Auteur: Paul Van Zanten

Is the working language at your work not your mother tongue? If so, you may sometimes run into a ‘fluency gap’, a situation where you find you are (just) not fluent enough in the language. This may mean that you cannot explain your ideas or express yourself well enough. A...

Learning a language is a process that takes time and determination. Motivation and drive to do so can fluctuate. With that in mind, we’ve come up with some tips to help you get the most out of your efforts. Before your course: Start engaging with your target language. Music, movies,...

Behavioural change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, effort and engagement. With that in mind, we’ve written out some tips to help you get the most out of our Intercultural Communication training.  Before your training: Before the start of your course it’s helpful to start engaging with the topic. Keep...

Language fluency is a term used to indicate a person’s ability with a language. More specifically, to be fluent is to be easily understood and able to express oneself fully. It has become more common than ever before to encounter people from various backgrounds and with various language skills, in...

There is a common cliché that says: people don’t quit a job, they quit their boss. While the statistics on this fluctuate, the idea remains true. People want to work for an organisation which treats them equally and inspires them to be their best. Empowering managers who have high employee...

As more and more is being written about various cultures and working amongst them, there are certain words and phrases that keep popping up quite often. Terms such as multicultural communication and cross cultural communication and intercultural communication are used almost interchangeably. Is there a difference? If so, what is...

“During 32 years I was employed by Heineken, for many years responsible for the Asia Pacific. During most of those years I either travelled fifty percent of my time or lived and worked in the outside country.” What you’ve just read is the ‘Before Word’ from the book I Always...

When learning a new language, or anything new really, there are certain thought patterns that can reduce brain drain while making your efforts more efficient. Knowing how to learn and study is just as important as knowing how not to learn or study. Here are some tips and tricks to...

FAQ about Intercultural Communication (IC) In our second article highlighting FAQs we’ll explore the most commonly searched for questions relating to intercultural communication, or IC. We were able to group the IC related FAQs into two themes, the first being leading an intercultural team.  Before we get into it, we’ll...

In our first article covering FAQs , we will share some of the most commonly searched for questions by students who want to learn a language. Some are specific to a particular language while others relate to general language learning. Our experience has also shown us that the following questions...