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Say That in Arabic! ...Or French, or Italian...

In Europe it is not unusual for a person to speak three or four languages. English being the global lingua franca, our shared language of science, politics and commerce, we have been blessed with a universal communication carte blanche of sorts...

When I travel overseas, or when I represent foreign clients, I try to learn a bit of their language as a sign of respect for their culture. I work hard to imitate the accent to the best of my ability. Even when my language skills are atrocious, people still appreciate my efforts, and as feeble as my attempts may be, the gesture goes a very long way.

This year I have had several Egyptian clients who bought quite a few properties from me. They have been so delightful and wonderful to me, that I want to learn their language. Arabic is not easy, but I really want to learn at least the bare necessities, in order to show my appreciation for these lovely people who are now my clients and friends.

Imagine my delight when I discovered a site on the Internet that teaches the exact pronunciation of words in Arabic and gives me the bare necessities of that language. The price is right too: FREE! The site is called SurvivalPhrases.com and it is the perfect site for my mission. Their main page simply states: "Start Speaking Today! Learn essential travel phrases, cultural insights and travel tips that you won't find in a traditional phrasebook!"

You have 14 languages to choose from: Arabic, French, German, Italian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Russian, Indonesian and Filipino. The pronunciation lessons are amazingly good and they teach you the "survival basics" in a foreign language, and that my friends, is all you'll need!

Communication leads to understanding, and understanding leads to peace and joy!

Do you speak a second or third language? Can you see the advantage of knowing at least the bare necessities of a foreign language? If you live in an area that has a large immigrant population, can't you see the value of developing that niche by simply learning that language? Give me your thoughts on this please!

Is English the Nr.1 Language in the World?

Myrtle Beach Homes by Mirela Monte VACATION! Join The TravelingRainers Group!

Posted by Myrtle Beach Real Estate by Mirela Monte on 12/16/2008 08:33 PM

Comments (16)

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say that in arabic or french, or italian, is english the nr1 language in the world, myrtle beach homes by mirela monte, vacation

Originally posted at: Myrtle Beach Real Estate by Mirela : Say That in Arabic! ...Or French, or Italian...

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16 Comments on Say That in Arabic! ...Or French, or Italian...

DEC

HELP! It's doing it again: I can't post this to any of my groups!

I found the secret to beat this glitch: just don't post to anything else, but the groups when you first insert the blog. Then come back a few minutes later and insert to everything else, including localism and channels.

I speak limited Spanish, and yes, clients are tremendously appreciative when you make the effort.

Tim: do you think it enhances your business?

Mirela, I'm doing a whole "Learn French In Your Car" thing preparing for Paris. It would have been easier if I'd had a French nannie!

Mirela, I wholeheartedly agree with you. I use to work with a Japanese family henceforth the Japanese, then I did international purchasing which explains the Mandarin Chinese, I have recently been doing a few deals in the Thai community I did one deal for a Thai Buddhaist monk and know I get alot of referrals. I will admit though Thai has been the hardest yet.

Patricia: I've had a French Nannie and I'm still doing the "learn French in your car thing". It's really strange, because on some subconscious level I understand so much, yet I am not sure of it.

Larry: Way to go Larry! So you've delved into Japanese, Mandarin AND Thai? That's awesome!

If you do a good job when selling to one member of that community, they are very diligent in spreading the word and garnering you an endless flow of referrals.

I'm impressed!

O.K., I'm jealous. I'd like to think I could fit in your suit case but....

Check out our website. www.crescentrealty.com

On the home page, scroll down past the animation and actors then go to our translations tab.

Our site is translatable (is that a word?) in 8 languages.

Larry Bergstrom

Pledge to Clients: Your satisfaction is my satisfaction.

Professional Experience: I've been licensed since 1978 and hold the designation(s) of ABR,CRB & CRS. I have experienced virtually every aspect of real estate sales from single family homes to business opportunities.

Education: 2 years college and 61 years of life.

Outside Interests: My wife and I love to hook up the Harley to the back of the motor home and see as many sites as possible. We also have a 1953 Chevy pick-up that's far from stock, and lots of fun to drive.

Personal Information: Can't have enough grandkids.

Larry, even more impressive than the translation was your page, which I took the liberty of copying. Now, that's a bio! If I was looking for a property in your area, you are definitely someone I would want to hire. I loved each and every one of your answers! "Education: 2 years college and 61 years of life." That's precious! ...Although I have to remind you that if you've earned the ABR,CRB & CRS designations, you have the equivalent of at least 4 years of college!

Everything that needs to be in an agent's bio is there: sense of humor, easy going, stable and fully engaged in life. Bravo!

When I lived in southwest Florida it was important to learn at the the basics in several languages as we had a huge European population that wintered there and vacationed there, especially Germans. It seems ironic that German was not a part of some subliminal upbringing as my maternal grandparents were both German. What I did manage to learn was a bit of French and Spanish. It has been several years since I left south Florida and sadly most of what I had picked up is gone. BTW, I use the google translator on one of my websites and will probably put it on my others thanks to this post.

Rich: This is your chance to delve into your German background. Check out SurvivalPhrases.com ! You will love it!

Please come back and tell me what you think of it after you take a few of the lessons!

DEC

My sincere appreciation goes to Rich Jacobson who found and retrieved this blog, which I inadvertently deleted last night. Rich, you are my hero!

I am going to check out the site -- I am Lebanese and only know the "Bad" words in Arabic -- thanks for the info! JE

Hi Mirela...Others are very grateful when I stick to English. At least people know what language I'm attempting to speak.

However, I added the site to my travel folder. Thanks for the tip.

Kate

DEC

Jason: We need a site where one can learn all the dirty words in a foreign language. Then they'll think we've been living there for a while...

OMG, I wouldn't dare post the most common cuss phrase in Romanian. I would get kicked off AR. Heck, I would be kicked off the Internet, it's so bad!

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