English: the language that crosses borders and generations

                                                                                                         

Nowadays, new technologies facilitate the learning of a new language. Using a Smartphone allows you to download apps that translate words with a single click. You may also find the most popular acronyms used around the world. For example, a term we all know,"LOL", stands for ‘Laugh out Loud.

English is one of the universal languages and has a great influence on the whole world. This language is used across all disciplines; technology, science, economics, management, literature, entertainment, and so on. Spoken in more than 60 countries, the day-to-day English is constantly evolving, giving rise to new vocabularies, grammatical forms and new ways of speaking and writing.

English also evolves through cultures: “A recent study has suggested that among students in the United Arab Emirates, Arabic is associated with tradition, home, religion, culture, school, arts and social sciences,” whereas English “is symbolic of modernity, work, higher education, commerce, economics, science and technology.” The English language is becoming more infused with the culture or group of people who speak it. In other words, the use of a language is determined or defined by the ones who are using that language.

In many industrialized countries, English is used in politics, business, and hospitality, facilitating communication with other nations. We are seeing more and more organizations that promote the hiring of bilingual employees because they can serve a larger market and create relationships. Some people also prefer traveling to countries that use English as a second language to facilitate their stays.

Do not wait anymore, learn English and cross borders!

 

Visit our website to learn more about our language programs.

3 Benefits of Being Bilingual

                                                                                                                                                         

 

The benefits of speaking two languages have been proven to have many social and psychological advantages. Being bilingual makes you smarter. It has an effect on your brain; it improves cognitive skills and can delay dementia in elderly people. If you’re not convinced yet, in this article, we will discuss 3 benefits of bilingualism in your personal life.

More Job Opportunities

People who can speak another language are able to communicate with people of other cultures. Montreal is a multicultural city; employers look to hire individuals who can communicate with customers in English and French. Imagine the advantage you have over someone who doesn’t speak English. Mentioning on your resume that you’re bilingual is highly appealing to employers who are serving both markets. You may also have the opportunity to work and travel in other countries, which will enhance your overall professional skill.

Improves Your Brain

Learning another language requires a lot of memorizing involving memorizing grammatical rules and vocabulary, which strengthens the brain muscles. Moreover, a 2012 study conducted by the University of California found that elderly participants who could speak more than one language were less likely to have early onset of dementia.

Increases Your Circle of Friends

Being bilingual is a great way to connect with new people in your city. We build relationships with people with whom we can communicate easily. Speaking English and French will make you more attractive to a variety of individuals who speak either one or both languages. You never know who you can meet, it may be someone who helps you in your career.

Are you convinced yet?

 

We understand that learning a new language may seem frightening, but Prolang offers many training opportunities to help you speak English, French or even Mandarin quickly.

 

3 tips to Successfully Learn a New Language on a Busy Schedule

                                                                                                                                   

Learning a new skill doesn’t happen overnight: it takes training, time, and discipline. It can be overwhelming if you’re working or going to school full time. To help you, we’ve outlined 3 tips to successfully combine language training and a busy work schedule.

Having a Schedule

The best way to find time to study a new language is to schedule it in your agenda. You should try to dedicate as much time as possible to learning the language: aim for 3-4 hours per week (30 minutes per day). It doesn’t really matter how long you study at one time, the important thing is to be consistent with your routine. As you once heard, “practice makes perfect” and the most efficient way for you to do so is by scheduling it in advance in your agenda.

 

Translate everything around you

Have fun translating every word you encounter. There are signs and billboards everywhere.
Pay attention on your way to work, at the grocery store, or while shopping. That way you can adapt to things around you more quickly since these are words you’ll most likely encounter on a daily basis. For instance,
if you’re in a meeting at work, try to translate some of what’s being said.

 

Listen to the radio or music

Make good use of your time by listening to a radio station in the language you’re learning. Get familiar with popular words to describe local or international news. Don’t worry if you don’t understand every word, the more often you hear a word, the more you’ll memorize it and pronounce it the right way. 

It’s understandable that language learning may be hard at the beginning, especially when you have a busy schedule.  We’re here to help! Contact us to discover our online programs. [email protected] 

 

       

                    

 

7 Styles of Learning - Which One Fits You?

                                                                                                    

By: Prolang

What’s your learning style? - Whether it’s at school, at work or in your own time, if you’re acquiring a new skill, you will use one of the 7 styles of learning. For instance, when learning a new language, some people prefer study in groups instead of listening to audio Knowing your learning style will help you accelerate your learning acquisition. Especially if you’re in a workplace environment; most of the time, the new skill you’re acquiring may help you get the position you’ve always wanted.

 

1- Physical - You use your sense of touch.

You prefer learn English by role-playing with your colleagues. Using your body helps you process the new skill faster. You also like to use physical objects to memorize new words.

 

2- Solitary- You learn alone. 

You like to get your hands on anything that will help you learn English, and you study alone. You learn quicker by not being interrupted. You’re more likely to review the material at your own pace after work.

 

3- Social - You learn better in groups.

You enjoy the company of others. You need to be surrounded by people who are learning English as well or who are more advanced than you.

 

4- Logical -You like to connect the dots.

You need to understand the meaning and the origin of a word in a sentence for you to process it.

 

5- Visual You use images, pictures or mapping.

You need something to write or draw on. You’re more likely to visualize the

meaning of words to understand it better.

 

6- Aural You like sound and music.

You prefer listening to audio where you hear a tutor talk and explain the use of

words in English.

 

7- Verbal You use words.

You like to write and read out loud in English to process the new language.

Your learning style has a huge influence on the way you learn. You can be a mix  of 2 or more of these 7 styles of learning. It’s actually better to use a combination of techniques as it helps remember more of what you learn. For instance, learning English in the workplace can be fun when you practice your next sales presentation in a group setting. In the case, you would use at least 3 styles of learning.

 

 

3 Advantages of having bilingual employees

 

The ability to speak in another language is a significant advantage in the workplace.

Nowadays, most companies are trying to reach out to international prospects or customers for business expansion.

It has been proven that employees who speak more than one language give the organization an additional advantage

over the competition.

 In this article, we’ve outlined 3 main reasons why bilingual employees enhance the work environment.

 

 Work fast and can multitask

A study conducted by Northwestern University shows that speaking more than one

language helps you move quicker and multitask. The benefits occur because the

bilingual brain is constantly activating both languages and choosing which one to

use and which to ignore, said a researcher. The ability to multitask is favorable in a

corporate environment where things move fast and need to be done quickly.

 

Help in international affairs

With today’s global economy, more companies expand their services internationally,

and having employees who speak another language can be beneficial. Whether it is

French, English or Spanish, having bilingual speakers open doors to a larger pool of

clients and customers. Moreover, they will have a better understanding of the

culture, which is very important when dealing with international clients. The

bilingual employee can help bridge the gap.

 

Can replace a translator or an interpreter

A skilled bilingual employee can help with proofreading and translating to ensure

that the materials are coherent and understandable in multiple languages. It avoids

the effort of creating a job description and hiring someone to translate documents

or interpret a conversation.

As an added value to the employee, it can be beneficial to the employer to pay for

the training of employees who decide to pursue learning other languages.

 

 A Prolang, we offer a variety of options to help your employees reach their goal of becoming bilingual. 

Tirer avantage des médias sociaux pour apprendre une langue seconde

Par Matthew King ( Traduction: Mari-Carmen )

Les médias sociaux occupent un grand espace dans notre quotidien et consomment une importante partie de notre temps libre.  Pourquoi alors ne pas les utiliser à notre avantage, lorsqu’on apprend une deuxième ou troisième langue?  Il existe plusieurs façons d’utiliser les réseaux sociaux dans l’apprentissage d’une langue, mais par où débuter?

3 conseils et astuces pour apprendre une langue étrangère :

Une des premières choses possibles à faire est de changer les paramètres linguistiques de l’application que vous utilisez vers la langue que vous étudiez.  Si vous êtes avide des réseaux  sociaux, il vous est certainement déjà possible de naviguer sur Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Pinterest et Instagram avec les yeux fermés. En modifiant les paramètres linguistiques de l’application, vous devrez vous efforcer de bien lire les menus affichés afin de vous assurer que vous cliquez au bon endroit. Il s’agit d’un bon moyen d’apprendre de nouveaux termes sans effort réel!

Ensuite, immergez-vous dans la culture du langage que vous étudiez, par exemple en suivant ou en aimant des pages sur des sujets qui vous passionnent, mais dans la langue apprise.  Vous vous instruirez alors tout en écoutant des vidéos, ou même en suivant des commentaires mis en ligne par des célébrités! Ceci est une excellente façon d’améliorer vos capacités tant en écoute qu’en lecture de la nouvelle langue.

Finalement, faites votre possible pour vous impliquer dans les conversations et de ne pas agir en tant que simple spectateur; demeurez actif dans vos efforts d’apprentissage.  Plus vous interagissez avec les autres personnes en ligne, plus vous gagnerez en confiance lors de conversations en face à face.  Aussi, en téléversant ou en partageant des vidéos et des articles, vous ouvrirez la porte au dialogue, ce qui vous permettra de développer des capacités à vous exprimer dans la langue apprise.  Ceci est un moyen très efficace de pratiquer vos aptitudes en communication.

Ces petits trucs vous aideront à tirer avantage des médias sociaux comme outil dans l’apprentissage d’une langue.  Ceci est beaucoup plus productif que de regarder des vidéos de chats, non?

 

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