DiaCulture in the 21st Century

Say “I Love You” in Foreign Languages

koukouraki — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:11:59 +0000

“MAGIC PHRASES” WHEN DEALING WITH JAPANESE

koukouraki — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:55:34 +0000

By Rochelle Kopp, Managing Principal, Japan Intercultural Consulting

A recent column discussed some phrases that Japanese tend to dislike hearing when they work with non-Japanese. This time, let’s look at some phrases that I find to be especially helpful when working with Japanese. They are so useful in producing the desired effect that they can even be said to be “magic” – like saying “open sesame.”

Advice

Non-Japanese are often frustrated by Japanese colleagues who do not give sufficient direction or opinions. It can feel like pulling teeth to try to get clear guidance from some Japanese. However, I’ve found one phrase that works consistently in encouraging Japanese to be more forthcoming: “What is your advice for me?” Advice is one of those English words that has become a part of the Japanese language, through transliteration into the katakana syllabary. So it’s familiar to all Japanese. And for Japanese, it seems to have the connotation of one’s personal opinion. Thus, by asking a Japanese person for their advice, you are freeing them from having to hew to the party line. This gives them the freedom to say what they feel as an individual, without worrying about whether its in complete agreement with what everyone else in their group thinks. This makes them less reticent, and you get much more detailed information.

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Would you lie in court? Cultural differences

koukouraki — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:41:51 +0000

Ian McGarry and Mark Chapman, hosts of the Culture Club programme on 5 live Sport, were recently tackling the issue of cultural differences and foreign players settling into life in the UK. At one point in the show ex-footballer Vincent Pericard was sharing his own personal experiences which included a comment that if he had known the severity of lying in court in the UK, he would not have done so. You could hear the audience thinking “how on earth can you use cultural differences to excuse that?!” Well, believe it or not, Pericard has a case.

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Source: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk

Obama Changes Immigration Rule

koukouraki — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:17:02 +0000

Families With Citizens Can Stay Together, Get Undocumented Relatives Waivers.

The Obama administration started 2012 with an important rule change that will reduce the time that the spouses and children of undocumented immigrants are separated from their citizen relatives while applying for legal status.

Latino and Hispanic groups, immigration lawyers and immigrant advocates praised the move.

The change eliminates the requirement that illegal immigrants leave the United States for long periods before they can ask the government to waive its ban on legally re-entering the U.S. The ban typically lasts 3-to-10 years, depending on how long the undocumented immigrant has stayed in the United States without the government’s permission.

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Source: About.com

Doppelpass – Optionspflicht überzeugt nicht

koukouraki — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:53:27 +0000

Bis zum Jahr 2026 werden 386.000 Menschen optionspflichtig. Sie müssen sich dann zwischen dem deutschen und dem ausländischen Pass entscheiden. Einen guten Grund für die Optionspflicht, kann die Bundesregierung aber nicht vorbringen.

Mit dem Gesetz zur Reform des Staatsangehörigkeitsrechts wurde zum 1. Januar 2000 für in Deutschland geborene Kinder ausländischer Eltern unter bestimmten Bedingungen das Geburtsortsprinzip (ius soli) eingeführt. Seit Inkrafttreten dieser Regelung wird die sogenannte Optionspflicht in der Fachwelt wie in der Politik heftigst kritisiert.

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Source: migazin.de

Ausländer-Hetze mit Halbwahrheiten und hinkenden Vergleichen

koukouraki — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:39:12 +0000

Das Boulevardblatt Bild hetzt erneut gegen Ausländer. Sie vergleicht die Hartz-IV-Quoten von Ausländern aus verschiedenen Herkunftsländern. Dass soziale, strukturelle und rechtliche Hürden maßgeblich für diese Quoten sind und nicht die Herkunft, verschweigt das Blatt.

„Alarmierend hohe Hartz-IV-Quoten bei Ausländern“ meldet die Bild-Ausgabe vom 16. Januar 2012 und veröffentlicht dazu eine Tabelle, in der Hartz-IV-Bezieher ohne deutschen Pass nach Quote und Herkunftsland sortiert sind. Das Fazit der Bild-Zeitung: „Ausländische Mitbürger ohne deutschen Pass sind im Schnitt mehr als doppelt so oft von Hartz-IV betroffen wie Deutsche“ (17,6 % zu 6,9).

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Source: migazin.de

ΕΤ1: City Folk- Η σύγχρονη πολυπολιτισμική ζωή στην πόλη

koukouraki — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:48:27 +0000

City Folk: Η πολυπολιτισμική ζωή στην πόλη. Σειρά 11 ντοκιμαντέρ, συμπαραγωγή της ΕΡΤ στο πλαίσιο της Eurovision Intercultural and Diversity Group (EIDG).

Kάθε επεισόδιο περιλαμβάνει τρεις καθημερινούς , αλλά “ειλικρινείς” ανθρώπους της πόλης – έναν με αλλοδαπή καταγωγή – και καταγράφει για μία ημέρα τη ζωή τους.
Η σειρά έχει ως στόχο να αντισταθμίσει τις προκαταλήψεις και στερεότυπες ιδέες σχετικά με τους μετανάστες και άλλους ξένους, ως μοναδικά άτομα ανεξάρτητα από το χρώμα του δέρματός τους ή τη χώρα καταγωγής τους.

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The 2011 European Culture Forum is coming!

koukouraki — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:49:11 +0000

On 20 and 21 October, the European Culture Forum will bring to Brussels 800 participants from culture civil society, the EU Member States and EU institutions.

This flagship event is a unique opportunity to debate and raise the profile of European cooperation in the field of culture, bringing together both policy-makers and stakeholders from the sector from all over Europe and partner countries.

The 2011 Forum will address some of the most topical questions for culture in the current context of economic crisis and globalisation, in particular:

What are the new skills and strategies required from artists and the cultural sector to adapt to the challenges of a globalised and digitised world?

Which new business models can be developed by the cultural sector to reap the opportunities of digitisation?

How can local and regional authorities best invest in their cultural assets and thereby contribute to the smart and inclusive growth which Europe needs?

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Source: European Commission

7. Warsaw Cross Culture Festival

koukouraki — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 07:23:09 +0000

Cross Culture Festival from 25th of September to 1st of October 2011

Warsaw’s annual Cross Culture Festival brings together musicians from around the world for a week-long series of concerts celebrating musical diversity.

Performers from as far afield as Brazil, India and Burkina Faso play at the Palace of Culture and Science.

The Cross Culture Festival’s participation in the Multi-cultural Village, was marked by a number of attractions for all those who came to Krakowskie Przedmiescie.

Throughout the day, you could challenge yourself attempting to play rare instruments, take part in musical contests or simply enjoy the sounds of zurna, hurdy gurdy and degiredoo.

Official website

Europeans Fall in Love More Quickly Than Americans

koukouraki — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:37:13 +0000

By Remy Melina

Americans take longer to fall in love than their Eastern European counterparts, according to a new study. The findings also showed that Americans frequently cited friendship as a key part of romantic love, while Russians and Lithuanians rarely mentioned it.

To see how different cultures view and practice romantic love, the researchers surveyed 1,157 adults from the United States, Russia and Lithuania. Participants were given a 14-item questionnaire meant to gauge how they perceived romantic love, and also asked to write a freelist answering the question, “What do you associate with romantic love?” Group interviews were also conducted.

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