Latest News Headlines:
New research by the British Council in partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton and Ipsos Public Affairs has found 60% of organisations in India think inter-cultural skills are “very important”.
Employers also valued intercultural skills as highly as formal qualifications in the workplace.
Times Higher Education magazine has published its 2013 World Reputation Rankings for higher education institutes.
These annual charts are based on the largest worldwide invitation-only survey of senior academic opinion. They provide the only global index based purely on the power of university brands.
Language provider NBTranslate is launching a new service specifically for those who own property overseas later this month.
The West Yorkshire firm will provide a gist of documents in foreign languages for a fixed fee, telling the recipient what the letter is about without the cost of a full translation.
An increasing number of British students are applying to university in Sweden following the rise in tuition fees for students at home. Studying in Sweden is free for all EU citizens.
Lund University, Scandinavia’s largest education and research institute and one of Europe’s most prestigious universities, has seen a 15% increase in UK applicants.
Dutch society is renowned for its tolerance and its equal decision making processes based on the “polder model”. Here, Dr Fritz Audebert of German intercultural consultation company ICUnet.AG, examines Dutch society and explains what we can learn from it.
Small is beautiful when it comes to the Netherlands. The Dutch have a long line of small, beautiful small things, from tulips and clogs, to bicycles and narrow canals. At its longest, the country measures just 310 kilometres, and occupies less than one percent of the earth’s surface.
When learning the English language one will undoubtedly come across a number of odd phrases and idioms. Bob Robertson at Robertson Languages International writes about some of the most ‘annoying’.
The top six most-used annoying expressions in English, as revealed by a recent survey* in the USA, are:
Antiques dealer Greg Cook has retired after more than 40 years in the family business - LJ Cook & Co. During his career as a trader, he would ship valuable antiques from the UK to Australia using international removals company Anglo Pacific.
In 1970, at the age of 18, Mr Cook joined his father’s business and spent six years learning the restoration trade before turning his attention to dealing.
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ransport can be a major concern when settling down in a new area. There are also cultural differences which are important to know, for example, eating and drinking is not allowed on most public transport in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has a well-developed transportation infrastructure. Getting around, whether by ferry, rail, bus, tram or taxi, should be easy and scenic at the same time.
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here are many intercultural challenges faced in an international assignment. Dr Fritz Audebert, CEO and founder of German company ICUnet.AG, explains the need for intercultural understanding in the relocation process.
An apartment in a prime location, complete with a large garden and a playground for the children, would probably be seen by many as an ideal place to live during an international assignment.
However, a dream location for one foreign employee moving to a new country can be a complete nightmare for another.
Intercultural challenges in the relocation process
To become involved with new people from different cultures on a regular basis is part of a relocating employee’s everyday life but making the right accommodation choices and getting accustomed to a new home is another important part.
Trust is the key for intercultural integration
From the very first moments, successful intercultural integration depends on your life experience and, of course, intercultural competence and sensitivity. ICUnet.AG offers an intercultural hotline for emergencies, to ensure that intercultural challenges in the relocation process can be tackled quickly and efficiently.
Click here for more information about ICUnet.AG’s relocation services and intercultural consultation.
An online appeal set up to celebrate French culture and language has urged French-speaking countries need to resist the “obsession” with the English language.
Dozens of unionists, academics, writers and artists, chiefly from France, Lebanon, Canada, Belgium, Cameroon and Algeria have signed up to the appeal. The francophone world’s fixation with English, "constitutes an obsession from another era and another world. It's an impasse that we who share the French language must rid ourselves of as soon as possible," read the appeal.
French-speaking countries need to resist the “obsession” with the English language, according to an online appeal set up to celebrate French culture.
Dozens of unionists, academics, writers and artists, chiefly from France, Lebanon, Canada, Belgium, Cameroon and Algeria have signed up to the appeal. The francophone world’s fixation with English, "constitutes an obsession from another era and another world. It's an impasse that we who share the French language must rid ourselves of as soon as possible," read the appeal.
