She has worked for the BBC World Service Radio for Africa, BBC English and BBC News in production and broadcast, as well as for the UN FAO in Rome and various recording voice over dubbing studios.

Now she teaches and coaches English and Art in English, to children and adults.

Where has she lived?
She lived and worked in London for 10 years. She moved to Rome (Italy) 10 years ago but has been living in Castelldefels near Barcelona for the past five years.

What languages does she speak?
Her spoken languages now include Italian, Spanish and Catalan and she is constantly building on all four.

What is she into?
She loves to digress, can ramble on about just about anything, but loves to chat about art, poetry, environmental issues, economics, international cultural exchange and kids!

Emma is partial to an interesting word and exploring new and useful phrases in her current languages, including her native English.

Oh yes, and she is also a member of the ICV Catalan Green Party.

Where will you find her?

Every Tuesday
Webinar: 16.00-16.30
TalkTime: 17.00-18:00

Every Thursday
Webinar: 16.00-16.30
TalkTime: 17.00-18:00

There is a German proverb that says, “politeness is what warmth is to wax”, and the Chinese say, “politeness wins the confidence of princes”. Despite the cultural differences and physical distance, their consensus on the importance of politeness when it comes to interacting with others is a hint at just how important it is to people all around the world.

We need to keep in mind that there is no universal consensus on what constitutes ‘politeness’; it varies from culture to culture. However, common sense should lead us to some basic good manners.

So, how is this related to the quiz, and what is ‘tel-iqette’?

Tel-iquette is etiquette for our tele-interactions: good manners for our interaction with others by telephone or in a teleconference. (Tele = both landline connections as well as VoIP services.)

Why is tel-iquette important?

Because…

• Many people seem to have become oblivious to the obvious. (e.g. Even when we have phones stuck to our ears, others seem to overlook that fact and interrupt our calls.)
• Tele-conversations already need more concentration than face to face ones…background noise can be a huge (and annoying) distraction.
• It is easy to forget our manners when we don’t see the reactions of others (or when they can’t see what we are doing).
• It is easy to get a bad reputation due to a lack of tel-iquette.

So, how polite are you?

Take our Tel-iquette quiz (and be honest with yourself).

Of course, you can always use them to have a chat with one of our team, which works on improving your comfort and fluency when speaking. However, if you are also a member of The English Works Club, our TalkTime sessions are really the best place for a chat!

If you always book a TC with the same person, you might want to take a look at our team’s profiles. Each of us comes from somewhere different…we have very different backgrounds, both professionally and culturally, which means that you can learn something different from each of us!

If you are working on something over a few TC sessions with one of our team, speaking to the same person can be a plus. However, speaking to the same person can also give us a false sense of security. The more people you speak to, the easier it will be for your brain and ears to adjust to a new voice the next time you pick up the phone or go to a meeting.

Some of you have mentioned that you weren’t sure what to do in your TC sessions, so we’d like to share a few ideas. TCs are a great way to work on:

Your work –

If you need to send an email, why don’t you work on it with one of our team in a session? Go over that article you would like to read but haven’t had time to, or the corporate communiqué that you have a couple of doubts about….the possibilities are endless. Use your TCs to get some of your own work done.

Vocabulary –

Have you tried doing a Babelcom exercise called ‘Cover Your Own Vocabulary Gaps’? It’s a great exercise to:

1. Identify gaps in vocabulary by focussing on a specific topic and thinking how you would express it in your own language.
2. Learn vocabulary that is actually useful to you, and closest to the way you express yourself naturally.

If you would like a copy of the exercise, log in to the Members’ Area, go to Documents, then Search Documents and search for ‘LL001 Cover Your Own Vocabulary Gaps’.

Specific scenarios or competencies –

Have you taken a look at some of the Telephone Coaching tasks yet? Our TC tasks offer role-plays and other exercises to work on something specific. Some focus on the language, while others focus on communication…some have a ‘serious’ tone, while others you can have a lot of fun with; the topic is up to you. Telephone Coaching tasks are a perfect way to focus on improving one thing at a time.

To search for the tasks, first download the list of searchable keywords. The keywords doc can be found by logging in to the Members’ Area, go to Documents, then Search Documents and search for ‘Keyword List’.

We really do have a lot of tasks…in fact, it may seem like too many at first. If you would like some help selecting a few, feel free to send a message to Karla (karla@babelcom.com) and she’d be happy to help you make a selection.

Clarifying doubts –

Did you hear something the other day that you didn’t quite understand? Have you always wondered what some expression meant? Jot it down and bring it to your TC session. If our team can’t give you an answer there and then, they’d be happy to find it and get back to you.

Developing or searching for resources –

Do you have resources to support you while you are working? (e.g. a Personal Phrase Bank for written communication) Do you have a list of reliable dictionaries, thesauri, etc. handy?

Not everything has to be learned…sometimes having a good resource can save you time, and you will learn just by using it. Our team are already a virtual resource, but let us help you find or develop your own so that you are comfortable and efficient when working in English.

Follow up to a webinar –

Was there something you weren’t sure you understood in one of our webinars? Our team can share the materials from our webinars in a TC, so feel free to mention it in your TC and our team would be happy to clarify any of your doubts.

(NB: Club members, our team are not meant to do the actual webinar in a TC. Please do go to the webinar. However, if you are not a Club member and are interested in our webinars, please mention it to our team and we can go over them in the TC sessions.)

As you have seen from the ideas, your TC time is your time. Please do use it well.

If you would like some help getting started, feel free to send Leah a message (leah@babelcom.com), and she’d be happy to help.

She obtained her degree from The London College of Fashion. After completing her degree she worked for many years in the Fashion Industry as a Buyer, hence her love of clothes & shoes!

Mandy joined the Babelcom team in September 2010.

Where has she lived?
Swindon (England) London, and for 12 years in Barcelona (Spain). She currently lives in Gelida (Penedes).

What languages does she speak?
Mandy is a native English speaker, speaks Spanish well, and has a good understanding of Catalan (living in Gelida helps this!).

What is she into?
She is currently learning the piano (and doing quite well!) and trying to improve her fitness with frequent runs. She would love to run a marathon, well, maybe half…. She is also mummy to Amelia who is 2 years old and super cute!

Where will you find her?
Mandy gives Web Classes (Webinars, Learning Labs and Talk Times) with Nick Southey and she is also available for Tutorials. You will find her:

Tuesdays
09.00 – Group C Webinar
09.45 – Group B Webinar
13.00 – Group C Learning Lab
13.45 – Group B Learning Lab

Thursdays
09.00 – Group B Learning Lab
09.45 – Group C Learning Lab

Fridays
09.00 – Group C Talk Time
09.45 – Group B Talk Time

Tutorials – please check the calendar for her availability

***

Other Updates:

March 7th is a new holiday in Barcelona, and Babelcom will be officially closed. However,
If you are participating in one of the MODULES, we will have sessions on March 7.

Once again, when booking a TC or TEWC activity, please remember that we have 2 Nicks: Nick S  (the one from the south) and Nick H (the one from the north).

David holds a BA (Hons) in Business Information Systems and Modern Languages, and the maximum qualification in PRINCE2 (Project Management), holds a PMP and has expertise in ITILv3.

His professional experience includes a broad range of technical, consulting and project management assignments with leading companies, where he was dedicated to bringing IT innovation to various areas of our lives and efficiency to business. He has worked for many of the key players in industries such as healthcare, pharmacovigilance, travel, supply-chain, logistics, customs, and government, as well as for associations such as IATA.

David is also a very active person and a lover of sport and new experiences.

David joined the Babelcom team in September 2009.

Where has he lived?
Portugal, United Kingdom and Spain. He has also travelled for business and pleasure to most of Europe and Asia.

What languages does he speak?
English, Portuguese, Spanish and a bit of French and Italian.

What is he into?
His interests are: technology, business development, personal development, fitness, efficiency, time management, travel and digital media. David is also a part-time photographer and adventure sports/tourism enthusiast.

Sport: Although he has been injured in the past months, David loves running and has participated in marathons and half-marathons (such as Barcelona’s). Other sports he practices are Olympic Boxing, Thai Boxing and Football.

Music: He loves dance and ambient music styles.

To read an extended version of David’s bio log in to http://babelcom.com and click on ‘Team Members’.

Where will you find him?
Apart from Webinars, in January David is offering the following sessions in the Club and TC slots:

Every Monday
TalkTime: 18.00-19:00
TC availability: 11.00-16.30

Every Tuesday
Techno Tips with David: 11.00-11.30
TC availability: 12.00-19.00

Every Wednesday
TalkTime: 18.00-19.00
TC availability: 13.00-19.00

Every Thursday
TC availability: 12.00-19.00

Every Friday
TC availability: 13.00-19.00

***

Other Updates:

Some of us are will on holiday the first week of the year, but as of the 10th we’re a full house again.

You may be getting a message from Karla or Nick…please give them a moment of your time.

Once again, when booking a TC or TEWC activity, please remember that we have 2 Nicks: Nick S (the one from the south) and Nick H (the one from the north).

NB: First of all, if you are wondering what a ‘guilt trip’ is (and haven’t looked it up in a dictionary yet), HyperDictionary defines it as, “Remorse cause by feeling responsible for some offence”. Secondly, this message is meant for anyone who hasn’t been using their Telephone Coaching sessions or the activities in The English Works Club as they should be…

They say that, “good things come to those that wait”. Patience is definitely a virtue, but when it comes to dealing with learning needs in our professional lives, waiting won’t necessarily bring good things.

Be honest with yourself, have you wanted to come and spend some time with Babelcom’s team, but have been too busy? If you hadn’t come to see us lately we were pretty sure it is nothing personal, and that you were probably just busy.

Ok, be honest with yourself again…have you been busy, but probably could have fit in 10 minutes here, and 30 minutes there? You do know that you can access your services remotely from wherever you are, right?

If the reason you haven’t used your services lately is because of any other reason except being too busy, then please contact Leah (leah@babelcom.com). She can’t take any work off your plate, but she would be happy to sort out any issues or doubts you may have.

If you honestly do not have a few minutes here and there during your workdays, then please contact your HR department and the company doctor immediately. That is definitely not healthy!

Lately it seems that a lot of people are busier than before. It also seems to be a general trend and becoming a part of a new corporate reality. (But that is a story for another newsletter…) It is a good time management exercise to stop once in a while and reassess how we spend our time, and an essential exercise when we are busy.

If you aren’t already convinced that you need to make some time for your learning, I’d like to share 3 solid reasons as to why you should:

Reason 1: Stay Competitive

It is a very competitive world out there. You may have noticed a migration in many organisations towards borderless workplaces and multinational workforces. This means that we need to be prepared to carry out more and more of our tasks and communication in English. Being capable in English is definitely a competitive advantage.

Reason 2: Be Efficient

Do you think you could improve your efficiency if you were more comfortable working in English?
Does it take you longer than it should to carry out certain tasks in English?
Do you interact less with others in English due to a lack of confidence?
Does your English affect your performance in any way?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you really owe it to yourself to make some time to work on an improvement.

Reason 3: Appreciate the Investment

Let’s face it, if your organisation is providing Babelcom’s services to you, then more than likely you are a part of a privileged group of people they are investing in. Appreciate it!
It’s true, improving your communication in English requires an investment of your time, but at the same time it is also an investment in your professional life. Let’s make sure the investments appreciate.

(NB: On another somewhat serious note, I feel it’s important to keep in mind that we are in the midst of challenging economic times, so this is no time for wasting resources. If you don’t plan on using the services you have available, please do yourself and your organisation a favour; just tell us. There may be others who could use the services.)

There is a Peruvian proverb that says, “little by little one walks far”. Hopefully this little guilt trip has taken you a little closer to a first step….

She started her career in the dynamic world of specialty insurance (specifically in Construction and Miscellaneous Bonding), but after 6 years she decided she needed a new challenge and made her way to Spain. After studying at IESE, she spent the next 6 years as the Owner/Director of an I.T. company offering offsite backup and data recovery solutions here in Spain.

Apart from being a ‘Super Mom’ to 3 kids, one of her greatest passions and contributions to this world has been her involvement with the not-for-profit sector. She had an active role in an organisation promoting the rights of children to education (particularly girls) and providing micro-credits to women in Central Africa. She was also a rep for this organisation to the U.N.’s Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC). (She makes us proud!!)

Thanks to a number of strange coincidences, she decided to join Babelcom in September 2009.

Where has she lived?
Toronto (Canada) & Barcelona (Spain)

She is also fortunate to have travelled for business and pleasure to many areas of the world including China, South East Asia, North Africa, Russia, Mexico, across Canada and the United States of America.

What languages does she speak?
Karla is a native English speaker, fluent in Spanish, and has a basic understanding of French and Catalan. (And her Spanglish is pretty good too.)

What is she into?
Her profile online says that her key interest areas include: business development, education, research, planning, efficiency, responsible business practice, socially sound ideas, partnerships in non-profit, human rights, and intercultural issues.

(But…we know she is also into a tonne of other things. Come into one of her sessions and see for yourself.)

To read an extended version of Karla’s bio log in to http://babelcom.com and click on ‘Team Members’.

Where will you find her?
Apart from Webinars, this month Karla is offering the following sessions in the Club:

Every Tuesday 12-1pm
TalkTime – covering a variety of topics.

Every Thursday 1-1:30pm
Learning Labs – related to the Webinars this month.

***

Other Fall Team Updates:

We’d like to welcome our newest Babelcom Team Member, Mandy. Mandy will start by working with Nick S in TEWC’s Web Classes.

As we are a team of ‘guiris’, many of us have to go home for the Christmas holidays. Some team members may be away the week of December 20, but our services will be here as always.

Once again, when booking a TC or TEWC activity, please remember that we have 2 Nicks: Nick S (the one from the south) and Nick H (the one from the north).

He lived in Prague for a year before moving to Barcelona in 1996, working as an in-company professional trainer until 2004. During this time he spent 5 years working with the founder of Babelcom, Leah Stoch, on the development and coordination of the company’s pioneering distance learning services.

From 2005 to 2009 Nick worked as Marketing Director at a multinational solar energy system manufacturer and distributor.

In 2008, while still working in solar energy, Nick went back to school and back to one of his lifelong passions – filmmaking. He now balances his time between filmmaking and Babelcom.

Where has he lived?
Durham & Sheffield (U.K.), Prague (Czech Republic), Barcelona (Spain)

What languages does he speak?
Nick is a native English speaker and fairly fluent in Spanish.

What is he into?
Sport: Nick tries to keep up to date with what’s happening in the worlds of football, cricket and rugby. From early childhood he was destined to support one of England’s most disappointing and under-achieving football teams.

Music: Nick has always found time to listen to a lot of music and for a few years in Barcelona, he sang in a local band (which enjoyed even less success than his football team!).

(He is also very modest, and has amazing taste in music.)

Film: Filming and filmmaking now take up most of his time. He has a particular interest in documentary film.

To read an extended version of Nick H’s bio log in to http://babelcom.com and click on ‘Team Members’.

Where will you find him?
Nick is offering a limited number of Telephone Coaching sessions, as well as TEWC activities on Mondays and Thursdays.

Apart from Webinars, this month Nick H is offering the following TalkTime sessions in the Club:

Every Monday 10-11am
What the papers say… News and current affairs
A roundup of the stories that have attracted the attention of the national and international media over the last few days. What happened? What are the repercussions? What next? What do you think? Do you care?!

If you can get your hands on a newspaper (electronic or real), bring it along!

Every Monday 12-1pm
The Front Row… Books, film, music, performance, visual art, media and more.
We’re talking ‘culture’ – high brow or pop. What have you seen, done or read recently? Share your thoughts, experiences and recommendations with us.

Every Thursday 10-11am
Over to you… Anything you want to talk about will be fine with Nick. That’s right, anything – surprise him!

***

Other Fall Team Updates:

We’d like to welcome Kate back after maternity leave. If you haven’t met Kate yet, you’ll find her open for TCs or in the Club on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

We have some great news…Karla is feeling much better and is finally back after a nasty bout of pneumonia. Pop into one of her sessions to welcome her back!

David is going to be offering some sessions with technical tips for things like Office (2004 & 2010), or cool online tools. Stay tuned for upcoming sessions. (For more information on this new activity, please click here.)

Nick Southey (Nick S) is be back doing some Club activities. He has been busy the past year developing a line of services called Web Classes for our participants who are at a language learning stage. (For more information on the Web Classes, please click here.)

And finally, when booking a TC or TEWC activity, please remember that we have 2 Nicks: Nick S (the one from the south) and Nick H (the one from the north).

It’s not the first time subtitles in English have been used for English-language movies that feature strong regional accents. The movie Trainspotting was partially re-dubbed to make the Glaswegian accents more intelligible for American audiences. Ken Loach’s blue-collar comedy Riff-Raff was also subtitled because American studio chiefs feared the heavy accents of the British working-class would be impenetrable to stateside audiences. Same for the working-class drama Nil by Mouth – again, this time English subtitles were provided because the heavy South London accents were hard for some people to make out, even if their native tongue was English!

It should be a consolation for anybody trying to master the English language and who has been confounded by the bewildering array of different regional accents. From Glaswegian to Irish, Australian to the Texas drawl, the English language is not just about phrasal verbs and a set of grammar rules. Accents also help shape and colour the things we say, and even among us English-language natives, we sometimes have trouble understanding each other. So, next time you’re frustrated by someone’s accent, don’t lose hope, it may not be because your English is not up to par.

If you’re watching a DVD, you may be able to find subtitles. If you are trying to understand your new mate in a Scottish pub, you may have to ask him or her to repeat, because unfortunately we haven’t yet invented subtitles for real-life.

Often we spend time analysing the big picture, the whole forest rather than the individual trees. Sometimes little changes in our daily routines can make big differences in our lives. One thing we overlook is how technology has crept into our lives: things like emails, SMS, PDA’s – sure, they’ve opened up a world of possibilities, but have they really made our lives more efficient?

Besides all the obvious benefits of instant communication, it could easily be argued that they are distracting us unnecessarily. In fact, some observers say that many of us suffer from a sort of electronically-induced ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

Take meetings, for example. It might be hard to fathom, but once upon a time we didn’t have portable devices that allowed us to instantly respond to emails from wherever we were. Now, cell phones are generally on and PDA’s (Portable Digital Assistant) are present at every meeting. Some people, in fact, gauge a meeting’s success by the inverse ratio of number of people tapping on their PDA’s per person talking – the more people typing on their PDA’s rather than listening, the less effective the meeting.

Part of the problem is that proper etiquette has not been established in this area, and it is not as simple as banning mobile devices from meetings. As we all know, the adage “time is money” applies here – and a late response to an email can cost a company business. However, it is also costly to have people in meetings who are disengaged from the topic. The challenge is to establish a norm on when it is essential for someone to answer immediately, and when it could wait.

Now, let’s imagine the meeting is in English. Sometimes it’s hard enough to follow a meeting in your own language, especially if a lot of new information is being thrown at you. Obviously, you need to be on your toes a lot more when a meeting is conducted in English. This means you need to lose all distractions, and that means foregoing things like checking incoming messages.

Many people say they have difficulty following a meeting that is not in their native tongue, and many of these same people will also admit that they were checking their messages throughout the meeting. It may sound like a small, moot point, but in most instances responding to incoming messages immediately is not necessary. It can be, however, a costly distraction.

So, while you are taking a break from the routine this summer, also take a moment to think about what you can do when you get back to make your work life a little saner and with a lot fewer distractions.