Language Connection April 2011
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March 10th, 2011
Do you learn or are you a native speaker of:
- Japanese
- Chinese
- Korean or
- English?
Language Connection 2011 will bring together learners and native speakers of these languages so that you can:
- Improve your second language skills, and
- Make more friends with native speakers!
At the conference, Japanese, Chinese and Korean speakers will mix together with local Australian language learners. You will have the opportunity to hear a keynote address about language learning, participate in language and cultural exchange, and hear a panel discussion on language learning. You will be grouped with other participants throughout the day to learn and enjoy through cultural themed activities. Through these activities, you will not only make friends with local students and native speakers of your second language, but you will also get to speak your second language in a supportive and friendly environment.
At the end of the day, each of the language groups will come up with new ideas for community events, like language exchanges in cafes, movie clubs etc. Participants are encouraged to be creative with new suggestions to promote language and cultural exchange. We will also introduce everyone to the existing groups in the community, and recommend events for people to attend as well.
Where: Level 1, Sidney Asia Myer Centre, University of Melbourne
When: 10:00am – 4:15pm, Saturday, 16 April 2011
Registration opens from 9:30am for a 10am start.
Registration deadline: 5pm, 10 April 2010
Price: $15 for prepaid tickets
$20 for tickets on the day
Click here here to register online for the conference.
Refreshments and snacks provided during the conference.
As a participant, you will be invited to our language exchange activities, and given free entry to one language exchange. Our fortnightly free e-newsletter E-Cultural Express will update you with the latest cultural events in Melbourne. Anyone can sign up for E-Cultural Express to receive information about all the language learner social events.
For more information contact Angela Wright
angela@globalhearttours.com
0423 869 800
Japanese and English Blog
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January 30th, 2011
Dan, our Managing Director, has a blog about his experiences of learning Japanese. Its perfect for Australians who are learning or have learnt Japanese 
Talking about exams in Australia (Mandarin)
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January 26th, 2011
Talking about exams in Australia (Mandarin)
Chinese International Student’s lifestyle in Melbourne
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January 24th, 2011
Talking about a Chinese International Students lifestyle in Melbourne
The Melbourne Korean and English Group
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January 22nd, 2011
The Melbourne Korean and English Group is all about Koreans in Melbourne learning English and Australians learning Korean. We create a space where people from both language groups can come together, speak some of their second language and make new friends
The Undertow
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January 20th, 2011
I can change the words, but if I keep speaking to Chinese people with the same:
- Sense of humour (sarcasm)
- discourse structure (speaking whenever noone is saying anything because I can’t stand silence)
- attitudes and values
- guesture
Its always going to remain wierd. If I want to speak this language I need to get it all on the same page – not just a google translate in real life.
Language Connection April 16 2011
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January 18th, 2011
Dear Global Heart Tours and Language Exchanges community!
Following the success of Language Connection 2010, we have been invited for a second time by the Asia Institute to run the language learners conference again for the second time at the Sidney Myer Asia Center.
Last year we had just over 100 participants and we think that this is a good number, but that we can get up to probably 150 in total. Our goal is to have more learners of Korean and Chinese. We had roughly equal numbers for Japanese, not too bad for Chinese, and we found it really hard to find Australians learning Korean.
What excites me so much about this conference is that so many friendships came out of the first one, and we even had The Melbourne Korean and English Group start. That group now has close to a hundred members and I know from attending the group that so many Koreans living in Melbourne and Australians learning Korean have gotten so much out of it.
Our two dreams, as ever, are for people to improve their language skills, and to make lots of new friends.
Please put these details in your diary
Event: Language Connection 2010
Date: Saturday 16 April 2011
Where: Yasuko Hiraoka Room,
Level 1 Sidney Asia Myer Center, University of Melbourne.
Time: 10am – 4pm
How to get there: Take any tram along Swanston street towards Melbourne University and get off at stop 1. Then walk across the road to the Sydney Asia Myer Center and there will be signs.
Sheng yi – 生意
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January 14th, 2011
生意 – Business (Sheng yi)
生 – life (Sheng)
意 – meaning (Yi)
Does this mean that the meaning of life is business? Material and financial success are important, but it looks like its actually hardwired into the meanings associated with the individual characters.