From our blog
News, developments and articles from Regina Coeli
Doing business in italy? Not in august!
Do you have business contacts in Italy? Do you take into consideration the fact that government authorities and businesses are more or less closed for business as from 15 August?
Chantal Janzen's German
The best way to really learn a foreign language is to start using it in the real world immediately after taking lessons. Actress, presenter and musical star Chantal Jansen can attest to that. Just one week after completing her German course at Regina Coeli, she was already co-hosting the German version of The Voice Kids for German network SAT.1.
Negotiating in turbulent Mexican waters
Being able to negotiate successfully in a language that is not your mother tongue demands a great deal of your linguistic skills. If you want your arguments to be convincing, you have to speak the language very well indeed. Into the bargain, a condition of success in negotiating requires knowledge of the customs and culture of your future business partners so that you can communicate with them appropriately. Bluewater Energy Services BV has obviously got it right.
Why are Spanish surnames so long
Spanish surnames are often impressively long. That is because a child is given the surnames of both parents at birth. The first surname is that of the father, the second of the mother. In principle, then, children never have exactly the same surnames as their parents.
Vocabulary Family relations
If Spanish surnames seem complicated, the exact opposite is true for the Spanish vocabulary for members of the family.
Matar dos pajaros de un tiro
The Dutch often use the saying ‘twee vliegen in één klap slaan’ (to hit two flies with one swipe). As is the case with most sayings, it can’t be literally translated into another language. In Spanish there is a similar saying: ‘matar dos pájaros de un tiro’ which means to kill two birds with one shot.