Auteur: Paul Van Zanten

Why is intercultural competence necessary? As you may know, Language Partners and BBi Communication merged at the start of this year. We are now an organisation that not only offers Intercultural competence training, ut also has offices in four countries and colleagues from many more. Because of this, we felt...

Thinking of moving to Spain? Many people might say “you don’t need to learn Spanish”, but there are varying requirements to meet depending on whether you need a visa, a residence permit, or citizenship. We’ll clear that up. Do you need to speak Spanish to live in Spain? No, there...

Thinking of moving to Finland? Many people might say “you don’t need to learn Finnish / Swedish”, but there are varying requirements to meet depending on whether you need a visa, a residence permit, or citizenship. We’ll clear that up. Do you need to speak Finnish to live in Finland?...

Thinking of moving to Sweden? Many people might say “you don’t need to learn Swedish”, but there are varying requirements to meet depending on whether you need a visa, a residence permit, or citizenship. We’ll clear that up. Do you need to speak Swedish to live in Sweden? No, there...

Thinking of moving to the Netherlands? Many people might say “you don’t need to learn Dutch”, but there are varying requirements to meet depending on whether you need a visa, a residence permit, or citizenship. We’ll clear that up. Do you need to speak Dutch to live in the Netherlands?...

As our interconnected world continues to expand, cultural differences can create clashes, which hinder intercultural connectivity and collaboration. It also creates a wealth of opportunities, allowing us to leverage our differences for improved innovation, productivity and connection. Now, more than ever the value of learning a second, third or even...

As more and more companies do business in international markets, they often encounter unforeseen challenges that can lead to hilarious and, at times, cringe-worthy blunders. It is imperative to triple check your work, making sure you’re taking the necessary cultural perspectives into account. From mistranslations to cultural insensitivities, these unintentional...

Have you ever considered how the languages we speak shape our world, offering colour and narrative to the complexity of the human experience? The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, also known as the hypothesis of linguistic relativity, discusses just this. To make a long story short, it was first proposed in 1929 and...

Are you prepared for the future of international business? As automation and changing demographics impact labor pools and access to markets, organisations worldwide should be up-to-date on European labour market trends. To combat smaller labor pools, both legislative incentives and educational support are explored to encourage immigration and integration into...

Do you shake someone’s hand when you meet them? Hand-shaking is a common practice in the United States when meeting someone for the first time. Are you comfortable blowing your nose in public? Japanese culture does not appreciate public displays of mucus, thus blowing your nose is best saved for...