In Britain, new drivers must display red “L” plates on their vehicles, can drive only with people 21 or older and cannot drive on highways. Learner’s permits, called provisional licenses, are allowed at age 17.

Germany
Once they turn 18, teens can be taught to drive at driving schools. Fairly rigorous; and expensive; training is required. After that’s completed, teen drivers earn a two-year probationary license. That license can be extended for two more years; or revoked in case of a driving infraction, such as running a red light.

France
No licensing until age 18, but teens can begin driver training at 16 if they sign a contract that’s also signed by a driving school and a supervisor. During this period, teens must drive at least 12 mph below speed limits. One study of this practice, though, found it had no effect on the likelihood of crashes.

Nova Scotia, Canada
After obtaining a learner’s permit after they turn 16, drivers spend two years with licenses that restrict late-night driving. To get an unrestricted license, teens must complete a defensive-driving or other driver-training course. Graduated licensing has cut crash rates by 50% for beginner 16- and 17-year-olds during their first six months.

Victoria, Australia
Sixteen-year-olds can get learner’s permits but are ineligible for unrestricted licenses until they’re 18. During the probationary period before teens are fully licensed, their vehicles cannot surpass a certain ratio of horsepower to vehicle weight.

Denmark
Requires driver education that includes defensive driving, hazard perception and driving maneuvers. Fewer crashes were reported in the first year after tougher licensing rules were imposed. Teens can get a learner’s permit when they’re 17 1/2. They can get a probationary license at 18; they must hold that for three years before all restrictions are lifted.

Ontario, Canada
Drivers with learner’s permits, which can be issued at 16, can’t drive on high-speed roads. A “probationary” license can be issued at 16 years, four months. Teens can take the test for a full license 12 months later or at age 18, whichever is later.

New Zealand
In 1987, it became the first nation to use graduated licensing. At 15, teens can get a learner’s permit, which they must hold six months before they can get a restricted license. For 18 months, those licenses bar nighttime driving or any teen passengers in the vehicle without a supervising adult present. At 17, full licenses can be issued. Early evaluations showed about a 25% drop in fatal crashes. Longer-term studies found graduated licensing cut teen deaths about 7%.

British Columbia, Canada
Teen drivers in an 18-month novice stage after the learner’s permit period (which can begin at age 16) must display an “N” on their vehicle. Teens who complete driver education can reduce, from six to three months, their time with a learner’s permit. But though the rate of crashes fell 16%, crash rates rose 27% among teens who needed learner’s permits for only three months because they’d taken driver’s education.

Can you guess which country has the most cars per capita in the world? Here are your choices:
1. United States
2. Austria
3. Italy
4. Cyprus
From the choices below, which country has the fewest cars per capita?
1. India
2. China
3. Greece
4. Kuwait

Answers:
Cyprus – 753 cars per 1000 people
India – 18 cars per 1000 people

http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-auto-nations-with-most-number-of-cars-per-1000-people/20110909.htm

Onomatopoeia is a word, or group of words, that imitates the sound it is describing. We can recognize these in English – the car horn “honks”, the gun goes “bang”, and the mouse “squeaks”. However, in British English a car “hoots” and in French a gun goes “pan”. People are often surprised when they realize that these are somewhat arbitrary interpretations of the sounds we hear, and they differ among languages and cultures. Simply consider the fact that there are many sounds for a dog’s “bark” in English, including “bark”, “woof”, “ruff”, “bow wow”, and “arf!” In English, we use these pronunciations simply because we’ve learned them from other English speakers.

The Japanese language uses onomatopoeia perhaps more than any other language. Japanese contains hundreds of onomatopoeic words, usually coming in the form of a two-syllable word said twice, such as “gorogoro” (cat purring). Words that imitate sounds are called Giongo. There are also many words, called Gitaigo, that describe various emotional and psychological states. They are often attached to the verb suru (to do) to become verbs, for example, “wakuwaku suru” (to be excited) and “iraira suru” (to be irritated or impatient). Other words become adverbs, such as “geragera warau” (to laugh loudly) and “perapera hanasu” (to speak fluently/quickly).

Here is a quick chart of some noises and their interpretations in different languages.

English US = United States, UK = United Kingdom

Chinese C = Cantonese, M = Mandarin

Taeko likes to adapt her examples to the interests of her students. She also gives tips on using the Internet as a resource along with the guided teaching needed to learn Japanese. Taeko enjoys talking with people who have an interest in Japan and Japanese because of anime, friendships, or the like.

It’s challenging to convince students that it’s worthwhile to learn a little each day to see progress. So she would advise that each day you have a short practice session, if you can, so that the language stays fresh. Students find her both encouraging and challenging in helping them stretch to learn a language very different from English.

One thing he would like others to know about his culture is that the French care about each other and enjoy life. One myth about his culture is that the French are arrogant; if you show them respect, they will respect you just as in any other culture. Finally, some advice he has for meeting or working with a French person is to be courteous, respectful, and ask questions before making any invalid statements.

Keep checking in for more bios on our interpreters and teachers!

Scotland          South Korea          Japan          Thailand          Malaysia

1. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in an interesting manner on two different dates. On February 14, females present gifts to their boyfriends or any man close to them. The favor is returned to ladies on the White Day celebrated on March 14 when men pamper the women who gave them gifts a month before on Valentines Day.

As chocolate is the most popular gift for the occasion, days before the festival department and grocery stores stock themselves with chocolates in large variety to lure customers. It is estimated that more than half the chocolate sold in a year is sold around Valentines Day in this country.

2. Their day of love falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar when women write their phone numbers on oranges before throwing them into the closest river with hopes that the man of their dreams might pick one up. Fruit vendors often collect the oranges, which are considered a lucky fruit, and resell them at the market—phone numbers and all!

3. During a Valentine’s Day get-together, each single person writes his or her name on a piece of paper, which is then thrown into two hats—one containing the men’s names, and another containing the women’s names. Everyone draws a name, and the couples pair off for the evening. Since it’s unlikely that the names will actually match, the man has to stick with the woman who picked his name, regardless of whose name he picked.

4. The 14th day of every month is dedicated to an aspect of love. For example, May is Rose Day, October is Wine Day, and December is Hug Day. On February 14, women give chocolate to men, and on March 14 (also called “White Day”), men give non-chocolate candy to women. People, who didn’t receive anything on either day, get together on April 14, or Black Day, to eat black bean noodles and lament their singleness.

5. Perhaps the strangest celebration of Valentines Day in the world is the mass Underwater Wedding Ceremony held in Trang province on Kradan Island. Each year on February 14th couples come to Kradan Island in Trang province for a mass underwater wedding ceremony. Throughout the rest of this country Valentines Day is mostly celebrated by the countries teenagers. This does not sit well with the conservative government who have tried to downplay Valentines Day in the past to keep the youngsters from getting together to consummate their love. February 14th is said to be the busiest day of the year for “short time” hotels, which cater specifically to lovers.

Answers

1. Japan

2. Malaysia

3. Scotland

4. South Korea

5. Thailand

• Boire comme un trou literally translates as to drink like a hole but means to get wasted which isn’t even grammatically correct in English.

• Poser un lapin literally translates as to leave a rabbit but means to stand someone up which in literal English would mean to put someone in a standing position.

Sometimes idiomatic expressions are based on the same idea, such as with ‘beef’ below, but are then used differently in French and in English.

Faire un boeuf translates into To make a beef. In French that means to improvise musically — as in a jam session. Of course in English, to beef means to complain or make a fuss.

 Let’s begin with one from Puerto Rico…

 “Todo Guaraguano tiene su Pitirre”

Which roughly translates:  ”Every hawk has its own kingbird to contend with” or in other words:  ”Every big bully has someone smaller than himself who will not be too scared to fight back and win.”

 The meaning derives from the fact that the Kingbird and the Red Tail Hawk (both common birds in Puerto Rico – we also have them state side) have an adversarial relationship.  The Kingbird, which is much smaller than the Red Tail Hawk often attacks the Red Tail Hawk in flight – pecking at its head – even when the hawk dives, the Kingbird follows it down all the time pecking at its head

 Once, it used be the colony of Spain and Spaniards ruled over it for about three centuries. The United States bought The Philippines from Spain for $20 million in the Treaty of Paris of 1898. On July 4, 1946, the Philippines attained its independence.

 The Philippines has an American-style democracy, headed by a president who is both head of state and head of government. The president is limited to one 6-year term in office.

The Philippines has a population of more than 90 million people and an annual growth rate around 2%, making it one of the most populous and fastest growing countries on Earth. It is the 12th most populous country in the world. 

The climate in the Philippines is tropical and monsoonal. The country has an average yearly temperature of 26.5°C (79.7°F); May is the warmest month, while January is the coolest. The monsoon rains, called habagat, hit from May to October, bringing torrential rain which is abetted by frequent typhoons. An average of 6 or 7 typhoons per year strike the Philippines. November to April is the dry season, with December through February also being the coldest part of the year.

1. What 2 countries frown upon gift giving, because they see it more as a bribery?
Malaysia and Paraguay

2. Besides Japan, what 2 other countries strongly encourage gift giving?
Indonesia and the Philippines

3. In Asia and the Middle East, which hand do they use to accept gifts? Which cultures use both hands?
right hand Japan and Hong Kong

4. In Singapore, how many times do they “refuse” a gift before accepting it?
three times