How To Describe Past Events in Spanish

Today we will discuss how to describe past events in Spanish. Sometimes you'll run into a old friend who you have not seen for many years. This person knows everything about your life in the past, but he/she has no idea what you are up to right now. In this lesson, we are going to learn to explain things from the past that are still the same and also how to talk about things that have changed.

Take a look at this e-mail from Sebastian, who has not seen Pedro since high school 15 years ago.

Hola Pedro, como estas? Estaba mirando fotos de la escuela anoche, y me acorde de vos y lo bien que la pasabamos en la escuela. Bueno, te cuento, algunas cosas han cambiado un poco. Ya no persigo chicas, me case y tuve un hijo. He dejado de fumar y ya no bebo como antes, aunque todavia me gusta tomar algunas cervezas los fines de semana. Afortunadamente sigo teniendo pelo, y todavia uso gafas, porque sigo sin poder ver los numeros del autobus cuando esta lejos. Espero verte pronto y recordar Viejas epocas. Ya ves, me he vuelto un hombre responsible pero sigo siendo un buen tipo.

Abrazos,
Sebastian

Hi Peter, how are you? I was looking at pictures from school last night, and I thought of you and how what a good time we had in school. Well, I tell you, some things have changed a bit. I am no longer chasing girls, I got married and I had a son. I stopped smoking and I do not drink like I did before, although I still like to drink a few beers on the weekends. Fortunately I still have hair and I still wear glasses, because I still can't see the bus numbers from far away. I hope to see you soon and talk about old times. You see, I've become a responsible man but I'm still a good guy.

Cheers,
Sebastian

As you can see, there are different structures to speak about the different things that Sebastian still does and what he has stopped doing.

Things that he still does

Seguir (conjugated) + Gerund: Sigo teniendo pelo (I still have hair) / Sigo siendo un buen tipo (I'm still a good guy)

Todavia + Present tense: Todavia me gusta tomar algunas cervezas. (I still like to drink a few beers)

Seguir sin + Infinitive (when you didn't do in the past and still don't): Sigo sin poder ver el numero del autobus...(because I still can't see the bus numbers)

The things that he has stopped doing.
Ya no + Present tense: Ya no persigo chicas. (I am no longer chasing girls)

Dejar de + Infintive: Deje de fumar (I stopped smoking)

Volverse (to became, is a change in the personality): Me he vuelto un hombre responsible (I've become a responsible man).

Hopefully this lesson helps you out when you want to talk about things in the past and how they relate to the present.

Anna Rivera is a native Spanish speaker from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is also a Spanish instructor and the author of 2 learning Spanish books. If you would like to get FREE instant download access to the MP3 audio and PDF transcripts to her Spanish lessons absolutely free AND read her reviews of the most popular learning-Spanish products, then visit her web site now in order to: learn Spanish online That's http://LearningSpanishProductsReviews.com/

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7 Tips for Improving Your Mandarin Chinese While in a Language Immersion Program

7 Steps to Mastering Mandarin Chinese in a Language Immersion Program
Studying Chinese in an immersion program can be an amazing time and can take your Chinese abilities to whole new levels of proficiency. Here are some steps that we've figured out from studying and living in Chinese speaking countries for several years. There is a lot you can do that just show up to class to help your Chinese. Being immersed in a Mandarin Chinese speaking environment presents a million different ways to make studying and learning Chinese easy, fun and productive. Equally important, the door of opportunity awaits you. Master Mandarin Chinese with these methods below and watch as new opportunities begin to pop up all around you. Without further ado, why don't you get out and try....

1. Getting a Language Partner
The most common and super effective thing to do. While in an environment with so many Chinese speakers eager to help you learn Chinese and learn your native language, finding a language partner is easy and smart! A language partner is just a friend whom you swap languages with in a meeting every week (or day/whenever you set up the time). They teach you more Chinese, while in turn you spend some time teaching them some of your native tongue. Language exchanges are a great way to help you get over your fear of speaking and also meet a new friend!

2. Read EVERYTHING
With a national language of Mandarin Chinese, no wonder all the signage is written in it! Take advantage of being in the environment that is covered in Chinese characters like a pizza is in cheese. Read the signs as you drive by on the bus. Read the menus searching for new characters and unique cuisine names even after you've already ordered. Pay attention to all of the safety labels and signs posted to get a feel of how to warn others of dangers in Chinese. Signage is a great way to improve you Chinese and its EVERYWHERE! Read it out loud or just to yourself, but make use of it while you can!

3. Dare to Speak
A big fear for most people when learning a new language is actually speaking it. When this fear starts to build in you, the best thing to do to conquer it is the same as any other fear: TAKE ACTION. Start speaking more to your teachers and answer more questions. Don't be shy on the street and try to work through your newly learned vocabulary and grammar to explain what it is you need. You will be amazed when your Chinese starts flowing out more and more naturally when you are sincerely trying to communicate something rather than just thinking of the words themselves. The best part is, you almost never will be met with someone laughing at you because you've already shown bravery and confidence in talking with them. People in general are very friendly and open; don't be scared and head out for a conversation with a stranger today!

4. Find Local Friends
This one may end up being a product of your previously found language partner. If not, even better! When you're in the immersion country one of the best things you can do to take your Chinese to the next level is find some local friends. Search through your college bulletin boards; join interest groups and clubs, participate in local events, and most importantly put on a smile and introduce yourself to people. Meeting and keeping some close local friends will be beneficial in more ways than you can imagine. Not only will they teach you colloquial phrases and help you learn more of the Chinese language, but they will also help you with any other problems you may have while learning in their country!

5. Don't Ask for the English Version
One thing you need to avoid is cheating yourself. Commonly waiters at restaurants will try to hand you the English version of the menu once they have an idea you may not understand the normal Chinese version. If this happens, refuse it and ask for the regular Mandarin Chinese menu. Many times not only is this a missed opportunity for some reading practice, but a lot of information gets lost in translation many times. This 'English' service may be helpful those only here on vacation, however to master the language you should be pushing your self into it as much as possible. This may come with the consequence of some weird dishes showing up on the table here and again, but hey, all in the name of progress!

6. Do What Your Mom Said Not To, Watch TV!
Obviously this one is to be exercised with caution. A better point is to get out and interact with real people in real time with real conversation. Obviously. However, watching television in Mandarin is really a great way to practice your listening AND reading skills. Most shows have Chinese character subtitles along the bottom, so you can listen to what's being said as well as see it. This is great for association of sound and sight, and will have you recognizing more and more characters with each episode. Find something that interests you and tune in every once and a while. Be careful not to over due it though, watching TV is a great relaxing down time study habit. However it is no match for being engaged and involved in the real Chinese-speaking world outside.

7. Make Every Experience a Learning Experience
The world is your Chinese classroom while you're in the immersion country!. Try and make each day and activity and adventure and learning experience. For instance, when you need some things from the grocery store, grab some new vocabulary from your dictionary you can use at the super market. Or perhaps you've got a cold and need some medicine. Grab some new words and run down to the pharmacy or local clinic to explain what your symptoms are to the doctor. Every time you go out into the world there is an opportunity for you to use new words and ways to communicate your wants and needs. Take full advantage and make studying Chinese in a Chinese speaking nation. Its usually much more fun than just sitting in the classroom!

Remembering all of these tips, the most important thing to remember while in studying in the Chinese immersion program is to have fun. Studying Chinese doesn't have to be cramming new characters into your brain. Living in Taiwan, speaking to the locals, and enjoying your time are simple and excellent ways to ensure you have positive memories and associations with Chinese Learning. Plus, once you are able to understand the language of the world that surrounds you, you will be amazed at how many doors of opportunity begin to open up all around you.

This article was written by Christopher Collins, Program Director for Mandarin Taiwan Study Abroad. For more information visit http://www.mandarintaiwan.com/.

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A Quick Guide to Learning Spanish

The internet has made it possible to access a wealth of Spanish learning resources online. There are websites, podcasts, games, revision tools, vocabulary collections and much more, all with the purpose of helping you to learn Spanish quickly and easily. I have written this article as a basic guide to help you bring all these excellent resources together into an organised structure for your Spanish learning.

Building your Spanish Vocabulary

There are a great many different ways to learn and expand Spanish vocab on the internet. If you search for Spanish vocabulary on Google for example you will come up with millions of search results. It is however important to use these as efficiently as possible and starting with the very basics (e.g. numbers, colours etc.) is a good place to start. When you come across long lists of the vocab you want to learn remember that it is simply not enough to read through them once and move on - the new words will just leave your brain as quickly as they came in and you will not learn.

I would highly recommend finding a site with Spanish flashcard collections which you can use to practice and come back to. There are also sites allowing you to input vocab into your own flashcards - this is useful to help master the vocab you collect while reading and also those long lists you come across on many Spanish vocab sites online.

Furthermore there are other useful tools available such as interactive mini quizzes and games - Real Spanish and Spanish Dict are excellent sites for these sorts of tools. The problem with these is that often you don't have control over the words you are actually practicing but Rocket Spanish offers its MegaVocab software which solves this issue.

Once you have a basic knowledge of Spanish vocabulary it is important to build on this by reading, reading, reading. There is so much interesting content to read such as newspapers, magazines (online and paper), blogs, short stories, novels, non-fiction etc. - in my opinion it is best to read anything you enjoy, this will keep you interested and give you the vocab around the topics you are most likely to talk about. I'd also recommend building up slowly because there is nothing more disconcerting than reading Spanish material which you find very difficult to understand at all.

Don't Ignore the Grammar

Learning Spanish grammar is also extremely important and you can't avoid learning all these new rules or anomalies that come with any new language. As with practicing Spanish vocab, Spanish grammar requires a lot of practice and will improve more quickly if you are using a variety of media. Don't jump in at the deep end but build your knowledge from the bottom starting with the most simple sentence structures - just as a young child would learn English. Again sites like Study Spanish offer good mini quizzes but it also helps to be writing and taking note of different tenses in the reading you should be doing.

I believe by writing using different tenses and Spanish sentence structures you gain a far better working understanding of Spanish grammar than by simply conjugating into a known tense - if your aim is to reach written fluency it is absolutely essential to be writing on a consistent basis. In the same way by speaking more your grammar will improve very quickly and in time your speaking will also improve as a result.

It is also useful to keep refreshing your knowledge of all the different rules you have learnt until they become second nature. I kept all my worksheets (which were available online) which helped me to keep my learning organised and ensured I didn't neglect any certain areas. Don't avoid the difficult stuff (like the subjunctive for instance) but stick at it and eventually you'll get there- there are also good grammar guides which provide a good learning structure and practice exercises.

Developing your Listening Skills

Listening to Spanish is another important part of the learning process. At the beginning it is good to learn by watching Spanish lessons online - these are widely available and will start you listening to how Spanish actually sounds. My favourite way to do this was by using the Notes in Spanish podcasts - these provide conversations between a couple about different aspects of life in Spain. These are the best way, in my opinion, for a Spanish beginner to have some fun while listening to conversational Spanish. The other advantage these Spanish podcasts offer is that they build up in difficulty, all the way to advanced level, so you can monitor your progression in listening ability.

When you become more confident you can start to listen to, and watch, the Spanish news and television programmes and hear how Spanish sounds more naturally. These materials are a lot more difficult so don't rush - commit to listening to as much as possible and you will improve very quickly. One good resource for Spanish listening is the Spanish national television website RTVE - there is a really excellent supply of Spanish TV and radio, from trashy soap operas to daily news broadcasts. I find it easiest to start with the news and interesting documentaries where the conversation is far clearer and also slower.

Spanish Speaking

Speaking is always the hardest part of your Spanish to practice and improve online. At the beginning especially this is why I'd recommend learning in the classroom or at least with a friend. If you can do this, and then talk to yourself out loud or in your head as often as possible, your speaking will advance very quickly. For advanced speakers a website like Live Mocha allows you to speak with natives online although you are expected to speak with a partner in your native language too. I actually find this really interesting and you can meet new and interesting people with similar personalities.

I always found that what improved by speaking to a level close to fluency was when I actually visited Spain. Living in Madrid for a year with other students for example meant I was totally immersed and constantly communicating in Spanish. I also saw it as a great reward for my hard efforts learning Spanish at home so I'd recommend at least planning a holiday to a Spanish speaking country - this is the only way to really recognise the fruits of your labour and I found gave me renewed encouragement.

And finallyI'd like to say good luck and I hope this article has been of some use. Don't ever get disheartened, stick with it and you will find learning Spanish to be a richly rewarding hobby.

For more guides and advice on how to bet go about learning Spanish for all levels check out http://www.topspanishtips.weebly.com/. There is a huge number of links and resources designed specifically to make learning Spanish as enjoyable and easy as possible.

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How to Improve IELTS Preparation Through a Private English Teacher

In the business environment, an individual can take advantage of many unique opportunities when they embrace the English language. English represents a primary language utilized in the business environment across the globe and allows you to tap into a wide variety of unique resources, which will help to expand business potential and improve your own personal goals. When you find yourself preparing for the IELTS test, one of the best resources you can look to take advantage of is found with a private English teacher.

Learning a new language is a very difficult task to accomplish on your own. Even with advancements in audio resources and online tools, very few resources can match the unique possibilities that are provided when you utilize a tutor for English. Through the utilization of these individuals, you can properly prepare for your IELTS test and gain access to many unique resources. These resources include opportunities such as appropriate learning materials, one-on-one training, and improved opportunities to enhance speech, grammar, writing skills, and reading.

The first opportunity that a person will be able to take advantage of, when utilizing the services of a private English teacher is found with gaining access to literature that is relevant to your testing. One of the most difficult tasks an individual must face when attempting to learn something on their own, is found with the unpredictability associated with their testing. When you can take advantage of a professional individual who is familiar with the IELTS testing, you will gain inside knowledge on your expectations, in relation to the testing and what to expect.

The second opportunity a person will be able to take advantage of when utilizing the resources of a tutor for English, is found with one-on-one training. A person can read a book over and over again and still not grasp the intricate details associated with language. Only through the utilization of personal tutoring will you be able to properly grasp the concepts related to language. Additionally, individuals absorb material better when they can take advantage of the three learning resources of reading, listening, and speaking the language.

The final opportunity that a person can benefit from is found with the possibilities of accelerating their understanding of resources such as speech, grammar, writing skills, and reading. Through the utilization of a tutor for English, you can slowly absorb information related to each one of these factors and significantly improve your opportunities for passing your IELTS test. Not only will you be able to succeed in passing this test, you will also be able to take advantage of the information you have absorbed, as you utilize it in the business environment and your everyday life.

Want to improve your English skills? Looking for a private English teacher in and around Sydney, Melbourne and Perth? Then, just logon to http://myenglishteacher.com.au/ and search for teachers you'd like to try lessons with near your locality. You and the teacher can decide how long, how often, when and where you have your lessons.

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Teaching ESL: How to Have a Successful English Corner

I must admit that after hearing "What-a is-a your favorite-a color?" for the 100th time, I was not too interested in English corners. The idea was to give the Chinese students an opportunity to speak to the Americans and practice their English. Hopefully, we could then persuade them to visit our training center and take classes. In theory, it was a good idea for everyone except for the Americans. I can still see the shy elementary school student being prodded by his Chinese mother to "show off" the few English phrases the boy had memorized. I felt sorry for the boy as I tried to keep an hour-long smile up and could relate to the boy's awkwardness.

After spending over 300 hours in English corners over the 7 years that I spent in China, I have found that there are right ways and wrong ways to have them. We were initially told that if we, the Americans, would simply show up somewhere, that a large crowd of aspiring English learners would bombard us with intense English conversations. This never happened. I helped to hold English corners in libraries, bookstores, parks, colleges, on a busy street and even at McDonald's. Each of these had to be built from the ground up, but can be developed into a very successful program.

We had two types of English corners - free talk and activity based. Free talk English corners were usually effective in colleges and libraries. Activity-based English corners were effective in each place, but required more work and preparation. Listed are a few tips on how to have a successful activity-based English corner.

Decide on the format of the English corner. We typically broke up the English corner up into 4 parts. First, we taught 8 - 10 "Frequently Used American Expressions." These were either idioms or collocations that we could act out and try to present in a vivid way. We never tried to explain the meanings, but instead we tried to act them out so the students could try to guess the meanings. Next, we usually taught a song that had simple words to understand. Then we taught a culture tip, and finally played a game.Decide to enjoy the situation. I knew that if I was bored with what I was doing, then my students would be bored too. I clearly remember trying to teach the idiom, "You're barking up the wrong tree." I had a student stand on a chair, while I pretended to bark like a dog up at him. We always did what we could to throw in some spice into the lessons, not only to keep the students coming back, but also to keep ourselves interested in the lessons.Be flexible. I vividly remember teaching for two years in McDonald's. We sectioned off a corner of McDonald's and had a weekly English corner at 3:00 PM on Saturdays. We brought a portable display to let people know what we were all about. We brought a professional sound system with two cordless mics. Whatever we needed to do to try to make the English corner a success. However, many times, something went wrong. Either there was a mistake in the worksheet or no batteries for the mics. Sometimes we would plan for 30 students and 100 would show up, and sometimes we would plan for 100 and 5 would show up. If you ever conduct an English corner, you'll have to be willing to "ride the waves."Follow the 10% - 50% focus rule. Typically in China, I would look at one of my classes and divide it into half based on their English level. Then I would take the lower half and come up 10%. This usually was a good focus for the material. I would try to give this 40% of the students the majority of my time and effort. For the top 50% of the students I would throw out nuggets (not McNuggets from McDonald's) of harder English to keep them interested. Then whenever we had pair work or group work, I would focus in on the lower 10% and try to give them some individual help. Be warned. English corners in public places will attract everyone. It was common for our public English corners to have both kindergarteners and college English professors all looking to learn some English.

I still have many great memories, and I made many friends through the work at the English corners.

For great ESL resources for both the student and the teacher go to http://www.ilesi.com/. ILESI stands for International Languages Educational Services Inc., and has established English training centers all over the world.

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History Of The Ukrainian Language And The Development Of Ukrainian Translators

From the beginning of its identification as an important and individuated area of the world the Ukraine has been a real melting pot of different cultures. The country is uniquely positioned in such a manner that it stands close to a few different powerful and influential cultures. Most notably the Ukraine is in direct contact with the Slavic nations of the north and directly accessible to the modern Middle East more to the south. These two different cultures formed the earliest influences on the region, which congealed influences from Turkey, Iran and the Slavic nations of the north. This conflicted space was eventually claimed and held by the Slavic nations and the language during this period connects clearest to older Russian. This Slavic language was really set into place by the fact that the written work of the region adopted it.

Ukraine then deviated from the Russian-flavored influence for a time when the region fell under Lithuanian and Polish rule. Both of these nations imparted a large degree of influence on the Ukrainian language and in time on Ukrainian translators, especially the Polish who made it all but necessary for higher ranking Ukrainians to learn and primarily adopt the Polish language. This was further strengthened by the widespread adoption of the Polish Catholic religion during these years, which helped spread the Polish language throughout both the religious and educational orders within the Ukraine.

As the Polish empire and its influence on the Ukraine began to fail the Russians reasserted their influence upon the region. There was even a linguistic split where a significant number within the country spoke Polish while the rest spoke Russian, imagine the effect this would have on Ukrainian translation services in the future. Traditional nationalism didn't play a large part in the Ukrainian character during this time. Such nationalism began to rise later in the nineteenth century, but was subjugated by the Russians fiercely, as they eventually incorporated all of the Ukraine into their empire.

Russian subjugation of the Ukrainian state and its language continued throughout the Russian Empire, and the language primarily existed within the rural regions of the nation until the Soviet Union rose and allowed the Ukrainian language to spread once more. While there was a regular back and forth throughout the years of the Soviet Union, in general the Ukrainian language was allowed to be used by a significant amount of people, and after the fall of the union the Ukrainian state instituted the Ukrainian language as the official tongue of the now-sovereign nation from where several Ukrainian translators are sourced today.

As you can see from this the Ukrainian language was developed over a long time under a wide variety of competing influences. Due to the fact that Russian was the strongest of these influences throughout the life of the region it's unsurprising that to this day Russian and Ukrainian are often considered to be near interchangeable languages, where understanding one usually results in the ability to understand the other.

Charlene Lacandazo is a marketing executive for Rosetta Translation, an international full-service translation company in London, UK.

Rosetta Translation specialises in Ukrainian translation, as well as interpreting services all over the world.

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Comment on French Language Programs on the Internet

I am a French teacher who works to help others learn the beautiful language. I know how hard it can be to learn a new language, and I also know how much success depends on having the right learning tools.

As a French teacher, one query I am often asked is what learning package is the best for grownups or teens wishing to learn and speak French from home. Long ago I set out to discover the answer to this question, and one thing genuinely surprised me when I did. There are too many French learning packages out there that just aren't satisfactory enough.

When you look at the tools out in the market on the internet, you'll discover software, books, flash-card systems, and more. Sorting through them all is difficult, and selecting one can be even more intimidating. In Advance of getting to my thoughts on any French packages let's first talk about what a French learning package is and isn't.

First, a digital learning package is NOT the only thing you need to master French. You in addition need to take the time to read French publications, to speak to French-speaking individuals, and to make learning (and speaking) french a portion of your day-to-day existence. I can't stress how important this is to speed up the learning procedure.

Secondly, NOT every person needs a French learning package. In fact, if you aren't dedicated to learning the language you likely won't learn anyway. Learning French isn't tough if you apply yourself, but you need to make the decision right now that you are going to spend some time learning.

Third, a French learning program IS the simplest means to get started with the language. It will also cost much less (and take less time) than taking beginners lessons from a community college. The most suitable learning packages can take you right from beginner to advanced French.

Fourth, if don't take the time to buy the correct learning package you will merely make learning French harder. This is really the number one reason individuals don't follow through with their plan to master the language. Too many of the tools out there are actually just a waste of money.

If you've been considering of learning French then you'll be pleased to hear that, along with some of my colleagues, we took the time to evaluate the best four French learning packages in the market place today. We founded our evaluations on the following criteria.

* Level of French Learning - An acceptable French program should cover everything right from getting started levels up to having fundamental conversations with native French speakers.

* Amount of Information - The Amount of learning substance enclosed in the package

* Teaching Methods - Many people retain data better when taught with different methods. A suitable French program should use a variety of methods for teaching/retention.

* Follow Up Substance - Beyond the basic training course is there more substance in the market place to take your learning further?

* Additional Information (Fun Factor) - A suitable learning package should be fun to use. The most suitable programs we evaluated included games that magnified retention and made learning fun.

* Basic Language Abilities - Does the program supply adequate Content (and teach it rapidly enough) that the learner should grasp a basic dialog right after using the program for a while.

* Reading/Writing /Speaking Abilities - Along with speaking does the program teach language/grammar for reading, speaking and writing French?

With our evaluations we actually took two steps. First we evaluated the programs as teachers. We looked at their situation from the point of view of - would they be able to teach our students what we taught them. The next move I took was to in bring the programs into my adult learning classes. I had my grownup students use the programs at home for a period of time and then gave an introductory test to see what they had understood and retained.

The four programs we reviewed are as follows:

1st. Rocket French

2nd. Easy French Lessons

3rd. Lingo Basics

4th. Learn French Program

Buzz Hill - Professional Reviewer of online Products
Want more information learning to speak French go here: http://learnfrenchlanguagereviews.com/

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Words Commonly Confused or Misused

Alike and like

Alike means 'like each other.'

The two sisters are alike in looks. (NOT The two sisters are like in looks.)
She is like her mother. (NOT She is alike her mother.)

Alike is mainly used in predicative position (after a verb). In attributive position (before an adjective) we use other words or phrases to express the idea.

The two sisters are very much alike.
He has two very similar-looking sisters. (NOT He has two very alike sisters.)

Accept and agree

These verbs have similar meanings. Before an infinitive we use agree, not accept.

He agreed to come. (NOT He accepted to come.)

All right and alright

The standard spelling is all right. Alright is common but many people consider it incorrect.

Alone and lonely

You are alone when you have nobody around.

I don't like to be alone even for short periods.

Lonely and lonesome refer to unhappiness caused by being alone.

After being alone for a few days, I started getting lonely / lonesome.

Alternate and alternative

Alternate means 'in turn', 'first one and then the other'.

We meet on alternate days. (Monday, Wednesday etc)

Alternative is a second choice that can be made other than one's first choice.

I had to go there was no alternative.

Altogether and all together

Altogether means 'entirely', 'completely'.

It is altogether wrong to ill-treat animals.
My new novel isn't altogether finished.

All together means 'everybody or everything' together.

Put the books all together on the table.

Any more and anymore

In British English, any more is usually written as two separate words. In American English, it is often written as one word anymore.

She doesn't live with her parents any more. (GB)
She doesn't live with her parents anymore. (US)

Dead and died

Dead is an adjective.

He is dead.
James is dead.

Died is the past tense and past participle form of the verb die.

He died in 1995.

Disinterested and uninterested

Disinterested means 'unbiased' or 'neutral'. You are disinterested when you have no reason to support one side or another in a disagreement or negotiation because you have nothing to gain or lose if one side wins.

I can't give you disinterested advice because I am a shareholder of the firm.

Disinterested is commonly used to mean 'uninterested'. Many people consider this incorrect.

I am quite disinterested in sports. (Meaning: 'I am quite uninterested in sports.')

Drown and was drowned

In British English both active and passive forms of drown can be used to talk about accidental drowning.

He drowned while swimming across the river. OR He was drowned while swimming across the river. (GB)

In American English, only active forms are used to talk about accidental drowning.

He drowned while swimming across the river. (US)

Manjusha Nambiar is an ESL tutor and content developer. Her blog grammarenglish gives free English grammar lessons and printable grammar worksheets

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The History of Braille

Braille, a form written communication used by the blind, has interesting origins. Invented in 1824, braille stems from a combination of ideas from a French Army captain and a blind teenager. Today, braille is used worldwide as a standard means for blind people to communicate and educate themselves with the written word, and it has changed little since its creation.

Louis Braille was born in 1809, and was not visually impaired until after a terrible accident. When he was only three years old, Louis was playing in his father's saddle-making workshop, and he scratched his eye while trying to cut leather. Although the wound was bandaged, an unfortunate infection eventually took hold, spreading to both of his eyes and causing complete blindness. Despite the horrible accident and illness at a young age, Louis held on to his curiosity and love of learning. Seven years after the accident, Louis Braille received a scholarship to The National Institute for the Blind Youth in Paris, where he met Charles Barbier.

While studying at The National Institute for the Blind Youth (also know as the Royal Institute for Blind Youth), Louis Braille learned to read the outlines of raised letters in special books. This system was created by the school's founder, but it was inefficient and the books were large and few. In 1921, Louis was inspired during a school assembly when Charles Barbier demonstrated a system he created for the French military after Napoleon expressed a need for way for soldiers to communicate silently in the dark, called "night writing." His system used sets of 12 raised dots, with each set representing a letter. It was too cumbersome for the soldiers to use efficiently and thus was rejected for use by the military. However, the students at the school were very interested in and impressed by Barbier's creation. It was much easier to understand and faster to read than anything they had seen before. Another advantage was that they could write using this system by impressing the dots on wood to form the symbols.

Louis Braille was especially impressed with what Charles Barbier had shown him and his classmates. He always was an intelligent and intuitive boy, and even at the young age of 12 he noticed the flaws and room for improvement on the Captain's invention. Over the next few years, Louis Braille developed his own system based on what he learned from Charles Barbier's inventions and his experience of being a blind person who wanted to communicate fluently in the written word. In 1824, Louis put the final touches on his system, calling it "braille," after himself. In 1829, he released the first book about his writing system, entitled "Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Songs by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged for Them." Ever since, braille has made reading possible for blind people around the world.

We provide Braille transcription

For more on topic quality articles see - Transcription services

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How Learning Mandarin Can Enhance Chinese Business Communication

The most important thing to understand about Chinese business communication is that so much of it relies on what is unsaid, rather than on what is spoken aloud. Thus, while it is very important to gain proficiency in Chinese through online lessons if you are planning to do business in the country, it is just as essential for you to gain a basic understanding of Chinese cultural norms so as not to inadvertently give offense and damage the association before it has even started. Learning how to speak Mandarin also helps you to build a personal relationship with a potential business partner, in the spirit of the Chinese concept of guanxi ("connections"), before a professional association can occur.

When you are fluent in Mandarin, you can open an initial meeting by sharing small talk and pleasantries since it is Chinese custom not to come to the point immediately, unlike in the West where a business transaction can be completed in minutes with neither of the participants knowing anything more about each other than their names. This importance of building relationships is also the reason why you should not bring your lawyer to any preliminary meetings since it may cause offense, as the other party may believe you don't trust him or are trying to get the better of him.

At the same time, you should also not be too informal or too personal. You can talk about topics like your family, your marital status and your job but avoid talking about your feelings. Make sure you answer any question put to you; don't appear that you are avoiding answering since this makes you look untrustworthy. And unless you can speak Mandarin very, very well you should avoid humor, since jokes are always lost in translation and you may end up inadvertently causing offense.

One of the most important concepts to understand in Chinese business communication is the concept of face. The word 'face' in Chinese is roughly translated to respect or good reputation and to lose face is to be deeply humiliated in front of others. This is why the American businessman who wants to do business in China should get away from the mindset of arguing with or correcting somebody if you think they're wrong; never contradict someone in China or say no since this will cause them to lose face. Again, this is where the importance of being fluent in Mandarin comes in since you will be able to communicate your corrections in such a way as to allow the other party to still keep face. It is a delicate balancing act and possible only if you can converse clearly.

Ultimately, the value of learning Mandarin for Chinese business communication is that it frees you from struggling to communicate verbally so that you can also focus on non-verbal communication, such as observing the other party's body language. Proficiency in another language is the best way to bridge the gap between two parties so that connections can start to be made, which hopefully will grow into a mutually profitable relationship.

Consider carefully the choice of courses you want to enroll to learn Chinese/Mandarin online especially for Chinese business communication. Look at the courses provided by Business Chinese Online before making any final decision because doing business in China is a serious business!

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Bilingualism: The Advantages of Knowing Mandarin Chinese and English

Being bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English will be able to enable one to expose to the beauty and richness of western and eastern cultures, literature, customs, festivals, history, etc.

Over 1 billion people around the world speak Mandarin Chinese, about one fifth of the global population. China is the most populous nation in the world, with 1.32 billion people.

Chinese Mandarin is becoming one of the fastest growing and popular academic fields of study in the US, UK, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and many English Speaking countries.

China is one of the world's oldest and richest cultures and is over 5000 years old.

China is the second largest economy in the world. China has become a huge market, business leaders are looking for people who can speak Chinese and operate successfully in the Chinese cultural context.

The wealthy Chinese tend to indulge in branded and luxurious goods from the west. Learning any language is an advantage when looking for a job. Employers like bilingual employee especially in English and Mandarin Chinese.

The Chinese-US and Chinese-European trade are becoming to be a very huge market. Traders or businessmen who are proficient in both Mandarin Chinese and English will definitely enjoy a great advantage.

In this digital age, English is still the widely preferred medium of communication. It is still the dominant language of social media sites, online education networks, websites, etc. The introduction of Chinese words Pinyin enables anyone to learn and read Chinese character easier and faster.

Pinyin is the official system to transcribe the Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet to teach Mandarin Chinese. Nowadays, there are many excellent teaching materials or tools available in the Internet to help anyone to learn the Mandarin Chinese. The medium of teaching is mostly in English with the Chinese Teaching materials.

This is the best time to learn Mandarin Chinese.

With the latest technology and software through Internet, the Chinese language has been more easily accessible than ever before.

Research has shown that learning an additional language is good for the brain.

It also enhances the learning of other subjects.

One study found showed that students who are multilingual are more flexible problem-solvers.

It has been shown that older people who are bilingual are less susceptible to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia and can keep their brains sharper much longer.

This benefit is even more profound in learning Chinese. The fact that Mandarin Chinese is so different from English in sound, tones and script means that learning it is even more mentally stimulating than other languages.

There is no doubt that speakers of more than one language have nimble brains. Bilingualism enhances attention and cognitive control in kids and adults.

Start learning an additional language today.

The benefits of bilingualism in learning Mandarin Chinese are tremendous, it not only can provide healthy stimulation to the brain but a very useful tool and valuable asset in one's academic studies, career, business opportunities. One can even enjoy the beauty and richness of two different cultures, the English and Chinese cultures.

You are most welcome to visit a very informative and educational website, 'Learn Mandarin the Fun and Easy Way' at http://www.iknowmandarin.com/.

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