The Motivational Speaker

Posts Tagged ‘language’

I met Elodie at one of my workshops. She had a French accent and was very curious about the concepts of first and second language. Her son was just a baby when she participated in my "Cross Cultural Awareness" course for public administrators in the Queensland government.

As a migrant, Elodie felt the gap at work between locals and migrants was widening. She came to my course to get some insights into possible ways to bridge this gap.

When she left, she said, "I'm so happy I met you when my son is just a baby. Everything so makes sense now and I have full confident about what I need to do".

In the last two years, I've met Elodie a few of times when she was trying to organize a group at her workplace to support migrants and help locals and migrants communicate better with each other.

This week, she sent me this email:

Did I tell you my son can count to 15 in his 3 languages? Just turned 2… Speak to him in one language and he answers in another, never needs translation… It freaks some people, I find it fascinating. You gave me the best advice ever first time I spoke with you. Thanks, it really means a lot to me.

We speak English (all of us), French (me) and Italian (husband and my in-laws).

He spends 1 day/week with his Italian grandmother who only speaks Italian to him (with your recommendation, we asked and she is very happy to comply). I go home once a year where he baths in French and has no problem whatsoever communicating with other kids and adults.

It is the most amazing thing to observe, the non-translating part. For example, he learned face, lips, ears, eyes, etc in Italian and I was thinking oh I need to get him that in French too so we had a mummy/son moment and I was saying them in French and he already knew. Bizarre.

Life in a multilingual environment!

Thank you so much.

Elodie David-Quarta

A/Senior Administration Officer, Compliance Support Unit
Department of Environment and Resource Management

Yet another victory of one more family raising multilingual super kids.

Ronit

I have just run a cultural awareness workshop for government officers dealing with the provision of housing to low-income families. While I was telling them about cultures, languages and acceptance, they also told me some amazing things.

Low-cost housing is provided to many migrant and refugee families. In fact, as soon as people are recognized as refugees, they are immediately entitled to government housing until they can afford their own residence.

As humane as this may seem, the locals object to this privilege and protest against it as being discriminating against them. They say, "Why should someone come into the country and get something straight away, while others who grew up here don't?"

The obvious answer, "Where would they go if they have no family and no friends here?" But this answer doesn't satisfy some of the locals in government housing, who sometimes abuse the newcomers verbally and even by damaging their property.

If this is not bad enough, reports are that migrant families in government housing are polite, quiet and considerate. They take excellent care of their dwellings and carry out all of their obligations on time, despite the occasional harassment.

Another amazing fact is that in some migrant and refugee units, there are as many as 21 people living in 3 bedrooms! Compared to where they came from, they think it is better, because at least nobody is trying to kill them...

Now, equipped with their new cultural awareness, the housing officers can help refugees and migrants assimilate quicker into society, while making the locals feel a lot better about accepting them.

God, I love my work!
Ronit

I've just returned from presenting Language of the Heart at Uppert Mount Gravatt State School. Today is a student-free day and I was part of the teachers' professional training.

Teachers are usually more switched on than the general population and keep up with new trends in education and educational technology, so I wasn't sure how familiar they were with the acquisition of multiple languages. Besides, Upper Mount Gravatt students come from nearly every country on Earth.

As it turns out, this school has its own share of multicultural challenges and the teachers were very excited to discover the link between academic achievement and speaking several languages. But what excited them even more was the connection between speaking another language at home with the parents.

The Upper Mount Gravatt parents find it difficult to influence their kids' values and direct their morals in English, because they can't express themselves well enough to convey complex and/or emotional ideas. The teachers found a good explanation for what goes on in their classes and for why parents shy away from being involved at school.

I was very happy to be able to provide some relief to a challenging situation and help parents and teachers come together for the benefit of the kids.

The teachers agreed in the end that Language of the Heart should be attended by many of the parents at the school and I was thrilled to be able to make a difference with my presentation.

Here's what one person said about Language of the Heart today:

I have totally changed the way I think about parents speaking in their language to their kids

- Lisa Conroy, Teacher

Variety is the Spice of Life

The world is becoming a smaller place by the minute. The Internet, fast airplanes, high-tech, low-cost international communication and a global economy make it possible for people to move from their home country to other places, where they expect to be safe, financially stable and happy. However, growing up within a culture molds that culture into our character, our beliefs and our attitude. Much of what we know only makes sense within the context of our own language and our own environment. Therefore, moving from one culture to another is harder than most people expect it to be, and this includes both the migrants and the people in their new country. The presentations in this area give participants a good understanding of issues related to migration and provides some excellent (and quite simple) ways to overcome them.

How to Leverage Cultural Diversity

Full day cultural seminar

In the modern world, people move from one country to another, from one language environment to another and from one culture to another. It is assumed that when a person enters a new country, they will make an effort to assimilate by learning and accepting the local culture and language.

Unfortunately, moving to another country is a lot harder than what people who have never done it might consider. Migrating is full of challenges and frustrations for newcomers and locals alike.

In a multicultural world with a large migrant population, we are facing challenges with diversity. Migrants do not assimilate as well as they could do. They tend to keep to their own community, socialize within their ethnic group at work, do business within their trusted cultural circle and keep themselves at various levels of isolation from "the locals".

The locals, on the other hand, do exactly the same.

This divide between "locals" and "migrants" is highly undesirable for society and the government system. Fortunately, it can be addressed by creating an understanding between the two and recognizing the great advantages that cultural fusion brings with it.

What's in the presentation?

Number of participants in this seminar: 25.

Seminar running time: 8 hours, with two 15-minute breaks and a 1-hour break for lunch.

Presentation Contents:

• Introduction
• Understanding Culture
• Cultural Awareness Self-Assessment
• The Culture Shock: Do German Cows Moo?
• Culture and Needs
• Nonverbal Communication
• Who Needs a Second Language?
• Multicultural Facts
• Food, Food, Food
• Weddings, Weddings, Weddings
• Around The World in 83 Questions
• Resources
• Summary

Inquire Now

Benefits to the participants

• Participants understand the different dimensions of culture
• Participants become familiar with the cultural gap – values and needs
• Participants learn about cultural barriers, including religion and family structure
• Participants see the effects of the language barrier
• Participants find out the facts about migration
• Participants understand multiculturalism
• Participants understand the personal effects of migration
• Participants see life in the country as a cultural context
• Participants "travel" around the world and learn about different customs
• Participants learn great ways for making immigration easier for newcomers and locals alike and for creating a stronger society for everyone

Benefits to the community

• Tolerant, accepting attitude towards other cultures, traditions and languages
• Promotion of flexibility and excellence through strengthening of organic language studies
• Building happy communities within an accepting environment
• Strong, positive communication across ethnic groups
• More independent and self-sufficient families and youth
• More productive workforce, fusing ideas from different places into optimal solutions locally
• More productive workforce, where everyone feels that they belong and works towards the general interest
• Making the country an attractive place for highly educated, highly skilled and highly motivated migrants

Who is this presentation suitable for?

• Multicultural organizations
• Multinational companies
• Ethnic communities and organizations
• Cultural events and festivals - available to the public or sold for an additional price
• Immigration agents, lawyers and consultants
• Education departments
• Schools
• Universities
• Language schools
• Expatriate (expat) associations

Inquire Now

Your Name *
Your Organization *
Your Job Title
Your Email *
Your Best Phone Number *
Topic or Presentation Name *
Number of Participants *
Location (city and state) *
Duration (2-hr, 1/2-day, 1-day) *
Other Details (deadlines, background, special arrangements)

Bridging Ethnic Communication Gaps

1/2 day cultural workshop

In the modern world, people move from one country to another, from one language environment to another and from one culture to another. It is assumed that when people enter a new country, they will make an effort to assimilate by learning and accepting the local culture and language.

Unfortunately, moving to another country is a lot harder than what people who have never done it might consider. Immigration is full of challenges and frustrations for newcomers and locals alike.

In a multicultural world with a large migrant population, we are facing challenges with diversity. Migrants do not assimilate as well as they could do. They tend to keep to their own community, socialize within their ethnic group at work, do business within their trusted cultural circle and keep themselves at various levels of isolation from "the locals".

The locals, on the other hand, do exactly the same.

This divide between "locals" and "migrants" is highly undesirable for society and the government system. Fortunately, it can be addressed by creating an understanding between the two and recognizing the great advantages that cultural fusion brings with it.

What’s in the workshop?

Number of participants in this workshop: unlimited.

Workshop running time: 4 hours, with two 15-minute breaks.

Workshop Contents:

• Introduction
• Understanding Culture
• Cultural Awareness Self-Assessment
• The Culture Shock: Do German Cows Moo?
• Culture and Needs
• Nonverbal Communication
• Who Needs a Second Language?
• Resources
• Summary

Inquire Now

Benefits to the participants

• Participants understand the different dimensions of culture
• Participants become familiar with the cultural gap – values and needs
• Participants learn about cultural barriers, including religion and family structure
• Participants see the effects of the language barrier
• Participants find out the facts about migration
• Participants understand multiculturalism
• Participants understand the personal effects of migration
• Participants see life in the country as a cultural context
• Participants "travel" around the world and learn about different customs
• Participants learn great ways for making immigration easier for newcomers and locals alike and for creating a stronger society for everyone

Benefits to the community

• Tolerant, accepting attitude towards other cultures, traditions and languages
• Promotion of flexibility and excellence through strengthening of organic language studies
• Building happy communities within an accepting environment
• Strong, positive communication across ethnic groups
• More independent and self-sufficient families and youth
• More productive workforce, fusing ideas from different places into optimal solutions locally
• More productive workforce, where everyone feels that they belong and works towards the general interest
• Making the country an attractive place for highly educated, highly skilled and highly motivated migrants

Who is this presentation suitable for?

• Multicultural organizations
• Multinational companies
• Ethnic communities and organizations
• Cultural events and festivals - available to the public or sold for an additional price
• Immigration agents, lawyers and consultants
• Education departments
• Schools
• Universities
• Language schools
• Expatriate (expat) associations

Inquire Now

Your Name *
Your Organization *
Your Job Title
Your Email *
Your Best Phone Number *
Topic or Presentation Name *
Number of Participants *
Location (city and state) *
Duration (2-hr, 1/2-day, 1-day) *
Other Details (deadlines, background, special arrangements)

Leveraging Multilingualism for Success

2 hour cultural presentation

In the modern world, people move from one country to another, from one language environment to another and from one culture to another. It is assumed that when a person enters a new country, they will make an effort to assimilate by learning and accepting the local culture and language.

Unfortunately, emotional development is strongly tied to the context in which it occurs, including the language, and simply starting to speak another language brings with it emotional complications, despite the best efforts of everyone involved.

In a multicultural world with a large migrant population, many countries are facing challenges with diversity. Migrants do not assimilate as well as they could do. They tend to keep to their own community, socialize within their ethnic group at work, do business within their trusted cultural circle, prefer the company of those who speak their language and isolate themselves to some degree from “the locals”.

The locals, on the other hand, do exactly the same.

This division between “locals” and “migrants” is highly undesirable for our society and our government systems, so pressure is put on migrants to desert their home language and switch to the local language. However, by choosing to give up the home language, the “language of the heart”, families give up academic performance, flexibility and the ability to support each other.

Fortunately, this can be addressed by migrants and locals understanding language acquisition and recognizing the great advantages that cultural fusion brings with it.

What’s in the presentation?

Number of participants in this presentation: unlimited.

Presentation running time: 2 hours, with a 5-minute break.

Presentation Contents:

• About migration
• Challenges of Migrants in a new country
• The Language Challenge
• Understanding Language Acquisition
• Primary vs. Secondary Language
• Languages and Academic Achievements
• Languages and Emotional Intelligence
• Approaches towards Multilingualism
• Culture and Language Challenges Faced by Migrants
• Language of the Heart
• Solutions

Inquire Now

Benefits of this presentation to the participants

• Understanding the different dimensions of culture
• Becoming familiar with the cultural gap – values and needs
• Learning about cultural barriers, including religion and family structure
• Seeing the effects of the language barrier
• Finding out the facts about migration
• Understanding multiculturalism
• Understanding the personal effects of migration
• Seeing life in Australia as a cultural context
• “Traveling” around the world and learn about different customs
• Learning great ways to make immigration easier for newcomers and locals alike and to create a stronger society for everyone

Benefits of this presentation to the community

• Creating a tolerant, accepting attitude towards other cultures, traditions and languages
• Promoting flexibility and excellence through strengthening of organic language studies
• Building happy communities within an accepting environment
• Encouraging strong, positive communication across ethnic groups
• Producing more independent and self-sufficient families and youth
• Fusing ideas from different places into optimal solutions locally
• Building a more productive workforce, where everyone feels that they belong and works towards the general interest
• Making the country an attractive place for highly educated, highly skilled and highly motivated migrants

Who is this presentation suitable for?

• Multicultural organizations
• Multinational companies
• Ethnic communities and organizations
• Cultural events and festivals - available to the public or sold for an additional price
• Immigration agents, lawyers and consultants
• Education departments
• Schools
• Universities
• Language schools
• Expatriate (expat) associations

Inquire Now

Feedback

Here is some participant feedback from a recent presentation:

The presentation showed the fact that the mother-tongue language should be maintained in a child’s life to make his/her English better. My clients are Vietnamese and they feel sorry that they don’t have English to bring-up their children with. This piece of information helps me in my job

- Ngoc Croft, Inala Youth services

The presentation reinforced the concept of primary language and the importance of a second primary model

- Lin Holzheimer, Inala Youth services

The presentation explained that there’s no need to change your primary language and the importance of speaking your language with your kids

- Tua Moga, Inala Youth Services

The presentation showed me that it is important for immigrants to speak their primary language at home. I learnt the importance of languages for leaning and how there are different types of languages. I learnt about the crucial ages for children to learn languages. I learnt the way we acquire language

- Shakina Rahel Burdo, Inala Youth services

The presentation was very thought provoking. I really learnt something from it. Excellent inherit;">presentation

- N.W., Inala Youth services

I found that the presentation brought more understanding for our English only speaking workers, and helped them to understand what we go through as immigrants

- Samuel Johnson, Inala Youth services

This presentation explained the diverse advantage of those individuals who speak more than one language

- J., Inala Youth services

Inquire Now

Your Name *
Your Organization *
Your Job Title
Your Email *
Your Best Phone Number *
Topic or Presentation Name *
Number of Participants *
Location (city and state) *
Duration (2-hr, 1/2-day, 1-day) *
Other Details (deadlines, background, special arrangements)