know where that is."

My Filipino friend +Lloyd Estrada was in Istanbul and wrote this post about his experience.

I had a good laugh. As I read his blog post, I realised what the "problem" was. I do not know any Turkish, but I suspect that in Turkish, both "excuse me" and "sorry" are the same word. I made this conclusion because in Thai and Khmer, that is the case. In Thai ขอโทษ and Khmer សុំទោស is used to get someone's attention, or to apologise for a mistake made.

To someone who speaks English fairly well, the use of "sorry, you need a shirt" is quite funny, probably also a little strange. As with learning any language, we are bound to make mistakes. We must not be afraid to make a fool of ourselves. It is a very good way to learn quickly. Be yourself. As long as we're being understood, whatever brand of English you may speak is perfectly acceptable. Correct grammar will help along the way.

Have fun with languages!

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Knowing English is still important

After so many years of pushing aside English as the main medium of instruction in schools, Malaysia is trying to reverse the tide of poor English. The first step is to re-train the teachers who are not proficient in English.

This is an uphill task. English is not an easy language to master. My friend is trying for a certificate to teach English as a second language. She is despairing now because she has completely forgotten all the grammar rules. Yes, her English is good. Yes, she uses English daily. But to explain what the rules are and how they work is another story altogether.

While much of world today speaks Chinese, English is still widely used anywhere in the world. In fact, most Chinese from China want to learn English. Many of them speak very well, with little trace of a Chinese accent. Much of the information over the internet today is in English. Being able to speak, read and write English is a very useful skill to have. We cannot run away from this fact.

I wish the Malaysian Education Ministry all the best in their endeavours to bring the standard of English in the schools back to where it used to be and maybe even better.

If you can read and understand this blog post, then you do have a good grasp of English. Why not add Chinese to your stable of working languages?

Happy learning!

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Speak Mandarin drive in China? Yes!

Many Chinese in China cannot speak Mandarin, or at least speak well enough to be understood. Surprising? Maybe to those who do not know much about China.

The fact is that there are 56 official tribal groups in China who are not of the majority Han race. Out of those 56 tribes, each has many sub-divisions, which adds to many more tribes, each one having their own language. Add to that the number of ethnic Han dialects or languages like Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, Hockchew, Hing Hwa, Shanghainese, Sichuan language, etc. That's a lot of different languages for one huge country!

It should not be surprising, then, that many Chinese citizens do not speak the national language Mandarin well enough to function in everyday life. While Singapore has been running the Speak Mandarin Campaign for years to get Singaporeans to brush up on Mandarin (which is a second or third language to most), here is China, the exporter of Mandarin, having to conduct a Speak Mandarin drive for their own citizens! Ironic? Maybe. Real? Yes.

You don't have to be Chinese to speak Mandarin. Start learning today!

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Does your boss call you at crazy hours?

What is the work culture in your country like? Does your boss expect you to be reachable at all hours of the day or night, even on weekends and holidays? Smartphones and tablets seem to control our lives now, both work and personal. It is the same everywhere in the world, both developed and under-developed.

When I read this article, I cheered! Germany is doing something about the ridiculous work culture! Yay! It is now illegal for bosses to call employees at some crazy hour outside of work hours. Germans can actually have a life now.

Now, will the rest of the world follow suit?

What do you do to combat this unhealthy stress?

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Is Chinese taking over as the universal language?

Is Mandarin becoming the universal language over English? Maybe not yet, but much of the world does speak Mandarin, especially considering that China's population is already one-sixth of the world. That does not include all the Chinese diaspora all over the world!

This article tells us that Lao villagers may not have much money, but education is a priority. What is more important is that, to the average Lao parent, learning Mandarin is more important than learning English. Considering what a great influence China has on Lao economy, what Lao parents are doing is probably wise. After all, China is a huge market both domestically and internationally.

A Malaysian businessman in Vietnam told me that he sent his children to a Taiwanese international school and gave them extra lessons in English. He felt that English and Mandarin (or Chinese) were essential to their ability to succeed in life. Today, his son is studying in America and his daughter has just completed her time in Europe. She is also learning French.

Every parent wants the best education for his children. In today's fast-changing and fast-moving global economy, it looks likely that Chinese is catching up with English as the universal language of the business world. Thousands in China attend classes to learn English. Chinese students are all over the world in the quest to get ahead.

In South Korea alone, there are 80,000 students from China studying there. A Chinese pastor living in Seoul commented that sometimes he thought he was in China, rather than in South Korea. All around him he would hear Chinese being spoken.

While knowing one language is good, being bilingual or even multilingual is even better. Effective communication is a fact of life. We all want to avoid misunderstandings. Being able to communicate in another language helps cut down the risk of miscommunication. Knowing Chinese will help you communicate with much of the world! Why not start learning Chinese today?

You can find many different packages to learn Mandarin here.

Have fun learning Chinese!

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