Tag Archives: Language

Studying Abroad: A Résumé Builder

5 May
One of our Professors in Japan

One of the Professors in Japan

If you are interested in Studying Abroad or if you have Studied Abroad in the past, now might be a good time to look at how it can help expand your Résumé.   

Study Abroad

One of the simplest ways that you can use your Study Abroad experience in your Résumé is simply by listing it as part of your education.  There are multiple ways you can benefit from this.  First, if you are new to the career field, then your Résumé might be running a little thin on information; use the “Studying Abroad” experience as a filler/lengthener.  Sounds silly/cheap, but everything counts in the job search.  More importantly, if you list the foreign college that you studied under, it adds to the depth of your educational experience. It shows that you have studied under Professors coming from different backgrounds or ways of thought.  It adds to the fact that you might bring in unique or different ideas to their work. For example, I have studied the Law in Civil Law nations and Common Law nations. That means that simply by stating that I studied in China and the United States, my interviewers can tell that I understand ways different people view the law and how it can be applied in alternative ways.   It strengthens the fact that I stand out from the rest of their applicants.

Skills

One of the things you are going to need on both your Résumé and your Cover Letter are key terms, skills, and/or character traits.  You will frequently be asked to name your strengths, weaknesses, and abilities.  Or perhaps you just need to show them what you can offer their team.  If you Study Abroad, there are many helpful terms that can now be applied to you.  Some of those you might use include: Continue reading →

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Change Your Typing Language in Windows 8

19 Feb

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“Traveler’s Lodestone” out in Hard Copy!

15 Nov

Celebrations abound! At last, “Traveler’s Lodestone” is officially out in hard copy — a great universal translator ready for use!

After a great deal of time and effort, we have put together this great resource for anyone working with foreign languages. Whether that be while traveling abroad or when dealing with non-native speakers in your own backyard.  “Traveler’s Lodestone”  is a point-to-speak book. It uses picture-based communications to cover the basic things a person would need when conversing in any foreign language. The idea is that when the words aren’t at the tip of your tongue, the pictures are at the tip of your finger. Everything from groceries to clothes to hotel amenities to weather, directions, and more is available instantly with this easy to use book. It’s quick and universal!

Right now it’s out on CreateSpace, but coming soon to Amazon and other booksellers near you. At 5×8 and 100 pages, it’s small enough to stick in your purse or bag and carry around, easy to pull out and use. Check out this great universal translator! Now tested in Korea, Japan, and China–it worked perfectly! (the Bathroom/Toilet pic is apparently very popular 😛 )  Trust me; I’ve tried the dictionaries, translation books, etc. and this is the best tool I’ve found so far.

Great for students abroad!

Pick up Your Paperback Copy By Clicking Here

If you are interested in the E-book Version, that’s available here.  The e-book is actually broken up into 3 short Volumes for easier use.

We’re also working on a Android/Apple app. As soon as I figure out how to attach buttons to links, we’ll be adding that.

 

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Leaving to Come Home

15 Jun

Home

I’ve never been to an unfamiliar place. It’s true. In spite of all my travels and the many changes that I ran into along the way, I always feel right at home when visiting new lands.  Admittedly, I’ve never been to the heart of wild Africa. Or the jungles of South America. Really, I’ve only been to pretty advanced locations. But still, when asking me about a foreign country, people always seem surprised when I say it was easy to adapt to.

They point to the difference in religion, food, and styles of clothing. And then comes the big sentence: “But the language is different!” they respond as though this summarizes everything.  And to them, it does. That little change in means of speaking  makes foreign countries seem like planets in a far away galaxy. Something exciting and exotic, but entirely unfamiliar. And to go there  is to enter the land of OZ, where roads are made of yellow and everything is new and (shudder) different.  

So I’ve taken to explaining it like this:

  • They use silverware for their food. 
  • They have a special love for fluffy pillows.
  • They heat their houses in the winter, and use fans/air conditioning in the summer.
  • They drink milk to please their mothers. Continue reading →

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Traveler’s Lodestone

13 Apr

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Hello one and all! I am proud to announce that I have officially co-authored a series of three books.

We drew on the idea that people frequently working with different foreign languages (whether talking to ESL speakers at home or when traveling abroad) need some kind of universal guide.

Since I work with a lot of people who don’t necessary speak English (or at least not terribly well), I have frequently found myself needing a quick translator. While I’ve spent time studying Spanish, Arabic, etc., I’m not fluent in every language that’s out there.  And no one else is either.  So these books are meant to carry you through those times.  The times when you are headed to France (where you can know the language), but you have to buy batteries in Germany on the way.  Or where you meet up with that nice Vietnamese mother at the office and you want to ask her for her phone number.  Or where you know some basic elements of the language, but it isn’t enough to spend an entire summer living there on.

Since you don’t have the words available, these books allow you to use the power of the picture! If you need the train station, just go to the picture and point to the train. Or, if your son is allergic to pork, but they are offering you Hotdogs, go to that section of th,e book.  Perhaps you need a car seat for your baby in that rental car?–go to the picture.

So as to keep the book manageable, we ended up splitting it into 3 sections.  Volume 1: Go, See, Do covers the things you need to get you where you want to go: Travel Documentation, Means of Transportation, Hotel words, Restaurant words, Bathroom words, etc.  Volume 2: Needs Must covers the things you will have to have for critical information: Emergency terms (hospital, police station, blood), General Commonalities (colors, weather, numbers), Medical Information, People (baby, student, etc.).  Volume 3: Finishing Touches offers the things that you need to make your trip perfect: Recreation, Shopping (grocery, jewelry, clothing, office store), etc.

You can find out more on the book’s Facebook page here. Please pass it on! We’d really appreciate the encouragement!

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Japanese Flash Cards

17 Feb

Hello! 

   Since I’m headed to Japan this summer and I want to work in the area after graduation, I recently decided to begin working on learning a little bit of the language. Right now, I’m working with a couple of books, and I ended up putting together some flash card sets on Quizlet.  I’ll keep drawing the up with each lesson, but if anyone wants to practice with them too feel free!  Here’s the link: Quizlet

Word of the Day

Nippon = 日本 = Japan

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Travel Abroad with a Language Scholarship!

3 Jan

Tap, tap, tap. . .

That is the impatient tapping of my foot as I sit here checking my email every 15 minutes (literally–I’m just that sad) to hear back on a scholarship I applied for.  They say we’ll hear by email in January, and last year the results came out the first Friday of the month.  Ergo, my tap, tap, tapping.  Wait, I need to check my email again. . .

Okay, I’m back!  Since I am stuck here waiting until at least tomorrow, maybe another week, I thought I’d share the news about this awesome opportunity for students interested in studying abroad.

Continue reading →

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