Very interesting text about the English language in our country. Check it out...

Robert McLarty, from Oxford University Press, discusses the language challenges facing Brazil with the upcoming World Cup and Olympics in 2014 and 2016.

From the minute I arrived at passport control at Guarulhos airport in Sao Paulo earlier this year I acted rather like the stereotypical British tourist assuming that everyone speaks English and if they don’t, then all I have to do is say the words slowly or loudly and they will get my drift. It doesn’t work.

At my hotel I was shown to my room but language problems began as soon as the explanation for the air-conditioning started. When the chambermaid wanted to clean my room I resorted to hand gestures to make myself understood (I will leave in 10 minutes!). In the supermarket the check-out assistant pointed out that my three pack of yoghurt was a broken six-pack and wondered whether I wanted the other three. This particularly difficult conversation held the queue up for a good five minutes but no one got impatient as they might just have done in Oxford if my equivalent (zero beginner Portuguese) had been holding up the line at Tesco. Ironically the worst breakdown came in McDonalds where I pointed to a McChicken, and said “McChicken”. Unfortunately the McWorker was so overcome by the sight of a gringo in her restaurant that she lost it completely and started to giggle. When I took a taxi to the airport the next day to fly to Belo Horizonte, the driver was extremely polite and friendly but even “forty reais” was beyond his active vocabulary.

All of the above will be repeated a million times over by other tourists with both the World Cup and the Olympics to be hosted by Brazil in 2014 and 2016. So how can a country of over 190 million people improve the English language ability of this key segment of employees particularly when so many of them do not have high school education and are probably not our typical language learner? What kind of training do they need? How will they respond to a direct or a communicative method? How important will translation be? How much can they cope with in one lesson? These are important questions which must be answered and acted upon – soon.

Our new series, Welcome to Brazil, tries to address some of these issues. With teachers in Brazil we have talked about the need for very small doses of new language, the need for continual revision and recycling, the need for drills and constant controlled practice, the anxiety students will feel if the lesson is too difficult and the very real question of how long it will take them to get to a respectable level of English where they can ask and answer simple questions, give little bits of information, explain basic procedures and essentially add a little zest of the English language to their innate sociability and charm.

In many ways Brazil is in a fabulous position. They are the major country in South America, have a growing economy, are among the world leaders in aviation, beverages, coffee, oil and gas, are innovators in recycling and ecofuels and have enormous growth potential as a tourist destination. To be totally successful, however, they will need to find the solution to their English language conundrum.

NAMEPLATE X TRAFFIC SIGN X ROAD SIGN
adapted from the original texts found in: thefreedictionary)

A nameplate identifies and displays a person or product's name. Name plates are usually shaped as rectanglesbut are also seen in other shapes, sometimes taking on the shape of someone’s name. The primary use of name plates is for informative (as in an office environment, where name plates are mounted on doors or walls in order to identify employees) and commercial purposes (as in a retail environment, where name plates are mounted on products to identify the brand). Whereas name tags tend to be worn on uniforms or clothing, name plates tend to be mounted onto an object (e.g., cars, amplification devices) or physical space (e.g.,doors, walls, or desktops). Nameplates are also distinct from name plaques. Plaques are items of larger dimensions that are designed to communicate more information than a name and title.

Office nameplates generally are made out of plastic or wood and usually contain one or two lines of text. The standard format for an office nameplate is to display a person’s name on the first line and a person’s job title on the second line. It is common for organizations to request nameplates that exclude the job title. The primary reasons for excluding job titles are to extend the longevity of a name plate and to promote a culture of meritocracy, where the strength of one’s thoughts are not connected to one’s job title. Name plates without job titles have longer lives because someone can reuse the same name plate after changing job titles. It is rare for an office name plate to contain three or more lines of text. Although office name plates range in size, the most popular name plate size is 2 inches x 8 inches (5.08 cm x 20.32 cm). Office name plates typically are made out of plastic. This is because plastic is an inexpensive material relative to wood and metal. More expensive name plates can be manufactured out of bronze. To promote consistency, organizations tend to use the same style name plate for all employees. This helps to achieve a standard look. Office name plates are not restricted to for-profit enterprises. Many non-profit and governmental agencies have a need for name plates. For plastic and wooden name plates, the names are etched into the material through a number of processes, including mechanical engraving or laser engraving.
Personal name plates
Name plates are also popular for personal reasons. Parents often like to adorn the doors of their children’s rooms with name plates. These name plates are conventionally crafted out of wood, not plastic or metal. Because the name plates are meant for children, these personal name plates tend to come in fun shapes. Examples of fun shapes include teddy bears, bluebirds, dogs, and the child’s name. These name plates also tend to be more colorful than office name plates. Mounting options are either by nail or by adhesive. Wooden name plates are not normally glued onto doors, as the glue may leave a messy residue and make it harder to remove the name plate. Larger personal name plates also include graphics or artwork, such as a horse or a baseball bat, that match the interests of the identified person. The graphics or artwork reinforce the individuality and personalization established by the name plate.

Now compare the one above with these : Traffic sign / Road sign

Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of roads to provide information to road users. With traffic volumes increasing over the last eight decades, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to facilitate international travel where language differences would create barriers, and in general to help enhance traffic safety. Such pictorial signs use symbols (often silhouettes) in place of words and are usually based on international protocols. Such signs were first developed in Europe, and have been adopted by most countries to varying degrees.

for pictures on the topic see : http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/traffic%20sign
and http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Name+plate

   

I found this very  interesting text about curiosities of  restaurants in the USA written by this American 

:  Bill Slayman .

As a child growing up in America during the 1940’s and 1950’s one of my favorite treats was going to the local diner for a meal. Every town in America had at least one diner, which is a small restaurant (about 4 meters deep and often resembling a railroad dining car) where the customers sit at a counter on stools, and the food preparation is done behind the counter most often against the far wall. The two to four waitresses and one to three cooks work in the same very confined space, serving relatively simple wholesome food that can be cooked to order quickly, on a griddle or in a skillet.

The waitresses and cooks communicate in a special “lingo”, or language made up of mnemonic devices, which allows the staff to serve a large number of customers in a short period of time. In most cases the orders are not written down for the cooks, who start cooking the food and placing markers on the plates as soon as the waitress call out the order in a very loud voice. This “lingo” is part of the charm of the diner, and is gradually being lost along with the diners, as they are replaced with McDonalds, Burger Kings, and other fast food restaurants. “Diner Lingo” is virtually unknown outside the USA, some phrases are tongue-in-cheek, some are humorous, some are ribald and all are effective. While the actual phrases used vary from diner to diner, all use some. The following is a list of a few of these phrases. I hope you enjoy reading about this small part of America. 

• Atlanta special – Coke a Cola (Coke headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia)
• Bun pup, Tube steak, Groundhog, Coney Island – Hot dog
• Burn one – Cook a hamburger
• Check the ice – Look at the pretty girl who just came in
• Doc – Dr. Pepper soda
• Drag it through the garden – Any sandwich with all toppings and condiments on it
• Drag one through Georgia – Coca Cola with chocolate syrup
• Fish eyes – Tapioca pudding
• Flop two – Two fried eggs
• Forty weight – Typically very strong coffee, favored by truck drivers to keep them awake
• Frog sticks – French fries (A play on the derogatory name of Frog for a Frenchman)
• Give it wings – Serve it quickly
• Houseboat – Banana split
• Let it walk, On Wheels, Give it shoes – An order to go
• Life preservers, Sinkers – Doughnuts
• Moo juice, Cow juice, Baby juice, Baby – Milk
• Nervous pudding – Jello
• On the hoof – Any kind of meat served very rare
• Pittsburgh – Any item cooked very well or burned (Reference to Pittsburgh, PA, a steel producing town with excessive smoke from the steel plants)
• Shake one in the hay – Strawberry milkshake
• Shit on a shingle, S.O.S – Chipped dried beef in gravy on toast (both a loved and hated staple in US Army dining facilities)
• Throw it in the mud – Add chocolate syrup
• Virgin soda – Any soda with cherry syrup added. (Virgin Coke)
• White cow – Vanilla milkshake
• Wreck’em – Scrambled eggs

.....    motivation to study English.....   Have you thought about what can motivate you ??


 Professional help - Just analize this : 
 1. If you need to improve your finances, you look for good advice from your bank manager, or even better, you look for a financial advisor. You two will discuss about some strategies, and ways to improve your accounts. 2. If you want to learn more about the mechanics of your car, you will either read several good books on that or consult with a reliable mechanic. Preferably you'll do both! 
So, If you want to improve your English skills, you look for a language coach, a personal trainer to help you with day to day English as it is spoken, and help you clear out your language difficulties.  Besides, you will be in touch with someone who can give you ideas on how to work on your own according to your needs. Each person is different, what works well for your friend, not necessarily has to be good for you. So, keep in mind the benefits of investing some of your time in the right way. After all, to communicate in another language is to  make a dream come true !  

8 things we can do to reduce global warming :

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save about 182 kilos of carbon dioxide annually.

2. Change a Light Bulb

Wherever practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less heat.

3. Drive Less and Drive Smart

Less driving means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking  and biking  are great forms of exercise. Explore your community mass transit system, and check out options for carpooling to work or school.

When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping  your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent.

4. Buy Energy-Efficient Products

When it's time to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than standard light bulbs.

Avoid products that com with excess packaging, especially molded plastic and other packaging that can't be recycled. If you reduce your household garbage by 10 percent, you can save 92 kilos  of carbon dioxide annually.

5. Don’t waste water washing sidewalks and  the housefronts. Let the rain do this job. Sweep it nicely and it will be clean. It's also a good idea to turn off the water when you're not using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car, turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You'll reduce your water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.

6. Use the "Off" Switch

Save electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.

7. Plant a Tree

If you have the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

8.  Encourage Others to Conserve

Share information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbors and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.

These 8 steps will take you a long way toward reducing your energy use and your monthly budget. And less energy use means less dependence on the fossil fuels that create greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming.

Adapted from About.com