2 more reasons to visit Zambia this year (Part 2)

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In our last post about 2 reasons to visit Zambia this year we touched on several points on what makes Zambia attractive to tourists including the famous Victoria Falls located in Livingstone, as well as the experience of coming in contact with the different cultures also known as tribes and the different languages spoken which is a fascinating real life experience for language lovers, translators and linguists.

In this post we will highlight two more reasons to visit Zambia this year.

Wildlife at its best

One of the best places to visit Zambia for wildlife is the South Luangwa National Park. Located in eastern Zambia the South Luangwa National Park is only 1hr 10minuts flight away from the capital city of Lusaka. You can travel by plane from Lusaka via Proflight for around $325 return. Several travel agents are able to organise flights and transfers to and from the various lodges located at the national park. Simply doing a Google search will show you results and reviews of different agents and also offer tips before you book. A good start is the Zambia Tourism website.

Sitting on 9050 km sq square miles this vast space is filled with rich wildlife that animal lovers would die for. Wildlife such as hippo can be seen in the Luangwa River, zebra can be viewed at close distance and beautiful antelopes can be seen whilst visiting the park.  The likes of elephant’s and giraffe are also familiar occupants of the national park.

Other National Parks where the beauty of wildlife can be experienced include; Kafue National Park and Lower Zambezi National Park and the previously discussed Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.

Zambian weather and the best time to visit

When it comes to choosing the best time of year to visit Zambia it simply comes down to what you would like to do whilst you are there. If your interests are mainly visiting the Victoria Falls it is best to visit during the rainy season when the waterfalls are at their peak. The rains are at their peak during December, January, February and March.

June, July and august have cooler nights with June being considered ‘winter’ although average temperatures are usually around 10 degrees Celsius and maybe cooler in the night.

The hottest months to visit are September and October where temperatures can reach between 31 – 40 degrees Celsius.

Regardless of when you choose to visit there will be plenty of activities to do. Places like Siavonga offer comfort and luxury for holidaymakers. Although Zambia is landlocked this town is off the shore of Lake Kariba giving a beach like holiday feel.

The basics of greeting people in the local language

Although English is the official language and former colonial language which is used in schools and government several indigenous languages are commonly used on an everyday basis. See below how to greet and respond in two of the most spoken languages in mainland Zambia

English to Bemba translation

How are you? – Mulishani or Shani (adding the “Muli” adds respect to the greeting it is often used when speaking to people older than you)

I’m fine thanks and you? – Wino Shani (to which the other will respond with “Wino” pronounced as we-no).

English to Nyanja translation

How are you? – Mulibwanji

I’m fine thanks and you? – Bwino Bwanji (To which the other will respond with “Bwino”).

Where have you been or would like to visit in Zambia? Share your thoughts below.

How translation services changed the world

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The human race; we are a very intriguing race we consider ourselves at the top of the food chain, smarter than the rest of the species on this earth and this is all thanks to our ancestors who always looked at new ways of doing things, always evolving skills and techniques with innovative ideas which is why we have come so far.

We learnt how to make tools to hunt animals that are much bigger and powerful than us, we managed to create and control fire which we used to cook food, keep us warm and protect ourselves amongst other things, we built houses and buildings, we made art, we made cars etc. But one of the most impressive creations we have had is the use of complex languages.

There is such a vast array of languages, dialects and variations in the modern world not counting the amount of now extinct languages right through human history and as more and more languages formed there was bound to be a time where two cultures meet with completely different languages and the need to understand each other is a necessity, this is how translations were born.

These early translation services so to speak enabled the skill of learning a language from a completely alien civilisation which in turn introduced different cultures and encouraged more spreading of populations around the world.

In today’s world learning what something means in another language is not a problem and thanks largely to the internet a fast translation is something that can be done through typing it in on Google.

Alternatively if you wanted an official document to be translated there are professional translation agencies so all the work is done for you. You could even pick which language you wanted to be translated for example Romanian translation services.

Of course due to all the studies and knowledge on languages coupled with the ever increasing globalisation and the internet making the world smaller, translation services are even more in demand as businesses and individuals alike have more of a reason to be in contact from someone across the world.

You don’t even have to know the languages anymore if you wanted to have a basic conversation with someone of a different tongue as advances in technology have made this possible. There are so many ways how translation services have had an effect on the world; these are just some of the ways.

New year; New language? Learning a new language: Part 2

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It is that time of the year again; well the end of the year where even though nothing really changes at the same time a whole lot can be changed. As we wave goodbye to 2016 and say hello to 2017 it can be and is widely embraced as a benchmark for better things or a shift in mentality if you will. New mind-set, new goals, new life and yes inevitably, “New Year, new me” posts on social media! But why not a new language? There are so many pros compared to the cons when learning a new language, imagine not having to rely on translation services all the time when you are traveling or the money saved on localisation services.

Following on from our first post on what to take into account when learning a new language we know that even though a lot of people will set new goals and new ways of thinking most will soon drift back into their old ways but fear not we are here to give you some tips on how to stay on track when you hit those oh so familiar speed bumps of the new year.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

When you set out to learn anything in order to grow yourself you will soon encounter some difficulties and learning a new language is no exception. When you are learning new words you only have to look at children as an example, they are not born speaking a language, they learn from their environments and experiment with words that they utter and the reactions they receive. They are not afraid to make mistakes or look foolish so why should you? Leave your ego at the door with 2016 because you will learn much more from making mistakes than not trying at all. You are not a professional translation agency you are going to make mistakes, it is part of life, learn from it!

Consistency is crucial

Consistency in general will get you through anything in life and when you do start learning from these mistakes alongside being consistent in acquiring your newfound language skills you will see yourself becoming more fluent. This would hopefully lead to a snowball effect where you should start gaining more confidence to attempt to carry out advanced conversations and as a result more of the language will stick with you which means you will not need that Mandarin translation service when you travel to China on that impulsive trip you booked as part of your New Year goals.

Remember why

Finally just like any other goal you want to achieve, remember exactly why you are doing this and remind yourself of this reason every time you feel your motivation slipping away! It could be a desire to learn a new language out of necessity like relocating for a job abroad or traveling to a certain country that requires so. On the other hand you could be learning a new language as a passion or part of your New Year resolution to yourself. But whatever your reason for learning a new lingo you will get that motivation back once you have thought about exactly why you started learning it in the first place.

Comment on your experiences of learning a new language.

Image by: Robert Lowe | Flickr

What I didn’t learn in university

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4 years on; Reflections of a graduate

Four years into the so called real world many people do not get time to even stop and analyse how far they have come since graduating from university. Many of us caught up in the so called ‘rat race’ barely get time to actually process and translate what we have or have not achieved in that time. Some have gone into retail work while others have ventured into fields such as finance, translation services or marketing. While most of our weekdays are spent commuting to and from work, working and spending time with family and friends whilst weekends are spent either getting drunk (if you can still keep up, going out to eat and running errands, we even manage to fit in the occasional holiday once or twice a year for the lucky ones both have enough to fund them or lucky enough to get the time off their busy careers.

Before getting into this it is important to highlight that university teaches us a lot both academically and socially. The aim of university is to prepare us for the real world whether that is transitioning into full time employment or perhaps for some of the risk takers venturing out on your own. When at university you learn several skills including how to work with others via group assignments, importance of meeting deadlines, presenting in front of an audience etc. What you don’t learn is that you may not necessarily get into the industry you studied for; you may actually not like working in that particular industry once you get in or getting high grades doesn’t necessarily mean you get the better job!

Once you leave university you begin to better understand the term “it’s who you know more than what you know” as you experience the ups and downs of work ranging from lows such as working under incompetent managers, favouritism in the workplace, or highs such as job satisfaction and bonuses. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it this is something that we cannot avoid hence why many successful people constantly advise on building a good professional network for yourself whether in business or in employment. Networking is something that can be started whilst at university. You do not need to wait for graduation day to start networking. There are many ways you can do so whether it is attending job fairs or local meet ups to applying for internships in the field you hope to get into. Proactively doing so will give you an advantage over other graduates who have not done the same.

Often times it takes people to lose a loved one to realise what so called ‘life’ is about and many say it really puts their life into perspective e.g. losing someone to lung cancer can have a profound influence in helping you quit smoking. Why wait for it to get to that stage why not start living a healthier lifestyle now, why not walk away from that company who values you the same way you value a KFC chicken bone, why not go travelling as you planned 2 years ago? We discussed previously on 3 signs you need a career break how and when it is time to take a career break whether it is to rejuvenate or simply reassess your life goals and such a choice can have greater rewards than you could imagine.

Can you really be yourself at an interview?

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Interviews, that thing you have to do to get that new job you really want; yes that thing the majority of us dread and just wish getting a job was as easy as handing your CV and getting a no or when can you start answer. Sadly that is not the reality we live in, interviews are a big part of not only our professional lives but also translate into our personal lives and mastering the art of interviewing can enhance ones prospects in life.

One common misconception about interviews is that you cannot really be your true self and well in some respects this is right. In order to make it in life you have to be able to adapt accordingly in different situations whether its having your first child and the need to spend less time at the bar or getting that first mortgage and cutting down on the number of holidays you take in a year, being able to adapt well in these situations surely will lead to more successful outcomes. Also knowing the type of interview you will be taking part in is key as your approach will differ. Perhaps you have a competency based interview at a language translation agency applying for a Russian translation role you will find that practicing competency based questions will enable you to go far in the interview process as these types of interviews require you to provide solid examples of your previous accomplishments on the spot. Having an idea of what to talk about whilst relating to the role you have applied for will make you appear as a well-researched candidate, something recruiters admire.

When it comes to attending an interview many people feel as though they have to be someone different to who they really are and very often going in with this approach ultimately ends on a sour note as further down the line you realise you cannot pretend to be someone you’re not all the time especially if you will be spending the majority of your time at work interacting and living up to expectations you may not fit.

One thing to note is that human beings come with multiple layers of personality and habits. Perhaps you are one of those people who laugh a lot at any statement made, surely you will not do that in an interview as maybe your more professional side kicks in. Let’s face it people are rarely altogether ‘themselves’ all the time especially at interview stages because they often are trying to be the person they feel the interviewer wants to hire. Really the best way to approach this is to showcase your personality in a professional setting and that is something that takes practice. Try it out with friends and family and get some feedback on how you come across before going to interview and you will become more conscious of what to reveal and what not to at that interview.

How interpreting and translation services influenced Brexit

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One of the most if not the most talked about event in the UK this past year has been that of the Brexit vote. The drama of the vote has seen the British public show their translation of their lack of faith in the European Union which they then decided on a vote to end ties with the EU and the agreements.

By voting to opt out of the EU with a view of an independent UK in control of their own borders and able to set up new trade agreements has led to a major split within the countries that make up the UK as the vote was a close one. Brexit had even seen former Prime Minister David Cameron, who previously campaign against the EU step down from his position which has since seen Theresa May take over as PM. Not to mention the financial translation the Brexit vote has had so far for the pound (GBP).

This major split has been highlighted in the way the media have gone about reporting the story and can be clearly seen in how the major newspaper services interpretation of the stories surrounding Brexit.  Of the major newspapers in the UK the Daily Mail and The Telegraph are pro Brexit whilst The Guardian is pro remain and this is clearly seen in their articles which has been underlined by Francesco Guerrera for Politico.eu, he compared both the Daily Mail’s and The Telegraph’s headlines in a recent speech by German chancellor Angela Merkel implying that Merkel had given in or softened her stance to adhere to the British government’s requests regarding immigration, with the main focus on the story being that she stated the EU will need to further discuss the laws on freedom of movement.

Angela Merkel did indeed say that but with headlines of “Merkel Hints at New Migration Limit” you would think its 1-0 to the UK. When in fact she went on to explain that freedom of movement within the EU is not negotiable as it is one of the four fundamental freedoms and rather than stop that Merkel was indicating a discussion on clamping down on “benefit tourism” which is where migrants abuse a countries welfare system. So you can clearly see the way these outlets influence their readers, perhaps it’s just isn’t professional German translation services they are using who knows.

But translation agencies beside, The Guardian themselves have admitted that 56% of their articles about Brexit have been led with headlines such as “the pound will weaken”, “unemployment will rise”, and “racism will increase”, to name a few but as you can see these extreme headlines are obviously put in place to have an influence of readers opinions.

It’s well known that media outlets are used in manipulating views and opinions; do you think you have been swayed by this? What do you make of these interpretations?

How one man’s scribble earned him a book publishing

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We all know that one person at work who scribbles on post-it sticky notes like their life depends on it perhaps that person may even be you. Surely if a survey was done as to what post-it notes were actually used for in the workplace certainly a fair amount would be attributed to scribbling unrelated writing and drawing pictures of things from our imaginations at that present time. Well in this case a former architect who translates modern everyday adult life on sticky notes has found a career doing just that (seriously).

Chaz Hutton a 32 year old Australian living in London posted his humorous and very spot on interpretations of everyday life on his Instagram page @instachaaz which has since gone viral and amassed an impressive following of over 150k followers.  His witty humour and accurate interpretations of what goes on in everyday life is so eye catching that you may find yourself spending the rest of your lunch break scrolling through his Instagram page laughing at your smartphone screen leaving your work colleagues wondering whether you have lost the plot!

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Chaz who told BBC Trending he did not have the patience to be an architect so drawing things on sticky notes “seemed like a step in the right direction” has even gone on to land a book publishing deal and has released his book ‘A Sticky Note Guide to Life’ both as a hardcover and Kindle edition on Amazon. He has even been branded as the “world’s first sticky note lifestyle guru” according to the book description on Amazon.

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So if you’re down in your career get creative you too could be the next social media sensation.

All images credited to Chaz Hutton and published on his Instagram page @instachaaz.

3 signs you need to take a career break

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Before even going into the depths and actually deciding you want a career break one must first understand what that actually means. A career break is not just a period you take off work to go travelling and relax on a beach somewhere in Southeast Asia (although that might not be such a bad translation) it is a period of time taken off work often when one is not feeling motivated in their day to day role. A career break may also be time taken off work due to family emergencies such as taking care of a sick family member or to spend more time with your children. Many people choose career breaks because they want to set up their own businesses which works for some especially those trying to set up online businesses as they can do so remotely, some decide to go freelance e.g. to offer French translation services for businesses and others just to take time off and return to regular employment. One thing for sure is that a career break will help you rejuvenate and help get you motivated again for work if you decide to go back.

When it comes to taking a career break one of the main obstacles which arises is the fact that your existing employer may not offer such a policy in the workplace which as a result could force you to resign. With the current job climate being very competitive this often puts people off the idea of actually taking a career break although they may need one.

Below are some signs which can help you decide whether taking a career break is the right choice for you.

  1. You wake up in the morning and your first thought is ‘I don’t want to go to work’!

This is something many of us experience from time to time and is a natural feeling which may not necessarily indicate that you need a career break however when this occurrence happens on a consistent basis then you may have to think about taking time off. Sometimes a career break may not be the best option especially if you have been in the job less than 2 years where maybe a one or two week holiday can help you refocus and relax ready to go back to work.

  1. You feel stressed, anxious and depressed in your role

Stress, anxiety and depression are some of the major causes of illness in the workplace with reports from Health and Safety Executive (HSE) finding that stress, depression and anxiety accounted for 440,000 cases in 2014/2015 in the UK. These psychological problems are behind one in five visits to a GP in the UK according to NHS reports. Major causes of stress in the workplace include lack of support from management, work pressure and work related violence and bullying. If you are experiencing the above at work the best thing to do is to speak to someone you think could help. This could be a family member or other professionals in your industry who may have overcome the same problems you are facing. If you do all you can to help resolve the issues you are facing but feel as though you are banging your head against a brick wall then it may be time to consider a career break.

  1. You lose creativity and are not performing at work

Ever sat on your computer at work and failed to do a task that you could easily do before, perhaps you work in the creative media industry or in a digital marketing role where you are expected to come up with creative ways to do things or produce fresh organic content but you just can’t seem to wash off that period of writers block? These are perhaps some signs that you need to take some time off, even go travelling and explore other parts of the world and push yourself beyond your comfort zone. Many choose this path as it often leads to finding one’s self and finding your inner passion.

Choosing to take a career break can be overall daunting with many outlooks to consider. The first step should be to identify why you need a career break and afterwards look at the different options available to you. For example you could take on a short term course whilst you travel the world therefore you gain new skills and a qualification that can help you in your next role.

You can find some help and advice for taking career breaks on the GOV.UK website.

Careershifters is another organisation that helps people find fulfilling work.

You can also find some useful tips on bow to get back into work after a career break here.

 

What experience have you had with career breaks or perhaps you are thinking of taking a career break. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

Can these two ‘languages’ really get lost in translation?

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Here’s a story from the good people at the Daily Mail which depicts the tiny differences between two different ‘language’ pairs that share a lot of the same words, in fact they are largely the same.

Now when we are talking about tiny differences between languages which share some same words, we are not talking about similar language pairs like Spanish to Portuguese translation, which both share the Iberian branch of the Romance language group or even languages that originate from the same country such as a Mandarin translation of a Cantonese word or phrase.

The Daily Mail, in actual fact has provided a sort of translation service for the language pair of…….English to English! You would be right to think that they might be going mad here but in truth the two types of English languages we are talking about is the UK Standard and American Standard English which you’ll find out has quite a few differences in which certain words do not match or translate over the other side of the pond.

Thanks to the mass ‘Americanisation’ (or US spelling ‘Americanization’) of the UK through Hollywood movies and US television programs, music and retail translations; Brits are more likely to be clued on certain American lingo than the Americans on UK terms, concluding that it is American English that holds a bigger dominance over UK English. This comes after airline giant British Airways conducted a survey of 2,000 individuals which were split 50% British and 50% Americans to see whether they could decipher each other’s common words or expressions.

British words and phrases that Americans found it hard to grasp where things like ‘brew’ (drink) where 60% had no idea what it meant and ‘titchy’ in which a massive 94% did not know meant ‘small’. Over a third also had an idea about what the cockney term ‘knees up’ (celebration) meant, albeit the wrong and x rated adult description. Where on the other hand majority of Brits understood what Americans meant by ‘zip code’ (post code) and ‘eggplant’ (aubergine) although almost 75% of Brits did not know what ‘broil’ (cook) had meant as well as a massive 93% not knowing Americans use ‘arugula’ for salad rocket.

The survey also found the words we do share often have different pronunciations with Americans finding the British pronunciations of ‘vase’ (varse), ‘schedule’ (sked-ule) and ‘vitamin’ (vit-a-min) the most irritating; Whereas British people found the American pronunciations of ‘aluminium’ (alu-mi-num) and ‘math’ the most annoying.

Although it isn’t all bad having a British accent as it seems to make you more attractive to Americans who associate Brits with ‘class’ but, however they also think of Brits as ‘having bad teeth’. But all in all this hasn’t affected our relationships as both Brits and Americans mutually agreed that each cultures have had a positive effect on each other’s despite the minor language barrier.

 

Has this company changed translation services forever?

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The language and translation industry is big business, one that is worth an estimated $33billion worldwide. The need for humans to communicate over various different languages has never been greater thanks to the globalisation of the world, thus professional translation services are highly sought after.

One of the main driving factors of this massive need for global communication is really the financial translation of profit for both large and small companies in global markets. Like any industry, it pays to keep ahead of the pack and with this high need for language communications coupled with the advances in technology has enabled some professional translation agencies and other major corporations to produce products such as ‘real-time’ translation devices and app based translations that could help people who don’t necessarily have a grasp on a particular language in a foreign land.

At this early stage these advancements are capable of helping people just about get through everyday problems but in the professional world only human translations will do, the retail industry is still going to seek specialised retail translation services for example.

With all this competition for real time translation products and apps, one company has broken the mould recently with their ground breaking technology. Could it be a new way that will change language translations for kids such as German translation services babies? An alien translation app? Well it’s sort of along those lines, well maybe not as Temptations cat treats along with ad agency adam&eveDDB have come out with a cat to human translation device called ‘Catterbox’ that cat lovers all around the world will hopefully soon be able to get their claws on. (Bad joke I know)

Cat lovers rejoice as now you will be able to tell what your cat really wants instead of you asking “what’s wrong?” and expecting an answer like the cat is going to all of a sudden start speaking your language. Rather than getting a blank look from your cat followed by another “Meow” the Temptation Catterbox aims to translate your cats’ cries into human language thanks to research carried out looking into an adult cat’s communication with humans.

The 3-D printed prototype has been released in the USA as well as New Zealand. The device itself is a rubber collar and inside contains a microphone and a speaker whilst it also includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Although it will not be completely accurate, it would be interesting to see what your cat actually wants as they are never happy unless they are sleeping or eating which is probably all they will say.

How a courageous deafblind woman became a Lawyer

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When you think of someone who is deaf you probably think how challenging it is for them to communicate with people who cannot use sign language and can only communicate through the use of some type of translation service. When you think of someone who is blind you may well think unless they have someone that can describe what is in front of them they will not be able to have a full understanding of what is in front of them as opposed to someone with good eyesight. Now when you think of someone who is deaf and blind can you imagine they would someday graduate from one of the most prestigious and competitive law schools in the world, even more become a lawyer and be recognised by the president of the United States? Well this is exactly what an inspiring lady called Haben Girma has achieved.

To understand Habenn Girma’s story you first need to understand the term deafblindness. It is a condition where a person has little to no sight and little to no hearing. Different types of deafblindness exist and people affected by this use different tools/technology to communicate, for example someone who is born deaf and later in life develops blindness are most likely to use communication methods such as interpreting services including sign language interpreters. Other deafblindness forms of communication include braille equipment such as telebraille and graphic braille. With the continued advancement in technology for the deafblind Habenn manages to communicate effectively with the use of a digital braille device.

Haben was born in the US after her mother moved from Eritrea as a refugee with her brother who is also deafblind. Haben graduated from college in 2010 after studying a BA in Sociology/Anthropology. She then went on to study at the sought after Harvard Law School where she became the first deafblind student to graduate from the institution. Haben is now an attorney for the disabilities rights advocated in Berkeley California representing people with mobility disabilities and “Representing the National Federation of the Blind in an action seeking to render Scribd’s reading subscription service accessible”. Outside her work as an attorney Haben often attends speaking events as a guest speaker and has presented keynote speaches for Google and also delivered a TED speech at the TEDxBaltimore 2014. Haben is a keen surfer and was recently featured in the Washington post.

 

10 things you might not know about Star Wars

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The Star Wars franchise, one of the most successful and most recognisable movie franchises of all time, a franchise with combined box office revenue of over $4 billion dollars worldwide has released a new movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it has just hit cinemas in London at midnight 17/12/15. The epic space saga, now owned by Disney has introduced the world to a variety of characters from the heroic to weird and wonderful, from Luke Skywalker to Jar Jar Binks while the series has been mostly centred on the life of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. The previous Star Wars movies have had astronomical success globally which has created a legion of dedicated followers from all over the world, the movies have had translations into numerous languages, which include a mandarin translation, no surprise as it is the most spoken language in the world. 

So to celebrate the launch of the release of Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, here are 10 things about Star Wars you might not know; well those who are not die hard fans.

1. Created by George Lucas in the early 70’s, Star Wars (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) was released in 1977 after many changes due to originally being rejected.

2. Many if the buildings that were built in Tunisia to depict the desert planet of Tatooine are in fact still standing and are in use by the locals. Coincidently the planet Tatooine was named after the city it was built in Tataouine, Tunisia.

3. The name Luke Skywalker which is synonymous with the Star Wars series might not have been. The name Luke Starkiller was originally intended right up until filming began.

4. Greedo’s language is actually a South American language called Quechua, not the only real language used in Star Wars as the language of the Jawas is actually based on a sped up version of Zulu, and the Ewoks speak a hybrid of Nepalese and Tibetan.

5. We all know what the wise Grand Master of the Jedi Order, trainer of Luke Skywalker Yoda looks like. Now imagine him as a cane carrying monkey with a mask because that was the original intended appearance of the wise one.

6. There is somewhat of a running gag in that the lines “I have a very bad feeling about this” or “I have a bad feeling about this” are uttered in every movie in the series.

7. The clone trooper attires you see in the movies are completely created with the use of CGI as there were no physical costumes produced.

8. The late 90’s/early 00’s pop group NSYNC actually made a cameo appearance before being cut from the final edit of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. Why? George Lucas had to keep his daughters happy.

9. Darth Vader aka Anakin Skywalker has been portrayed by a total of 6 different actors: Hayden Christensen, Jake Lloyd, Sebastian Shaw, Bob Anderson, James Earl Jones, and David Prowse whilst Harrison Ford might never have played Hans Solo as Burt Reynolds was considered first for the role.

10. Steven Spielberg’s E.T.’s race of aliens makes a cameo appearance in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

What are the best languages to learn and why?

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With globalisation at an ever increasing rate people don’t stay in the same city/country/place they were born and brought up in anymore. Nowadays people tend to travel for all sorts of reasons whether it is backpack traveling for leisure, for business or work purposes you will not be surprised to see communities fused with different cultures at any given time. With this has come a very common glitch that is language barriers. Have you ever been on holiday in a foreign country and tried to ask where the toilet was and the only way was pointing towards your private regions to get your message across? Well depending on who you were speaking to, their interpretation of your query may have differed to your intent. There is however a solution to that, one is you can use translation services to get your message across in a different language or you can learn the language yourself.
With that being said let’s take a look at six languages worth learning today based on performing economies and/or job/business prospects in no particular order.

1. Mandarin
Well this is an obvious one, the language spoken in China and also being one of the official languages of Singapore both booming economies, it is no surprise that the Mandarin language is at the top of the list. Over the years China become a global force to be reckoned with and is rapidly becoming one of the biggest economies in the world. With that being said it is important to note that learning mandarin is not an easy task for English speakers. The language itself has been classed as one of the hardest to learn with some schools in the UK making studying Mandarin compulsory for 13 year olds as reported by The Telegraph.

2. Portuguese
Portuguese is the official language of Portugal as well as Brazil. The language is not only spoken by over 200 million people in Brazil alone but it is also the first language for its inhabitants and official business language in the region. Alongside Portuguese, having a good grasp of the English language as well as Spanish (which is predominantly spoken by surrounding Latin nations) is sought after by Brazilian employers and is also likely to broaden your business prospects.

3. Japanese
Placed 3rd in the list of top 10 biggest economies in the world Japan is a global force to be reckoned with. Its profound influence in sectors such as automobile manufacturing and electronics has made Japan an attractive place for business and work. Its rich culture is also an attractive place for tourists with the reporting that an estimated 14 million people visited Japan between January and September 2015. A huge opportunity for English speakers to teach in japan has been around for years and has been a popular option for English degree holders. Average monthly salaries for teaching English in Japan are around 250,000 Japanese yen roughly 1,357 British pounds. This is a good way to earn money whilst you learn Japanese which can increase your work prospects once you get a good understanding of the language.

4. Russian
Russia has had somewhat of a rocky relationship with the UK with one contributing factor being the Russian-Ukraine conflict. Despite Russia’s ‘rocky’ relationship with the West, the country is among the top 10 biggest economies of the world. Not only that, Russia is listed amongst the biggest markets for exports of UK goods with around 600 U companies having a Physical presence in Russia according to UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).

5. Arabic
Arabic is predominantly spoken by countries of the Middle East and North Africa. The Middle East in particular possess huge opportunities for businesses to trade within this oil rich region of the world. Countries such as Qatar and Kuwait have attracted expats from all over the world to work within the oil industry which boats huge rewards. Learning Arabic will surely teach you valuable language skills which can be used to your advantage in over 20 countries. For students this could also help your scholarship horizons.

6. German
Germany has had a big influence on the UK economy in a sense that it is the biggest trade import partner by value according to UKTI. Germanys economy is a very attractive one for both job and business prospects. With the population of Germany estimated to be over 80 million of which for the majority of people living there German is their first language. Germany is one of the major languages sought after by graduate recruiters with speakers of both English and German having an advantage in the recruitment process. This applies heavily for multi-national corporations and is desirable for hiring investment banks as highlighted by Target Jobs.

What languages do you think are the most worth learning? Leave us a comment below.

7 Habits you Must Develop Now to be Successful

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Be an Early Bird

So you want to be successful? Well you are not going to be successful by sleeping your days away. Successful individuals tend to get up early in order to start off their productive days before anyone else. The old saying goes “The early bird catches the worm” this couldn’t be any truer. As The US Centres for Disease Control Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report suggests that the more a person sleeps the better it translates financially for them. So if you want to be successful get some shut eye!

Plan/Goal setting

One of the surest ways to achieve anything or get anything done in life is to plan ahead or write down goals. Get into the habit of planning for the long term and short term, as goal setting will always give you a focus rather than just having nothing in mind and floating around in life. Your short term goals will always relate to your long term goals as they are the building blocks for your future plan. Without any plans or goal set it would be like walking around aimlessly with no destination in mind, you will be going nowhere and waste a hell of a lot of time and before you know it your life has past. So to be successful… Plan ahead! Prioritise! Start now!

Meditation

Meditation, you might be thinking, what has sitting in one spot, cross-legged and possibly chanting something have to do with being successful? Well the benefits that meditation could have on not only your success but on you as a person and your health in general is a whole article in itself. Just some of the benefits of meditation are improved focus, reduced stress, lowered blood pressure, clarity of the mind, emotional stability, increased creativity, and many more. Develop the habit of taking just 10 minutes out of your day to practice mediation or stillness will drastically improve your life and success. Successful individuals such as Oprah Winfrey, Sir Paul McCartney and Richard Branson are all advocates of meditation.

Stay Active

Most of us are lazy, its human nature to find the easiest way to do something. As time has gone on we have moved from brawn to brain, as we have gotten smarter we have also gotten weaker, but one thing we must have a habit of is exercise. Much like meditation, exercising and staying active has many benefits in life in general, too much to list. Staying active will also keep your mind active and increases serotonin levels which help ward off depression and helps keep you positive which will translate into success. Also being fit through exercise will boost confidence within you which is one of the most important things to have to be a success. When you look good, you feel good! So get exercising!

Read and Learn

Pick up a book and read! As simple as that, have the habit of always looking to expand your horizons, learn more, ask questions, anything you need to know? Increase your knowledge!

Balancing Act

Now what is life without balance? You will never be successful if all you do is play around and on the flip side you might be successful if you are a workaholic but what is the point of creating success if you never have time to enjoy it? So it is vitally important that you get into the habit of managing the workload with leisure time or in other words as you work hard you must also play hard!

Give back and have Gratitude

Never lose sight of where you have come from, always be grateful for everything you have in life and the journeys you have been through. Create time in your life to donate or volunteer time to help others, whether community, charities, or individuals every successful person knows that when you are grateful, you are truly successful.

Image by Roland

Is this the most complicated object in the world?

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Meet the timepiece that is causing a furor within the world of watches. The watch, more specifically the pocket watch in question which was recently unveiled by the deluxe Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin is known by the name of “Reference 57260”. The Reference 57260 has been labelled “the most complicated watch ever made” which includes a translation of the Hebrew calendar, an astronomical calendar and a Gregorian calendar, to name just one of the features. This one of a kind, exclusive pocket watch has taken more than 8 years to design and craft and has employed the work of three professional watchmakers.

With a whopping 57 complications and a vast amount of different functions, The Ref 57260 has earnt its title as “the most complicated watch ever made” by beating the previous record holders for watch complications by a huge 24 complications as the previous The Patek Philippe Caliber 89 had only 33, whilst the Patek Supercomplication, which sold for an amazing USD $24 million at auction had a mere 24 complications.

The complexity of this pocket watch is something to behold and that has never been seen before. The heavyweight case is made of white gold which the diameter measures at 98 mm or 3.8 inches, with the thickness measuring at 50.55 mm or 1.99 inches. Each one of its 2,800 components is hand decorated using traditional methods, with each one certified with the Hallmark of Geneva.

The Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260 does come cheap though; with all these features is it any surprise? The Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260 exact price has not been revealed as per the wishes of the private client who commissioned the watch. However the Reference 57260 is estimated to cost *drum roll* a whopping USD $5 million, which translates roughly to a mammoth GBP £3 million or thereabouts according to Bloomberg.

Let us know your thoughts on The Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260, would you buy one if money was not an issue?

The newest twist on the world’s oldest novel

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Written in around 1,000 A.D., consisting of over 1,000 pages, ‘The Tale of Genji’ is widely regarded as the first ever novel written. The Tale of Genji depicts the story of Prince Genji, an illegitimate son of Emperor Kiritsubo, who due to politics demotes Genji to a life of a commoner; the story focuses on his romantic life whilst also detailing character in and around the imperial throne. Seen as the epitome of translation challenges due to the complexity of the Heian period court Japanese, Murasaki Shikibu’s ‘The Tale of Genji’ is no fast translation, as Dartmouth College professor Dennis Washburn found out as he embarked on the mammoth task of translating this influential Japanese novel from Japanese to English. He states “It took me 15 years of steady, almost daily, work.”

Washburns effort is not the first complete English rendition of Prince Genji’s life story; it was the work of Arthur Waley, a researcher of the Chinese and Japanese language that took that honour. Although Suematsu Kenchō produced the first English version more than 40 years before ‘The Waley Genji’ as it is known, The Suematsu Genji was not of a good quality and to add to that only a few chapters were translated. The English translations of note are The Waley Genji (1926-1933), The Seidensticker Genji (Edward Seidensticker, 1976), The McCullough Genji (Helen McCullough, 1994), and The Tyler Genji (Royall Tyler, 2001). Now Washburn can add his name to the list, not bad for someone who did not initially intend to carry out this massive task as he explains “I had never considered doing a translation of it before then, and to be honest, I had to think a long time before undertaking the work. It was a daunting prospect and I wasn’t confident.”

All of the English translations of ‘The Tale of Genji’ vary significantly from one another. For example, Waley’s Genji combined his modern world with the Heian period original and although considered a great accomplishment at the time and is still widely read today, it was criticised by some purists for the changes Waley made to the original. Whereas Seidensticker’s Genjis tried to improve on Waley’s version by not deviating too much from the original text and making it more readable by giving the characters names so that the story is easier to follow. McCullough’s Genji is an abridgement, while Tyler’s Genji is focused more on the poetic version that the original displayed, and the use of commentary and footnotes to explain the cultural aspects of the story, he was also praised for not adding in his own interpretations which is something other translators have given into.

Washburn himself has said he ‘respects’ all the earlier translations, stating “They each do different things well. However, there can never be a definitive translation of an important work like the ‘Genji,’ and so I had a couple of key aims for my version.” Washburn said he wanted his version of Genji to give readers the same feeling as the readers of the original from the Heian period whilst trying to replicate the style of Murasaki. Washburn’s Genji is something in between Seidensticker’s and Tyler’s Genji as he attempted to mix the original style of writing with clarity for the English language readers, not a task for the faint hearted.

 

A story reported by Japan Times

London and ‘foreign’ languages how the city has transformed?

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As one of the world’s most diverse cities and one of the biggest financial capitals in the wold it is no wonder why London is one of the most desired cities to live and work. From its signature landmarks like big ben, Buckingham palace and Trafalgar square, to the vibrant central London which never sleeps it is no wonder London welcomes tourists in excess of 16 million per year. Being home to 8.6 million people, a record high as of 2015 London shares its glory with around 270 nationalities of whom between them speak over 300 languages. Over the years as a result of mass immigration this has seen an increase in translation services being utilised by the general public which has caused some controversy. In addition the foreign born population accounted for around 36.7 percent according the 2011 census, making London one of the most diverse cities in the world.

Immigration has always been a big part of British history and as such there are many reasons why London in particular is as culturally diverse as history teaches. People from all over the world came to Britain for many reasons. From the Jewish people immigrating to Great Britain during the middle ages to the West Indian’s who were recruited to come and work for the British transport system and hospitals amongst many other industries, whilst others returning soldiers who fought for great Britain in the second world war or Indian people brought in to help rebuild England after the second world war. Many of these groups settled in London and that is a reflection of what London is today.

brick lane

Brick Lane famously translated into Bengali

Travelling on the London tube you are bound to hear many languages being spoken around the city. The guardian has created several infographics illustrating London’s second languages mapped by tube stop (http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/oct/30/-sp-londons-tube-languages-visualised).

The results depicts that the most spoken language after English in London is Polish, which is also considered by many as not only London but England’s second language. In London this is followed by Turkish, Bengali and French respectively. The influence of the polish language in London can be attributed to Great Britain joining the euro zone as a result allowing all member states visa-free access to the UK. This of course has created a lot of controversy among the British and one which stands out is the use of polish translation services for non-English speaking Poles which in certain instances such as legal proceedings a qualified translator may be required which may sometimes be funded by taxpayers.

It is interesting to see how different languages have influenced London and what positives and negatives such change brings. One thing is for sure London will never be a complete English speaking city and more and more people will continue to infuse this great city with the most remote of language in the coming future. All we can do is watch what the future holds for languages in London.

When translation goes wrong! Sweden women’s national football team blunder.

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Here’s a light hearted story from one of Scandinavia’s biggest countries, Sweden. This is a prime example of translation services gone wrong. A video was launched as part of a campaign to promote the Swedish women’s national football team ahead of the upcoming women’s FIFA World Cup which kicks off on 6th June 2015 in Canada.

The promotional video in question features the slogan and hashtag of “#klappaförsverige” which when translated into English is “#clapforsweden” which went viral and spread throughout the world wide web like wildfire.

The video was originally intended to garner support for the Swedish team’s effort in this summer’s tournament but rather than provoking a considerable backing for the Sweden nation team, the rather unfortunate slogan produced quite a few laughs and giggles.

The reason for the outbreak of laughter and comedic effect is in the English translation of the slogan #clapforsweden. You see ‘clap’ is an English slang for the venereal disease gonorrhea. So they essentially saying gonorrhea for Sweden, which is why the video has spread (no pun intended) throughout the English speaking world. Ironically gonorrhea is Sweden’s most sexually transmitted disease.

20141206-fifa-womens-worldcup

The Swedish Football Federation’s spokesman, Niklas Bodell chose to look on it positively, accepting it and even seeing any publicity is good publicity when he had this to say when speaking to news agency TT. “This kind of thing happens, we have chosen to smile a little at the translation and instead rejoice over the fact that it has given the national squad so much attention.”

Twitter users were quick to pick up on the video, here are the best tweets. Johan Rylander (@rylanderjohan), a journalist from Gothenburg tweeted “I wonder who thought of this hashtag? Google what clap means in English…” Whilst @LarsSund1 suggested “Swedes think they master the English language. They don’t.” and @nvlk21 wrote “More gonorrhea for the people!”

Daniel Ahonen, who plays Swedish club IK Sirius, tweeted: “Clap quickly translated means gonorrhea. The hashtag #ClapforSweden is pretty funny. Good PR people over at the ladies’ side!”

Lastly Adam Waller (@FRfotbollAdam) said “Unfortunate hashtag when translated to English… Nevertheless, wish the team well for the #WorldCup.”

Sweden are to commence their FIFA women’s World Cup 2016 campaign on the 8th June against a strong Nigeria team but face stiff opposition for the crowning glory from the likes of tournament favourites and joint record holders USA and Germany, Brazil, France, holders Japan and host Canada.

Although Sweden are not among the favourites the national team coach Pia Sundhage thinks they could be the dark horses of the competition saying “The central line and the goalkeeper are important, if we can get ourselves together whilst there we can go far. Caroline Seger, Lotta Schelin and Nilla Fischer are three world players who can inspire others to play well too.”

Whether or not this is true or the worldwide attraction from the viral video helps, remains to be seen, we wish Sweden well in the world cup.

6 steps to supercharge your sleep and wake up refreshed

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We have all been there, alarm clock blaring, phone buzzing, family or partner constantly nagging, cat/dog jumping on you, ok maybe that last one was an exaggeration, all this just to get you up and out of bed. Sound familiar? For most of us this is the start of our daily routines.

Waking up early in the morning is hard enough on the best of days, so it doesn’t help that the reason most of us have to drag ourselves out of our slumber is to make that dreaded daily commute to a job we have no feelings for and in many cases a job we hate, and what makes it harder is when you are living in a country like the UK when most days are as miserable as your face when you are forced to get out of bed! Many of us already know that good sleep and a good start to the day translates into productivity, but why are we so reluctant to wake up?

Well what if you were told there is an easier way? A way where you would be able to jump out of bed with a smile on your face and an abundance of energy, instead of hitting the snooze button every 5 minutes and end up feeling worse.

“I’m just not a morning person”, you say. Well the truth is there is no such thing and excuses won’t help, but with these 6 tips you will see just how you can get a good night’s sleep and become an early riser.

tired-guy

Don’t be this guy

Step 1

Set clock 15 minutes earlier incrementally

Ever been rushing around trying to get ready for work wishing you had more time? Wondering why you didn’t get up early? Well use this tip. For example if you usually wake up every day at 7am and would like to wake up an hour earlier at 6am, it seems daunting to try that the next day probably with little success too. So set your alarm just 15 minutes earlier and every couple of days another 15 minutes earlier until you reach your target time and make it your habit, before you know it you’ll be waking up with your alarm.

Step 2

Put down any electronic devices 1hr before going to bed

This is for most of us especially the younger generation, put down your phone! The fact is we shouldn’t actually be using any type of electronic devices, whether it is a laptop, tablet, television etc. Technology is new and our bodies have yet to evolve long enough around it. We are nocturnal creatures so any type of light, be it from our phones, TV or even room light will keep us awake and alert as well as distracted. So a good rule of thumb is to put down the devices at least an hour before bed. Instead do a bit of light reading, preferably a book or kindle (something that will keep you away from the urge to check your Facebook or Snapchat updates), meditate, do whatever to relax and go sleep.

Step 3

Do exercise. Jump out of bed

Exercise, there are countless benefits of exercise and staying active. One benefit is that exercising keeps us healthy, calm and relaxed. You could do some light exercise a couple of hours before you go to bed to burn any excess energy leaving you with a nice peaceful night’s sleep. You could also jump straight out of bed when you wake up and start doing exercise to get the blood flowing and the brain going as part of your morning ritual to help kick off a productive day. Just don’t forget to stretch.

Step 4

No snooze will power

The snooze button, to most of us is our best friend, the one thing that saves us from our nagging alarm and gives us that priceless extra sleep time, but the only problem is when we are semi-conscious we need to know when to stop pressing it. Constantly snoozing the alarm is actually one of the worse things you can do when trying to wake up refreshed as it disrupts the sleep cycle over and over again. The best thing you can do when you wake up is to get up straight away; sounds pretty straightforward right? But in actuality when you are in sleep mode it’s harder than it sounds and I’m sorry to tell you this but this will require a great deal of will power especially for heavier sleepers to train yourself to make it a habit. So the next time you hear your alarm, open your eyes, take a deep breath and stretch it out.

Step 5

Give enough sleep time

This tip is the very basic. Get enough hours of sleep, it’s obvious isn’t it? But the fact is a lot of our sleep problems stem from not getting enough shut eye. In a world where there is too much happening and not enough hours in a day some of us sacrifice our sleep to tend to other tasks. It’s time to take a step back and fulfil one of our most basic needs. Studies show we need around 7-9 hours of sleep every night and anything less will create a sleep deficit, so make sure you are getting yours.

Step 6

No caffeine/stimulants/big meals

If you want to wake up every day with energy it is imperative that you avoid eating big/heavy meals, and avoid drinking any type of caffeinated or alcohol drinks. Not eating heavy before bed seems obvious but the problem is in our society we tend to have our biggest meal of the day for our dinner. What we all need to understand is that our bodies take a while to digest food in particular heavy meats and carbs which could be detrimental to energy levels, leaving you feeling tired and groggy in the mornings. If this is true for you try to adjust your diet or eat a couple of hours before you go to bed and if you really feel peckish an hour before you head to bed try having something light like yoghurt or fruits. Just like food, caffeine and alcohol are very good at disrupting our sleep, completely avoid any drink with these substances or you’ll be left in a light, interrupted sleep.

As we all know acquiring and getting rid of a habit takes a while with some researchers concluding that it takes 21 days or perhaps up to 30 days to develop a new habit depending on who you ask. Try some of these tips and see how that works out for you. Feel free to leave a comment and let us know your progress.

You won’t believe what British ‘thing’ is trending in China.

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Can you guess what it is about Britain that is making a big impact on the online traffic in China? Could it be the iconic British landmarks and history? The royal family? London’s vibrant fashion scene? The Barclays Premier League? You would be forgiven for thinking it was any of these things but in fact they are all wrong.

What has been trending in China is The London Underground; yes the London Underground according to BBC Trending. The London Underground also known as ‘the tube’ or ‘the underground’ is rich in history and is known all around the world by the widely recognisable logo and tube lines but yet these are still not the reasons for the underground’s popularity in China. The reason why the London Underground has been so popular recently in China is because of the “handsome” men commuting via the tubes. Sina Weibo, a Chinese micro blogging site (which is in Mandarin, currently being translated into English) is responsible for this. Images of photogenic male tube commuters have emerged on these micro blogs and been shared and liked numerous times, where a single image alone could receive over 100k shares and likes. The images receive largely positive comments generally about how good looking the individuals are. One user wrote “Handsome people really look good in anything” whist another declared “I want to take Tubes every day!”.

tubecrushpic

The pictures come from TubeCrush.net which was launched by a group of friends from London. TubeCrush.net is a British website which enables users to upload snaps of good looking men taken in secret whist on the tube. Speaking to BBC Trending, the popularity of these pictures are not much of a surprise to co-founder Stephen Motion, as he says that China is the third biggest source of traffic to their website, he then goes on to say “the website isn’t blocked in China. It’s fully available in all of the cities. We see most traffic coming from Guangzhou and Shanghai.”

Naturally, a website based on secretly taken pictures without the individual’s knowledge or consent is bound to raise some issues about legality and privacy as well as whether or not the website has an element of sexism in the way the images ‘objectify’ these men. These are issues TubeCrush.net is keen to contest; they argue that all images are legal as they were all taken in a public place. Stephan Motion also goes on to say if these individuals are not comfortable with their faces being published on their website, there is a way to get the image removed “We have a photo removal function where they can request to take it down” he then states “Interestingly we don’t receive many requests. When people discover they’ve been photographed, they’re actually quite proud.”

So why are these pictures of British men proving so popular with Chinese internet users? Ruhua Xianyu from the BBC’s Chinese Service says that Chinese people’s perception of the British man is one of good manners and politeness suggesting “When Chinese people think about British men, we think they’re true gentlemen” whilst concluding its more about the ‘quality’ of the man rather than the looks.

What you don’t know about Facebook’s privacy?

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Undeniably Facebook is one of the most recognised brand names in the world and is listed in the top 20 world’s most valuable brands by Forbes. The power social media site which has captured over a billion users worldwide was only founded 11 years ago and has continued to grow on a massive scale since its launch in 20 accumulating over 800 million active users per day and over 1.3 billion monthly active users.

The social media site has grown from its humble beginnings as a platform for individuals to keep in touch, share images, videos and instant chat with friends and family to a global branding and marketing tool for businesses to increase awareness and engagement. The past four years has seen Facebook launch its translation tool allowing users to read posts and comments in different languages including Spanish, French and Italian. Furthermore Facebook’s success has seen the online social media site turn into a public company and its growth is still looking stable despite fierce competition from other social media sites such as Twitter.

On the controversial issue of privacy Facebook has seen its fair share of backlash from the public about how user’s content is handled.

Facebook has been criticised by some regarding how easy it is to make a Facebook profile. When signing up to Facebook all you need is a name, email address and password. With this simple account set up process Facebook has seen the creation of 83 million fake profiles according to CNN despite strident process of requesting proof of identification for suspected fake profile users. Shocking? With such a huge number of fake profiles do you really know who you are talking to on the other side of the net? Well for the most Facebook is used as a means to keep in touch with people they already know, however some use it as a platform to meet other like-minded people. On the other hand Facebook utilises face recognition software allowing them to close in on fake accounts.

A privacy concern among users involves third party companies having access to your information. We have all received the Candy Crush invites or clicked on apps which ask for permission to have access to our information, even going as far as asking permission to post on your behalf in order to use their application. For many wanting to use these apps it simply is a non-starter as you have limited to none access if you do not agree to such terms. In some cases Facebook is obliged to give information to third parties such as the government upon request.

One major subject which has hit headlines in recent years is that Facebook owns rights to your photos and videos. In that respect Facebook has a right to use your content in any way it sees fit. A report by The Telegraph highlighted that:

“Specifically for photos and video uploaded to the site, Facebook has a license to use your content in any way it sees fit, with a license that goes beyond merely covering the operation of the service in its current form. Facebook can transfer or sub-license its rights over a user’s content to another company or organisation if needed. Facebook’s license does not end upon the deactivation or deletion of a user’s account, content is only released from this license once all other users that have interacted with the content have also broken their ties with it (for example, a photo or video shared or tagged with a group of friends)“.

With the vast amount of information people share on social networking sites some even sharing their home and work addresses it is always a concern as to who has access to this information.

Another feature of Facebook is that it automatically sets your profile photo to be seen by the public when uploaded despite you having only friends or individuals set to see your updates. This is missed by so many people who think ‘all’ their photos are private. Although that is the case it is easy to revert your profile picture to private once uploaded.

Overall Facebook has captured our attention and its addictive nature will sure continue for the foreseeable future as it continues to implement new ways for people to be engaged whether it’s the buying up of other social media platforms such as Instagram or WhatsApp, Facebook has a mission to remain among the top social media sites for a long time and remains a force to be reckoned with.

Four signs you need to leave your job!

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When is the right time to leave your job?

We have all been there, stuck in a job where the future just seems bleak, day in day out Monday to Friday feeling that same old miserable feeling of hopelessness, bitterness and worry; the feeling of being stuck in a job you are not happy with. Whether you work for a medical institution, marketing agency, engineering firm or translation company, you may be faced with challenges which may result in you deciding to leave your job. Some of the signs it’s time to move on from your current employment are highlighted below. If you can relate to any of these points it might be your time to leave.

 

  1. Waking up in the morning and feeling sick? This feeling is very common and is a definitive sign that maybe things need to either change at your current workplace or maybe it’s time to hang your work boots for that particular job. Ever woken up and felt anxious about your day at work? Many of us do whether it is because of important meetings ahead or boardroom presentations, it is normal to experience such emotions. What is not natural is feeling this way consistently to the point where you are physically sick. If you feel this way it probably is time to make some changes firstly for your health and wellbeing and secondly for your peace of mind.
  1. Feeling underappreciated? Whenever you have an idea and present it to your supervisor or manager and despite you highlighting the benefits, you are completely ignored and your suggestions and opinions are disregarded without any thought. The question is for how much longer can you withstand such behaviours? Considering we spend most the time we are awake at work it is vital to spend it in an environment where you are appreciated.
  1. Is your boss is always right, even when they are wrong? Now dealing with different personalities is a quality we   all have to learn and in some ways are forced to develop in the workplace. Let’s face it we are all different in one way or another and we all have differences in the ways in which we deal with situations, however a sign that it may be time to leave your job can translate through how your manager approaches situatio
    ns     especially when things aren’t going to plan. We have all been taught to not let other peoples actions dictate our emotions however when you are working under the supervision of someone who feels they are never wrong and is always putting the blame on you this can be hard to follow. If after speaking to your management/HR about their behaviours the same pattern follows it really is time to look elsewhere.
  1. When promises never manifest. Ever been promised a pay rise, flexible working hours or even a bonus which has never been fulfilled? Yes the same old story of “oh the company did not perform as well as we thought this year, maybe next year” and before you realise it’s been 3 years. This is a clear sign of false promises which will never manifest. Good employers value their workers and understand that them being happy is good for the business.

The job market has in recent years taken a huge slump which has forced many people to put up and get by as the demand for work has been consistently higher than the jobs available. A dilemma many people face is whether to leave their well-paid job they do not enjoy to work in an environment they are happier to be in for lower pay. This dilemma is something we may all face at some point in our careers. Whether it is due to parental duties we will have to experience once we have children or other push factors which may well put us in such predicaments. On the plus side the job market seems to be on the mend with the Guardian highlighting that 50% of British businesses were planning to take on more staff in 2015.