Academic 2011/2012

ENG401

Instructor:

Prof. dr. Srebren Dizdar

English 401

Unit 1 Going international

Have you ever heard of a/n/

Juggernaut Astronaut Cosmonaut Taikonaut Internaut

Or, perhaps, you know about:

Internut? Hazelnut? Coconut?


The word is derived from the Sanskrit Jaganatha (meaning "Lord of the Universe"), which is one of the many names of Krishna from the ancient Vedic scriptures of India.

Juggernaut

It denotes any large, overpowering, destructive force or object, as war, a giant battleship, or a p owerful football team. It is often applied to a large machine or collectively to a team or group of people working together.

Astronaut

In English-speaking nations, a professional space traveler is called an astronaut. The term derives from the Greek words stron ( ), meaning "star", and nautes (), meaning "sailor. Russians use (kosmonavt). The term taikonaut is used as "a hybrid of the Chinese term taikong (space) and the Greek naut (sailor)";

Internaut, cybernaut or netizen

An internaut a term for a designer, operator, or technically capable user of the Internet is online expert, normally through years of online experience, with a thorough knowledge of how to use search engines and search strings, Internet resources, forums, newsgroups and chat rooms to find information. An internaut comes from a mixture of Internet and astronaut. Other terms roughly analogous with internaut are cybernaut and netizen. They refer to cyberspace navigators and network citizens.

Learning is a kind of travelling into new and unkown lands

All these words have to do something with travelling or navigation. They remind us of the old Latin saying: Navigare necesse est, vivere non est necesse (To sail is necessary; to live is not necessary).

 In slang expressions, one might even call such a person an Internut? Or perhaps, a Hazelnut or Coconut?

Internut? Or Hazelnut? Perhaps, a Coconut?

Are you nuts?

If you have seen such a Bosanski Window, you are, perhaps, crazy, uneducated, or not know English, so Bosnian can do?

'Tough nut to crack'

You might have read somewhere: Inflation proves a tough nut to crack for most countries in the world. If something is a tough nut to crack, it is difficult to find the answer or a solution. When used about a person, it means that it is difficult to get them to do, or allow what you want. 'Hard nut to crack' is an alternative.

English for business purposes

I hope you have come here to learn something new and meaningful, although English for business purposes can prove to be a real tough nut to crack.

Or, perhaps, you would rather be a nutcracker? It refers not only to a mechanical device designed to crack nuts, but also to a person who is able to solve problems

Atrium A 8

Prof. Dizdars Office A 8

Nutcrackers
Nutcrackers in the form of wooden carvings of a soldier, knight, king, or other profssion have existed since at least the 15th century. These nutcrackers portray a person with a large mouth which the operator opens by lifting a lever in the back of the figurine.

The Nutcracker
Originally one could insert a nut in the big-toothed mouth, press down and thereby crack the nut. Modern nutcrackers in this style serve mostly for decoration, mainly at Christmas time. The famous Russian ballet The Nutcracker derives its name from this festive holiday decoration.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 1893)

The Nutcracker (in Russian original it comes as , or Shchelkunchik) Op. 71, (composed 18911892) is one of the most famous ballet by Tchaikovsky, together

with Swan Lake.

2011 Academy Award actress Natalie Portmann in Black Swan

Seeker for a (native) speaker

Any performance in front of the audience requires a lot of preparations and rehershing. Although Natalie Portmann danced a classical ballet as a little girl, she had to do a year and a half of intensive training with a professional coach in order to create a realistic illusion on the screen in one of the most demanding roles on stage that of a white and black swan.

Native speaker
Similarly, if one wants to be persuasive in presenting some ideas verbally, or in a written form, for that atter, it means a plenty of preparation time and knowledge on the topic. And if it is to be done in a foreign tongue, such as English ... A native speaker can be a solution? In the language teaching profession, being classed as a native speaker is the key to status, expanded job opportunities and higher pay.

And what about English for Business purposes? Lets speak on it ...
However, we must find a suitable medium to deal with this issue. Usually, if one wants to learn something new and reliable, /s/he will look for an expert in the field. Such persons can be invited to deliver a lecture or a speech in public. Good speakers are highly appreciated, although we do not refer to a pair of speakers or mechanical devices that spread sound, but real persons able to convey a strong message. An example of the opposite has been superbly presented in the another 2011 Academy award film The Kings Speech, played by Colin Firth.

"Here was a stutterer who was a king and had to give radio speeches where everyone was listening to every syllable he uttered, and yet did so with passion and intensity,"

In the opening scene prince Albert tries to give a speech at the Wembley Stadium at the close of the British Empire Exhibition in 1925. His stammering speech visibly unsettles the thousands of listeners in the audience.

It is film about a man, who is to become King George VI, struggling to articulate himself, but in the end he managed to overcome a stutter.

Speakers Corner
A Speakers' Corner is an area where open air public speking, debate and discussion are allowed. The original and most noted is in the north-east corner of Hyde park in London, England.

Aerial view of Hyde Park and Serpentine Lake

Public speaking Hyde Park

Speakers there may speak on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful, although this right is not restricted to Speakers' Corner only the same right to free speech applies everywhere else in the UK. Contrary to popular belief, there is no immunity from the law, nor are any subjects proscribed, but in practice the police tend to be tolerant and therefore intervene only when they receive a complaint or if they hear profanity.

Fear of public speaking

A major part of this course involves speaking in public, or speaking in front of an audience. Many people have a real fear of public speaking, but if you have a certain amount of adrenalin and nerves you may overcome the anxiety and become a rather successful speaker, or, in most cases you might find yourselves after completion of your studies, a presenter of ideas, plans, projects, reports, executive summaries, charts, graphs, data, spreadsheets, facts and figures, but, above all, you must give your public appearance a personal touch.

Some quotes on speakers

Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident. Tell the audience what you are going to say, say it; then, tell them what you have said. All the great speakers were bad speakers at first. Most speakers speak ten minutes too long. Talk low, talk slow and dont say much.

Presentation style
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. This includes a careful consideration of: Room set-up Seating arrangements Pace of delivery Tone of voice Gestures and body language Signs of approval/disapproval Type of audience Cultural or professional background of audience

How not to sound like a fool

Plan, plan and plan !!! Use reliable experts Review the dos and donts available in publications on presentations Consult with those who do it in a professional way Rehearse your presentation Adjust your speaking pace to your audience Rework your spoken message in order to be understood.

On the scene
Presentation must be understandable, accurate and received positively, Use explanatory titles to increse comprehension Be aware of information overload Summarize frequently Avoid informal language, slang, cliches, colloquial expressions and metaphors that mean nothing to listeners

 Listen intently to questiions and comments Before answering, make sure the question was understood properly Keep checking the reactions and be patient with those who do not understnd you!

Visual and other AIDS (?!!!)

Not HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus), of course, or AIDS (Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) but teaching aids

Teaching aid is something known as technical equipment and similar other devices, mainly electronic nowadays. They make a presentation easier, more colourful and impressionable, but sometimes, an old fashioned blackboard or chalk can suffice.

Know your equipment!

The presenter should familiarize herself/himself with technical features of equipment beforehand in order to avoid any unnecessary embarasment.

Common useful tools:

Blackboards and whiteboards Flipcharts Illustrations (pictures or photos) Smartboards PowerPoint presentations Overhead projector Slides Audio or video clips from movies or TV/Internet sources Transparencies Handouts

Topics for discussion: the Tondach/Zveevo auditorium case

Room set-up Bad Good Very Good Excellent

Seating Bad arrangments

Good

Very Good

Excellent

Ability to hear and see properly from back benches

Bad

Good

Very Good

Excellent

Quality of presenter (so far)

Length of Speech Bad Good Very Good Excellent

Ability to Bad follow and understand

Good

Very Good

Excellent

Use of humour or anecdotes

Body gestures

Bad

Good

Very Good

Excellent

Bad

Good

Very Good

Excellent

Quality of presentation (continued...)

Topics covered Too little Little Some Many Too many

Variety of facts and informtion

Too little

Little

Some

Many

Too many

New words Too little or expressions Overall impression about a presenter?

Little

Some

Many

Too many

Very bad Bad

Good

Very Good

Excellent

I was hoping for it ...

Developing communication skills

Due to the number of students in the class, we shall have to adjust the method of teaching and reduce speaking segments (oral exercices) to a minimum. That is why the emphasis will be on developing your communication skills, partly in terms of gaining new vocabulary, both single words and expressions, pertinent to business environment in the world you are likely to be exposed to or involved with, regardless if you hope to work in an international, or prefer to stay within the local setting.

If given a chance, I would ...

Do it completely in a different way Make some major changes but keep the gist or core of the material covered Not make any changes or additions to the presentation offered Make some small yet important approches to the main topics

If given a chance, I would gladly leave the class and forget all I have heard or seen today, as soon as I am out of the auditorium.

Not an option !!!

Since this option can be easily dismissed as nonapplicable here, we should try to focus on a few issues that are of some relevance for the course.

The process of internationalization To start with, why ae we so concerned with the process of internationalization? Should we really be going international, or should we stay closed in our own borders, cultures and acquired knowledge? The question is: SHOULD I STAY IN MY OWN PLACE, OR SHOULD I BE GOING SOMEWHERE ? INTERNATIONALLY? DEFINITELY AND ABSOLUTELY:

GO!!!!

Think globally, act locally

In economics, INTERNATIONALIZATION has been viewed as a process of increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets, although there is no agreed definition of internationalization or international entrepreneurship. There are many internationalization theories which try to explain why there are international activities. However, we speak more often of GLOBALIZATION today. It has become a catchword or a buzzword:

The diamond model is an economical model developed by Michael Porter in his book The Competitive Advantage of Nations, where he published his theory of why particular
industries become competitive in particular locations

Travellers to new lands

Since our course is concerned with Business English, we shall leave these theories to other professors. We are interested in the everspreading use of English in business communities. But the process has encompassed literally, and, especially, virtually, the whole world. We are similar to those travellers to distant lands who had tried to open new routes for trade and commerce.

The erdapfel" (the earth apple) model of globe

Martin (of) Behaim (1459 1507)

In 1492, he constructed his well known terrestrial globe, called "the erdapfel" (the earth apple), a word soon to be replaced by the potato from South America. Until recently it was preserved at the Nuremberg National Museum.

Chart of 1889 representing Behaim and both known hemispheres of 1492

From Global to International to Globalization

The word GLOBE found its adjective GLOBAL, meaning the whole world in 1676. However, the term GLOBALIZATION came into use in 1944, despite the fact that it had been used in Great Britain in mid 19th century. The sme century somewhat preferred the word INTERNATIONAL, denoting a community of nationstates, or the theory of Karl Marx that all the workers of the world should unite. It comes as no surprise that he called this movement the International at its establishment in September 1864.

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund was conceived in July 1944 originally with 45 members and came into existence in December 1945 when 29 countries signed the agreement, with a goal to stabilize exchange rates and assist the reconstruction of the world's international payment system.

 Countries contributed to a pool which could be borrowed from, on a temporary basis, by countries with payment imbalances. The IMF was important when it was first created because it helped the world stabilize the economic system.

Members of the IMF are 192 of the UN members and Kosovo

Global Village
Global Village is a term closely associated with a Canadian thinker Marshall McLuhan, who had, in 1964, described how the globe has been contracted into a village by electric technology and the instantaneous movement of information from every quarter to every point at the same time. Today, the term "Global Village" is mostly used as a metaphor to describe the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW).

 On the Internet, physical distance is even less of a barrier to the real-time communicative activities of people, and therefore social spheres are greatly expanded by the openness of the web and the ease at which people can search for online communities and interact with others that share the same interests and concerns.

This technology fosters the idea of a conglomerate yet unified global community. Due to the enhanced speed of communication online and the ability of people to read about, spread, and react to global news very rapidly,

New sociological structures

McLuhan says this forces us to become more involved with one another from countries around the world and be more aware of our global responsibilities. Similarly, web-connected computers enable people to link their web sites together. This new reality has implications for forming new sociological structures within the context of culture.

What is the truest definition of Globalization? Princess Diana's death. How come?
An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, riding in a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky, (check the bottle before you change the spelling) followed closely by Italian Paparazzi on Japanese motorcycles, treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines. This is sent to you by a Canadian, using American Bill Gates' technology, that uses Taiwanese chips, and a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Indian truck drivers, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, and trucked to you by Mexican illegal immigrants ....

Quiz question not about people on photographs!!!

How many different adjectives denoting diverse nations in the world have been used in this cynical interpretation of Globalization? Is there any of them that is being repeated?

The next Princess or the Queen? Which one?

The leading country in the process of Globalization is ---?

Have you noticed anything strange or interesting about the order of adjectives (word placement) in the example of Globalization? For those who can imagine the leading country in the process of Globalization which is .... ? i my come as a surprise that the word placement resembles the British flag (Union Jack) and nt the USA flag, despite the fact that Union Jack served as a model for the original American flag.

Who borrowed from who?

Is our problem in the shape of a triangle, or in th fact that we cannot be a fully rounded and functional state?

Networking
Some managers say an important part of getting work done is building relationships and having an extensive network of contacts. Networks are largely built through work contacts, in meetings, conferences and by doing favours for others.

Networking as socialising
Managers often take part in company retreats, and training programmes, as well as getting to know people socially during coffee breaks, business lunches or on the sport courses (preferably golf!). However, the extent to which employees socialise outside working hours varies tremendously according to personal preference, company and national culture.

How to communicate in a business community?

Getting to know people from business environment Exchanging business cards, Listening actively,

Trotters Independent Company

Making eye contact, Asking suitable questions, Finding common ground

These are all practical ways of networking, although certain practices or behaviours may vary from country to country.

 Good communication is as stimulating as a black coffee and just as hard to sleep after (Anne Morrow Lindbergh, writer and aviation pioneer /1906 2001)

How about a break?

Useful language for networking: Correct or impolite ways?

How much do you earn? What do you do for living? How do you like your job/ place of living / this lecture? What is your opinion of this event/place? Do you come here often? What is the political situation in that particular region of the world What is the weather like in your part of the world? What do you think of your new boss? What do you recommend I do /see (in your town, region, country?

Introductions
Could I introduce you to a colleague of mine? Im afraid Ive run out of my cards, but I can give you our company website/ or I can send you an e-mail Please write down my phone/fax number.

Invitations
Heres my business card. Please, give me a ring / a call if you ever happen to come to my town / country / region. Would you be interested in visiting our company, Would you like to have a lunch with me / Can we go to concert together / Are you interested in playing golf some time ? Thank you. I appreciate it. It would be great / lovely / nice / very interesting.

Finishing the conversation Its been a pleasure talking to you. Enjoy the conference / your stay / your meal.

Case study: Working for Logistaid

Logistaid is an NGO that provides emergency assistance in more than 80 countries. A group of logistics managers are undergoing a training programme in Amsterdam before being relocated to Indonesia with the organisation.

Assignment for the next class

Read the section in the textbook dealing with the case and make notes for the next class in which we shall discuss certain issues that are common to NGO relief organisations. Think of a major disaster where the massive aid, such as the one currently prepared for Japan, after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, need to be transported in a timely and efficient manner. What people you were likely to hire for traning if yo were oe of the key human resources managers in Logistaid?

Thank you

Its been a pleasure teaching you (so far ...)