Watch Your Language Blog

A pineapple by any other name tastes just as sweet

For one summer in high school, we volunteered to host a student who was visiting from France. When we picked up François at the airport, he seemed nervous. His English was fine, but I think he was a bit stunned by the idea of suddenly coming to a new country, living with a new family, and trying to fit in.... More

Tags: French, language, newsletter, pineapples
June 5, 2008

 

Don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees

Even in a place where there aren’t many trees, like Iceland. My boyfriend and I were visiting Reykjavik, and since I was studying Icelandic at the time, I made a point of asking people to speak to me in Icelandic, even though it would have been much simpler for everyone if I’d just let them speak English. But no, I was determined.... More

Tags: Iceland, Icelandic, language, newsletter
May 21, 2008

 

Treating customers just like family

I learned English in a formal setting. As with many other students, my pronunciation still needed to be improved. After finishing my studies in English, I got a job working with tourists. I used to greet women by saying, “Good morning, madam.” After I helped them with their concerns, the women would leave politely, often with a smile on their faces. I felt like I was doing an excellent job at customer service.... More

Tags: English, language, newsletter, pronunciation
April 25, 2008

 

Translating “personal space”

I came to this country as, I thought, a fairly proficient speaker of English, but, naturally, I soon realized there was much more for me to learn. What I did know was vocabulary and grammar, but I was rather ignorant about the rules of everyday conversation.... More

Tags: Croatia, culture shock, customs, newsletter
March 24, 2008

 

When finding your car requires divine intervention.

My husband and I had taken our daughter on her first trip to Israel several months after her Bat Mitzvah. After visiting the Ein Gedi spring near the Dead Sea, an excursion she enjoyed, then hiking under the blazing sun to tour ancient ruins, which she did not appreciate, we decided to make our way back to our rental car. We didn’t know how to get to the parking lot but fortunately chanced upon a local on our way back... More

Tags: Hebrew, language, newsletter, travel
February 22, 2008

 

Take my shower… please!

Studying languages is often an exercise in embarrassing yourself. You have to make mistakes in order to learn. I lived with a family in Latvia for a year between high school and college as an exchange student. While I prided myself in being a quick study, I would sometimes find myself latching on to phrases before I knew their true meaning. Other times, it seems I got ahead of myself trying to put phrases together on my own. There was one bathroom in the apartment where I lived, with the shower, sink, and toilet all in one room. When I wanted to take a shower, I would warn the rest of my family in case they needed to use the facilities. ... More

Tags: language, Latvian, newsletter, study abroad
January 22, 2008

 

Yes, but does it protect Sweden?

I spent my Junior Year Abroad in France, which means that it was a year full of heroic linguistic triumphs as well as embarrassing (but funny) linguistic gaffes. ... More

Tags: France, French, newsletter, story
December 14, 2007

 

Mac and cheese in Hindi, doodh!

About a year ago I spent a month travelling through India with my wife and 3-1/2 year-old son. Very quickly it was established that my son, Ivan, had an intense distaste for Indian food. ... More

Tags: Hindi, newsletter, story
November 26, 2007