InTuition Languages Blog

Henrique is from Brazil and was already an advanced student on arrival in London.  However, it is his first time in London and GB.  He is working towards taking the Diplomatic Corps tests and is employed in local government legislation. So what was I going to do with him?  I’ve asked him to do quite [...]

Confidence building is central. My students love going to the local cafes and conversing with our friends, after an introductory lesson entitled “Questions everyone always asks” (even for advanced students). It’s surprising how many ways people can ask the same thing, many requiring slightly different responses! This is vital as a relaxing break from formal [...]

Last Sunday I came to London for the second time. I had already been to London, camping more than fifteen years ago. That time I came by ferry boat. This time I travelled by train through the tunnel under the Channel. The aim of my travel is to practise English. I failed my annual test [...]

The last day of two fantastic weeks.  Pierre arrived fluid in EuroEnglish, and leaves fluent in English.  He has made the jump from exclusively Latin grammar, to germanic structures and verbs.  His days of failing every English exam are vorbei and in future he will integrate into anglosaxon teams with little difficulty. I am convinced [...]

To be successful in international business, you must be not only bilingual (preferably more) but also bicultural. Most international business deals fail due to human, ie cultural, factors. So Homestay is an ideal time to focus on the individual’s cultural training needs. As my other job, I deliver this training to blue-chip companies around the [...]

Last week I wrote that feedback clearly shows that the most valued aspect of any language course is always interpreter training.  This will involve some preparation on your part.  There are no books or material on the internet, so it is necessary to script pieces, based on experience of working across languages.  You will need to [...]

My student Rui is from Oporto, Portugal and arrived last Sunday. He is a sales person working for a German manufacturer of machine tools. His area of operation is Iberia (ie. Spain & portugal) A very pleasant and amiable person, keen to improve his Upper-Intermediate level. from the start it was clear that his main [...]

Pierre has attended career consultancy workshops, as part of his discharge from the Navy. As a result, he has a huge list of standard interview questions and communication scenarios, all of which must be translated into English. Cover and spectulative letters must be rendered into English, which requires excellent translation plus appropriate style. I am [...]

Today’s focus is business English.  I am always underwhelmed by the text books that claim to cover this subject, as it is immediately clear that the authors have never worked in a multilingual appointment and they fail to address the practical challenges that await the student.  My advice is to develop materials.  In my case, these are based [...]

Hi All good things must come to an end… A week with our French engineer has simply flown by and later this evening we’re off for a couple of pints. My experience with the French has been that 2 or maybe 3 pints is their limit so I’m writing and at the same time planning [...]