English in Asia

I'm writing from Kuala Lumpur, my first stop on this first trip to Asia.

One of the most striking things here, at least for me as a business traveler, is the high level of English.

I realize that there are a lot of cultural and historical reasons for this, not least of which is the current status of SE Asia as an important emerging market. Nonetheless, it's impressive, especially coming from Barcelona, where English is still a growth area.

What I would point out is that in places where English is important for tourism, it's almost like clothing or personal style. It creates a first impression which lingers.

I've been surprised here by the very idiomatic use of English in speaking, but especially in signage, websites, menus and advertising.

At least on that one level, it makes a traveler feel welcome and able to understand.

Any port in a storm

Any port in a storm is an expression that needs a little explanation. A port is where ships can come in from the sea. So if you imagine being on a ship in a big storm, you can see that finding a port would be good. But we use this expression when we choose something simply because it's necessary. We wouldn't choose it under normal circumstances, only in an emergency, or when no other option is available. This expression is sometimes used humorously. Take a look at the examples and see if you can pick out the the one that the speaker intends to be funny.

You: I really need to use a bathroom.
Your friend: Uh, there really isn't any decent place to stop along here.
You: What about that gas station we just passed?
Your friend: Didn't that look kind of dirty?
You: At this point, it's any port in a storm.


Bob: Did I just see you dancing with James?
Alison: Well, yes.
Bob: Wow.
Alison: I know. But my feeling right now is, any port in a storm!

Like hell

Like hell is an expression which changes depending on how it's used.

If you use it after a verb, it works like an extreme adverb. A few examples:

When the crew saw the bear, they ran like hell. (They ran really fast)

"I closed the door on my finger this morning... It hurt like hell!" (It hurt a lot)

We tried like hell to prevent the highway expansion, but we failed in the end. (We tried really hard)

On the other had, if you use like hell alone, it's an exclamation which means "no way" or "absolutely not." Here we go:

You to your colleague: "Bob's going to tell our boss that we're not going to the offsite because we don't believe in offsites."

Bob to you and your colleague: "Like hell!" (No way, I would never do that.)

Though at the end of a sentence

When you hear or read though at the end of a sentence, it means however. It indicates that there's a contradiction or condition relating to what has already been said. Here are a few examples:

You: Did your mom like the restaurant?

Your friend: Well, I'm not sure. She didn't seem to like the menu, and she had a hard time deciding what to order.

You: Oh. That's too bad.

Your friend: She finished everything, though!

***

Dear Bob,

Thanks for sending the presentation. I think it looks good in general, and I like the images you've added. We shouldn't be overconfident, though. What would you think about getting Janice's opinion before we meet with the client?

***

Your boyfriend: It's going to rain.

You: Yeah, I know.

Your boyfriend: I still want to go the park, though. What about you?

***

P.S. A warm thank you to Pal, who suggested a post about this!

See you soon

This is a special post dedicated to readers in Spain.

"Hasta ahora" is a common expression here. Sometimes people translate this into "see you now" in English.

The truth is that I really like the expression "see you now." The other truth is that we don't really say it this way in English. We say "see you soon" or "see you in a few minutes" or even "see you in a few."

So, your English will sound more idiomatic if you start using these expressions when you would say "hasta ahora."

Un fuerte abrazo,

Val

The long and short of it

People use this expression to summarize, to give the conclusion to a story, situation, or dilemma. Usually a person will be telling a story or presenting a situation, and when the conclusion is near, he or she will say, "so the long and short of it is..."

Here are a few examples:

You: "How are the wedding plans going?"

Your colleague: "Not very well, actually."

You: "Really? What's happening?"

Your colleague: "Well, we made all the reservations almost a year ago, and paid deposits, and then yesterday we got a call from the hotel saying that they're in the middle of renovations, and the project isn't going as quickly as they expected, so the long and short of it is that they're offering us a part of the building but not the part we wanted and paid for."

You: "Oh no!"

***

In a business presentation: "As you can see from last quarter's results, we're losing market share to our two biggest competitors. The long and short of it is that they're outspending us in marketing in all media."

No-brainer

A no-brainer is a dilemma which appears to have an obvious answer. If you're trying to make a decision, and you explain the options to someone else, they may tell you that it's a no-brainer, meaning that you don't need to use your brain to decide because the right choice is obvious.

This is very subjective; what may be a no-brainer for your colleague may not be for you. Here are a few examples of how to use this noun:

You: What do you think? Should I apply for the product director position?
Your colleague: That's a no-brainer! You're perfect for it and it would be a big promotion for you.

***

Your friend: I thought choosing a new tablet was going to be a no-brainer, but there are more options than I realized.

***

Advertisement: Make choosing your product a no-brainer with our fresh design! Contact us today for a free assessment of your brand.

To not be cut out for something

If you're not cut out for something, it means that you don't have the ability or willingness to do it or be it.

For example, I'm not cut out to be a surgeon, or any kind of doctor. The sight of blood and needles makes me feel faint!

I'm also not cut out to be an engineer or a financial analyst, because my math skills aren't strong enough.

I'm not cut out for mountain climbing or skiing, because my knees are not good.

What about you? What aren't you cut out for?

Tiring vs. tiresome

If a task is tiring, it makes you feel tired. Many things can be tiring, like waiting in line, filing out forms, doing certain kinds of housework.

Tiresome is an adjective that describes a person or activity that makes you feel bored and/or annoyed. So it's a bit different from tiring, because there's a more negative and emotional meaning. Here are a few examples:

You: How are you?
Your friend: Not that great. I've been in a really tiresome meeting for the last two hours, talking about the same things over and over again and not getting anywhere.

*****

You: Do you ski?
Your colleague: Not really. I used too, but the whole process was just too tiring. All that preparation and expense for such a short time actually skiing!

Practice made visible

I've posted a lot here about practice being important to improving your English. Here's a nice video about someone learning to dance in a year, by practicing a little every day.

What I really appreciate here is the very beginning. It's not often that we get to see someone doing something from the start, or near the start. I think this leads us to believe that others are born masters, and we won't be able to achieve what they can. For me, seeing someone at the beginning of learning to dance is inspiring.

I was like

This is not easy to explain.

Sometimes when people are telling each other about something that happened, they use this expression to say what they said or how they felt. You have to experience this to really understand how it works. Here is an example:

***

You: What did you do last night?

Your friend: Well, my brother called and he was like, do you want to hang out, and I was like, I'm kind of tired and he was like, I can come over and we can watch TV and I was like, OK if you bring some food and he was like, Thai food? So he came over and we just hung out. What about you?

You: I was like, really tired too, but I had to meet some friends of John's who are visiting. They were like, we want to have tapas and I was like, it's going to be hard to find a table and they were like, that's no problem, we don't mind waiting, and I was like, I do, but I was cool about it and finally we found a place by their hotel.

***

This is a way of speaking that is very common among young Americans (people in their 20s or younger). It may seem strange to you, but once you learn to hear it, it will be easier to understand people when they speak. You can also start using this sometimes... it's very colloquial!

Flimsy

A wonderful person recently reminded me of a wonderful word: flimsy. This is an adjective, and if we're talking about an object (like a fabric or other material), it means "light, thin and insubstantial; lacking solidity or strength." If we're talking about an idea, theory or argument, it means "lacking plausability, unconvincing". Here are a few examples:

Mary's flimsy umbrella was no match for the strong wind and rain, and it broke a few minutes after she left the house.

***
Hi Bob,

Thanks for your message about the meeting with Tom and Dave. I think the presentation is good in general, but I'm concerned that the product section is a bit flimsy. I don't think what we have will convince them to upgrade; could you review it and see what you can do to make it stronger? Thanks!

All best,

Anne
***

Salesperson: Can I help you?
You: Yes, I'm looking for some summer curtains.
Salesperson: Are you looking for anything specific?
You: Well, I want something light and summery, but not so flimsy that it will fall apart after one summer.
Salesperson: Right. I think we have some things over here that might be just right.

Flimsy is a regular adjective, so: flimsy, flimsier, the flimsiest.

Imperfect and effective

Over the past few weeks, I've been watching a TED talk by Dan Ariely. The talk is very effective, and I'm posting it below. He makes some interesting points about recognition and motivation, and although some of the insights shouldn't be new to us, the experiments he describes give vivid proof that demotivating people is very, very easy. 

Dan Ariely is an Israeli American, and he's a professor at Duke University. If you watch his TED talk, you may notice that his English is imperfect. I think you'll also feel that his presentation is effective. 

My message to you is that when you need to speak to people in English (or an any language that isn't native for you), the most important thing is to connect with people and communicate from the heart, with conviction.  Don't worry about being perfect. It's hard communicate very much if you're too focused on perfection!

It seems that there's a problem with embedding the video, so here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aH2Ppjpcho

Warm up your English

When you need to attend a training session or conference, or make a phone call in English, it makes sense to warm up first.

This is easy to do! Spending ten or fifteen minutes listening to something online is a great way to change your mind over to English. You could also chat with someone, or even just read for a few minutes. Anything you do to move your thoughts into English will help a lot!

Confusing nouns: Travel vs. trip

Travel refers to the concept of travel more than a single experience of travelling. A single experience of travelling, like going from Barcelona to Madrid, is a trip.

So when you come to visit me in Barcelona, I'll ask you: "How was your trip?"

And when you leave, I'll say: "Have a great trip!"

Sometimes people use the noun travel in plural, when they are speaking of a lot of trips, but this is kind of unusual. Nonetheless, you could ask someone: "Do you have any interesting travels coming up?"

When you're talking about a single instance of travelling, though, trip is the one to use. Here are a few examples:

You: How was your trip?
Him: It was really long, but everything went fine.


****
To: Advertising Departament
From: Finance

Hi everyone,

Due to the current financial situation, we've decided to suspend all business trips starting on May 1. If you have a trip planned for after that date, let us know and we'll see what we can do. Please do not schedule any further trips until the suspension is lifted.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know!

All best,

Financial Team

Ramp it up

To ramp it up means to increase your effort, or to make something grow.

Usually, I think it's great to find safe spaces for improving your English, non-threatening ways to practice. In general, these kinds of opportunities, like classes, self-study, and language exchanges are the best way to improve.

But what about taking a risk?

My idea today for how to ramp up your English is to enroll in a Coursera online course. They have an amazing selection of courses to choose from, and a lot of people around the world, with all levels of English, are participating.

Why not you?

P.S. This image is from clarityfortheboss.com

All work and all play

This afternoon I had the pleasure of watching this video with Neus, one of my favorite people. What's interesting here, in my opinion, is the analysis of how different generations have approached their work lives. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts about this; do you agree with the ideas?

By the way, you can also find this video subtitled in Spanish. Hope you find it thought-provoking.

P.S. The title comes from an expression: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

Behind your back vs. to your face

If someone talks about you behind your back, it means that they are saying things (usually not positive ones) to other people.

The opposite of this is to say something to your face, meaning directly to you.

In general, it's considered a bad practice to talk about a person behind his or her back, but it happens all the time, doesn't it? Of course, occasionally the comments are positive!

It seems much better to say everything to a person's face, but I suppose that we all feel uncomfortable sometimes, in terms of telling people what we really think. Maybe the best option is, if you can't say something to someone's face, maybe you shouldn't talk behind his or her back either!

Alone vs. lonely

If you're alone, it means there is no one physically with you, or no one is sharing your activity. You could take a trip alone, or do a project alone.

If you're lonely, it means that you feel a little sad to be alone. You wish someone were with you
.
Do you like to be alone?
Do you ever feel lonely?

Some people say that the worst loneliness (this is the noun form of the adjective lonely) is when you feel lonely when you're with other people. The concept here is that even though others are with you, you feel isolated from them, without a strong connection. Have you ever experienced this?

When you look at this image, what is your impression: is he lonely, or just alone?

Teaching at InfoJobs is great

It's true, I'm really lucky. Teaching at InfoJobs is truly great, because the people are curious and smart and interesting. Sometimes the best classes are the ones that go in unexpected directions, away from the plan.
My friend David stopped by the classroom and snapped this picture. Although there are some words about stress and anxiety on the board, you can see that I was ready to enjoy the class. And when Jordi, Alex and Humbert showed up, it was great to see them and have time to talk.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead of you, with a few good plans and maybe some time to be spontaneous...

Close call

A close call is when something bad almost happened.

You were almost hit by lightning... "Wow! That was a close call!"

You were almost in a bad car accident... "That was a really close call."

A tornado missed your house... "That was a close call... We could have been killed!"

Your friend almost finds out about the surprise party you're planning for her, another close call.

Keep practicing and keep noticing new things

This structure, keep + a verb in the -ing form, means to continue doing something. For example: "I keep hearing the same song everywhere!" Or, "Don't stop now, keep going!"

I notice that the longer I live in Barcelona, and the more I read books and newspapers, the more I learn. It's like a spiral, in the sense that I notice new things about Spanish and Catalan all the time. These things were always there, I just couldn't see them or recognize them.

The same is true with learning English. Even if you feel that you aren't moving forward, keep practicing and noticing things. Keep learning new words and asking questions.

When you're starting to learn a language, your progress feels quick, because everything is new. But soon, it seems that you're slowing down. This is right, because the more you know, the more you don't know. You may become frustrated. But don't give up! Keep going, and you'll discover that you're still learning and improving.

Something that can help you is to set some practical goals, like to learn a new verb every week. It might not sound like much, but at the end of the year you will have learned a lot of verbs!

Rad

My word for today is rad. I have a long history with this word; I grew up in a surf town in southern California, and this word was very popoular at my school. It's a short form of radical, but it means great, cool, wonderful.

I used to associate this word with surfers and surfer wannabees, but I see it and hear it now in all kinds of places. On the blog zenhabits, for example, you can see it: "rad readers."  My friend Harriet uses this word, and it sounds good when she says it.

So, I hope you're having a rad week!

Young-ha Kim: Be an artist, right now

In my opinion, is a great TED talk!

Downtime and quality time

These two expression with time are very commonly used, especially by speakers of American English.

Downtime officially means time that a computer system is not available, but it has come to mean time when you're relaxing: not working or doing much that is very structured.

Quality time means time with a person, or people, that's focused. For example, drinving your kid to football practice might not be quality time, depending on how distracted you both are. On the other hand, time playing with your kid, or having an experience together, would probably be quality time.

Here are some examples:

You: After this project, I propose that everyone have some downtime, at least a few days to relax and get ready for the the next one. What do you think?

Your colleague: I think that's a great idea, but some people won't want to do it.

*****

Your boyfriend: We really need to have some quality time as soon as possible! I feel like we're always running around like chickens with our heads cut off!

You: Yeah, I totally agree. What about going away somewhere next weekend?

*****

If you're interested in finding more time for downtime or quality time, I really recommend zenhabits. This blog has a lot of great ideas for freeing your time for what's really important to you!

Expression: Run around like a chicken with its head cut off

Hello.

I realize this expression isn't very nice if you really think about it.

Apparently, it you cut a chicken's head off, it will run around in a crazy way. Without its head. I'm sorry to tell you this if you didn't already know it. Also, I suppose it could be a myth, a kind of rural legend...

In any case, we use this expression to describe the situation of running or rushing around in a crazy way, either physically or metaphorically. Here are some examples to give you a sense of how to use it:

You: "What's the matter with you? You're running around like a chicken with its head cut off!"

Your girlfriend: "I know, I'm just trying to get ready for my conference tomorrow and I can't find the report I need!"


"Being a new manager usually means that you'll be facing a lot of new challenges. You may feel that you're being pulled in many different directions simultaneously. It's important to stay focused, and not run around like a chicken with its head cut off. For you, your supervisor and your team, it's important to stay calm and give your attention to the most important things."

Finally, in order to help you not to run around like a chicken with its head cut off, I propose this great short video from TED:

I hope you enjoy the day, without a lot of rushing around, and with a little bit of time just for you.

Expression: A chip off the old block

Imagine a big rock. Then imagine that someone comes and knocks off a piece of the rock with a hammer. The little piece of rock is much smaller that the big block, but it has the same composition. So we say that a person is a chip off the old block if they are very similar, especially in skills or behavior, to one of their parents. For example, if your father was an actor, and you're an actor, we might say that you're a chip off the old block. If your father makes a lot of jokes, and you do too, then you're a chip off the old block.

Hella

Hella is a slang word that is a kind of short form of "hell of", and people use it to mean really or very when they want to intensify an adjective. The best way to understand this word is to look at it in usage:

You: It's hella hot.
Him: Yeah, why don´t we go to the beach?

When you say "hella hot" you mean that it's really hot.

Here's another example:

Him: This paella is hella good.
You: It really is. It was such a great idea to come to the beach today!

You're likely to hear young people use this expression, but since it's a compressed word, it may be difficult to recognize. But when you hear it, you'll know what it means!

A new year, what about a new habit?

Now that the year is still very fresh, it's a great time to consider adopting a new habit.

If you're interested in improving your English, what about trying something new for a month, something you've never done before? Here are a few simple ideas:

1. Start a journal in English. Every day or every week, write some thoughts, ideas, new words, quotations or anything that captures your attention.

2. Read something different. Find a new blog about something you love, buy a cookbook in English, start reading an English or American newspaper or magazine. Even if it seems challenging at the beginning, practice will help you understand more and more!

3. Find the lyrics to your favorite songs and look up the words that you don't know. Slang dictionaries can be helpful in this.

4. Give yourself a mini-challenge. For example, you could commit to master a verb tense in two weeks. You could challenge yourself to really learn eight new words in one month. Or you could go to an English pub or language exchange and talk to someone new!

5. Participate in an online exchange, or start posting comments on blogs or sites you read. Or, if you're really brave, start your own blog in English!

I hope that 2013 has started well for you, and that it will be a year of happiness, adventure and well being!

Sip and slurp

Sip... and SLURP!

To sip is to take a small drink of something, like tea or wine. This action is delicate and quiet, and a sip is a small mouthful of the drink.

To slurp is the opposite, to take a big mouthful of soup or some kind of drink. This often makes a sound which is rude in some cultures.

Here are some examples:

She was quietly sipping her tea when she saw him come into the café.

Would you like a sip of this wine? It's really good.

Hey! Stop slurping your Coke! That's disgusting!

Bob noticed that the other diners in the Japanese restaurant were slurping their soup, so he decided to try it.

Ravishing

My word for today is ravishing. It's an adjective that means extremely beautiful, and we usually use it for a person's appearance, or for landscapes or views. It's an "extreme" adjective, so unless you like to be dramatic when you speak, you won't use it very much, only when something looks unbelievably impressive!

Him: Wow! You look ravishing in that dress!
Her: Thanks!

Travel ad: Relax in one of our spacious cabanas and enjoy ravishing views of the bay and surrounding mountains.

She'd hoped to look ravishing for the wedding, but her terrible sunburn diminished the desired effect.

P.S. This is Grace Kelly... Do you think she looks ravishing?