Soft Skills – Communication

This is going to be a very brief post. There's a reason why communication belongs to the category of so-called "soft" skills. And that reason is: it's not (usually) supposed to be harsh. Barking at folks will not get you very far, unless you're into making enemies or turning friends away. And my guess is, … Continue reading Soft Skills – Communication

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The Key to Leadership Communication

Spoiler alert: it's the pronoun "we" (or "us"). But how do we turn it into a livable reality? When discussing leadership communication, plenty of texts and materials out there will have you believe that it has everything to do with a leader’s personal qualities (such as charisma and interpersonal skills), their professional ability (competence, reliability, … Continue reading The Key to Leadership Communication

My Interview with RFI Romania

A few days ago, I was interviewed by Otilia Ghitescu from RFI Romania about our travel guide TIMISOARA23 and the European Capital of Culture 2023. You can read or listen (in Romanian), here: https://www.rfi.ro/cultura-152184-timisoara-2023-pregatita-sau-nu-de-turisti-multe-asteptari-si-un-ghid-cu-secrete Our stories about Timisoara and the Banat region, beautifully illustrated by Claudia Tanasescu, can be ordered on Amazon, in paperback or … Continue reading My Interview with RFI Romania

What is Rhetoric? Age-old Sources of Persuasion

How's your Latin? And what about your Greek? Because to answer the question in the title, we need to go back to the Ancients. Aristotle, to be more exact, and his book Rhetoric. Rhetoric means 'ars bene dicendi' - or, in translation, the art of speaking well. Not 'correctly' (that's grammar), not 'truly' (that is … Continue reading What is Rhetoric? Age-old Sources of Persuasion

Business Communication: Getting off to a Good Start

A brief interaction with lasting consequences: such is the power of the "first impression". Studies show that the first 7 seconds of an encounter are crucial for forming opinions, and that those impressions - those labels - can stick for a surprisingly long time. Nobody wants to disappoint. So, are there any "universal" rules about … Continue reading Business Communication: Getting off to a Good Start

Quote of the day

Today, I'm going to trust you with some German, but you can always use ModernMT, DeepL or Google Translate to figure it out 😋 - and also check how good Neural Machine Translation has become in the meantime. (Not kidding, please evaluate, compare, and let me know your thoughts on this. How much post-editing do … Continue reading Quote of the day

Narratology – How Stories Work and Why They Matter

We live in a world of stories. Stories shape the way we think about reality. Stories are what we tell ourselves about ourselves. When the human brain wants to make sense of events and data in the environment, transform them into actionable insights, and share them with others, there is no way around stories. We … Continue reading Narratology – How Stories Work and Why They Matter

Why You Need an Experienced Linguist to Translate Your Work

You have spent countless hours, days, months, maybe even years working on something important. Whether it is a product, book, article, patent, or marketing campaign, you do not want to skimp on the translation. In fact, you want the best possible translator/editor on your team. Why? Because you do not want to undermine your credibility … Continue reading Why You Need an Experienced Linguist to Translate Your Work

A Quick Guide to Romanian Culture – OTHER HUMANS

Last time we talked about communication, which is one of the main ways we interact with OTHER PEOPLE. In fact, everything we do can be termed "communication", as it results in different types of messages and human beings are meaning-making creatures. This time, I'd like to talk a little more about power dynamics, decision-making, and … Continue reading A Quick Guide to Romanian Culture – OTHER HUMANS

A Quick Guide to Romanian Culture – COMMUNICATION

Hello again and welcome back! It's really good to have you, what can I offer you and how can I help you today? Yes, Romanians can be quite welcoming (but not always, aggressive behavior is on the rise, especially on the roads), and there are several set phrases you need to master to deal with … Continue reading A Quick Guide to Romanian Culture – COMMUNICATION