LANGUAGE. CULTURE. COMMUNICATION
Words that connect. Across cultures
On discourse, knowledge, and constant meanings
“… whatever else may be in perpetual flux, the meanings of words must be fixed, at least for a time, since otherwise no assertion is definite, and no assertion is true rather than false. There must be something more or less constant, if discourse and knowledge are to be possible.”
Bertrand Russell – History of Western Philosophy
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
Our English-language travel guide TIMISOARA23 (available on Amazon) featured in the German press!
#communication #interculturalcompetence #travel #visitromania #timisoara23 #europeancapitalofculture
Dear friends,
I have had some great #news today (literally): Our travel guide, #TIMISOARA23 – 23 Secrets You’ll Love About the City and the Romanian Banat was featured in not one, but two German-language newspapers!
The Allgemeine Deutsche Zeitung in Romania:
and the Banater Post in München:
Our “somewhat different travel guide” is, of course, available in all Amazon marketplaces, in the English language. Get it now and surprise your friends, co-workers, expats or Timisoara nostalgics with fascinating stories, fun facts and amazing photograps from #Timisoara and the #Banat region!
#visittimisoara #europeancapitalofculture2023 #banat #romania #nonfiction #travel
In #Romania, spring is all about women, flowers
and, today, also about #interculturalcompetence 😊
Now that March 8 is behind us (a day also known as Woman’s Day or Mother’s Day in Romania and, yes, flowers are expected!), it is time to introduce you to another Romanian tradition.
This time, we’re talking about a really old one, dating all the way back to the Romans: the Days of the Hags (Zilele Babelor), taking place each year between the 1st and the 9th of March. In Romanian mythology, this tradition signifies the return of spring and it has many different versions, but the gist of it goes like this: Old Woman (Baba) Dokia (probably short for St. Eudochia of Heliopolis) comes out with her herd of sheep at the beginning of March, and each day she drops another layer of clothing (one coat or lambskin every day).
People (especially women) choose their “Baba” beforehand, i.e. a day between 01.03 and 09.03 that they will consider…
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An over-simplified view of our profession will have you believe that a translation is the mechanistic rendering of the source text into the target language, as if the human element barely matters at all. You pour text in, text gets spouted back out, how hard can it be, right? After all, we've already got machines … Continue reading Why You Should Choose Your Translator Carefully
On some Romanian spring fertility traditions and rituals – and how to deal with them without breaking the bank 🙂
“Dragobetele pupă fetele.”
Romanian folk saying (Dragobete kisses the girls)
How many of you know that Romania has its very own early-Christian Valentine’s tradition? It’s a spring fertility ritual called Dragobete, which takes place on February 24, and it dates back to the Early Middle Ages.
Not only this, but since the addition of Valentine’s Day (Ziua Îndrăgostiților), Romanian men at the beginning of spring find themselves obliged to offer various gifts to women for weeks on end! First Valentine’s, then Dragobete, followed by Mărțișor (the 1st of March), followed by International Women’s Day (the 8th of March)… These gifts typically range from flowers and chocolate to small brooches decorated with red&white yarn, and even to jewellery!
If you are one of these men, and you’re feeling like things are spiralling out of control and giving you vertigo, do not despair. A thoughtful gift for your loved one does not…
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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
The “wow factor” was definitely there in #Timisoara this opening weekend of the European Capital of Culture 2023! Lots of foreign tourists, high-ranking guests and culture lovers, too. And, obviously, so were we!
#visittimisoara #interculturalcommunication #multiculturalism #kulturschaffende #languages
Our storytelling travel guide #TIMISOARA23: 23 Secrets was launched on February 18th at the Cărtureşti bookstore in the throbbing heart of Timisoara – only one of the 140+ cultural events taking place this weekend in this year’s European Capital of Culture! (It is now sold out at Cărtureşti, but you can still find it on Amazon or – if you visit Timisoara – at La Doua Bufnite in Union Square (Piata Unirii), Matei Corvin St.)
See for yourselves and come on over: #visittimisoara #timisoaraiscool 😉
#europeancapitalofculture2023 #romania
It’s always such a pleasure to work with professional interviewers and journalists! (I’ll probably share some tips and tricks at some point. Right now, I am busy preparing for a book launch – another instance where professional (oral) communication is key 😉).
For all my German-speaking readers — the interview I gave Ms. Astrid Weisz from Radio Timisoara about our English-language travel guide #TIMISOARA23, which aired on the German-language show last night, is still available for 7 days as audio on demand here.
And for my Romanian-language readers — those without an Amazon account or just curious to see what our guide is all about, we’re publishing a series of fragments in Romanian on Liternet.ro, starting today:
https://atelier.liternet.ro/articol/38772/Andreea-Sepi/Timisoara-2023-Doua-capitale-intr-una.html
The article will also be linked to the dedicated page dealing with this years European Capital of Culture, here: https://agenda.liternet.ro/cronici/timisoara2023.html
Enjoy, it was written with love! (And Happy Valentine’s everyone!) 😉
#creativewriting #nonfiction #travelguide #timisoara23 #europeancapitalofculture #interviews #storytelling
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
