From our blog
News, developments and articles from Regina Coeli
Learn Dutch: why would you?
Many expats who live and work in the Netherlands think it’s not really necessary to learn Dutch. English is the lingua franca at many large companies and when it isn’t, Dutch colleagues will quickly switch to English to accommodate those who don’t speak their language. The Dutch really enjoy speaking English. You can even get by using only English in your free time. So why should you bother learning Dutch? We’d like to give you three solid reasons for doing so.
Speaking with the right accent in the Port of Rotterdam
Expats and immigrants don’t always feel the need to learn Dutch. That wasn’t the case for Ahmed Kansouh. He realised that he would have to speak Dutch—and speak it well—as soon as he came to the Netherlands in order to reach his goals.
French business culture
Success in business in France depends on appropriate behaviour and on mutual trust and understanding. In this article we present some of the aspects of French business culture.
How the French interpret gestures
Non-verbal communication differs from country to country and this is often one of the reasons why intercultural communication is such a challenge. This explains why a simple discussion can take an unexpected turn, quite unintentionally.
French courses: the tailor-made approach
French is both a working and an official language of the European Union, the United Nations, UNESCO, NATO and other legal entities and governing bodies. The language is spoken on five continents, which makes it a truly global language. Yet if you do not live in a country where the language is spoken, you will probably not hear or read it often. This is in sharp contrast to English, which is an ever-present feature of daily life.
What is the difference in Italian between ‘buono’ and ‘bene’?
People learning Italian sometimes use the words ‘buono’ and ‘bene’ incorrectly. They associate ‘buono’ with eating well and ‘bene’ with how good the food is. Unfortunately this doesn’t work in Italian.