Resource Centre
Welcome to our resource centre, full of information, articles and blogs on language training around the world.
February 16, 2021
Spanish is the predominant language in numerous countries in Central and South America, as well as in Spain itself. It is even spoken in the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea, as well as the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. As a language, it is romantic, colourful and evocative of the cultures and cuisines of the Spanish-speaking world.
In this article, we consider the similarities and differences between Castilian Spanish (the predominant language of Spain) and Latin American Spanish.
February 9, 2021
Over 10 million people in Portugal speak Portuguese, but the vast majority of the world’s Portuguese speakers can be found in Brazil, making Portuguese one of the top 10 most spoken languages in the world. Portuguese is also widely spoken in several countries in Africa and Asia.
In this article, we look at some of the differences between how Portuguese varies between Portugal, Brazil and the rest of the world.
February 1, 2021
Every month this year, we will be turning our focus towards one of the core languages we love to teach – looking at the language’s potential for business, considering a few facts and figures to put its global prospects in context, plus sharing some tips to help you get started. This month we take a look at Spanish, a European language that is the official language for numerous countries across Latin America.
January 26, 2021
Learning another language is more than just piling a series of new sounds together. It is about expanding your horizons and seeing the world through the eyes of a different culture.
January 12, 2021
At the beginning of 2020, we were focused on a world where Brexit was likely to have a significant impact, the paperless office seemed closer than ever, and virtual reality (VR) technology and artificial intelligence (AI) were set to revolutionise business. All these insights remain relevant today, but last January we would never have thought that 2020 would take the turn it has thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, we are looking ahead to a very different world for business. In this article, we outline five key employee-centric insights for your HR team to keep in mind in 2021.
January 5, 2021
Every month this year, we will be turning our focus towards one of the core languages we love to teach – looking at the language’s potential for business, considering a few facts and figures to put its global prospects in context, plus sharing some tips to help you get started. This month we take a look at Mandarin Chinese, the official language of the People’s Republic of China, which is spoken by over a billion people in China and around the world.
December 21, 2020
Wherever you or your clients are based, a knowledge of local cultural, religious and community-focused events can help you to build bridges with your contacts and understand their priorities. When you forge deep and respectful connections, you can conduct future business in a way that may lead to mutually beneficial outcomes. In this article, we scan the key cultural, religious and community-focused events coming up around the world in 2021 so that you can plan ahead with confidence – however the business landscape evolves past the challenges of 2020.
December 15, 2020
As we approach the festive season, it is astonishing to think that we have spent so much of this year with such an unintended and yet essential goal: staying at home to help save lives. However, even in challenging times like these it is still possible to find things to be grateful for.
In this article, we consider five ways in which 2020 has offered us surprising opportunities and moments of calm, so that we can approach the holidays with a positive mindset and optimism for the year ahead. Whether 2020 has been a series of challenges, a series of opportunities or a mix of both, we hope you have a peaceful and enjoyable holiday season – and that your plans for 2021 bring you happiness.
December 8, 2020
Japan is a land of natural wonders, exceptional animation and uniquely delicious food. It is also the world’s third-largest economy, after the United States and China – and the UK’s recent Japanese trade deal could change the shape of our longer-term business relationship with this major economy. In this article, we share a few interesting facts and figures about Japanese language and culture.
December 1, 2020
Italy evokes images of culture, style and elegance – and it may also invite thoughts of delicious food and drink, such as pizza, pasta and gelato. In this article, we look at some curious facts about the Italian language and Italian culture, including the significance of fashion, the cultural impact of opera, and the diversity of regional dialects across Italy.
November 24, 2020
If you are looking ahead to meeting and travel plans for 2020, it might help to get familiar with some significant cultural events that could influence your overseas schedule. In this article, we scan the key cultural, religious and community-focused events coming up around the world in 2020 so that you can plan ahead with confidence.
November 17, 2020
Mastering the art of casual conversation is often the key ingredient that transforms your language skills from functional to fulfilling, helping you to develop and maintain long-lasting relationships across the language barrier.
In this article, we look at some conversational slang words and phrases that could add an extra dimension to your German language learning, helping you to connect more personally with your German friends and colleagues.
November 10, 2020
When you want to learn a language, you generally have a lot of options to choose from. But where do you turn if you want to learn one of the rarer languages from the 7,000+ languages in the world?
The short answer is: turn to us! We provide language training in more than 70 languages, so if you have a particular and unusual request then we can help you find a solution. In this article, we share a case study of one such unusual request… where a student wanted to learn the ideal language for a move to Timbuktu.
November 3, 2020
We have seen time and time again how quickly and effectively people can learn a language when working one-to-one with a language tutor or in small and sociable conversational groups. Both scenarios can be achieved in person or virtually, using technology to facilitate teaching rather than do the teaching.
However, app-based language learning saw a surge in interest during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, so might apps offer an effective alternative way to learn a language? In this article, we consider the limitations of language-learning apps.
October 20, 2020
October 13, 2020
September 29, 2020
Filling our free time during lockdown became an unexpected 2020 challenge – suddenly we were all becoming experts at making the perfect cake or loaf of sourdough bread. But many people turned to learning a language, finding that they finally had the time to not only complete the lessons, but also to practise their new-found skills.
Now that the world has sped back up again, the challenge is to hold onto that language-learning progress and all its many benefits. In this article, the second in our ‘Life after Lockdown’ series, we summarise some of the many benefits of learning a second language during lockdown.
September 22, 2020
Life in the UK and around the world looks very different now to how it looked before the Covid-19 pandemic. We have entered a period of recession for the first time in over 10 years, and it is hard to imagine what the future might look like.
During lockdown, many people were able to focus their energies on developing new skills, including language skills. In this article, the first in our ‘Life after Lockdown’ series, we explore the journey through lockdown and consider how you can turn your freshly acquired language skills into a new career opportunity.
September 15, 2020
Learning a second language is quite a different challenge to learning your native language. When you are gradually developing your native language skills, you are also learning a myriad of other things – but learning a second language as an adult is a completely different experience because you are translating what you already know into a new way of communicating and understanding.
In this article, we consider just how far you need to take this process by asking the question: How many words do you need to learn to ‘get by’ in a language?
July 14, 2020
Getting to grips with a host of unknown words is a part of the language-learning journey, but there are plenty of ways to improve your vocabulary without too much stress and struggle. This article introduces some effective vocabulary-building techniques that you can use to fast-track your language learning experience.
June 30, 2020
Every month this year, we will be sharing some useful information about the key dates in your HR diary for the month ahead.
This July, we acknowledge how different the usual summer events and celebrations might look this year. We also add some significant dates to the diary for our French and Muslim colleagues around the world.
June 16, 2020
One of the most helpful ways to understand how languages are related to each other is to think of them as families, where closely linked ‘family members’ share more in common than distant relations – just like a family tree, where languages are grouped based on common linguistic ancestors.
In this article, we explore the way languages are linked through their family histories, with a special focus on the Indo-European family (home to English and many other European languages).
May 5, 2020
English is the global language of business, the most widely spoken language in the world, and the native language of some of the most inventive scientists and engineers the world has ever seen – but it can also be tricky to learn until you master some of its golden rules and irregularities.
In this article, we explore English language and culture via cups of tea, irregular verbs and a trip to the seaside.
April 15, 2020
Year after year, the uptake of languages in schools fails to reach the levels the UK requires to maximise its international opportunities. In this article, we look at the strategies in development to help turn around the UK’s language-learning fortunes at this time of economic volatility and global change.
April 7, 2020
In this article, we introduce you to the five main languages of Spain. We also look at how Spanish schools and businesses find the balance between Castilian Spanish and Spain’s regional languages.
March 25, 2020
We are still here, still working, and still offering language learning to our clients – but right now, we are having to do things a little differently.
March 17, 2020
Germany is one of the most economically successful countries in the world – and it also happens to have an impressive record on unemployment and productivity. What is more interesting, however, is that it maintains its economic success while encouraging employees to enjoy a healthy work–life balance. In this article we explore why your employees might agree that Germany could be a good spot for European expansion.
March 10, 2020
Take a voyage of discovery via the Americas, continental Europe and even the Philippines to find out more about Spanish language and culture, including why Spanish could become an essential language for business all around the world.
March 3, 2020
Language learning has come a long way from ‘repeat-after-me’ audio solutions and learning vocabulary by rote – now the experience is far more fun, interactive and connected to other learners. In this article, we look at today’s language-learning technology landscape to see what is happening now and where the future might lie.
February 20, 2020
It started with emoticons and eventually graduated to emojis (and now we’re even talking about memojis!) Can we count the way we communicate using emojis as an entire language?
February 12, 2020
France, one of our nearest neighbours, is a prosperous country – and it may be a key source for future business opportunities if and when our trading relationships change after Brexit. French is also a popular language to learn around the world, making it a desirable second language for opening global communication channels.
This article shares some interesting facts and figures about French language and culture – and adds a splash of food and wine in, too!
February 4, 2020
Overseas travel presents people with an amazing opportunity to immerse themselves in language – but a little preparation goes a long way! Our team member shares some of the language learning opportunities that come with travel.
January 28, 2020
In this article, we look ahead to what 2020 has in store for HR – from the growing impact of technology and HR analytics to the importance of enhancing employee experience and making work more meaningful.
January 15, 2020
Every month this year, we will be sharing some useful information about the key dates in your HR diary for the month ahead. This January, we look at Christmas celebrations in Coptic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, as well as Chinese and Vietnamese New Year celebrations. We even enjoy a ‘wee dram’ of whisky with Scottish national treasure – poet Robert Burns.
January 7, 2020
Language skills can open some unexpected doors in business – but how might they impact your next holidays too? Do you really need to have some language dexterity, or can you get away with bluffing your way through your trip? One of our team members shares her experiences in South America, where her best-laid plans to learn some Spanish before the trip went awry…
December 23, 2019
One of our teachers has been reflecting on how her experience of Christmas has evolved over the years as she’s crisscrossed through cultures. And she provides some advice on how to navigate the integration of multiple traditions.
December 3, 2019
If your business is looking towards Asia for future prospects, you may be thinking that Chinese is the language you need to focus on… but what form of Chinese is the best investment? We look at the pros & cons for both dialects to try and answer this thorny question.
November 19, 2019
Should we be taking some hints to actually plug-in to our devices a bit more from the way language learning is improving in schools?
November 6, 2019
This week we are sharing a great TED talk by Lera Boroditsky, which gives us a great insight into the true value of learning different languages.
October 30, 2019
There are over 6000 languages spoken in the world today. Unless you’re an incredible polyglot, you’ll need to figure out a way to choose to learn languages that make the most sense for your situation. This infographic gives some insights into what languages might be most useful for business…
October 22, 2019
When you are looking to develop an overseas business relationship and waiting to confirm your first meeting, you might be wondering about whose office to meet at – do you invite them to you, or wait for an invitation to visit them?
Either way, your budding language skills and cross-cultural homework should see you through. But what if a neutral location is thrown into the mix?
In this article, we look at how you can navigate cross-cultural differences effectively and helpfully when you are in new and unfamiliar terrain.
October 15, 2019
Technology is advancing faster and faster with every year that goes by. Here’s a quick infographic that highlights just how important mobile-based and blended learning is in 2019…
October 9, 2019
Our thoughts and dreams reveal so much about us – but what influences the language we choose to think and dream in – and how might this knowledge be helpful when we think about conducting business overseas? This article considers the science behind how we think and dream, introducing the complementarity principle.
September 24, 2019
There are over 500 million native English speakers around the world. An additional 1.5 billion people are English language learners. Altogether, the language is spoken in 101 countries, and it’s an official language in 35 of them. If you’re already fluent in English, then you’re on the right track to global business success. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should rest easy…
September 17, 2019
Running a successful business meeting is the topic of many a book, blog post or conversation and the pressure ramps up when you are welcoming overseas colleagues to town or visiting unfamiliar parts of the world. Food is often a significant factor to keep in mind – will your guests expect to discuss business over dinner or use this time purely to get to know you? Fortunately, with a little preparation, you can ensure that you and your team are meeting-ready – at any time and any place.
September 10, 2019
One of the greatest challenges that learning & development professionals face is creating a culture of constant learning. So how do you go about making that ideal world a reality in your organisation?
September 4, 2019
By 2025, 75% of the workforce will be Millennials (born between 1983 and 1994), while Generation-Z (born between 1995 and 2002) are hot on their heels. These are people who have grown up in the digital age and who are more comfortable with a keyboard and mouse than a pen and paper.
Below, we’re highlighting some of the top priorities of the modern workforce and how HR managers can implement practices to show they understand and wish to empower and motivate this new generation of workers.
August 27, 2019
We spend a third of our lives asleep – is it possible to put that time to good use and speed up our language learning overnight? In this article, we consider whether sleep learning is scientifically viable, or just science fiction.
August 20, 2019
Which kind of language training makes the most sense for what you need to achieve? One of our teachers, Vanessa, explains the top reasons to choose between one-to-one and group language training.
August 13, 2019
Binary code is the basis of computer coding languages – and computer programming is big business! As software functionality improves and becomes more advanced, it has the potential to transform the way we do business in exciting (yet difficult to predict) ways. Read on to find out more about coding languages, including how they help you run your business with ease, and how they might be important for long-term business success.
