What's the Point?

We live for about 50... 80... maybe 100 years?  For what?  Really, for what purpose?  I think we all have thought about this at least once in our lives.  Maybe we ask this question when we feel like we are not on the path we ought to be on.  Maybe we are on track but feel that we could do even more.  So why not?

Right now, I feel that I am at one of the greatest points in my life... ok, so when I got married... and when our son was born, I thought this too...  I guess it is a pattern that I am happy to have as a reminder that I am doing something right. Or at least right for right now. 

So, what's new?  There is a new idea, that's what.  A new goal...

I have fallen in love with what I do.  Don't take me wrong.  I have always loved teaching languages; German and English primarily...  I have enjoyed building a solid company with a strong belief in increasing our students' quality of life.. and I really enjoy working with other people who have the same passion for language and helping other people.

But now there is something different.  What I do is even more complete.  Maybe it is from the act of redesigning the company's services to now reach out to anyone who wants to learn a language, instead of only to our corporate clients.  I think it is more from the acts of giving back to the community...  Recently, the company has taken on  a very special project that is close to my heart.  The project is simple:

Take a portion of our profit and invest it in members of our community in the US who need to learn English to live a better and fuller life...

Of course it makes sense that a language company would do this...  and although the company could use every penny of our profits to put towards growth, my question is simply, if we don't start giving back now... when will there ever be a good time?  And to go back to the title of this post... this is THE POINT.  To help others and to share a community wide outreach that can improve the lives of individuals in our community and our entire community overall.

I look forward to updating you on our project and any new projects in the near future. 

The Art of Learning a Language... great article by avangend

I saved this blog post to my favorites because it really struck home with me.  The article relays the fundamentals in language training and how to make learning a language either boring or exciting (of course, having the right instructor is important too).  It must have been something in my subconscious, but now that we are organizing our meet groups for different languages, this article is especially relevant.


Read on...


Article by  avangend on HubPages
Learning a foreign language is a concept that entralls, and a practice that bores. And why should it not be? When the vast, unbounded creativity of communication is reduced to the mathematical tedium of verb tenses and grammatical structures, the luster of language of dulled. What is the appeal of something that teaches one how to memorize rather than to learn, to think, to create, to use? Education, it seems, is not always the desired outcome of schooling. As Mark Twain puts it, “Education consists mainly in what we have unlearned.” Thus, I think it is now time – and probably overdue - to unlearn our prior, ineffective methods of foreign language “education,” and seek something more beneficial.


click here for the rest of the article...

New Newsletter

Make sure you check out our newest CORE-News Newsletter!  It went out on the 20th of March and we hope that if you like it or see something on there that looks exciting to you, you will share it with others.
Thank you!

Stephen

CORE Kidz

WOW... It really has been a busy year for us at CORE Languages.  A lot is going on and we look forward to sharing it with you in our next newsletter, which will be sent out tomorrow...

But... there is one thing I can't wait to talk about so I will mention it first here.  CORE Kidz!  Yes.  We will be offering a series of classes focused on children learning new languages.  If you are interested, contact us... otherwise, more information on the way!

Mission Trip

We love working with our local communities to help with outreach programs.  Often we meet at religious centers to hold group classes.

Here is a quick thought for anyone who is going on a short- or long-term mission trip to a foreign country. Try to learn the language before you go. Learning a language will help form some deep connections with the people you meet there.  Learning the local language shows that you care enough that you took time to learn how to communicate with the people you are reaching out to.  A great experience you will have when you are on your trip is to learn and practice the language with the locals and they will be happy to help teach you.

Contact us if you are headed on a Mission Trip and want to put together a small group for learning or hold a larger class at your local sanctuary or meeting place.  We are happy to provide affordable pricing for your good cause...  Keep up the good work and thank you for helping others around us.

New Location

Core Languages has been operating in Charleston SC for over four years now.  We have been expanding our range of services and making sure those services were effective, efficient and easy to measure.  We also have been able to drastically reduce our prices because we are able to function so efficiently.
So now that we have everything worked out and planned out... its time to shake it up again!  We are considering opening a location somewhere in Charleston, SC to act as a headquarters and an area to hold classes for our corporate and public clients.  Our goal is to get enough people talking about us so that we could open in the 3rd quarter of 2011.  We will keep you posted and we ask you to share any and all experiences that you may have had with Core Languages with friends and family...

Feel free to share any ideas on where you would like to see us open up... or any services that you would like to see in particular.

Defining This Blog

I've been thinking about what I want this blog to be.  Yes, I'm the writer and I enjoy sharing my thought and ideas with all of you.  I feel that it is a way for you, whether you are interested in classes for your business, personal use or for your children, to see what is behind the scenes of CORE Languages Inc.

I will go back and relabel previous posts to include one or more of the following three labels for future recall: Thoughts on Business, Stories from CORE, Everyday with Stephen

Thoughts on Business- these posts will share some of the business practices that I read about or see in everyday life.

Stories from CORE- these posts will talk about experiences that come from the company... student, instructor, corporate, etc experiences.

Everyday with Stephen- These posts will share my personal experiences of how the company came to be the way it is, how it is growing and where it is going...  These posts might overlap with the other two label types, but that is because I run the business and am heavily involved in all levels of the company, whether it be marketing, accounting, instructing classes, etc.

I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you and please feel free to leave a comment once in a while...

Sincerely,

Stephen Sovenyhazy
-President/CEO

Team Building

http://www.innovativeteambuilding.co.uk/pages/articles/main.htm

the above link has some good ideas on team building.  It doesn't have to mean going off on a weekend trip to do a ropes course in the mountains.  And why can't team building activities be something useful or help to develop a skill on the side.

our group language + culture classes = team building + better communication 

Thank you

It is amazing to me how often one of our customers thanks us for our "flexibility".  They say they originally expect a rigid system that is not very customizable.  I guess they expect something from right out of high school or college... fixed times, fixed syllabus, and fixed teaching method.

It is so nice to hear an unexpected "Thank you for..." but at the same time I am surprised.  Surprised because I feel that if we were not flexible, we probably wouldn't have any customers... and also I wonder how many companies must be out there, which are not flexible... and how are they still in business?

A side thought (you can skip this if you want):  I belong to a local BNI chapter in Charleston SC, where we all discuss what our companies do and help each other network.  I often hear something that goes like this...  "My company is different (meaning...better) from the rest because I answer the phone every time a customer calls.  or  "I call my clients back when I miss their call..."  or  "I will always arrive to my appointments on time..."

Really... are we, the consumers, so easy to please?  And the answer is probably yes, but only because the options of products and services to choose from are so average...

I guess in today's world of mass marketing of goods and services, we forget that we, the consumers, are always right.  Why?  Because in the end, we are what drives the products and services that are offered.  If the product stinks... don't buy it!  If the service lacks, well... service... don't use it!

Core Languages is remarkable because we dare to be different.  To provide a powerful language service coupled with exceptional customer service.  Try us out... corporations can use our trial month at no cost...  

Two Languages

Can you speak two languages?  Studies show that throughout the world, between 66% to 75% of people can speak two languages fluently.  This is an indication of how important the rest of the world views communication.


Do you live in the United States and speak two languages?  Now you are special!  The most recent estimates show that less than 10% of Americans can speak a second language.  Can you imagine the job security that such a rare skill could bring?  So, before you tell me that now is not the time to learn a language, think again...  Oh and don't take it from me... look at some of these excerpts and their links:

The Advantages of Being Bilingual

• Breaking down words by sounds, such as C-A-T for cat
• Being able to use information in new ways
• Putting words into categories
• Coming up with solutions to problems
• Good listening skills

Rewarding Workplace Bilingualism

Attached PDF... good article.

The Benefits of Being Bilingual

With shifting demographics creating rising demand for foreign language skills, physicians who speak a language other than English have a distinct career advantage over their English-only counterparts.

I don't need to... (actually... we all do.)

I really don't need to learn your language.  Most everyone speaks English nowadays.  The fact that I can spend all my time elsewhere is just simply going to be more productive for me.  Also, I don't need to learn much more about your culture than the common preconceptions.  Right...?  If there is an issue, we will simply discuss it in my language and correct everything that way.

Let's hope that this is what your competitors are thinking!  If this is the case they will be going nowhere fast.  The truth is, most everyone knows that communication in general is important to the success of a company.  That is why there are so many training opportunities focused towards management level jobs.  What we often do forget is that even if we are speaking in the same language, it is just as important to know cultural backgrounds.  Read the following excerpt from the link I provided.

In sending an email to a Japanese colleague with whom may wish to collaborate on a potential business deal, you would be most successful if you

1. Begin the email by addressing the individual warmly and openly, by his first name, immediately closing the cultural gap
2. Always use Mr. , Miss or Mrs. followed by the last name of the individual, followed by an embracing and forthright interaction
3. Use the last name, followed by the term “sama” to address your email, followed by clear text set forth with the utmost formality.

Answer: 3.

The risk of email is that it lacks certain social contextual cues such as body language, eye contact and intonation and can therefore create misunderstandings.  There is also no way to see the demeanor or reaction of your counterpart and adjust your communication strategy to compensate for a misunderstanding once it is created.   When in doubt, it is always safer to err on the side of greater formality and deference.  The Japanese have become accustomed to making allowances for informal communication from other countries, but you will proceed with more credibility if you make a sincere effort to adapt to their customs.  The use of the term “san” and, for those in a position of high authority, “sama” is honorific.  Use the last name, followed by the honorific term, followed by extreme clarity and formality in the text, with as few assumptions for context as possible.

International HR Forum: Denise L. Hummel – Universal Consensus, Posted on June 8, 2009, http://internationalhr.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/why-culture-is-important-in-international-business/

Whose shoes?

When we try to imagine how someone else is feeling, we often describe the perspective as from "being in his or her shoes".  I was reminded about this again in an article that I read.
What happens when you are standing in someone else's shoes?  Well, you are still you interpreting the situation from your own point of view.  When it comes to culture this can lead to an impasse in communication.  Here is my example that I often retell:

When I was fifteen years old, I spent a month as an exchange student in the beautiful German town of Loerrach.  I stayed with a family and we spoke German the entire time.  I was often asked what I wanted to do...  I replied in German but directly translated from English "I would like to... or If we could do..., it would be great...!"  Well, nothing that I ever suggested came to fruition.
After a month it was my exchange friend's turn.  I asked him what he wanted to do in the US.  His answer "I want this and that... want... want... want..."  Of course I was mad... everything that I had suggested never happened and here he comes demanding things from me and my family.

I was really wrong!  Actually my translation from English into German was really wrong  and my exchange friend's translation was wrong too... Wrong for the culture we were trying to use it in.  Perhaps you know this already, but when you suggest something with a hint of uncertainty (and I thought I was just being polite) in German this means that you don't know what you want.  And to say something with a little more force (I want to...) means you just have an opinion.  You see, standing in his shoes was not the issue here...  I really had to take it a step further and learn about who he was and what his background was.  If I had known more of the culture... there wouldn't have been such a big mess!

If you ever get to the point of frustration with someone from a different culture, make sure that even if you are speaking the same language... that you know something about each other's cultural background.