Translating a German menu
Translating the menu for a foreign visitor is always tricky.
Have you seen my German-English Food Glossary?
How to write to an adult female
In the past, we used Miss (+ surname) for an unmarried woman and Mrs (+ surname) for a married woman.
But things have changed over the last few years. Today we use Ms (+ surname) – pronounced “Mizz” – for all women – whatever their marital status.
Of course, if you know someone’s marital status and that they prefer to be addressed as Miss or Mrs, I suggest you still use them.
On forgiving
“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.” John F. Kennedy
Mind your manners – and learn some rules
You’ve been invited out for a meal in the US and are not sure how to behave at the table.
In this tip sheet by Ann Marie Sabath, you’ll learn:
- how to use napkins correctly
- how to eat your soup and bread and rolls
- the differences between “American” and “European” styles of dining and
- the 10 most commonly-made mistakes.
A little bit of humour
“There was an old man from Peru,
Who dreamt he was eating his shoe.
He awoke in a fright
In the middle of the night
And found it was perfectly true.”
The colours of the rainbow
Do you know the colours of the rainbow?
Here’s an acronym I only learned recently: “ROYGBIV”.
“Roy” is quite a common male name. So “Roy G. Biv” sounds like a first name, middle initial and a last name.
And what do the letters stand for?
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
We call this concept “chunking”. The idea is that we group together letters, numbers, words etc. to make them easier to remember.
It’s so easy when you know how, isn’t it?
You have small children? Watch the “They Might Be Giants – Roy G Biv” video with them.
