Multilingualism is a boon in many ways and a bane in other others. Although the pros may outnumber the cons, some parents are still apprehensive about raising a multilingual child. Raising a multilingual child can be a challenging task and yet there are so many benefits that are attributed to your child for being multilingual.

The Boons

1. Your child is ahead of others in life from the very beginning

Multilingualism is a tremendous factor in giving your child a headstart, whether it is in school or later in life. Since your child has the opportunity of learning two or more languages simultaneously, he develops into a far more alert and intelligent kid. He’ll be able to pick up new things fast and learn new words in a jiffy.

2. Your child’s reading and writing skills are enhanced

Learning more languages means more reading and more writing. This is bound to sharpen your child’s reading and writing abilities. He will be sharper than the most of the kids in his class and isn’t it a great thing to see him reciting the French poem that you taught him and looking at the audience staring in awe at his perfect French pronunciations.

3. It helps build your child’s character and personality

If your child knows more that two languages then it is an extremely good thing as it will help in an all round development of the child. He will grow up to be more tolerant of other cultures and societies and will learn to respect their traditions and customs. It will also give him an edge above the others and hence boost his self confidence and build his self belief and trust.

4. Your child will learn how to adjust and adapt

Multilingualism will teach your child to adapt to various situations in life and not react invariably to the varied situations of life. All that he reads while learning the languages will tell him that there are ways that things are meant to be done and that is the right approach. Hastening into a decision will not land him anywhere. Since he knows many languages he will feel comfortable in any place that life may take him to.

5. Your child will have brighter career prospects

In today’s multicultural world knowing just one language is not enough. There are business deals going on between countries who do not understand each others languages. In such scenarios which are very common these days your child will have the upper hand above his colleague who may know just one language. Most Multi National Companies now specify the need for employees who at least know one other language other than English.

6. You may feel closer to your child this way

With your child knowing your long lost mother tongue you may be able to relate to your child in a better and a more intimate way. In fact, the child may even use this language to show his affection to you or make you feel special.

The Banes

1. You may have to work harder

Teaching a single language to a child is a tough job in itself. With the additional burden of another one it may be hard for you to keep up the pace. You cannot expect the child to learn the languages in a few days. You have to constantly keep pushing your limits of patience and dedication in order to teach your child a language properly. You have to constantly be on your toes if you want your child to be a multilingual. In today’s fast paced world with your own jobs and commitments this may not be such an easy task.

2. Your child may take more time to start talking

Since your child is learning many words in many languages it may take time for him to actually absorb all that he is learning and express it in his own way. This may worry some parents as your child may not have started talking but your friend’s may have. But be patient and learn to wait because this wait is definitely worth it.

3. Your child may end up confusing languages

It is quite common for your child to mix up words of different languages if he’s learning more than two together. He may not be able to express himself in one language and will hence use the word from the other language as a substitute. But this should not worry you as gradually as his vocabulary of both the languages increase he will not mix up the words anymore. He will be able to express himself in both equally well and that is when you will feel proud of your child and all the efforts that you put in to make him multilingual.

So in case you are hesitant, don’t be as all the troubles are worth what you get in the end.

When a company considers virtual receptionists as a way to handle overflow calls and after hour clients, few are aware of the many skills that a number of them bring to the table. More than just technically able to handle multiple calls with excellent customer service, a lot of virtual receptionists are fluent in two and sometimes even three languages. This allows for a whole new level of interaction with non-English speaking callers and provides new opportunities to open up markets that used to be out of reach.

The business world has expanded in the last few decades to the point where global awareness of different customer bases is mandatory for any company that wants to lead the pack in customer service and sales. Being able to interact with clients in different demographic areas is now one of the goals being added to many market plans and for a number of companies that means being able to communicate in a variety of languages. European companies have long been accustomed to having to translate calls and staff multi-lingual receptionists, but here in the United States it’s been a challenge creating new clients around the world while trying to find and retain translation services.

Most translation companies will provide an interpreter for a fee, but those costs can add up substantially over time and trying to match schedules between an interpreter, you, and your client can be tricky. Virtual receptionists are available 24/7 and the range of languages covered is impressive. Because a business that provides receptionist services has many different staff members to cover different shifts, the interpreters are available easily and with round the clock coverage. Trying to match time in China with US hours for a meeting becomes easy when the interpreter can be available anytime.

Virtual receptionists are becoming the choice of more and more businesses for their after hours and even regular day calls. Having professional and courteous staff handle your calls rather than a maze-like machine answering service (as well as the cost savings when compared to purchasing or leasing the equipment for a machine answering service) makes sense from a customer service as well as a budgetary point of view. Add in the ability to have round the clock access to bi-lingual call answering and translation services and virtual receptionists are a wise choice in today’s market.

In today’s world the ultimate solution for business is Tally 9. It is designed in such a way that it competes easily and successfully with the complex needs of the growing business. With the help of this feature the growth of the business is increased. It enhances your productivity by taking quicker decisions. Some of the important features of Tally 9 –

1. This software is having multilingual capability which allows the business owners to expand their business beyond geographical boundaries. Now it is possible to maintain your account in one language, view the reports in other and you can also send invoices in another language to your customers only at the press of a button.

2. It is able to maintain the accounts of unlimited companies.

3. Tally 9 is having the feature of data synchronization which enables fast and easy exchange of business transactions between different offices and branches and various geographies.

4. It is having the feature of complete bookkeeping. It keeps the details of all types of transactions like receipt, payments, income and expenses, sales and purchases, credit notes, debit notes etc.

Besides these features this software is full of other features like ratio analysis, budgeting, security control, powerful audit capabilities, payment performance of debtors, multi-currency accounting, comprehensive accounting, unified ledgers, pay roll, job costing etc.

Tally 9 software is having so many advantages that if you make use of this software then you will observe clear business benefits. There are some powerful advantages which you can enjoy.

1. Now you can expand your business beyond geographical boundaries as Tally 9 is having the feature of multi-currency and multi-lingual capability.

2. There is no need to hire some specialized resources as Tally 9 is very simple to learn and easy interface.

3. It is having a sheer power. It can handle transactions in huge volume without making any compromise on speed and efficiency.

4. This software also ensures better cash flow and saving on interest. Due to its ‘receivables and payables’ management feature almost all the collections are made on time and even you can send the reminders to the defaulters.

5. It provides the user with accurate data entry.

6. This software also enables the business owner to take a fast decision due to its feature of sharing of data.

7. Tally 9 provides the business owners with fast information.

8. Now with the help of Tally 9, invoicing and data entry is faster and also error free.

These advantages are very helpful for the organization in this competitive environment.

Overview

Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa, is a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual Nation. It is made up of ethnic nationalities like: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio, Bini, Nupe, Igala, Urhobo, Itsekiri, to mention a few, each with its distinct language. The country’s multi-ethnic and multi-lingual nature engenders an equally multi-cultural setting. Nigeria’s cultural diversity find expressions in the literary and artistic endeavours of her peoples, namely: poetry, prose, painting, music, sculpture, drama, dance, etc.

Pre-Colonial Poetry

Poetry as an art form has undergone evolution from pre-colonial to colonial and then to post-colonial and contemporary eras in Nigeria. Poetry in the pre-colonial era was unwritten. There existed a thin line between poets and musicians, who composed and rendered poetry in musical form. Poets then like Mazi Oparan’aku Onyeukwu(author’s grandfather), of Umude Avuvu in the present day Ikeduru local Government Area of Imo State Nigeria, whose nocturnal poetry renditions earned him the nickname “Obe na abali” meaning “the nocturnal voice”, published their works in form of renditions at funerals, marriage ceremonies, etc. Poets then were also prominent in boosting the morale of tribal warriors, as well as composing verses for use by diviners like the Ifa priests of the Yoruba race. Their presence in palaces were also considered as a paraphernalia of royalty. Poetry themes then consisted in praising virtues and condemning vices in the then compressed society. One feature of pre-colonial Nigerian poetry that is lacking in other eras is its spiritual leaning. Poets in that era had affinities with deities worshipped in their cultures. In most pre-colonial Nigerian cultures, poets were regarded as anointed mouthpieces of deities and are accorded recognition as quasi-priests. Remarkable also is the resilience of the (oral) poetry of this era which still find expressions in the works of modern day Nigerian scholars of oral literature like Professor Wande Abimbola.

Colonial Poetry

The introduction of western style education in Nigeria by the colonial missionaries, radically changed the shape of poetry, this generation of Nigerian poets, like; Wole Soyinka, John Pepper-Clark, Christopher Okigbo, Gabriel Okara, et al, having acquired western education, published their poems in book form and rendered them in radio and television stations and on the stages of semi- modern theatres. The themes however, centered mainly on fighting colonialism, which was regarded as a vice. Poetry themes during the colonial era tended towards academic, resulting into a tendency to weave the poetry of that era to appeal principally to members of the academia. The polarization of international political economy into capitalism and socialism also affected the themes of colonial era Nigerian poets, most of whom were educated in Europe and America. The effect of this polarization will better be appreciated when the works of Nigerian poets of this era are assessed.

Post-Colonial Poetry

By the end of colonialism, poets in post-colonial Nigeria, now exposed to technological education, drastically changed the style and themes of poetry writing and rendition. Compressing Nigerian poetry themes in the post-colonial era into particular moulds is somehow difficult. This is because of the emergence of various socio-economic, political and cultural tendencies which poets of this era must appeal to. Even in the midst of this difficulty, post-colonial era Nigerian poets like Niyi Osundare, Onwuchekwa Jemie, Chari Ada Onwu, et al, managed to focus on socially, politically and culturally relevant themes.

Contemporary Poetry

Contemporary Nigerian poets like: Obi Nwakanma, Odia Ofeimun, Chidi Anthony Opara, Ogaga Ifowodo, Maik Nwosu, Sola Osofisan, et al, publish mainly on the Internet and render their poems with sophisticated audio-visual instruments via equally sophisticated audio-visual broadcast channels and on stages of ultra-modern theatres. One of the major challenges faced by Nigerian poets of this era is the inability and/or reluctance on the parts of literary critics, who should normally be the fulcrum of qualitative literary craftmanship to upgrade their own skills to meet the challenges of literary productions in an Internet age. Another major problem is the erroneous belief in contemporary Nigeria that Poetry is only an intellectual exercise, whose entertainment content should not be emphasized. While contemporary Poets in other parts of the world are exploiting this entertainment aspect to enhance themselves and their societies, professionally, economically, politically, socially and culturally, contemporary Nigerian Poets still view their craft from an erroneous prism of poetry being only an intellectual exercise, with its attendant professional, economic, political, social and cultural consequences. Internet poetry publishing has however, contributed largely to the collapse of poetry hegemonies formed along Ibadan-Ife-Lagos and Nsukka-Enugu-Owerri literary axis respectively, immediately after the Nigerian civil war.

On Friday, March 4, an earthquake with a magnitude of at least 9.0 hit northern Honshu Island, Japan, around 3:00 p.m. local time in Japan. A massive tsunami followed this major earthquake. The number of casualties and actual damage has not yet been determined. Although several news media announcements have provided some early damage estimates, I would rather not mention any specific figures until more is known. I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy for the people who lost their lives, their families, and their homes in this natural disaster. I was quite fortunate to confirm the safety of my mother living in Tokyo. She also confirmed that there were no casualties and only minimal property damage among my family or friends.

Cell phone and email services were unable to handle the large increase in use and became overwhelmed in the aftermath of the disaster. Social network sites played a major role in obtaining updated information on this tragedy. My family and I could watch CNN in English, China Central TV News in Chinese, and NHK in Japanese. However, these television stations were only interested in broadcasting information about their own nationalities. NHK focuses on Japanese. CCTV only broadcasts about Chinese living in Japan or visiting Japan at that time. CNN talks about Americans.

While it is understandable for Japanese news media to focus on the safety of their own citizens, I believe we should not ignore the safety of other nationalities living in the disaster area or of foreign visitors. Their family and friends must have been frustrated by the lack of information available in their languages.

I learned about this service by accident. I contacted my translator friend on another work and found she was forming this service. I took part in this service adding Chinese and Spanish posts. They broadcast the most updated information concerning the earthquake and tsunami in many different languages. They are volunteer service of foreign language translators in Japan, and my friend played a leading role in forming this service. Some of the languages provided by the service include English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and more. I was fortunate enough to connect with this service and advertise its benefits using other social network services and my own blogs. The service broadcasts updated information about the aftermath, including information regarding damages, casualties, rescue efforts, and more. Let me show you how the service works:

– You can browse the posts in different languages which show or link to updated information on the disaster in your language.

– If you have specific information you need, post the request in the group in your language. A translator will pick up your post and respond to your request.

– The translation work in relation to this disaster is free, since the group is formed by volunteer translators.

At present, Magento holds 26% of the market share. This figure indicates how well Magento influenced the world of e-commerce development. This widely-known e-commerce web application has been used by some renowned brands such as Samsung, Nokia and Ford Auto in building their online stores. But, Magento e-commerce development is not only designed for large enterprises. Even small scale and new businesses can make use of the features of this platform.

Let us take a close look at some reasons why entrepreneurs should choose Magento for their developing online store.

1. SEO optimized

Magento marketing is considered as one of the best available application for e-commerce development because it is already SEO optimized. Its in-built SEO features help in the optimization of websites in the search engine results ranking.

2. Open-source application

Because Magento is an open-source application software, it is always readily available.

3. Multi-currency and multi-lingual support

Magento has multi-currency and multi-lingual support. It is available in around 60 different languages. It also offers various payment methods and currencies.

4. Highly flexible

Magento is designed with highly flexible framework. This feature allows professional developers to inculcate latest and advanced methodologies. Also, with the help of this feature Magento theme customization is made easier and quicker.

5. Secured authorization

Magento keeps the core components of the websites highly safe and secured. This secured authorization feature enables the avoidance of any data infringement coming from external sources.

6. Responsive

Online shopping stores that are Magento-based are highly responsive and are compatible to devices with different sizes of screen. Magento-based online shopping stores can be accessed using Windows and mobile devices.

7. Feedback and review

Magento’s feedback and review service guarantees seamless communication between merchandisers, owners and buyers.

8. Cross-browser compatibility

Magento based online stores that have enabled cross-browser compatibility feature can be accessed with ease by users using various browsers. This feature prevents any usage limitation and enhances website ranking on different search engines.

9. E-commerce specific

Magento is the only e-commerce platform that offers custom-made shopping websites. With Magento, it is easier to get your shopping cart customized. It enables entrepreneurs to easily augment the themes and background of their shopping cart.

10. RMA policy

Magento has introduced a new Return Material Authorization Policy to attract customers. The return material policy makes Magento a one of a kind e-commerce platform.

Magento development offers integrated payment options which enables the shoppers to pay for the items they bought using various payment options. It has integrated third-party payment gateways like E-bay, Quickbooks and PayPal that are highly functional. This facilitate a convenient and hassle-free shopping experience for customers from around the world.

Android is a Linux based mobile device operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. Android is mainly used in Smartphone and tablet computers. Android is open source i.e. its features can be extended to incorporate new technologies as they emerge.

Android, Inc. was founded by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sear and Chris White in Palo Alto, California. On August 17, 2005 Google acquired Android Inc. making it a subsidiary of Google Inc.

On November 5, 2007, the Open Handset Alliance publicly announced their first product, Android, a mobile device platform built on Linux kernel version 2.6.

Android provides a broad spectrum of applications and services to its user. Users can fully customize their mobile phones to their interests. The first Mobile phone that has used Android was the HTC Dream, release on 22 October 2008.

Here are some features of Android Operating System.

1. Layout: The layout is mainly based on VGA, 2D graphics library and 3D graphics library based on OpenGL ES 2.0.
2. Storage: For data storage SQLite is used.
3. Connectivity: Android supports GSM/EDGE, IDEN, CDMA, EV-DO, UMTS, Bluetooth, WI-Fi, LTE, NFC and WiMAX connectivity technologies.
4. Multi Lingual Support: It supports multiple languages.
5. Messaging: Android supports SMS and MMS including threaded text messaging and Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM).
6. Web Browser: It is mainly based on the open-source WebKit layout engine and Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine.
7. Java Support: Most of the applications are written in Java but they run on Dalvik, a specialized virtual machine designed specifically for Android.
8. Media Support: Android supports WebM, H.263, H.264, MPEG-4 SP, AMR, AMR-WB, AAC, HE-AAC, MP3, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP and WebP media formats.
9. Hardware Support: It can support wide variety of hardwares including video/still cameras, touchscreens, GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes, barometers, magnetometers, dedicated gaming controls, proximity and pressure sensors, thermometers, accelerated 2D bit blits and accelerated 3D graphics.
10. Multitasking: Android supports multitasking.
11. Multi-touch: It supports multi touch natively, but previously it was disabled at the kernel level. An update was released by Google which enables multi-touch natively.
12. External Support: Now the majority of Android devices support microSD slot and can read microSD card formatted with FAT32, Ext3fs or Ext4fs file system.

There are millions of applications available for Android which can be downloaded from Google Play, formerly Android Market. The latest version that is available to phones is Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Schools offering English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL or ESL) programs benefit from marketing their programs in a variety of languages.

Put yourself in the position of a parent who wants to send their son or daughter to a faraway land to learn English. Chances are, it will be one of their child’s first experiences living away from home and away from the family. The decision to send a child – even a teenager or young adult – is one that many parents take seriously.

Imagine this: Your daughter wants to go away and study a foreign language… maybe Chinese or French or some other language that you don’t speak. She tells you that she has found two possible schools and wants you to have a look at their web sites. She sends the links to you at the office. During your coffee break, you check out the first school’s site. All the information is written in English. You find out about the school, the teachers who work there, the homestay accommodations available and the program she will be taking.

You move on to the second site. All the same information is there (you think?) but it is written only in the language your daughter wants to learn. You surf around, look at the pictures and try to get back to the home page again. But you don’t speak the language the website is in, so the best you can do is get a general idea from the photos and site design.

After you’ve looked at both sites, where do you want to send your daughter?

The fact of the matter is that both schools may have excellent programs, but if students (and their parents) can read about it in their own language, you will build an unspoken relationship of trust with them. It’s both perception and perspective. You trust what you know.

For English as a Second or Foreign Language programs that recruit international students, translating your web site (or at least major points of it) into the languages of your major markets gives you an advantage over your monolingual counterparts.

This article is adapted from a chapter in the author’s book, 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program: A Practical Guide for Language Schools.

Want to cite this article in your own research? Here’s the citation information:

Eaton, Sarah Elaine. (2010). “Trying to Market ESL Or EFL Programs to Internationals? Multilingual Marketing Gives You an Edge”. Retrieved from EzineArticles.com.

“There is no finish line”

As cheesy as it may sound, it’s true; especially when it comes to the topic of learning. I’m talking about the underdog in everyone’s lives; I’m talking of course about, languages. Learning a new language just doesn’t get recognized for their importance. Meanwhile trigonometry, 19th century Shakespearian poems and that physics formula you once wrote get to keep the seat in the front of the bus in your world. They are important, but to me, learning a language is a like a foundation – a starting point for everything.

I was speaking to my dad and he told me about his friend of whom he said ‘can speak 7 different languages’. Meanwhile, I struggle with 3, or 2 and-a-half if you count my basic German skills. I asked how anyone could do that and he told me that once you’ve learned your 3rd language, the rest would be easy. Skeptical, but it got me pumped. I had to learn German, because I had a mandatory internship program there. I wish I could say that I had a foothold in the race, but I had the opposite. Rather, it was like I was starting far behind the other sprinters and had a cinderblock attached to my leg. There was no autopilot here and no shortcuts.

My first language was Indonesian and in university, almost everyone (but me) spoke a third language. I was the odd one out and although I wasn’t alone, I knew that I had to do better. No questions or complaints, for me, just learn and keep trying. So I bought every German book, DVD/TV show and anything I can get my hands on that was German. Bear in mind that I took German lessons at the same time. I started to listen to all German music, watching Bundesliga and so forth. I tried to speak German at every chance I get.

In my school, the ones that were behind in their German skills had to really haul some weight. I took up tutoring as well as weekly classes in university. The lessons were particularly cool and fun and we learned a lot. I particularly enjoyed most lessons, because I was with others and it was an effective way to learn. Of course, I also spoke German around the house and would also speak it when I play online games.

While I was in Germany, I was fearless. I walked the back streets of Hamburg, where tourists/foreigners don’t go. I wasn’t afraid to find my own way back, find my own transportation or do my own business, despite the fact that I’m in a completely different culture and language. I went down to a little village called Soest, where everyone spoke German. I didn’t have to worry a single bit about asking how much, where can I find the toilet and where my hotel was.

I had a call from the hotel receptionist asking about my booking and she was speaking German. Did I mumble and stutter and asked if she spoke English? Of course not, I spoke to her, in German, to the best of my abilities (I did clarify in the beginning that I’m not fluent) and made that damn reservation. I spoke to people, and I was able to experience the best of Germany to the utmost potential. I got to feel the immense warmth of the German culture, which I’ve idolized since university.

No, but my multilingual abilities didn’t stop at the German border. That wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. I opened my email and got 4 different job interview requests in Germany (I was there as part of my internship program): “We’re looking for a native English speaker… ” To add to that I was also business fluent in Indonesian, so all of this led to the best experiences in my life. During interviews, they’d ask me how good my German was and I was honest, I told them that I spoke German good enough for daily living. All in all, this was a rare moment where being in a feeding frenzy was good, assuming that you’re the food and the sharks are companies.

The feeling of learning English and German was empowering, it was like having an epiphany. I didn’t do these things because I was bored. I did it because I wanted to be worth something. As a result from being limitless and not limiting myself to only 1 language, I had the best educational, social and cultural experience of my youth.

With the growing global business market, the relevance of multilingual call center services is also increasing. Outsourcing multilingual call center services to an efficient service provider has more than a few benefits. You can serve the existing customer base in a better way and also you can grab new business opportunities.

These days there are a lot of outsourcing companies offering these solutions. Therefore, before hiring a service provider make sure that you are investing on the right people. For that, there are certain elements which you should consider before outsourcing. Some of the most important among them are mentioned below.

· Efficiency of resources allocated

An ideal company assures that the resource allocation process falls in line with the customer’s specifications. The company before recruiting its staff scrutinizes their language skills including accent, grammar, writing and comprehension skills. You should provide detailed specifications of your requirements and make sure that the company is assigning apt resources capable of doing the job in the perfect and professional manner.

· Type of training provided

Most of the companies offering these solutions provide wide varieties of training programs for their resources. You should inspect the inclusions in these programs to make sure that you will benefit by outsourcing to the concerned company. Normally the modules in training programs cover sales techniques, multi-tasking and customer service. Also, native teachers may be providing cultural training for the executives which helps them to easily and effectively deal with audience from different global locations.

· Steps taken to assure quality

Quality is of peak relevance for the success of any contact center. A company should have a dedicated quality control department entrusted with the task of analysing the quality of interactions made with the end customers. In case an agent faces any difficulties, a quality control professional will mentor and guide him for improvement of skills.

· The structure of organization

When you are looking to hire outsourcing multilingual call center service providers, check whether they are offering dedicated teams or shared teams. Dedicated teams will be exclusively taking care of your project while the latter will simultaneously be responsible for multiple projects. You can make the choice based on your need and budget.

The service providers must always be aware of the latest industry trends and technologies. You can check their previous customer’s feedback or testimonials to gauge their quality of services and then decide on outsourcing the services.