Beyond Words

Can skills you learn in one context be successfully transferred to another? Now, more than ever, having an attractive professional profile is key. Whether you need to refresh your LinkedIn profile and your CV, make sure you showcase your skills. During Covid, many took online courses to explore new horizons or simply to stay active. The question is: When choosing a course, do you consider how transferable are the skills that you will learn?   First of all, what are transferable skills? “Transferable skills are exactly what they sound like: the skills that you use in every job, no matter the title or the field. Some transferable skills are “hard,” like coding or data analysis, and some are “soft,” skills like communication and relationship building. [1] ” The most common transferable skills that employers find desirable are:     Let us consider what skills people who attend a teacher training course leave with. For example, during a TAFL course (Teaching Arabic as a Foreign L

Intercultural differences encompass the diverse ways that people from various backgrounds perceive, communicate, and interact. These distinctions are shaped by language, religion, customs, values, social norms, and historical experiences, reflecting each culture's unique history, geography, and belief systems. In a world that is more interconnected than ever, understanding these differences is key to fostering positive cross-cultural relationships.  Key Areas of Intercultural Differences Here’s a look at some of the most common ways intercultural differences show up in everyday interactions: 1. Communication Styles Cultures have unique norms around communication—whether verbal or nonverbal. This includes the use of directness, gestures, eye contact, and appropriate levels of formality. For example, while some cultures value directness, others might see it as impolite, leading to potential misunderstandings. 2. Social Norms Behavior considered appropriate in one culture can be inter

  Are they any good? Can you really become fluent using just an app? What are the best features of these apps? These apps are very easy to use, most of them offer a free service, and they all have courses for complete beginners. The exercises are easy to understand and they are all based on a simple formula to help you memorise words. Some are supported by visuals, which make understanding easier; some instead, are supported by translation in English. Do they offer a sense of achievement? Most of them have cute ways to celebrate completion of activities or levels: for example a growing plant in a pot or a little character celebrating your new level. Do these gimmicks work? Actually, they do! Being celebrated for completing a level is very nice and it energises you, you feel you want to do more. Positive reinforcement is very powerful.   What are their common pitfalls? The most common pitfalls, in the free versions, are linked to gaps in grammar clarifications. For