Globalised English are keen to help with translation and support projects where we help to communicate important messages. We’re best suited to working with content which is very sensitive to the way it’s expressed. One perfect example of this is El Libro Rojo de las Niñas.
The Red Book for Girls or Livre Rouge des Filles is a magical book that we have translated into English and French. Taking the precise language from the original Spanish version, El Libro Rojo de las Niñas and converting into English and French was not easy.
The Red Book for Girls conveys an important message to women everywhere. It’s a message of global significance which we hope will be shared far and wide so that millions of women can benefit from it.
After being immediately charmed by this small but priceless creation, we were struck by the need to help disseminate its message as much as possible. Helping women to feel more comfortable with their physical bodies and their connection to nature is something we felt deeply motivated to do.
Finding the right words
Upon encountering this unique piece of literature, we were struck by the vital importance of the message it carries. We felt sad that our French and English speaking daughters would struggle to grasp its beauty without proper translation. It seemed urgent that they should be initiated in the ways of the world, as illustrated so charmingly by The Red Book for Girls. We hoped that by creating the translations, it could eventually result in further versions being published in the future.
Translating a book is not to be undertaken lightly, especially when the message should be delivered with the same exquisite and poetic precision for which the original is well-known. It took more than four years until we could finally settle on versions we have used in the video. These translations convey the original meaning as closely as possible without being too literal. It’s quite remarkable how difficult that can be considering the languages and the cultures they are associated with have so much in common. It was really challenging to find equivalent modes of expression for certain passages and the whole project became a rich, educational lesson in itself.
We contacted the author Cristina Romero, who welcomed our efforts with great enthusiasm. However, it became clear that the road to publishing translated versions of the book might not be as easy as we hoped. Not to be dissuaded, it seemed like making an animation of the book could help to demonstrate its value to publishers, especially with regards its appeal to foreign audiences. We’re hoping that if the animation goes viral, the development of translated books will become more viable.
A tool for EFL/ESL
Apart from the importance of the message communicated by El Libro Rojo de las Niñas, we’re really hoping that EFL teachers will consider using this as a great piece of authentic material because the tri-lingual format English/French/Spanish content is quite rare and is a treasure trove for communication exercises.
Captions on the video have been provided in all three languages. We’re hoping to add more in the course of time, do let us know if you have a translation we can add. (Google translate is not up to the job on sensitive material like this!).
We’re really delighted with how it turned out, please enjoy…
El Libro Rojo de las Niñas
El Libro Rojo de las Niñas… The Red Book for Girls or Le Livre Rouge des Filles: WATCH THE FULL TRI-LINGUAL VERSION ON YOUTUBE
At a time when women are increasingly coming together and connecting with what it is to be a full-blooded female… this book delivers a crucial message to be shared with as many women as possible.
It is vital that women connect with the hearts, their physical bodies and with nature so that together, women can help create the force necessary to drive this planet to a much more sane and positive future.
Much of the wisdom contained in El Libro Rojo de las Niñas has been ignored or suppressed for far too long and now is the time to make that change.
Here’s to a strong but sensitive sisterhood!
The next chapter…
When the movement towards equality of the sexes has never been more visible, it must be admitted that this has, at times, resulted in creating more masculine women, trying to compete on the same terms as their male counterparts. Perhaps the next wave of feminism will underline the importance of embracing our differences. Equality does not mean being the same and this book can help us to recognise our differences, to embrace the innate quality of femininity with which no trans woman will ever be able to identify. Given that we sometimes hear women referred to as “people who menstruate”, as if there were women who didn’t, this book can help to undo the denial of femininity that has seeped into certain quarters.
Sharing is caring
Please think to distribute this amongst every women’s circle, support group, and sympathetic organisation you can think of. Overcoming the taboo that still hangs ominously of over the subject of female menstruation (is there any other kind?!) is truly an evolutionary act.
New Paradigm Education who pulled this beautiful project together are currently in the process of developing an alternative to conventional education. The Genius Tree can be found in our digital magazine: Genius!
Many people ask us about our logo – the Union Hack. Some people simply want to know where it comes from but a lot of people want to know the story behind it. We also get frequent requests from people who want to buy one of our mugs, t-shirts, scarves or other products and they usually have further questions too.
For a start, most people want to check if they can find their country’s flag and we are yet to find an example of anyone who has been disappointed! This is not surprising really considering all the effort that was spent in making sure that every national flag was represented. The whole point is that everyone should feel included. A lot of thought went into this design and it’s never an easy thing to explain all the ideas that go along with it.
The Union Hack
The Story of the Union Hack
The Founder of Globalised English also happens to be the originator of this popular design which can now be seen more and more frequently in schools, shops windows, and all kinds of public spaces.
The kernel (or the seed) of the idea came from an observation. Looking at the numbers of people who speak English today, it’s very easy to see a striking fact. Most English speakers are not English, American, Canadian or Australian. The vast majority of people who speak English are not native speakers at all but those who use it as a second language. Most people today learn English so that they can talk to other non native speakers.
However, the way that English is taught still appears to be focused on achieving an almost outdated form of communication, the ‘Queen’s English’. It’s very unlikely that most of us will ever move in the social circles this level of precision (or indeed these accents!) require. Most people simply want to be able to be able to communicate with others during the course of their lives, sufficiently well to both understand and make themselves understood. This does not require an exemplary and highly advanced knowledge of English. Someone with a good Upper Intermediate level will be able to survive in any situation, personal or professional. The question of learning how to decipher different accents and boost vocabulary is something which happens naturally over time. This is why Globalised English is focused on helping everyone to speak ‘sufficiently’ well. We aim to help Intermediate B1+ students to improve their confidence and take the next big steps with their English by exposing them to more conversation situations and more native speakers.
A Question of Identity
A nation and its culture are powerfully linked to the language spoken by its inhabitants. England has become increasingly diverse over the last century and as the population of English speakers has changed so radically, it seemed about time to create a new symbol which represented all the different nationalities who are united through this common language.
Work began on this logo over ten years ago and many iterations were tried before this design was finally chosen. As a flag, it’s something which is only made possible by the times in which we live. It is only thanks to the wonders of modern printing that we can now see such a multi-coloured design produced at such a high quality and level of detail.
The Union Hack is ‘multi-coloured’
Multi-coloured really is an excellent word to use because it represents our biological and racial differences so well. The world is full of different kinds of people, every colour and shade imaginable can be found and so a design which includes all the colours of the rainbow seems highly appropriate.
Union Hack – A Symbol of Inclusion
Now the Union Hack is starting to be used by other organisations who want to show they embrace diversity in the workplace. There’s no better way to show that racism has no place in your institution than by displaying one at the entrance of your building, a striking visual reminder of what inclusion really looks like.
The first outing of the full sized flag was in Brighton in 2019 when the Founders of Globalised English, New Paradigm Education and the Living Words University went to tour the streets of Brighton, UK. There’s a short clip you can see below filmed at the end of the night after having had an excellent response from hundreds of people.
Union Hack – The Flag of All Flags
Since its first appearances around the UK, the flag has been referred to as “The Flag of All Flags”, named by someone who was immediately struck by the integration of all the national emblems into one design. Many people have also said they see it as a symbol of peace given the white background.
For all these reasons, the Union Hack is becoming increasingly popular and we are very proud to have been the first organisation to use the design as our logo.
The writing’s on the wall. The Great Brexit Balls Up.
THE GREAT BREXIT BALLS UP
Across the UK, English schools are standing empty and teachers are being made redundant in increasing numbers. Host families are genuinely worried about keeping up with their mortgages and many associated industries are also feeling the pinch. Having taken so long to commit to leaving the European Union, Britain has placed itself in a precarious position economically. One of the most striking places where this has been felt is in the schools where English is taught as a foreign language. Probably the most well established and thriving of British exports, our language, seems to have become a much less desirable commodity of late. The Great Brexit Balls up is starting to take its first casualties.
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
There’s no doubt that English will remain a highly sought after skill long after the fuss of the current political situation has died down. The academic sphere and the business world still largely hinge upon this linguistic meeting point which allows so many different nationalities to work together effectively.
However, the summer and autumn of 2019 will long be remembered as the period when the world of EFL teaching was radically affected by Britain’s political movements. There’s every chance this year will shape the English teaching world and its associated industries for some time to come.
It’s very likely that we will see the departure of some well-established names by the end of this year. Thriving businesses, generally full of customers from every corner of the globe, are suddenly struggling to survive. Schools whose corridors were usually bustling with activity stand eerily quiet with just a handful of students spread around an ever decreasing number of ashen faced, worried looking teachers.
Steve Johnson from Interactive English in Brighton stated “We have noticed a significant drop in applications for our school, prospective students do not know where they will stand if they arrive in the country before the UK exits the EU. There is a real worry that they will be deported for not having the correct immigration documents.”
A BLAST FROM THE PAST
For as long as we can remember, one of our country’s most faithful exports, our language, has been a stalwart of the British economy. As quintessential as a cup of tea, a residential visit to the UK is commonly viewed as a pre-requisite on the road to mastery of the English language. Most foreign learners who want to become proficient speakers of the language consider spending time here as a critical part of their studies. However, dramatically affected by the recent machinations of our government, this most reliable of British products appears to be significantly less profitable.
ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES
And it’s not only the teachers. Receptionists stand idle, waiting for the phone to ring or for the odd email to land with a tentative inquiry. The only phone calls they tend to receive at the moment are from anxious host families concerned about their empty spare rooms and the source of next month’s mortgage payments. Directors of Studies are visibly concerned and homes are being re-mortgaged, even as we go to press. Who would have thought that Britain’s political status would reach so far into the pockets of home-owners so quickly?
Tour companies who used to run dozens of bus trips a day visiting Oxford, Cambridge, London, Bath and Stonehenge, are also at risk of going out of business. Their offices are hauntingly quiet and the tour guides are twiddling their thumbs nervously at home, also waiting for the phone to go. A once popular tour operator from Brighton was quoted as saying “This is a worrying time.”
Manrico Oliveri from Discovery Tourssaid “Students have either delayed or cancelled their plans to come to the UK due to all the uncertainty.”
Redundancies are being made where only a year ago, staff were being taken on. Pubs and restaurants, cafés and nightclubs are also taking a hit. One of the longest standing club nights in Brighton, catering specifically for foreign visitors has been dramatically hit by falling numbers and may yet have to close. As residential course subscriptions have fallen off drastically, the impact is being felt by a diverse range of stakeholders.
THE OLYMPICS WON
Another significant summer for the English teaching industry was in 2012 when the huge number of visitors pouring into the country for the Olympics meant the prices of flights and accommodation suddenly went through the roof. This, in turn, meant that thousands of students were put off travelling to the UK. Thankfully, this was only for a short month, although possibly the longest four weeks ever for many of the host families and schools who counted on that revenue to get by.
LESS HOMES DOES NOT MEAN HOMELESS
The summer season is always the peak time for foreign visitors and sometimes English schools struggle to find enough beds for everyone. Reliable host families are often inundated with calls from stressed out Accommodation Officers who are desperate to place their students. That year of 2012 was noticeably different and there are hosts who can still remember it well. A popular family who used to welcome four visitors at a time said “It was a critical time for us and we nearly lost our house.”
This current period of uncertainty looks far more worrying for those dependent on foreign expenditure, there’s still a few weeks before the government is due to reconvene and it’s decidedly unclear as to what is going to happen after that.
In a manner which is typical of the famous stiff upper lip, some accommodating host families are doing their best to play down the very real risk under which their homes currently stand. Chris Roche, who usually welcomes guests studying here in the UK confessed “I’m slightly panicking, I’m desperately short of students and I depend on them to help pay my mortgage.”
NO WAY HOME
What’s most surprising about the current drop-off in visitors to the UK is that it doesn’t just seem to be affecting those who would be arriving from the EU. Visits from nationalities outside the EU also seem to be in decline and it’s probably just the period of uncertainty that’s affecting their decisions to travel at this time.
Many European citizens have genuine concerns about finding themselves stranded in the UK if their ID cards were to suddenly become insufficient to travel. The threat of unexpected increases in prices and scares about food supplies, visas, medical care and all sorts of unexpected causes abound.
Although much of this stems from unsubstantiated fears, it’s hardly surprising given the coverage by a lot of foreign media. As just one example clearly illustrates, reporting of Brexit in Spain gives the impression that the UK risks becoming a concentration camp for foreign visitors. Food shortages are predicted and all manner of horror stories are condensed into the attention grabbing headlines which can be found on the news stands. Of course, we hope nothing could be further from the truth, but the powerful impression left by Alfonso Cuarón’shard-hittingChildren of Men, has probably left traces of doubt for many, especially those who are yet to visit our largely friendly and welcoming country.
A GREAT BRITISH BETRAYAL?
For many, many decades, the prevailing view of the British people worldwide was one of faithful reliability. A bastion of the business world upon whom anyone could count, Britain used to be regarded, and still is by many, as a brand as trustworthy as a German or Japanese car. The current sense of betrayal felt by many across the continent is probably also subtly at play when European nationals are considering improving their language skills. Many feel that they are being abandoned by the UK, even if they have their own doubts about the European project as a whole and understand the desire for national sovereignty. Greater political autonomy is something that many European nations yearn for and a considerable number of citizens are currently feeling a sense of jealousy about the UK’s anticipated departure. It’s as if they’re understandably reluctant to be the last one left at the party when the music is over, to whom falls the dreaded responsibility of tidying up after everyone else has gone home.
BLOCKED BY THE BRITISH COUNCIL
Most English schools value the accreditation offered by The British Council very highly. There are a large number of foreign agents who will only work with schools who have been approved by The British Council, an association whose logo is commonly viewed as an internationally recognised stamp of approval. As with other regulatory bodies which seek to establish and maintain high standards within their given sector, the support they provide can also become suffocating when their members need to adapt rapidly to market fluctuations. Currently, the British Council actually stands in the way of the schools they represent who have to find ways to survive given the changing demands of their global audience. Foreign customers are increasingly turning to their computers as a significantly cheaper way to learn English. Unfortunately, English schools registered with the British Council are hampered in their efforts as they seek to introduce online alternatives, regulations slowing their progress as they move towards their provision.
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY
The fact that virtual classroom software now permits people from around the world to communicate so effectively across borders means that the internet is suddenly a force to be reckoned with in the English teaching world. High quality video calls where students can work directly with teachers and other students of every kind, no matter their location, can offer English lessons with native speakers at a fraction of the cost. Online teaching resources can be found everywhere and competition is fierce. The low cost study aids being offered to students is driving down the wages for teachers. Sudden shifts in the global economy mean that a small change in currency value can make a residential visit to the UK prohibitively expensive. Marry the financial concerns with underlying feelings of resentment towards the Great Brexit Balls Up and we may have an explanation for the huge threat to English schools being felt at this very moment.
One online school, Globalised English, seems to be adapting very well to the changes reports a huge increase in foreign demand for their business. Now signing contracts with secondary schools from around the world, they are seeing huge increases in revenue and even seem concerned about whether or not they will be able to satisfy the demand, mostly in respect to finding teachers capable of switching to the online alternative.
ADAPTING TO ADD
In these times of ADD (attention deficit disorder), it’s no simple task to give online students the sense of immediacy and excitement that will keep them glued to their screens. Often sitting alone in a room with distractions on every side, it’s by no means a given that a teacher can hold their attention. New approaches must be adopted to create vital and engaging lessons that keep students wholeheartedly involved. There’s little doubt that their intrinsic desire to learn the language should be enough, but it’s so easy for people to be distracted from the task at hand when incoming messages, popups, texts and calls all seek to break the concentration required for effective study.
The quality that makes an online English teacher successful is a relaxed and yet subtle form of urgency. When people use their screens for a such a wide-range of visually captivating entertainment, teachers find themselves competing with incredibly dynamic, high-budget content. The one thing they can provide which films and videos can never contend with is the immediacy of online interaction and human connection. Video games obviously provide this in spades but they lack the quality of content necessary for someone who is serious about speaking English, although this may yet come to change in the future.
ONE EYE ON THE FUTURE
As the disruption of whole industries appears likely for the foreseeable future, those connected with teaching English as a foreign language may be forced to see this Great Brexit Balls Up as the impetus for change as the sands shift beneath them. This once reliable business will almost certainly survive this bump in the road, certainly the industry as a whole. However, small businesses unable to resist weeks or months of lost revenue as they harbour empty classrooms, bedrooms, tour buses and nightclubs, may have to look to alternative strategies to cope with the ongoing changes to world markets.
Stop watching American films! Stop watching TV series!
Forget programmes like Game of Thrones and Vikings if you think they’re going to help your language skills to get better! In our opinion, these are the worst ways to help your language develop, watch TED to improve your English!
TED is an international conference that brings together specialists from all kinds of fields and asks them to share the benefit of their experience with a highly intelligent audience. The talks are limited to a maximum of 20 minutes and many talks are only 5-10 minutes long.
Over 100 Languages
The TED website is an amazing resource for language learners because it has excellent translations of all the talks and sometimes there are additional materials available from their website. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, if you watch TED to improve your English, you’ll gain all kinds of benefits as well as find high quality, extra resources produced in your mother tongue.
Subtitles and Translations
There is a page listed here which shows the number of talks available for each language and all of them come with verified translations. The quality of the subtitles makes a big difference when you want to learn another language! The teamwork that must go into the productions of their translations must be considerable, they clearly have a meticulous eye for detail.
Endless Variety
If you want something to watch in the evening, then you simply need to watch TED to improve your English at the same time. The website is excellent because it’s overflowing with content and everyone can find subjects they are already interested in or directly affected by. There’s simply no end to the possibilities, if you can’t find a talk that you find interesting, it’s YOU that’s the problem. You must be really boring!
What’s so bad about watching films and TV series?
So, you want to just lie back on your bed and relax while hearing some English, you may ask what the problem is… why shouldn’t you just chill out and watch the products of Hollywood?
Well, firstly, in your relaxed, passive state, you will get more and more comfortable with not understanding what’s going on. You can actually get used to not understanding and become comfortable with that state. Although there always needs to be a tolerance of being confused (it’s an important aspect of learning any language), getting used to letting things go can just reinforce the experience of being lost.
The Nature of Scripts
The trouble is that the English you’re hearing is NOT natural English. If you think about how a story is made into a film, thousands of pages are summarised to just a few thousand words of spoken dialogue in order to convey the narrative. The process of reducing so much information into such an edited breakdown means that there’s no space for the natural flow of language. It’s very rare to hear conversations like the ones we hear in films. This means that the language is more like poetry – and poetry breaks all the rules of language by definition!
IELTS
Many IELTS students want to find good material to watch which can help their studies and TED is the perfect place to find sources in your specific field. It doesn’t matter what speciality you have, you will find experts in your subject talking on the TED website. Only the most experienced and accredited people are invited to contribute so you can be certain to find quality information from a wide variety of speakers, all using natural English.
Not only can you work on your English, you can also inform yourself about the most up-to-date developments in your field of interest. If you’re an architect, engineer, scientist or business person, you will find a huge selection of informative presentations. It can also be an excellent way to get ideas for how to improve your own presentations. Just watch TED to improve your English and also see your general knowledge expand. It’s really the best way to place yourself on the cutting edge in all respects.
Different Accents and Voices
The huge variety of accents you’ll hear on TED is also very helpful, there are speakers from every country you can imagine. Instead of only listening to the voices of British and American actors pretending to be medieval characters and heroes, you can hear normal, educated people, like you, sharing their ideas, their research, their experience and their conclusions.
This weekend I had fun with my daughters recording some answers to questions using superlatives and the present perfect. It might be difficult to understand them because they have a way of speaking which is typical for young English girls at the moment: nearly every word is followed by “like”, which they also use as a form of punctuation. It will be interesting to see how many of you can understand what they’re saying!
The present perfect is a great way to find out about people’s life experiences. It doesn’t provide much detail, for that we use the past simple. Superlatives are also limited in their interest, we don’t always want to talk about the best, the worst, the most or least, but they do give us an idea of the highlights and lowlights of our experiences.
