http://www.philstar.com/business/2014/04/07/1309878/accent-matters-philippines-acquiring-70-india-call-centers
India is losing 70% of all incremental domestic business process outsourcing (BPO) businesses, particularly call centers, estimated to be worth $30 billion in foreign exchange earnings. Most of this business is moving to the Philippines as Filipinos have a more neutral English Accent. The Philippines also has a large amount well educated and English Speaking Graduates. Only 10% of Indian Graduates are employable as 30% of Filipino Graduates are employable. Revenue was up 17% as these companies were doing better in the Philippines. The reason for this is because customers prefer talking to someone who easily speaks English with a neutral accent. If all goes right 4.5 Million Filipinos could be employed by 2016.
The idea of calling a call center in India sounded interesting to me as this is something I've had to deal with. Many people all over the world have an accent. Sometimes it's easy to understand as it can also be hard to understand. Regardless if we have an accent or not we all have to communicate with each other somehow.
I found it interesting that the Philippines actually has English Speakers with an accent easy to understand. It makes me wonder why we have call centers in India in the 1st place. If we would have known this fact about the Philippines would we have not outsourced our businesses to India in the 1st place knowing we could avoid a call that is impossible to understand? I find also interesting that the Philippines is in Asia. When you think of Asia you don't usually think of English.
I definitely agree with all of this. I think this business move is a very smart idea. Last semester I had a problem with my Dell Computer and had to call customer support for help. It was a rough 2 hours on the phone as I could barely understand their accents. I almost wanted to scream. In the end they thanked me for my patience. Perhaps if were calling the Philippines last semester I wouldn't have been so stressed out with the call.
I'd be more curious to see how this all plays out. Would this hurt India in anyway? Would the Philippines gain strength?
India's Economy would no doubt take a beating. It doesn't help that they have a population of over 1 billion people. What is India going to look like in the next 10 years? Of course the Philippine Economy will be stronger. Are other economies going to be affected by this? If businesses want to use people easy to understand what happens to other people with hard accents to understand? Are these people also going to lose their job to someone who is easy to understand? In the next 20 years will our world look different as we want to understand people as they speak in neutral accents?
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Blog 8: Raising Kids in a Bilingual Household
Raising Kids in a Bilingual Household - EverydayFamily
Many children today were born and raised in a Bilingual Household. Many people think that there will be much confusion for the children as they hear 2 languages being spoken. That is not true. Children are able to acquire both languages. In fact there are many advantages for children living in a Bilingual Household. Some of these advantages include development of skills such cognitive growth and creativity.
Growing up I knew many who lived in a Bilingual Household as Spanish and English were both spoken. I was curious to know if the friends I grew up with were able acquire both languages without any problems. Of course it never seemed to be a problems and according to the article it's not. In fact I did notice that they certainly did have more advantages for them. As I lived in a border town an argument could be made that they had an easier time finding a job as many businesses were big on Spanish and English speaking.
I find it interesting that living in this type of household isn't a problem. I always did wonder if babies would get confused. I myself did hear a little Spanish but not much in a early years as a child and I never had any problems learning to speak.
I would definitely agree with this article. As I said earlier I saw all of this growing up and its makes sense. I would be interested to learn more about this. I wonder if a child could live in a household where more than 4 languages are spoken.
Many people in this world speak multiple languages. Some are learning more languages. These people seem to have greater opportunities. International Dating/Marriage isn't frowned upon either. So it's possible a Spanish Speaker could fall for a French speaker which would lead to children.
Many children today were born and raised in a Bilingual Household. Many people think that there will be much confusion for the children as they hear 2 languages being spoken. That is not true. Children are able to acquire both languages. In fact there are many advantages for children living in a Bilingual Household. Some of these advantages include development of skills such cognitive growth and creativity.
Growing up I knew many who lived in a Bilingual Household as Spanish and English were both spoken. I was curious to know if the friends I grew up with were able acquire both languages without any problems. Of course it never seemed to be a problems and according to the article it's not. In fact I did notice that they certainly did have more advantages for them. As I lived in a border town an argument could be made that they had an easier time finding a job as many businesses were big on Spanish and English speaking.
I find it interesting that living in this type of household isn't a problem. I always did wonder if babies would get confused. I myself did hear a little Spanish but not much in a early years as a child and I never had any problems learning to speak.
I would definitely agree with this article. As I said earlier I saw all of this growing up and its makes sense. I would be interested to learn more about this. I wonder if a child could live in a household where more than 4 languages are spoken.
Many people in this world speak multiple languages. Some are learning more languages. These people seem to have greater opportunities. International Dating/Marriage isn't frowned upon either. So it's possible a Spanish Speaker could fall for a French speaker which would lead to children.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Blog 7: Forgetting a First Language
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual/201207/can-first-language-be-totally-forgotten
A 1st Language can be forgotten. Many young foreigners might move to another country such as America at an early age. By the time they reach adulthood they wont be able to remember their 1st language if they never spoke it. A study was conducted on Koreans who moved to France at an early age. They were asked to perform 3 tasks. These 3 tasks involved a language identification, task, a word recognition task, and a fragment detection task. The results determined that the Koreans couldn't remember their native language. It as also discovered the being exposed to your old language after a long period of time can cause you to eventually remember it.
I found it interesting that being exposed to your old language for a certain amount of time can help you remember it. I feel that If I were to forget English at an early age and not remember it now there would no way I could even remember it even if I tried. Of course when you think about it can't be that difficult. If you can learn a 2nd or 3rd language and speak them well, than why can't you learn your native language again?
I would agree to what is being said. I know that there are Hispanic Parents who talk to their kids at home in Spanish. They don't want their children to forget Spanish as many of these children know English far to well. Some of these children will even translate for their parents as some parents haven't learned English.
I would be curious to know more. I'd like to see if there were any more studies conducted. I'd also wonder if there is anyone out there who could actually remember their native language in a heartbeat after being exposed to it for so many years.
This is a problem for the world. As I said earlier a language dies when you start to forget it. English has been said to be the official business language of the world. Languages are already dying in the business world if that's the case. As foreigners keep moving to America who's to say that 5 languages could be disappearing in the next 10 years? This results in them eventually being dead. Could being bilingual become a thing of the past?
A 1st Language can be forgotten. Many young foreigners might move to another country such as America at an early age. By the time they reach adulthood they wont be able to remember their 1st language if they never spoke it. A study was conducted on Koreans who moved to France at an early age. They were asked to perform 3 tasks. These 3 tasks involved a language identification, task, a word recognition task, and a fragment detection task. The results determined that the Koreans couldn't remember their native language. It as also discovered the being exposed to your old language after a long period of time can cause you to eventually remember it.
I found it interesting that being exposed to your old language for a certain amount of time can help you remember it. I feel that If I were to forget English at an early age and not remember it now there would no way I could even remember it even if I tried. Of course when you think about it can't be that difficult. If you can learn a 2nd or 3rd language and speak them well, than why can't you learn your native language again?
I would agree to what is being said. I know that there are Hispanic Parents who talk to their kids at home in Spanish. They don't want their children to forget Spanish as many of these children know English far to well. Some of these children will even translate for their parents as some parents haven't learned English.
I would be curious to know more. I'd like to see if there were any more studies conducted. I'd also wonder if there is anyone out there who could actually remember their native language in a heartbeat after being exposed to it for so many years.
This is a problem for the world. As I said earlier a language dies when you start to forget it. English has been said to be the official business language of the world. Languages are already dying in the business world if that's the case. As foreigners keep moving to America who's to say that 5 languages could be disappearing in the next 10 years? This results in them eventually being dead. Could being bilingual become a thing of the past?
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Blog 6: Mitchell & Webb - Needlessly ambiguous terms
One of the many ideas in Chapter 5 includes Ambiguity. This is when words, phrases, or sentences have more than one meaning. I felt that there had to be something comical on YouTube that dealt with ambiguity. I was right. I found a clip from a BBC Sketch Comedy Show. A criminal leader is annoyed with Detective Harrison and wants him killed. The leader hires 2 of his men to assassinate Harrison. As he gives instructions he says he wants Harrison "removed" and "taken out the picture." One of the hired killers claims that the terms are ambiguous and he needs to be straight forward and just say he wants Harrison dead.
As I said earlier I wanted to find something funny on YouTube that dealt with ambiguity. I really enjoyed this video as it dealt with it perfectly. An any situation the things you say can be easily ambiguous. It's possible someone who speaks another language while trying to learn another language might be confused about what you said.
What I really liked about this video was the phrase "taken out of the picture." I came close to thinking that Detective Harrison was going to be removed from a photograph. I quickly remembered that this wasn't the case.
There isn't much to agree with in this video but in a way there were trying to make an interesting point in which I do agree with. Ambiguity can be confusing. As I said "taken out the picture" almost fooled me.
Ambiguity is definitely an interesting subject. I really like the fact that words and sentences can have more than 1 meaning. There's no question that there is more to ambiguity that meets the eye.
The world is definitely affects by this. Advertisers are probably the most guilty of this. They might say a product is big. What do they mean when they say that? Do they mean the product is popular or big in size? Politicians will even do things like this. It's important to be aware and alert of this.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Blog 5: Cussing
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2007/06/whence_the_.html
Bad Words have been around for many centuries. The F Bomb has been around since at least 1500. Back in the day it was highly offensive as it has to do with sex. Today it has become less offensive as it means much more than sex. The S word means feces which was highly offensive back in the day. Today the word is used in many different ways and is less offensive. There are other curse words that aren't as offensive today and have lost some it's original meaning. Today the N word is commonly used today. It wasn't long ago when it was offensive towards African Americans.
I've always been curious as to why bad words were bad. I sometimes asked myself if any word could have easily been considered a swear word. It's interesting how a bunch of sounds put together can make a bad word. When it comes down to it, all they are are just words that we speak. Just about anything we say could cause someone to become offended. In countries like Britain the world "Bloody" is offensive and considered a bad word. Is possible that there are words in other countries that are offensive. It's interesting that Bloody isn't bad in America.
I found it interesting that the phrase "That Bites" used to be considered offensive. I've rarely heard anyone actually say that. The only place I've heard it was in the comic strip "Zits." When other bad words were said they were bleeped out. "That Bites" wasn't bleeped out so obviously the phrase isn't considered bad.
I agree with what is said in this article. It seems like just about everyone cusses at least once on a daily basis. Even in movies I hear more cussing. Cussing seems to be getting more acceptable. I was also under the impression that more than one F Bomb in a movie automatically makes it R Rated. Of course in some of the latest PG-13 Movies I've seen it's been said at least twice.
There's no question about it. I really would like to understand all this better. It's a topic I've been thinking about my whole life. As a Christian I know in The Bible it never mentions Bad Words but it does talk about speaking kind things to each other. So I guess in a way The Bible kind of did say not to say Bad Words since they can be offensive.
Most people in the world have cussed at least once in their life. It's part of the way we communicate with each other. Some have said that it sometimes makes us more honest. Is is possible the world needs more honesty. Do they need more negativity?
Bad Words have been around for many centuries. The F Bomb has been around since at least 1500. Back in the day it was highly offensive as it has to do with sex. Today it has become less offensive as it means much more than sex. The S word means feces which was highly offensive back in the day. Today the word is used in many different ways and is less offensive. There are other curse words that aren't as offensive today and have lost some it's original meaning. Today the N word is commonly used today. It wasn't long ago when it was offensive towards African Americans.
I've always been curious as to why bad words were bad. I sometimes asked myself if any word could have easily been considered a swear word. It's interesting how a bunch of sounds put together can make a bad word. When it comes down to it, all they are are just words that we speak. Just about anything we say could cause someone to become offended. In countries like Britain the world "Bloody" is offensive and considered a bad word. Is possible that there are words in other countries that are offensive. It's interesting that Bloody isn't bad in America.
I found it interesting that the phrase "That Bites" used to be considered offensive. I've rarely heard anyone actually say that. The only place I've heard it was in the comic strip "Zits." When other bad words were said they were bleeped out. "That Bites" wasn't bleeped out so obviously the phrase isn't considered bad.
I agree with what is said in this article. It seems like just about everyone cusses at least once on a daily basis. Even in movies I hear more cussing. Cussing seems to be getting more acceptable. I was also under the impression that more than one F Bomb in a movie automatically makes it R Rated. Of course in some of the latest PG-13 Movies I've seen it's been said at least twice.
There's no question about it. I really would like to understand all this better. It's a topic I've been thinking about my whole life. As a Christian I know in The Bible it never mentions Bad Words but it does talk about speaking kind things to each other. So I guess in a way The Bible kind of did say not to say Bad Words since they can be offensive.
Most people in the world have cussed at least once in their life. It's part of the way we communicate with each other. Some have said that it sometimes makes us more honest. Is is possible the world needs more honesty. Do they need more negativity?
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Blog 4: Hollywood Around the World
Hollywood isn't dependent on American Audiences as much as they used to be. 70% of the money Hollywood makes now comes from International Sales. Movies like Battleship flopped here in American but did well Internationally. Slowly Hollywood is catering to foreign tastes.
This article caused me to think about many different things. One of those things was somehow you have to get these movies into another language either by subtitles or doing a voice over of that language. My last blog came to mind when I talked about The Super Bowl Coca Cola ad. Americans forgot their was diversity in this country. Perhaps we might have thought that Hollywood Movies can only appeal to Americans and it can only be in English. This is not true. We are a melting pot and everybody wants to enjoy a movie. There are some Hispanics in this country who can only speak Spanish. How are they going to enjoy a movie if it's in English?
I found it interesting that Hollywood is adding more international actors to the cast simply appeal to foreign audiences. Byung-hun Lee who is a South Korean Actor was in the 2nd G.I. Joe movie. Nobody in America knows who he is so they don't care. He's well know in Asia so Asian's care more. The movie made over $80 Million overseas which is twice the amount it made over here in America.
I agree with this article. I felt like I've seen a change in movies over the last few years. I remember watching Life of Pie. Sitting through that movie was a challenge. I didn't hate it but I wasn't blown away by it. Perhaps there are a few Americans who are crazy about it. It's entirely possible that the movie was mostly targeted towards Indians. I'm interested in knowing more. I wonder what Hollywood is going to be like in the next 20 years. Is it possible they might make a movie and only release in a certain country because it mostly appeals to them?
This definitely affects the world. Hollywood is trying to appeal to other countries for more money. Countries will get a taste of American Culture as well as part of their own culture. Language makes a person who they are. It helps defines a culture. Hollywood understands that. They need to understand the language and culture. It is also important to remember that America is a melting pot full of people around the world. In many ways this is helpful for them as well.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Blog 3: Coca Cola Super Bowl Commercial
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nataly-kelly/cocacola-superbowl-ad_b_4714935.html
There is a lot of anger over one of this year's Super Bowl Commercials. Coca-Cola presented the song "America the Beautiful" in 7 different languages. Many are saying that English is the American Language and doing what it did is Anti American. Although there are arguments supporting that it's not Anti American such as we have no official language, other languages are spoken here, and we all have a foreign background.
I picked this article because I found all the controversy interesting. I also remembered that we've been recently discussing "English" in class. I remember how we discussed that we take words from other languages and incorporate them into our language.
I find it interesting that a lot of people such as me forgot that English isn't the only language in America. I think a lot of people also forgot the American is melting pot full of people around the world. The article said that there are 381 languages spoken here. It's possible those who speak more than one language and perhaps immigrated here to the U.S. possibly liked the commercial.
I agree with all that the article says although I admit I didn't feel the same way last night. After thinking about it it makes sense. I have a few relatives from Mexico who worked hard to live here and gain citizenship as well as learn English. They are just as American as every other American.
This article definitely affects the world. Many countries see us as an opportunity. There are those who want to be here. This commercials shows that they are welcomed here regardless of who they are and what language they speak. What's important to remember is that the people who found this country came from somewhere else. I think Coco Cola realized that and felt the need to express that as it seems many people have easily forgotten.
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