Sound is the most important medium we use when communicating – unless, of course, we use sign language. Most of us assume that the auditory signal is enough for others to understand us. Some people increase the volume to make sure they are “heard”. Most of my clients are surprised to learn that sound is […]
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Sensible and sensitive – in French and English
Like many people who regularly use more than one language, I have some words I use in an incorrect way because the same – or similar – form of the word has a different meaning in another language I speak. Native speakers would probably not make those mistakes, but I personally consider them as an […]
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How to fill in names in forms in the Netherlands
When filling in forms in the Netherlands, many internationals struggle when confronted with voorletters and tussenvoegsel and wonder what and why they need to fill in these parts of the form. In most forms one is asked to indicate voornaam, voorletters, achternaam, and sometimes there is also a field called tussenvoegsel. Voornaam is the name […]
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How to deal with negative comments about one of our cultures
Every person that has spent some time abroad has probably made this experience. It can either be during a vacation or during a long(er) stay in another country. Someone just says something judgmental about our culture, our nationality, the way we look or dress, the way we speak or the way we do things, and […]
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Conversations when meeting family and friends “back home”…
Internationals sometimes ask me about how one can make sure that during our stays “back home” we have meaningful conversations with our family and friends? Many internationals spend hours in planes, trains, cars, wait in long lines – in traffic, airports, train stations etc…. – having their journeys delayed on their way “back home” or […]
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