It’s a novel of sex, romance, power and religion.

And in a post-September 11 world looking for a window on the Middle East, it is significant that Alaa Al Aswany’s The Yacoubian Building is also a novel of Egypt that has just been translated into English.

Increasingly, writers, readers and publishers are turning to literature as a bridge between cultures, particularly Western and Arab societies estranged since Muslim extremists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and elsewhere attacked the United States on September 11, 2001. Recent years have seen the arrival of a Web site devoted to translating fiction and new grants for literary translations. Last year, the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest of its kind in the world, chose the Arab world as its “guest of honor,” giving several hundred Arab writers and intellectuals an unprecedented chance to exchange ideas with their Western counterparts and meet publishers and agents.

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When senior Jose Kafie lived in El Salvador, his parents were actively involved in his education. They hosted a parent reunion, met with his teachers regularly and made time to talk with Kafie about school. However, once his family moved to Silver Spring in search of more opportunities, everything changed.

Now, Kafie’s parents must work long hours at several jobs to support the family and are rarely available to talk with Kafie or his teachers about his schoolwork as they once could in El Salvador. The language barrier between Kafie’s family and the school makes active parental participation nearly impossible. “It was like there was this huge wall, and they couldn’t do anything. They couldn’t express themselves to my teachers like they used to,” Kafie says.

Students all over the county must deal with this lack of communication between their parents and their teachers. MCPS has over 16,000 international students representing 154 countries and 120 languages. More than 74 percent of these families speak a primary language other than English, according to a 1999 issue of MCPS’ The Bulletin. Although MCPS has made attempts to make translations available to families who need them, their efforts have not been effective enough to prevent the alienation of non-English speaking families. As a result, these families know very little of what goes on at school and in their children’s education.

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In the eyes of foreign visitors and residents, Taiwan is a friendly and democratic country and visitors are most impressed with Taiwan’s culture, people’s friendliness and beautiful scenery, according to a survey released by the Government Information Office (GIO) yesterday.

The poll also found that visitors are least impressed with the nation’s environmental protection, internationalization and tourism facilities.

The survey, conducted between Oct. 26 and Dec. 31 last year, questioned about 1,000 foreign visitors and over 500 foreign residents, found that the dominant impression of Taiwanese people was of their friendliness, followed by diligence, politeness, reliability, openness, flexibility and high quality of life.

Foreign tourists and residents agreed that Taiwanese society is family-centered. The tourists also stressed Taiwanese society’s competitiveness, safety, fast-pace, ethics, modernization, internationalization, efficiency, freedom, order and diversity.

When asked about their impressions concerning Taiwan’s government, more than 55 percent of the foreign residents said that they were most impressed with the freedom of the media and about 53 percent cited democratic development.

More than 80 percent of foreign visitors and 85 percent of foreign residents agreed that Taiwan is better than China in terms of its democratic development and economic, cultural, social and technological development, as well as in terms of internationalization and quality of life.

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Eagan resident Maureen White Eagle watched a conversation without words dissolve all language barriers during a trip last year to Mexico.

“Neither woman spoke the other’s language but they were communicating and laughing,” White Eagle said. “They managed to make a connection through gestures and it was just amazing to see that.”

When White Eagle made her trip in October 2004, she didn’t visit the usual tourist destinations such as Cancun or Mazatlan, but instead took an opportunity to get a taste of the lifestyle of one native Mexican community.

White Eagle made the trip with Global Citizens Network, a St. Paul-based nonprofit organization. She spent more than a week working with the Totonac people of the east-central Mexico state of Puebla.

It’s those types of cross-cultural experiences like White Eagle described that GCN wants to foster through its one-to-three-week trips to 10 indigenous communities across the world.

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Known as Exam Hell, school entrance exams are notoriously stressful in Japan, but students in their droves are turning to what they believe is one very lucky charm -– a bar of Kit Kat.

As well as being a favourite lunchtime snack, students are now bringing the Nestlé chocolate bar into the exam room because the phrase “kitto katsu” means, “If I try, I will win.”

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This past weekend’s Iraqi election — held in Nashville as well as Baghdad — was an inspirational reminder of our city’s growing diversity and role in the wider world. Nashville was one of only five U.S. cities hosting the overseas voting for Iraq’s first free election in 50 years, chosen due to its Kurdish population — which at an estimated 8,000 is the largest in the country.

The Athens of the South is also home to large groups of Mexicans, Vietnamese and Somalis, among others. In fact, from 1990 to 2000, Nashville’s foreign-born population more than tripled from 12,662 to 39,596. In the five years since the last U.S. Census, it’s safe to say that it has continued to grow at a good clip — witness our ever-expanding dining choices on Nolensville Road.

About this time last year, Metro completed a yearlong study “looking at how immigrants are adjusting and contributing to life in Nashville and Davidson County,” and recommending ways to help them adapt to the local culture and economy.

It’s a commendable start, but only half of our responsibility. Globalization is a two-way street; as we welcome immigrants and their contributions to our city, we should also share our experience and expertise with the world.

Tennessee State University is one institution that’s made global exchange a priority by partnering over the past few years with universities in Malawi, Thailand, Ukraine, and now Tunisia. In September, the school’s Office of International Business Programs received a $194,000 grant from the State Department to share faculty, students and expertise with the University of Tunis el Manar — with the overarching goal of increasing U.S. understanding of Islamic societies.

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Beginning this week, First Tennessee bank officials will launch two components of their Hispanic initiative which recognizes and supports the growing population in Chattanooga. The first provides professional Spanish language instruction to bank employees.

Stacy Johnson, Director of Hispanic Relations for First Tennessee, stated, “The Spanish language program will be of great benefit to Spanish speakers living in our area by helping to narrow the language barrier that is so prevalent.” Ultimately, their hope is to better serve this population’s important financial needs, officials said.

Classes are offered three times a week and are free of charge to the bank’s employees. To date, 45 are enrolled in the program. The class will be offered in the Cleveland area as well.

The second initiative being launched is a curriculum geared to Spanish speakers throughout Hamilton County in partnership with READ Chattanooga, Tennessee’s oldest adult educational program. The class, known as Money Matters, is a financial literacy program designed in conjunction with the FDIC, whose purpose is to teach people the benefits of utilizing banking institutions. The most fundamental benefit is to protect a family’s financial assets, in addition to their overall security.

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Common Sense Advisory, an independent research and consulting firm, announces the release of its fourth-quarter Global Business Confidence Surveyâ„¢ results for the translation services industry. The surveys polled buyers and suppliers of language services and technology about their current business situation, plans, and expectations for the near future.

The supply-side report, “Global Business Confidence Survey: Supplier Q4-2004,” is the third in a series of quarterly polls into the attitude and plans of language service and technology providers. It compares the results of all three surveys to chart changes in business confidence over the last nine months. Common Sense Advisory has begun to cross-tabulate its results with those of the U.S. Department of Commerce and other national and international agencies reporting on the general economy.

The buy-side report, “Global Business Confidence Survey: Buyer Q4-2004,” is the first in a series of parallel reports on the corporate and government demand for language services.

As with its supply-side research, Common Sense Advisory will conduct this survey every quarter, compare results, and comment on the changing attitudes.

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Newgen Software said it has developed a Chinese version of its software product on document management and workflow to enter the Chinese market.

Newgen has become the first Indian company to develop a Unicode Chinese version of a software product, a company release said.

China is strategic to Newgen’s business. By developing Unicode Chinese version, Newgen has shown its commitment to the Chinese market”, Diwakar Nigam, MD, Newgen Software said.

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Admiral Online today announced the release of its new 3.1c version of DictoMail Intelligent Messaging Technology. DictoMail instantly translates voicemail messages into readable text for viewing on cellphones, smartphones, BlackBerrys, and desktop email systems. It requires no software installation on the user device or PC. The technology is now broadly available to the public at www.DictoMail.com in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

DictoMail was originally conceived as a business tool for commercial real estate professionals who are frequently away from their desks or in noisy places where listening to voicemail is difficult. Using DictoMail, they found that they could read their voicemail messages far more quickly than listening to them. The service also enabled them to scroll through and look at messages instantly, then return the most important calls first. Since caller ID is captured with every message, DictoMail eliminated the need to write down telephone numbers.

Today consultants, hospitality executives, attorneys, contractors, IT professionals and finance executives use DictoMail. “Any professional that receives a high number of voicemail messages throughout the day and is frequently away from their telephone, or on the telephone missing incoming calls, can become more productive with the service,” said Richard Yegan, Founder and Chief Information Officer. “DictoMail is a simple concept but it’s changing how busy professionals are doing their jobs.“

Different user groups have discovered different benefits of the service. For example, attorneys can now discreetly check incoming voicemail by reading their DictoMail on laptop monitors or smartphone screens amid court proceedings. Executives can check incoming voicemail on their desktops while engaging in conference calls. International travelers, on overseas trips, can check voicemail on their computers without incurring international telephone fees. Business owners can use the service to capture voicemails as emails for incoming prospect calls. The emails can then be archived, sorted and data-mined at a later date.

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Milka Duno, the first Hispanic woman to achieve a win in a major North American sports car race, is coming to Chicago. She will meet the press during a special breakfast in the Pontiac display area from 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. before the Chicago Auto Show opens to the public for “Women’s Day” on February 15, 2005. A public autograph session is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the Pontiac display area.

Duno’s qualities and achievements as a successful female in the male dominated sport of racing are not the only traits that drew Pontiac to her. A naval engineer, she speaks three languages and has four masters degrees ( earning the last three simultaneously ) that she obtained in Venezuela and Spain. “Milka’s educational background and pursuit of action and performance are attractive credentials,” said Mark-Hans Richer, Pontiac marketing director. “Her independence and achievements provide a positive and engaging role model for women and Hispanics alike.”

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Recently, genetic scientists have determined that in the 6 billion rungs of the DNA ladder that make up the nucleus of the human cell, there is less than .02% difference between one race and another. There may be many cultures, tribes, nations, languages and peoples, but apparently one common ancestry for us all.

Because many real estate firms hire people from a variety of different cultures, miscommunication and misunderstanding can easily occur. Such miscues can lead to stress, frustration and anxiety that in turn can negatively impact performance, relationships and teamwork. Understanding the communication styles and cultures of the global workforce can open new gateways to successful cross-cultural communication. This 5 Point Plan, taken from The Success Series http://www.iSucceed.com hopes to show that being a child of the new modern world often requires being open to different international perspectives.

1. Finding Common Interests.
2. Appreciating Different Values.
3. Having Empathy.
4. Being Understanding.
5. Being Patient.

It may feel like a complex, confused journey of a thousand miles and a thousand cultures. Yet it all begins with small steps. Orison Swett Marden once said, “The universe is one great kindergarten for man.” So, have fun, learn to tune down your haste, bury your frustration, wash away your pre-conceived opinions and open your mind to variety and new friendships.

Acknowledgement
This article is part of “The Success Series” by Stefan Swanepoel: author of 10 books and whitepapers and a celebrated speaker to more than 250,000 people on five continents. Stefan is CEO of iSucceed, Inc., the nation’s largest online mentoring and coaching company in the real estate industry with over 175 mentors and 300+ hours of material. For a free trial, visit http://www.iSucceed.com and use the promo code RISMedia.

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Common Sense Advisory, Inc., an independent research and consulting firm, has released the second in a series of reports on publicly traded language service companies. The report, “SDL 2005: Challenges and Opportunities,” provides a business assessment of UK-based SDL International (SDL), a provider of translation services and technology solutions, in the financial and business terms that reflect the company’s importance to the globalization plans of large enterprises. Specifically, the report:
– Analyzes SDL’s business fundamentals
– Assesses its value and performance through valuation methodologies including discounted cash flow and relative valuations.
– Provides SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats) analysis in the context of the language services market landscape and company details
– Discusses strategies that could enhance shareholder and customer value
– Provides an in-depth look at the globalization market dynamics and buying trends

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A new Finnish translation of William Shakespeare’s Sonnets appeared on Monday under the title Nautintojen ajan aarre (The name is taken from the line “Where all the treasure of thy lusty days” in Sonnet II). The translation is the work of author and scholar Kirsti Simonsuuri, and the volume has been published by Yliopistopaino.

The process of translation took a total of around five years, but Simonsuuri had other research work and some fictional writing going on at the same time, as well as teaching duties at Helsinki University, in England, and in Holland.

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Marketing guru Fernando Espuelas made his name pioneering the Internet in Spanish and Portuguese. He was the first to take a Latin American Internet company public on Wall Street, Star Media Networks Inc., and personally lost $500 million when the dot-com bubble burst — even as the Internet still blossoms in Latin America.

Now, the Uruguay-born executive who Time magazine called one of the “Leaders of the Millennium” is targeting another linguistic market often overlooked: U.S. Hispanics comfortable in English.

Espuelas is launching Voy, a New York-based company developing a brand of Hispanic-relevant books, TV, music and movies in English, the language of millions of Latinos raised in the United States and tens of millions more Americans who enjoy Latin culture…

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