Resources: Notes on Life and Language in the United States

Are you looking for an English teacher but not sure what questions to ask to find out if the teacher is well qualified and has enough experience? There are many things to consider when you choose an English teacher including his credentials, his patience and his ability to motivate you to reach your goals. Experience is also important. Wht kind of teaching experience should an English teacher have? At English and Culture, when we choose a new teacher to join our team in Boston or New York, we like to find out a lot about where the teacher has taught in the past. Although it is not a requirement, if the teacher has taught English in a foreign country, this makes him a stronger candidate. Why is teaching English abroad an important part of an English teacher's experience?

Are you an international professional or student working in the US and preparing for a presentation?

Do you know what a Boston English accent sounds like? If you have recently moved to the United States to work or study English in Boston, maybe you are trying to improve your pronunciation and develop an American accent. But the Boston accent is a bit different from what you might consider a "typical" American accent. The most obvious sign of a local Boston accent is when someone drops the "R" sound. The famous saying "Park the car in the Harvard Yard" is pronounced with a Boston accent in this way: "Pahk the cah in the Hahvahd Yahd". If you have ever watched Good Will Hunting or other movies that are set in Boston, you have heard the Boston accent. However, because Boston is a world famous center for academia, medicine and technological innovation, which attracts an international population, you might not hear a thick Boston accent every day or in every part of Boston.

Today we are celebrating an important milestone at English and Culture! We have added our 100th member to our community of English by Email monthly newsletter subscribers! Our community is a worldwide group of English learners including former and current students in Boston and New York as well as international professionals and international students from Asia, Europe and Latin America. Our readers are a mix of all different ages, English levels and goals. But they do have one thing  in common. They understand that both English skills and cultural competence are crucial for success in the United States and in the international business world.

Are you preparing for a business presentation in English? Do you know the correct English words and phrases to use during your presentation? Have you thought about how you might want to alter your presentation style based on what is expected for business presentations in the United States? A lot of our students in New York and Boston are international professionals who need to be able to make a presentation at their workplace in English. This can be an intimidating experience if you are not prepared! Our professional tutors help our students practice for their presentations by introducing new expressions, helping them think about how to structure the presentation and asking them to consider how presenting in United States culture might be different from presenting in their home country. Based on the work that we have done with students, we have created a free guide to help you prepare for your next presentation.

Is interviewing in the United States the same as interviewing in other cultures?

Why do students choose to work with private English teachers? In large cities like Boston or New York, you might not have the time to attend a large group class or you might have very specific professional goals with your English. Maybe you want to prepare for a business presentation in English or learn how to lead a business meeting in English. So your challenge is to find the right private English teacher. Many things like teaching experience, qualifications and patience are very important but what about the teacher's own experience learning a foreign language? Has your teacher ever studied a second language? In this post, I will tell you why I believe this is important and how your teacher's own experience with second language acquisition can make him or her a better teacher and help you reach your goals.

Does this sound like your situation? You need to improve your English skills to be more successful in your career or your everyday life in the United States. You have tried group classes but the classes didn't work with your schedule or your learning style. You have decided that the best solution is to find a private English tutor. So your search begins! You have a challenge ahead of you! How can you find the right private English tutor? In the big cities, like New York and Boston you have so many options but how do you make the right choice? How can you find a real professional who has the skills and experience to help you reach your goals? You have to ask the right questions! What are those questions? In this post, we will give you three of those questions to get started. If you would like to get all eleven questions, please download the guide How to Find the Right Private English Tutor: 11 Questions to Ask

If you have been living in the United States and learning English, you probably know that the concept of time is important in our culture because we have so many expressions in English that are related to time. In a previous article, we talked about the link between language and American culture that can be seen through phrases like "time is money". Today we have a few new expressions that are frequently used in American English. These expressions tell us that in the United States, especially in big cities like Boston or New York, time is definitely on our minds.

What is communication? How are culture and communication related? In previous articles, we have talked about why you need more than just English skills to be successful in your career and in your life in the United States. Being able to use American English expressions correctly in conversation is important, but what about the other parts of communication such as the ways in which diffferent cultures use silence and levels of directness and indirectness in answering a question? The first step to communicating successfully with people from other cultures is understanding your own communication style. In this post, we will talk about two different ways of communicating that you might encounter in your intercultural workplace.