From our blog
News, developments and articles from Regina Coeli
Creating that team feeling through language training
What do you do if you want to take the language level of the entire company to a higher level because your customer base is internationalising more and more? Jürgen Schuijren of VEGA measurement and control technology knew what to do: reach out to the Nuns of Vught. All his employees came to the language institute in Vught for English language training. Their programmes consisted of a blend of private lessons and lessons with a team of colleagues, a combination that’s increasingly in demand at Regina Coeli.
Write to improve your language skills
Have you ever taken the time to sit down and produce piece of writing in a language other than your native one? It’s one of the best ways to get a better grasp on a foreign language! Writing improves your speaking skills, so even if you never need to write anything, grab a pen and paper anyway and start composing!
Do you have a training budget? Put it to good use!
As a professional, you know that continuing professional development is a must. Many Dutch collective labour agreements contain agreements on personal training budgets for employees. This means that you can request that your employer fund training or education. Research has shown that at least 40% of the time, individual training budgets go unused and simply expire at the end of the year. If you work for a Dutch company, make sure you reap the benefits of your training budget.
Take your English skills up a notch
For global citizens, it is becoming the norm to speak English as fluently as their own languages. Young people grow up with English all around them, and their higher education is taught in English increasingly often, almost to the point that they have a better command of writing in English than in their mother tongue. Yet, let us be honest—you are setting the bar quite high if you want to communicate as easily in a foreign language as in your native one. Here are a few tips to help take your English skills up a notch.
Working in an international team
If you work in an international team, you have probably noticed how varied your colleagues’ English can be. Even when everyone hears the exact same sentence, they might have a different understanding of what has been said. Here are a few tips for communicating in an international team.
Flow makes learning a language much easier
A great deal has been said and written on the subject of stress, which is why we know that stress can be very helpful in some situations, like when a tiger is about to pounce on you. In general, though, as humans we prefer to avoid stressful situations, especially when it comes to learning. When you are under stress, your brain blocks new information and you cannot learn.