European Day of Languages

At the initiative of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year since 2001 on 26 September.

Throughout Europe, 800 million Europeans represented in the Council of Europe's 47 member states are encouraged to learn more languages, at any age, in and out of school.

Being convinced that linguistic diversity is a tool for achieving greater intercultural understanding and a key element in the rich cultural heritage of our continent, the Council of Europe promotes plurilingualism in the whole of Europe.

There is also lots more information about events, competitions you can enter and some free materials on the BBC website 

Here is a song to celebrate! 

 Hello to all the children of the world.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpTR1wF4M6k

Kindergarden children

Fascinating  3 min video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1p5sBzMtB3Q

How children outperform business school student on problem solving.
or follow up 7 min video:

http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower?language=en#t-45802

When translations don't work!

Have a laugh

I just received this email and though it was a brilliant example of the importance of good quality translations!
I hope you enjoy it.
 
A friend went to Beijing recently and was given this brochure by the hotel. It is precious.
She is keeping it and reads it whenever she feels depressed.

 

 Getting  There:

Our  representative will make you wait at the airport. The bus to  the hotel runs along the lake shore. Soon you will feel  pleasure in passing water. You will know that you are  getting near the hotel, because you will go round the bend.  The manager will await you in the entrance hall. He always  tries to have intercourse with all new guests.
 

The  Hotel:

This  is a family hotel, so children are very welcome. We of course are always pleased to accept adultery. Highly skilled  nurses are available in the evenings to put down your children. Guests are invited to conjugate in the bar and expose themselves to others. But please note that ladies are not allowed to have babies in the bar. We organize social  games, so no guest is ever left alone to play with them self.
 

The  Restaurant:

Our  menus have been carefully chosen to be ordinary and  unexciting. At dinner, our quartet will circulate from table to table, and fiddle with you.
 

Your  Room:

Every  room has excellent facilities for your private parts. In  winter, every room is on heat. Each room has a balcony  offering views of outstanding obscenity! .. You will not be  disturbed by traffic noise, since the road between the hotel  and the lake is used only by pederasts.
 

Bed:

Your bed has been made in accordance with local tradition. If you  have any other ideas please ring for the chambermaid. Please take advantage of her. She will be very pleased to squash your shirts, blouses and underwear. If asked, she will also squeeze your trousers.
 

Above  All:

When you leave us at the end of your holiday, you will have no  hope. You will struggle to forget it.


Obviously, it has been translated directly, word for word from Mandarin into English. This is not the way languages work. You have to understand the meaning of words depending context.  I came across some children's bilingual books that also seem to have applied the same principle so I have added a list of the many I am happy to recommend on my books and reviews page

Have you come across any funny translation? Please share them below and we can all have a laugh.
 

Interesting video about  learning languages and why children find it easier to learn- not what you think, to do with skill or ability but decision.

I was lucky enough to learn French and English as a baby and I love exploring and discovering Spanish. Communication is more important than the grammar and that is what is so interesting about different languages, we can communicate the same thing in many different ways.
See more in this 15 min video about communicating in English. The 3 secret you need to know about spoken English is fascinating!

Confident parenting

Thank you Kirsten for letting me share this valuable information on my blog.   Confident Parenting: Lessons and Learning November, 2013

Topic: Why am I finding this so hard? This was a question I was asked recently in a post-natal group I was delivering to.  It came from a woman who prior to having her baby was in a highly professional, highly trained, highly stressful job and was excelling at it.  She was at a loss as to how this little bundle of love and light was rendering her completely incompetent! I sympathised, poured her a hot cup of tea and then asked her: why are you surprised? Just because you are a lawyer/ A&E consultant/ teacher/ designer when you have your baby, and successfully managing and thriving in that role, does not automatically mean you will cope as a parent. Why? You had training, learning, exams for your job. Years of it.  Most probably your only introduction to being a parent was watching your own parent you, watching a friend/ sister, and attending a 3 session antenatal class (and that really only talks about the delivery and a fraction of what comes after).  Why do you think you are not going to struggle and have dark days? There is no 'parenting training' and no baby manual. Being a teacher/ lawyer/ gardener provides some degree of emotional separation. You most probably do not teach your own children, represent your own children or garden for your own children.  When it is something of you and from you which is there making demands of you that you're not sure what they mean, it is different. It is difficult.  It is hard.  It can hurt so much more to feel so useless or unknowing.  There feels more at stake and you are emotionally invested in this little being more than you've been in anyone before. Your job probably had working hours.  Whether you had the odd overtime day or went in on the occasional weekend to catch up, there was still a break. Time out. Physical separation.  Parenting is 24/7.  Sometimes there can be no break, at all, for days...  It can be an incredible adjustment to try and make: having demands made on your time, energy, and body constantly. You can do it though- it DOES get easier!  I know that is a bitter pill to swallow when your baby has been crying for 37 hours and has been feeding for an hour, every hour. Right now you probably want to reach through the screen and throttle me with my own platitudes!  You don't want to hear that it will get easier, you want it easier now! Understandably. So here's a few ideas on how to do that: Take a few very deep and very long breaths. Drop your shoulders, relax your toes.  Breathe again. Allow some seconds to gather yourself together and get some distance and perspective.  Breathe again. Give yourself a break- literally and figuratively.  Knowing now why it is not an automatic given to be able to cope as a parent, stop being so hard on yourself!  It is not easy, there are no rules.  You can only do what you can, when you can.  And take a physical break: hand the baby over to someone in your support network, crying or not.  Go for a walk. Go to bed.  Whatever you need to do to feel recharged and calm, do it. talk to another parent. Go see a fellow mother, go to a baby group or have someone come to visit you. You may not feel like exposing your parenting inadequacies to the world but actually, admitting your struggles and sharing them with others, can be very healing and helpful.  You will feel you are not alone which may not solve your immediate problem but can be incredibly reassuring. remember who you were 'before baby' (bb) and connect with that.  As a teacher/ lawyer/ engineer you had numerous skills and talents, draw on them to help yourself through the difficulties.  Just because you aren't 'trained as a parent' doesn't mean all your other abilities are obsolete- you just need to be creative in using them to your own positive effect.  Also, it is helpful if you can, to reconnect with activities you used to do 'bb': arrange to go horse riding/ start knitting/ taking photos- whatever you used to do that was part of 'you'.  You may not be able to do the 3 day sea kayaking trips of old but a little bit of something is better than nothing and will ease the feeling of being completely disconnected with yourself. These are just some of the ways you can make things easier, now.  If you want to take a look at a more comprehensive range of suggestions, you will find tips for new parents on how to thrive rather than survive here.  Remember: parenting is so much about feeling your way as you go.  There is no other 'job' that dumps you in the deep end quite like parenting.  But you can do it. You can.   In calm and confidence, Kirsten Hanlon Mums and More UPCOMING EVENTS Webinars Control Your Critical Voice 6th November 8pm Build Your Parenting Foundation 27th November 8pm ABOUT Kirsten Hanlon (B.A. Education and Psychology, PG Dip Teaching, Dip LC, distinction) Kirsten Hanlon is creator and director of Mums and More. She is dedicated to helping and supporting parents in developing their parenting confidence, using gentle and practical techniques. Her parenting philosophy is not about perfect parenting; just parenting that is perfect for you. With training and experience in Education and Coaching, Kirsten runs a private practice in the Cotswolds, England and works with all mothers and new parents in building life-long parenting confidence. An author and speaker, Kirsten has also worked closely with local authority child-care professionals in developing their expertise relating to post-natal content and delivery. You can find all you need to know and more about Kirsten on https://uk.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-hanlon-04516724

5 good reasons to expose children to a second language early

Higher test scores: Numerous reports have proven that students who have studied a foreign language perform much better than their monolingual peers on many standardized tests.

Better and more advanced reading skills: A study undertaken by York University, Canada, suggests that bilingual children’s knowledge of a second language gives them an advantage in learning to read. 

Greater confidence: Children are always discovering new things, but learning a new language is a uniquely rewarding experience—at any age. 

Gives brains a boost: In a recent article in The New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell quotes James Flynn, a renowned scientist, as saying "The mind is much more like a muscle than we've ever realized… It needs to get cognitive exercise. ..." Research into the effects of bilingualism on children suggests that exposure to more than one language is an excellent way of flexing those brain muscles—and building them up too! Bilingual children ... who had been exposed to a second language from an early age proved to have the most grey matter of all. Grey matter is responsible for processing information, including memory, speech and sensory perception. 

Greater grasp of one's first language—including a bigger, richer vocabulary: .... "The more children learn about a foreign language, the more they understand about their own language." Children use what they learn in one language to reinforce concepts and terms they've learned in the other.   

This is exactly how Michel Thomas teaches adults. See: 'what language do you think in?' post on 21st July 2012

Change of time for bilingual rhyme session

The 17th April  session will be at 3.30 rather than 3 pm

Venue: 5 Bibury Road, Old Walcot, Swindon, SN3 1DD, Wiltshire
Wed 17th April 3.30pm to 4pm
Mon 22nd April 2.30pm to 3pm
£3 per child (Ideal age 0 to 3)
Numbers are limited so please book you space to avoid disappointment. 2 places left.


FREE session no booking necessary.
Venue: Moredon Library, Swindon, Wilts
Fri 19th April 10am till 10.30


FREE session no booking necessary. 
Venue: Stratton Library, Swindon, Wilts
Fri 31st May 10am till 10.30