Thank you for teaching me so many things about language teaching. I hope some of you have come to like the English language. And, of course:

Daniel

“Culture Shock” is used to describe the emotional rollercoaster that someone experiences when living in a new country. It affects anyone from business personnel, to students, to volunteers, to sports stars, etc. Riding the rollercoaster of culture shock, one actually follows a natural pattern of hitting peaks and valleys. The high points of interest and excitement are succeeded by lower points of depression, disorientation, or frustration. Each expat will experience these ups and downs in different degrees of intensity and for different lengths of time. This process is necessary in order to make the transition from one culture to another. Your ability to adapt, the lengths of your stay, and the support systems* you have in place will affect your way of handling culture shock.

By the end of your rollercoaster ride though, you’ll have an irreplaceable perspective gained through experience and appreciation. You may even have difficulties with re-entering your own culture. Typically, the more successful you were in immersing yourself in the country and culture where you have just been, the more difficult a time you will have re-adjusting to your own culture, and getting back into the routine of your old life. You will most likely go through an adjustment process, similar to what you might have experienced abroad. Things have changed while you were gone, and you might feel a little bit out of place in your own culture. Others may expect you to act the same as you always did, but you have changed, and find it difficult to do so. You may wish to just leave the country again as soon as possible! It will take time and patience on your part to facilitate your gradual re-adjustment to your culture.

There are many variables associated with the levels of culture shock but most sojourners point out there is a key skill acquired: having become better at acclimating to new lifestyles and more tolerant to differences, a highly beneficial effect as there will be an adjustment period with every big move in life.

*An expat network that I found to be comprehensive:
https://www.internations.org/about-internations/

Here are some guidelines for the presentation.

The most suitable type of product would be one you can bring to the exam — e.g. a household appliance — because it’s easier to show how something works when you have a model at hand.

However, as the question has been raised: You may also choose a service rather than a product, just that a service may be harder to describe.

• host handouts, audio files and videos for use in class and at home,
• provide you with extra tasks and materials related to the course topics.

Read more about the blog here and feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments section or on the feedback page.

Course topics in the 2nd semester

• Sustainability
  Sustainable business management and marketing — what does sustainability mean and which areas of business does it affect?
• Retailing
  Outlets, department stores and supermarkets, customer surveys, supply chain, production, product description and presentation.
• Advertising
  Basics, terms, best and worst practices, greenwashing and business ethics, case studies.
• International Trade
  Globalization, protectionism versus free trade, fair trade and global justice.
• Cultures
  Importance of intercultural awareness and global competences in business.

• Leo is probably the most popular online dictionary in Germany but is not very helpful unless you are a very proficient English speaker. The reason: it does not give you any context, just a list of possible translations of a word. But how can you tell which of the 15 English translations for “Absatz” refers to business? You may still find interesting discussions in the forum.

• Pons is much better in that respect, although it doesn’t have a forum, because it gives you translations in context and sample phrases.

• Sometimes it can be helpful to use unilingual (English-only) dictionaries like Macmillan because they give so much more information on word forms, synonyms and usage.

• Cambridge University provides a unilingual online Business English Dictionary.

• An interesting alternative to dictionaries is Linguee which searches the internet for bilingual websites and gives you extracts from both versions. Be aware that these translations may contain errors. They show you how other people translated your word or phrase.

• A Thesaurus is a monolingual directory of synonyms (words meaning the same thing) and sometimes antonyms (words meaning the opposite).

For those who’ve already got the book: You will find all the topics in the book, but in different order. We have changed the order so as to proceed from Brands through Organisation, Change and Travel to Money.

Please make sure you buy the 3rd edition (not the First or New edition), Intermediate level (not Pre-intermediate or Advanced), Course Book (not the Teacher’s Book or Test File etc.).

I’m going to write in English, but difficult words will be explained. Look out for words with a dotted line beneath them. When you place the mouse pointer over them, a text box with an explanation will pop up.

Posts are usually assigned one or more categories and tags. Categories (Downloads, Videos, Homework etc.) tell you what kind of help or assignments you will find in the post. Tags refer to topics from the textbook, such as Brands or Advertising. You can search for individual tags and categories using the sidebar.

There are three special categories which are marked by icons next to the post heading:

Announcements: Important information. Please read.

Homework: Some assignment is waiting for you.

Print: There are documents for you to print out and bring to the next class.

Otherwise, the blog is also meant to be a forum for feedback and suggestions on your part. There’s a special Feedback page, but in fact you may leave comments everywhere. Just click on the ‘Leave a reply’ link at the top of each post.

I hope you are enjoying the classes! English is a very rich and beautiful language, so let’s get rich and celebrate the beauty.

Best wishes,
Daniel