Top 10 Most Spoken World Languages

Chinese – With more than 30% of the world’s population in China, Chinese is on the top of the list.  It has several dialects and is spoken as a first language by some 835 million people.  An additional 100 million speak it as a second language. Spanish – The Spanish colonized much of the world leading to many Spanish speaking countries.  There are 329 million people who speak the Spanish language. English – A huge colonial influence can be seen as the ..read more

Pepsi Slogan

In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” came out as “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.”

Shabe-Yalda

Shabe-Yalda, is celebrated in Iran during the winter solstice to mark the birth and rebirth of the sun. Having originated in Zoroastrianism, the state religion which preceded Islam, it is still celebrated in Iran today. People typically gather to tell stories and read poetry all night, while eating watermelons, pomegranates, and dried fruits and nuts.

Latin Words

As many as half the words in English are derived from Latin, including many words that are of Greek origin and were adopted by the Romans. In addition to Greek, there are numerous French, Spanish, and Italian words of Latin origin that have entered the English language over time.

Some examples of Latin words still used today are:

bonus: good corpus: body dies: day domus: home/house malus: bad magnus: great

vivo: live

terra: earth

tempus: time

From: TheNewsConnection.com

http://thenewsconnections.com/

New Americans Agenda

In previous blogs, I have spoken about the importance of immigrant integration into our culture.  Unfortunately, integration faces many challenges. According to the New Americans Agenda, “The most evident is the rise of virulent anti-immigrant rhetoric in the country. Although most Americans agree that immigrants are valuable assets to local communities, a small minority of individuals feel that America should no longer be a nation open to immigrants.”  

A challenge to integration that is unique to the Commonwealth is the great ..read more

New Americans Agenda

Rapport International, LLC works hard at keeping informed about all foreign language related issues.  Many of these issues arise due to the significant immigrant population in the state of Massachusetts.  The New Americans Agenda does a wonderful job at explaining the reasons and benefits of immigrant integration into our society.   “Integration, the combining of separate components into a harmonious whole, is fundamental to the success of the Commonwealth and the nation. Our society’s ability to peacefully absorb newcomers and to ..read more

The Yam Festival

The Yam Festival, a popular harvest festival in Ghana and Nigeria, is usually held in the beginning of August to mark the end of the rainy season. Yams are the most common food in many African countries, and are the first crop to be harvested. During this festival, an offering of yams is made to the gods and their ancestors as a show of thanks, after which yams are distributed among the villagers. The festival is also characterized by several ..read more

Global Proverbs and Idioms

 Here the donkey falls

- German idiom meaning this is the important part

To count stars

-Russian for twiddling your thumbs

To lose the stirrup

-Italian, Spanish for losing your temper

Become famous, then go to sleep.

- South American proverb

Ahimsa

Ahimsa is a Buddhist and Hindu term meaning to do no harm. Ahimsa means kindness and non-violence towards all living things including animals; it respects living beings as a unity, the belief that all living things are connected. Gandhi strongly believed in this principle. Avoidance of verbal and physical violence is also a part of this principle, although ahimsa recognizes self-defense when necessary, as a sign of a strong spirit. ..read more

Chuseok Festival in Korea

Chuseok is a popular Korean festival that occurs during the harvest season. During this time, families visit their ancestral homes and feast together. The festival is also a time to show respect to elders. Offerings are made of newly harvested foods among which crescent-shaped rice cakes stuffed with sesame seeds, chestnut paste or beans is a favorite. During this festival, Koreans also hold memorial services at the grave sites of family members. A traditional ceremony is observed on the night ..read more

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