Belly-aching in different places

"He is such a good story teller. I laughed until (my) stomach-ache(d)!"

Over breakfast, my friends and I were recounting highlights of a conference we had just attended some weeks ago. What my friend said (above) is a typical description of how hard she laughed at the story, using Singlish or the form of English commonly spoken in Singapore.

"Will you quit belly-aching?"

In America, especially in the south, this retort is used when someone keeps on complaining about something.

While the two sentences have vastly different connotations, the analogy is the same: the stomach, or belly, aches. In Singapore, it is a funny occurrence, while in America, it causes annoyance to others.

These two sentences may never cross the cultural and geographical divide, but they certainly make for an interesting topic of discussion.

Here's to the uniqueness of English spoken in different parts of the world!

3 countries, 1 piece of history

Piece of Berlin Wall on display in Singapore

This headline caught my eye when I saw it. Three countries were involved in this display: former East Germany, Singapore (where Bedok is located) and USA.

Former East Germany: piece of Berlin Wall that was on display.
Singapore: welcomed the piece of Berlin Wall to be displayed in Bedok, where the then-Member of Parliament (MP) was personal friends with the owners of the piece of Berlin Wall.
USA: where the owners of the piece of Berlin Wall are from and will be returning to shortly.

Is this multi-cultural? Certainly. Singaporeans living in Bedok (an everyday, ordinary neighbourhood) got to appreciate a piece of world history, plus the artwork that was painted on. Some of the elderly who have never been to school may not even know where Germany is, or that there once was an East and a West Germany, divided by a large wall. Yet, thanks to the generosity of the American owners and the innovative thinking of the MP and personal friend, ordinary folk were exposed to a piece of world history that would enrich their lives for a period of time.

Well, the display period has come to and end, but the people who have seen this piece of art will have their lives forever changed. One cannot walk past a piece of world history and not be affected by it. Similarly, one cannot come into contact with a person of another language and culture and not be affected by it.

Let's embrace another language and culture, instead of waiting for another language and culture to affect us. Our lives will be so much richer for that.

Let's celebrate each other's language and culture!

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Short, to the point, but sweet?

Singaporeans are known to be efficient in all that they do. Everything in the country is supposed to work like clockwork, never breaking down. Well, almost. In our quest for speed and efficiency, our communication gets that way too. We are "to the point", without beating around the bush, even in sensitive areas.

It's possible that we got this from the Americans. Singapore is a mix of both east and west, but more west than east. We function in English more than any other Asian language. I was pleasantly surprised when I read this post on American Business English.

Communication is a two-way street. The sender has a certain message he wants to convey. The reader may perceive a different meaning. In brief communication, the tone may sound completely rude, simply because the message is so "to the point". But, remove that thought and step back one step. All we're trying to do is get the message across quickly. Personally, I like that. Going round in circles drives me nuts. Just tell it to me straight. I won't be offended.

Can that happen in Asia? Maybe in the next generation. In the meantime, we have to be students of the culture we're working with, which may not necessarily be our own. Or we can take a Business English course from +Mohalam Gonoux.

Happy learning!

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Get an edge, learn a language

Poor job market. I can't find a job. I need a job.

Same story around the world. So what do enterprising young Americans do? Go overseas! Can't find work at home? No problem. Let's see what I can find in another country. I'll earn money. I'll learn to live and adapt to a new culture. I'll learn a new language. I may like it so much that I'll never move back to America again. After all, it's A Whole New World out there!

Several years ago, there was an article in the news saying that fresh American graduates were heading to China to teach English. No jobs available for them in America. Young, fresh, energetic, no commitments. Why not?

Lots of Chinese people are learning English because they want to have a better life. Learning English is the key to getting out of the cycle of poverty. The same is true in so many Asian countries. English is the universal language today. Even surfing the Worldwide Web requires some knowledge of English.

But what gives you the edge over someone else with the same qualifications is your knowledge of another language. Today, being bilingual is not enough. It's competitive out there. You want to get ahead? Go learn more than one language. Get good at it. You will never regret the decision.

Don't know where to begin? Start here at Fun Language Tools. Jump right into 2013 with resolve. Learn a new language today! Get an edge over your friends.

Happy learning and communicating!

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