Hello, wonderful people! Welcome back after our short little break we took due to travel and sickness, and this week we have an extra-special episode to make up for it! Are you someone who always throws salt over their left shoulder, or shudders at the thought of walking under a ladder? Maybe you're someone who … Continue reading Episode 23: Cultural Superstitions
Disclaimer: this episode is full of four-letter words. They are censored (so we can keep our "clean" rating), but we want to give you a heads up in case your sensibilities are offended by the topic! This week, we put our mouths right into the gutter and talk about swearing. First, why do we swear? … Continue reading Episode 22: Swearing Around the World
Traveling is one of the most rewarding things you can do, but it often comes with dangers. At best, it's an annoying little part of your trip (and a good story afterward), but at worst, it can be devastating financially or in other ways. This week we talk about what's happened to us in the … Continue reading Episode 21: Travel Scams
Have you ever thought about why some cultures put higher values on different aspects of society than others? For example, what is it that makes some groups (like Koreans and Spaniards) less likely to move far away from home, or others (like Germans and Swedes) more likely to be proactive about taking care of their … Continue reading Episode 20: How Cultural Values Differ
Let's get grammatical! Have you ever thought about punctuation and how it helps save lives? For example, the difference between "Let's eat Grandma!" and "Let's eat, Grandma!" makes a really big difference! One is cannibalism, the other a friendly invitation to dinner! In this episode, we look at some hilarious comma fails (like those concerning … Continue reading Episode 19: Punctuation
Have you ever stopped to think about the bizarre rules, spelling, and theft of words that make up the English language? If you are an English learner, you have no doubt agonized over wacky spelling, the lack of a phonetic writing system, and phrasal verbs (combinations of a verb and participle that change the meaning … Continue reading Episode 16: The Evolution of English, Part I
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to go to the hospital while you've been traveling outside of your home country? We certainly have! Join us for a discussion of hospitals abroad and what you can expect in the scary case that you end up needing medical attention. Also, ever wondered … Continue reading Episode 14: Getting Sick While Traveling
In this episode, we really let our inner language nerds shine as we talk about mistranslations! After sharing some personal encounters with bad translations on the metro, in restaurants, and in stores, we go on to talk about why good translation is so difficult to achieve. We even find out that poor translation has actually … Continue reading Episode 12: Translation Fails
Rachel and Patrice asked some friends to give a first-hand account of what it's like to grow up in a city where more than one language is spoken. We take a tour of four different cities around the world, and listen to what they have to say. From Miami in the USA, Marla talks about … Continue reading Episode 7: Bilingual Cities
In this episode, Rachel and Patrice explore various ways in which body language differs from one culture to another, and talk about ways in which we can easily miscommunicate. Also tune in for hand gestures that can get you into trouble and where not to use them! Some hand gestures that may seem positive to … Continue reading Episode 6: Body Language Across Different Cultures