Blog Posts - RMC Language Consultancy

Cross-Cultural Coaching – Success on Assignment

8/2/2022

Intercultural coaching sessions can provide support to assignees in a number of ways. These include language training, support for daily living, how to do business in the new culture, an overview of the cultural foundations addressing customs and celebrations, deeply held beliefs, dos and don’ts and more.

- Where to locate household items, groceries (where to get cuisine from your home country), specialty items
- Clothing – how to dress based on climate and culture

Medical care and other special needs
Schools and extra-curricular activities for children

Professional and leisure networking groups
Sporting and leisure activities
Driving and public transport
Safety
Accepting invitations to and attending social events (the importance of this for networking and meeting colleagues in certain cultures)

A good intercultural coaching programme will include multiple studies and research that addresses deep-seated beliefs and behaviours in various cultures. It often starts with the examination of assignees’ own understanding and self-awareness about their own beliefs and customs. The programme should include a cultural analysis tool that demonstrates certain aspects of the new culture that vary significantly from their own preferences or behavioural style and introduce the concept of style-switching.

Some examples of cultural differences include the way time is viewed in different cultures. Is the host country considered efficient in its business dealings or is the host country associated with a more laid back culture? What is the experience of conducting business in government offices? Is the country a cash-based economy or can most business be done online using multiple payment methods?

Is the host country relationship or task focussed? Do you need to be introduced to the right people to get things done? Is who you know more important than what you know?

These are just a few of the areas that an intercultural-coaching programme will cover and this type of support can make a significant difference and contribute to the successful adaptation of assignees to a new culture and when working with global teams.

Connect with us if you represent an organisation with highly mobile global leaders at all levels of the organisation. Supporting their relocation through intercultural coaching will significantly improve their chances of success in their host country. Global leaders are not all born, but are intentional about their development and we can support that process. Email us at admin@rmclanguages.com for more information.

The Legacy of Fort George

7/26/2022

Photography courtesy Island Hijabi.

In commemoration of our sixty (60) years of Independence, we seize this opportunity to explore a remnant of Trinidad and Tobago’s colonial past. Fort George is located to the West of Port of Spain, perched upon the hills, overlooking St. James and the sea, protected by now inactive heavy artillery.

It was built in 1804 as part of a series of forts that provided defence for the capital and its harbour against the attacks of European invaders, initiated by Brigadier-General Sir Thomas Hislop. The fort was most prominent among the network of military defences which included the York, Cumberland, Princess Charlotte, Abercromby and Cambridge that mounted the nearby slopes.

It was the gem of the hills in its day, with the pride of locals believing it to be most impenetrable, a succor for ages to come. However, fate had it that it would never be used for military operations. Though it did not fulfil its purpose, it still provided a shelter in uncertain times. The vault hidden within its walls was used to store important documents, records, cash, valuables and more of citizens during hearsay of war.

As a result, it ceased being a military post in 1846 and was converted to a signalling station in 1902, desgined by Prince Kofi Nti, son of the great King Kofi Calcali of the Ashanti region in West Africa. He became a ward of the British Government after a war with the Ashanti people in 1872.

Transitioning to present, Fort George stands as a mere memorial of our heritage and history. It now serves as a tourist attraction, a site where people visit to peer into Trinidad and Tobago’s past and to soulfully relax. Its foundation serves not only as a junction between the past and present but also the ideal getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city life as it stands surrounded by forested hills consisting of a variety of flora and fauna and the nearby beaches.

Just imagine the splendour and awe it was viewed with in its glory days. We hope its story never fades.

Did you enjoy this segment? Have you ever been to Fort George? Let us know in the comments.

Happy Independence Day!

Are you looking for online language classes?

7/26/2022

Do you want to gain or improve your language skills and become more marketable through competency in one or more foreign languages? Here are some FAQs about our classes:

Do you offer classes for those who are learning a foreign language from scratch or resuming after a long time?
Yes! We work with beginners and those who are seeking refreshers helping to build competency in all four areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking.

How do I know which level is best for me?
We offer individual assessments to help you determine the appropriate level for you.

Can you work with my schedule?
Yes, we work with busy professionals and will match you with a tutor who is available to work with you and your schedule.

What topics will be covered in my course?
After our consultation call with you, we will design a programme in line with your goals and in keeping with your desired timeline.

How are classes delivered?
Classes are delivered online, live with a tutor. After you register, we will send your login credentials for live classes and credentials for the online learning platform.

Do I receive a certificate?
Yes, you will receive a certificate of participation upon completion of your course.

How do I register?
For enquiries, please email us at admin@rmclanguages.com and we will get back to you.

Need a certified translation in Trinidad and Tobago?

7/24/2022

Do you know that in Trinidad and Tobago documents to be translated and used for legal purposes need to be translated by a public translator accredited to provide certified translations?

To provide some context, and for our purposes, here is a definition of a certified translation provided by Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certified_translation. The requirements can vary from country to country, but a certified translation can be used for legal purposes and the translator or the language service provider accepts responsibility for its accuracy by providing a signed statement and other details as applicable.

If you are in Trinidad and Tobago and need to translate documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates, divorce decrees, educational certificates, transcripts, medical certificates, proof of financial means, power of attorney, notarised documents, affidavits, for civil and criminal proceedings, you need a public translator accredited by the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs.

Proof of status as a public translator is also required by foreign government authorities to accompany legal documents leaving the (Trinidad and Tobago) jurisdiction. Before you have your documents translated, to avoid any hiccups with local or foreign authorities, be sure to do your due diligence on your service provider to ensure that the translations will be accepted.

RMC is accredited by the Trinidad and Tobago Government to provide official, certified translations as a public translator. We are familiar with the steps and can advise you. Email us at pm@rmclanguages.com if you have any questions about this process.

Careers for Polyglots

7/18/2022

Are you a polyglot considering your career options?

During career week at my alma mater, Holy Name Convent, I often speak to students about the opportunities available to those who speak foreign languages.

I explain that language skills can be combined with almost any career and will often complement your job regardless of the field you choose – setting you apart in a competitive job market.

Graduates whom I have never met and who studied languages at university also come across our website and call for advice and guidance about the options available to them.

This article outlines some of the opportunities available to you if you are a language aficionado or a language graduate looking to make a career out of languages.

The path to each career is different, but here are some job options for polyglots:

1) Interpreter – verbally translating speeches from the interlocutor to recipient

2) Translator – converting a document from one language to another

3) Foreign Language Teacher – teaching languages at all levels at educational institutions or privately

4) Diplomat and Embassy Staff – heads of diplomatic missions, i.e. ambassadors, chargés d’affaires and most embassy staff need to function in one or more foreign languages

5) Foreign Service Officer – staff in ministries of foreign affairs interact verbally and in writing with government representatives from foreign countries

6) Hotel Manager – working with a large team and meeting new customers and business partners, a second language is a must

7) Flight Attendant – providing service on flights to different countries or to travellers on board speaking other languages

8) Travel Agent – helping foreign clients book flights and resolve travel issues

9) Tour Guide – must speak more than one language to accommodate tourists and make their experience memorable

10) Human Resource Specialist – interacting with a diverse staff, responsible for reviewing applications and recruiting and resolving floor issues, must be equipped to interact professionally with everyone

11) Social Worker – helping families in crises, especially those that may be refugees who speak another language

12) Customer Service Representative – assisting clients from different countries or those with a different native tongue

Let us know if this was helpful by commenting below. Email us at admin@rmclanguages.com if you or staff from your organisation need to function in a foreign language.

5 Benefits of Foreign Language Acquisition

7/12/2022

Why should you / your staff learn a second language?

There are many benefits to learning a second language and it’s never too late to start. Here are some advantages of foreign language acquisition for both individuals and organisations:

1) Companies can access new business opportunities: organisations can expand their reach by exporting to markets where a foreign language is spoken. New markets represent opportunities to increase revenue by tapping into much larger revenue streams than those available locally.

2) More job opportunities for individuals: in addition to your main skill/s, listing one or more foreign languages on your CV automatically broadens your job opportunities. You will have an advantage over other candidates applying for the same position and may even be able to negotiate a better compensation package.

3) Cognitive impact: a new language forces our brains to work harder, especially having to switch between two or more languages: grammar rules, pronunciation and cultural nuances. This improves brain function by helping us to think more critically, improve memory, multitask and manage time.

4) Improved skills in mother tongue: learning vocabulary, conjugation, grammar and sentence structure in a new language helps us to improve skills in our mother tongue. Speaking in our native tongue is second nature and we don’t automatically observe the mechanics of our own language until we start to study a second language.

5) Cultural awareness: by learning a new language, we immerse ourselves in a whole new culture, lifestyle and mentality. Some believe that bilingual persons have two souls and are more sympathetic to those different to themselves. Being proficient in two languages is similar to experiencing two worlds or living two lives simultaneously.

These are just a few benefits of foreign language acquisition.

What others can you add to this list?

How has knowledge of a foreign language benefitted you?

Let us know in the comments or email us at admin@rmclanguages.com.

Looking for some inspirational books to add to your reading list?

7/5/2022

I love to read and I love to learn. When I started out on my own 10 years ago, there were a number of books that were inspirational and downright impactful:

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

God’s Promises to You. I don’t have this one and do not know the author, sadly, but I see it’s available on Amazon. It’s a very comforting, hopeful and encouraging book. It’s very short, so I took note of the parts that impacted me and I refer to my notes all the time.

These are just some books that come to mind.

The right book – just like the right course or seminar – can really inspire you to take action and achieve new levels of success.

I finally ordered some new books – business, motivational and spiritual/autobiographical books – and cannot wait to finish them all.

These are four of them:

Atomic Habits by James Clear
The One Thing by Gary Keller
Your Next Five Moves by Patrick Bet-David
Dunamis: The Power of God

What books have inspired, motivated and helped you in any area of your life or what books did you enjoy most? Let me know in the comments.

Wallerfield Air Base

7/5/2022

Photo courtesy Flight Spirit Magazine.

Did you miss our ‘Know Your Country Tour’? We’re back, enthusiastic as ever, and this time we’ll be exploring the closed American army base of Wallerfield.

Stashed away between Arima and Cumuto in Trinidad, there once existed the American Waller Air Force Base during World War II, which was activated on 1st September, 1941. It was named after a World War I combat pilot, Major Alfred Waller, who was killed in an air crash. The question arises now, if Trinidad and Tobago was a British colony, why was an American base established?

There had been an exchange between Britain and the United States whereby bases within British colonies would be handed over to United States forces under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement in September 1940. During World War II, as a result of the conflict between Germany and Britain, Nazi naval forces began appearing in the Caribbean Sea intending to disrupt British shipping. With the transfer of the base’s ownership, United States forces swarmed the twin island to ward off the threat of the Nazis, and it was successful. Due to airfield congestion, the base was moved to Edinburgh (Carlsen) Airfield in central Trinidad.

Photo courtesy Conrad Baird Photography.

Though the base is now closed, there are many million-dollar projects unfolding in the area which include the construction of the main University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) Campus, housing complexes and other projects. It currently boasts of Trinidad and Tobago’s first Scientific and Research Park known as Tamana InTech Park. It is used to generate knowledge-based jobs from small businesses to major companies and goes as far as providing on-site housing, medical and entertainment facilities. Additionally, the base’s former airstrips have been used as racing and car show / sound-off hotspots for many decades.

Though Wallerfield’s inception occurred during global unrest, the silence of its remnants still whispers the untaught history, diplomacy, zeal and bloodshed of an almost forgotten time.

Did you enjoy our article? Have you ever visited Wallerfield before? Let us know about your experience.

Five (5) tips for successful event planning of meetings with multilingual participants

5/24/2022

When planning an event with participants who speak multiple languages, many event organisers may forget that interpreters CONTRIBUTE GREATLY to the success of the event.

Why is this you may ask?

It is common to see regional and international collaboration through information-sharing meetings, training sessions and workshops on a range of topics, from public health, transnational security, trafficking (humans, goods, weapons) social issues, women's issues, environmental topics, gender-based violence and more.

Leveraging technology, specifically online platforms, makes such collaborations more efficient

than ever before. You know what else is very important? The ability of all participants to understand and interact with one another in REAL TIME regardless of the language they speak.

This is where qualified interpreters play a significant role. Here are five (5) tips for successful event planning of meetings with multilingual participants.

1. PREPARATION is key. For this reason, at RMC we impress upon our clients the need to send as much background information WELL IN ADVANCE of the event. This is key for the preparation of interpreters. It not only orients them as to the matters to be presented and discussed, but it allows them to prepare glossaries on the subject matter(s). Background information includes the draft agenda, speakers’ bios, countries of participants (regional variants of languages), presentation slides, number of participants, length of the meeting and so on.

2. We also recommend a DRY RUN or TEST CALL in advance of the event to be sure that interpreters can hear speakers and that online platforms and other technical aspects function well.

3. All presenters should also be briefed and reminded again on event days to SPEAK WITH INTERPRETERS IN MIND. This will allow interpreters to convey as much information as possible to participants, enabling participants to fully participate in the meeting/workshop/conference. Remember that interpreters are conveying the information you present in another language, so you don’t want to rattle off your presentation and risk losing your interpreters and audience along the way.

4. For remote and in-person events, in addition to interpreters having a copy of the presentations before them (which is ideally sent well in advance), if working in a booth in-person, HAVING A CLEAR VIEW OF THE SLIDES on the screen as they are being presented also assists in conveying the information in a timely manner.

5. Finally, INTERPRETERS WORK IN TEAMS of a minimum of two persons (per language pair). This allows them to take breaks and support each other throughout what can be very mentally taxing work of interpreting back-to-back presentations, discussions, Q&As and closing remarks, for hours or days at a time.

Multilingual events can be successful with a better understanding of the work interpreters perform, once all of the parties understand what is required. For your event to be successful, interpreters need to be included in the early planning stages.

Connect with us at pm@rmclanguages.com for interpreting at your multilingual events.

The Start Of The Journey: Part I

3/11/2022

Just over 10 years ago, I was working in a role which I really enjoyed during the first half of time spent in that position. It was by no means easy, but it was completely aligned with my career choices and the experiences and opportunities were phenomenal. Toward the end of my time in that role, however, it no longer fit the direction I saw myself taking, and for many reasons, the division in which I worked began to take a different turn.

I began looking at other opportunities, applied for different jobs locally and abroad, all while praying a lot and asking for guidance and direction. I continued applying and interviewing for different roles, but nothing was working out. One day, while at the office, I had a breakdown and could not function anymore, I felt as if I were becoming a zombie, my health was suffering. I was part of a rat race and was questioning the meaning behind it. I knew there was much more to life and was determined to seek it. Imagine driving in traffic every day to get to a job where you were no longer motivated, you were doing everything asked of you, but all your division’s proposals were being side-lined because it just no longer fit the narrative of the leadership of the day. Fortunately for me, I had a supportive co-worker who completely understood and supported me that day of the breakdown. I knew it was the beginning of the end in that position. My health and mental well-being were much more important and I knew there was much more to life.

A couple months later, I submitted my resignation letter. It was met with some comments and push back from the ‘leader’ who evidently recognised the value that would be lost to the organisation, but who probably thought I would stick around anyway.

Look out for Part II in this 3-part series celebrating RMC’s 10-year journey.

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868 750-6315

admin@rmclanguages.com

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