Auguri da poliglotta

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr!

Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo!

Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo!

American and British vocabulary differences (Episode 19)

Closet vs wardrobe

The American English term closet corresponds to what British people call wardrobe.

Die Vorweihnachtszeit in Deutschland

Weihnachten ist für die Deutschen das wichtigste Fest des Jahres, an dem die ganze Familie zusammenkommt. Die Vorweihnachtszeit entspricht den vier Wochen vor dem heiligen Abend und beginnt mit dem ersten Advent, dem ersten Sonntag im Dezember. Die Wohnung wird weihnachtlich mit Tannenzweigen, Weihnachtsschmuck und Kerzen dekoriert. Auf dem Tisch wird der Adventskranz, ein Kranz aus Tannenzweigen mit vier Kerzen, aufgestellt.

Klassisch: Der Adventskranz

An jedem Sonntag im Advent wird eine Kerze angezündet. Die Kinder bekommen einen Adventskalender, an dem sich 24 Türen oder kleine Säckchen befinden. jeden Tag bis Weihnachten dürfen die Kinder ein Türchen oder Säckchen öffnen. In der Adventszeit schreiben die Kinder außerdem ihren Wunschzettel für Weihnachten.
An den Adventssonntagen findet man sich häufig zusammen, um warme Getränke (z.B. Punsch, Tee, Kakao) zu trinken, Kekse, Lebkuchen und Stollen zu essen und um den Kindern Weihnachtsgeschichten vorzulesen. Diesen Brauch gibt es etwas seit Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts.

Languages: head and heart

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Nelson Mandela 

Danes mock Berlusconi with 'immunity' juice

Taken from : http://www.thelocal.it/20131126/danes-mock-berlusconi-with-immunity-juice

Published: 26 Nov 2013 10:20 GMT+01:00
Updated: 26 Nov 2013 10:20 GMT+01:00

As if Silvio Berlusconi wasn't having a tough enough week - denied a presidential pardon for a tax conviction and now facing a vote that could see him ousted from parliament - now the Danes have come up with a fruit juice slogan mocking Italy's former prime minister.

Danish smoothie company Froosh has released a drink which supposedly has “more immunity than Berlusconi” - a quip at the billionaire’s ability to survive numerous criminal proceedings. Berlusconi’s first definitive conviction came in August when he was found guilty of tax fraud - a crime that might see him kicked out of parliament for the first time in 20 years.

The orange and mango smoothie was released in Scandinavia last week and photos of the label were soon circulated on social media.

“Even marketing is mocking Italy, where ridiculousness never ends,” said one Twitter user, while other comments ranged from “I love DK” to “shame”.

Brendan Harris, managing director of Froosh, told The Local the label was intended to be “light-hearted” rather than a political statement.

“It wasn’t meant to be a criticism of Berlusconi; it’s about the long-running saga over whether the former prime minister should have immunity,” Harris said.

“Berlusconi is famous all over Europe. The principle reason for the label wasn’t because of Berlusconi, but because at this time of year we’re always taking about the need to get more vitamins and so tend to talk about immunity on the labels. I thought it was cheeky and funny,” he told The Local.

Since the smoothie went on sale Harris said the company has received dozens of requests from Italian cafe owners and wholesalers requesting to order Froosh products. “Seems our 'more immunity than berlusconi' label made us italy's fav smoothie in 1 day,” the company tweeted yesterday.

The fruity news coincided with rumours that Berlusconi could be offered an escape plan by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met with the former prime minister for dinner on Monday night. But Berlusconi hotly denied that he would flee Italy or take up a diplomatic post with the Russian government if ousted from parliament on Wednesday.

“My appointment as a Russian ambassador is a possibility I have never considered,” Berlusconi said in a tweet.

After being denied a pardon by President Giorgio Napolitano, Berlusconi on Monday requested a review of his tax fraud trial and said he had new evidence which "completely undermines the basis" of the case.

The Local (rosie.scammell@thelocal.com)

L’Italia scimmiottata come sempre

Tratto da www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it

Vino Salento «Mafiozo»
«La Svezia ci offende»
«Cambieremo nome»

BARI - Contraffazioni del made in Italy. Ora ci si mette anche la civilissima Svezia. Con un’operazione commerciale quantomeno discutibile, l’azienda Concealed wine ha fatto arrivare sugli scaffali bottiglie di vino con, sull’etichetta, la foto del gangster Lucky Luciano e la tutt’altro che metaforica scritta «Mafiozo». Un vino che, nelle intenzioni di chi lo vende, avrebbe dovuto attirare curiosità e che invece ha scatenato solo le proteste del governo regionale della Puglia. E sì perché «Mafiozo» è stato offerto con un marchio di qualità, Igp (Indicazione geografica protetta) da vitigno del Salento. La querelle, durata qualche giorno, sarebbe già conclusa. L’azienda svedese, scusandosi, avrebbe manifestato l’intenzione di cambiare subito nome a «Mafiozo».

Ieri si era levata la protesta da Bari. L’assessore alle Risorse agroalimentari, Fabrizio Nardoni, aveva obiettato in una nota scritta: «Mentre la Puglia chiede e ottiene il riconoscimento internazionale dei suoi prodotti di qualità (vedi il marchio Prodotti di qualità Puglia - marchio di qualità collettivo comunitario con indicazione di origine che garantisce la qualità e l'origine del prodotto, ndr) c’è chi pensa ancora di poter sfruttare il “Puglia sounding” e più in generale il riferimento all’Italia del malaffare per farsi un po’ di volgare pubblicità ai danni di un comparto che invece da tempo è sinonimo di grande correttezza, sviluppo e modernità».

A svelare la «magagna» un archeologo italiano, Rossano Cherubini, che aveva rivolto le sue lamentele a un sito d’informazione norvegese, il «The local». L’«incidente diplomatico» Puglia-Svezia è seguito ormai da qualche giorno anche dagli uffici dell ministero alle Politiche agricole ed è stato successivamente posto all’attenzione dell’ambasciatore d’Italia in Svezia, Elena Basile.

«Ho ritenuto opportuno avvertire il nostro ministro plenipotenziario in Svezia - spiega ancora Nardoni - perché questa operazione di marketing di bassa lega ferisce più di una volta il comparto vitivinicolo italiano e salentino in particolare. E non è solo l’accostamento inaccettabile e deplorevole di personaggi e fenomeni criminali alle produzioni nazionali di qualità ad offenderci - scrive Nardoni - ma anche l’ennesimo svilente episodio di agro pirateria compiuto ai danni di una filiera produttiva, quella enologica, per la quale l’Italia e la Puglia lavorano da anni in nome della qualità, della sicurezza e della tracciabilità».

Weihnachtsmärkte in Deutschland

...staunen, entdecken, genießen

Wie steht es bei Ihnen mit der Zeit der Vorfreude? 
...wenn wärmender Kerzenschein die nachdenklich stimmende November-Dunkelheit ablöst und der Advent mit seinen besonderen Farben, Düften, besinnlichen Klängen und duftender Weihnachtsbäckerei vom Nahen des Weihnachtsfestes kündet?

Vom Alltag fast unbemerkt hat sie wieder Einzug gehalten – diese ganz besondere Zeit im Jahr: Die Zeit der Sehn- sucht nach Harmonie und Nähe, der kulinarischen Genüsse, der Weihnachtsdekorationen und Geschenke.
All das ist festlicher Bestandteil der traditionellen Weihnachtsmärkte, die uns jedes Jahr aufs Neue mit atemberau- bender und facettenreicher Szenerie, köstlich duftenden Leckereien und natürlich einer reichen Auswahl handgefer- tigter kleiner & großer Kunstwerke und Geschenkideen bezaubern.

Für stimmungsvolles Ambiente ist allerorts bestens gesorgt
Kinder dürfen sich auf allerlei spannende, unterhaltsame Aktivitäten, nostalgische Karussells, Märchenerzähler, Nikolaus, Christkind und den Weihnachtsmann mit seiner Helferschar freuen, während die Erwachsenen bei dampfendem Glühwein die herrlichen Auslagen, den funkelnden Weihnachtsbaum und die liebevoll gestaltete Krippenlandschaft bewundern.

Abwechslungsreiches Bühnenprogramm umrahmt von weihnachtlichen Klängen garantiert Kurzweil für Jung und Alt und lässt den Weihnachtsmarktbummel zum unvergesslichen Erlebnis für die ganze Familie werden.

Freuen Sie sich auf stimmungsvolle Stunden – ein Besuch lohnt sich ganz bestimmt!

How to prepare for Christmas (for parents)

How to prepare for Christmas:

Have a look at http://www.wikihow.com/Prepare-for-Christmas-(for-Parents)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Thanksgiving Story

Most stories of Thanksgiving history start with the harvest celebration of the pilgrims and the indians that took place in the autumn of 1621. Although they did have a three-day feast in celebration of a good harvest, and the local indians did participate, this "first Thanksgiving" was not a holiday, simply a gathering. There is little evidence that this feast of thanks led directly to our modern Thanksgiving Day holiday. Thanksgiving can, however, be traced back to 1863 when Pres. Lincoln became the first president to proclaim Thanksgiving Day. The holiday has been a fixture of late November ever since.

However, since most school children are taught that the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 with the pilgrims and indians, let us take a closer look at just what took place leading up to that event, and then what happened in the centuries afterward that finally gave us our modern Thanksgiving.

The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's interests. Only about one-third of the original colonists were Separatists.

The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.
Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.
Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.
This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year. Many years passed before the event was repeated. It wasn't until June of 1676 that another Day of thanksgiving was proclaimed. On June 20 of that year the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebration probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to be in recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the "heathen natives," (see the proclamation).

A hundred years later, in October of 1777 all 13 colonies joined in a thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. But it was a one-time affair.
George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson opposed the idea of having a day of thanksgiving.
It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. The date was changed a couple of times, most recently by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. And in 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.

English idiom

To hit the roof/the ceiling= to suddenly become very angry

Example: She hit the roof when she found out our flight had been cancelled. 

Aller guten Dinge sind drei

Man sagt das, wenn etwas erst nach dem dritten Anlauf klappt.

z.B. Ich hab’ schon zweimal versucht, diesen Job zu bekommen, es ist mir aber nicht gelungen.

“Mach dir keine Sorgen, aller guten Dinge sind drei!!” 

American and British Vocabulary Differences (Episode number 18)

An American can (of food)  is a British tin.

Happy Halloween

Halloween pumpkin cake

Ingredients

For the cake

·         300g self-raising flour

·         300g light muscovado sugar

·         3 tsp mixed spice

·         2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

·         175g sultanas

·         ½ tsp salt

·         4 eggs, beaten

·         200g butter, melted

·         zest 1 orange

·         1 tbsp orange juice

·         500g (peeled weight) pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, grated

For drenching and frosting

·         200g pack soft cheese

·         85g butter, softened

·         100g icing sugar, sifted

·         zest 1 orange and juice of half

Method

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking or small roasting tin with baking parchment. Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients till combined. Stir in the pumpkin. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 mins, or until golden and springy to the touch.

2.      To make the frosting, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge. When the cake is done, cool for 5 mins then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.

3.      If you like, trim the edges of the cake. Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake in peaks and swirls. If you’re making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 mins or so before serving. Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2007

Tip Try this

Pumpkins can vary dramatically in water content, so keep an eye on the cake towards the end of cooking – yours may take less or more time to cook through. If you’re not carving out a pumpkin this year butternut squash works brilliantly, too.

Prima lezione di tedesco per studenti italiani (principianti)

Saluti in tedesco

Ripropongo un post pubblicato lo scorso febbraio per i miei nuovi ed entusiasti studenti di tedesco.

Buon lavoro a tutti!

Lezione di tedesco per studenti italiani (principianti)

La prima cosa importante per chi impara il tedesco è sapere che i tedeschi ci tengono moltissimo alla forma di cortesia. È quindi fondamentale dalla prima lezione distinguere un dialogo formale da uno informale, proprio a partire da come si saluta.

Per salutare in un contesto informale (in cui diamo del tu) quando arriviamo diciamo:
Hallo! 
Servus! (nella Germania del Sud, in Austria e nel Sud Tirolo)
Grüβ dich! (nella Germania del Sud, in Austria e nel Sud Tirolo)
Per salutare in un contesto informale quando andiamo via diciamo:
Tschüβ!
Quindi quando ci si congeda si utilizza un saluto diverso da quando si arriva o ci si presenta (come per l’inglese Hello e Bye Bye).

In un contesto formale (in cui diamo del Lei) al nostro arrivo salutiamo invece così:
Guten Morgen (usato la mattina, fino alle 9/10)
Guten Tag!  (Buongiorno)
Guten Nachmittag  (Buon pomeriggio)
Guten Abend (Buonasera)
Grüβ Gott! (Salve, usato nella Germania del Sud, in Austria e nel Sud Tirolo, in qualunque momento della giornata)
Per congedarci in modo formale salutiamo così
Auf Wiedersehen (Arrivederci)

Potete richiedere gratuitamente un file mp3 con la pronuncia corretta di questi saluti inviandomi una e-mail (vedere link “Contacts”) o contattandomi su Twitter. Riceverete il vostro file via e-mail entro due giorni lavorativi. 

Alcune app per migliorare il proprio inglese

Alcune applicazioni Android per migliorare il proprio inglese

Le applicazioni della piattaforma Android ti permettono di imparare l'inglese con il suo smartphone o il tuo tablet. Ci sono quiz, giochi e esercizi di ascolto . . . e non solo.

iGE
La grammatica interattiva dell'università University College London

VerbBusters
http://www.verbbusters.com

LingQ
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.linguist&feature=search_result

Busuu
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.busuu.android.enc&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd

Babbel
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.babbel.mobile.android.en&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5iYWJiZWwubW9iaWxlLmFuZHJvaWQuZW4iXQ..

Fluent English
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fluentizer.faf&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwiY29tLmZsdWVudGl6ZXIuZmFmIl0.

Fluent Movie
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fluentizer.fm&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwiY29tLmZsdWVudGl6ZXIuZm0iXQ..

Deutsche Redewendung

Mit allen Wassern gewaschen sein bedeutet sehr schlau und pfiffig sein.

z.B. Florian ist mit allen Wassern gewaschen und kennt alle nötigen Tricks.

 

British and American Vocabulary differences (Episode number 17)

British people wheel a child in a pram, while Americans prefer to wheel a child in a baby carriage.

Nobel per la pace a Lampedusa

Lampedusa, un'isola da Nobel

Il vicepremier Alfano rilancia la candidatura dell'isola al Nobel per la pace facendo appello all'Unione Europea affinché la sostenga

  

La gente di Lampedusa soccorre i migranti

Agrigento, 04 Ottobre 2013

"Anche l'Unione Europa sostenga la candidatura di Lampedusa per il Nobel della Pace". Arriva dal vicepremier Angelino Alfano l'endorsement ufficiale del governo italiano alla candidatura di Lampedusa al prestigioso riconoscimento. Alfano lo annuncia durante l'informativa alla Camera sul naufragio che ieri mattina ha sconvolto l'Italia. Ma l'idea di assegnare il Nobel per la Pace 2014 alla gente di Lampedusa era venuta per prima al quotidiano cattolico "Avvenire" poi amplificata dalla visita di Papa Francesco. Tanto che a fine luglio l'Associazione della Stampa Estera Svedese aveva deciso di far propria l'iniziativa del quotidiano italiano recapitandola direttamente ad Oslo.

La candidatura ufficiale di Lampedusa

L'organismo che riunisce i corrispondenti accreditati presso il Ministero degli Esteri svedese (Profoca) ha infatti candidato ufficialmente Lampedusa al Nobel per la Pace inviando una proposta formale al Comitato di Oslo. Nelle motivazioni si afferma che "la gente di Lampedusa ha saputo prendere in mano la situazione", nonostante gli "effetti negativi dei continui sbarchi di immigrati irregolari sull'isola", ispirandosi ai "basilari princìpi di umana solidarietà e che perciò va aiutata e sostenuta". E sembra che il Comitato abbia accolto favorevolmente la proposta.

Il Nobel per la Pace

A differenza di tutti gli altri premi, che vengono consegnati in Svezia, quello per la Pace viene assegnato e poi consegnato nel corso di una solenne cerimonia pubblica a Oslo, capitale norvegese, dov'è attivo il "Nobel Peace Price Center". Destinatario della proposta partita da Stoccolma è il presidente del Comitato del Nobel del Parlamento norvegese Storting, Thorbjörn Jagland. Investito di questo incarico dal 2009 al 2014 (l'anno per il quale l'isola siciliana concorrerà all'assegnazione del premio), Jagland è anche segretario generale del Consiglio d'Europa, a Strasburgo.

(tratto da http://www.rainews24.rai.it/it/news.php?newsid=182184)

Come imparare le lingue

Un documento interessante dell'Unione Europea sull'apprendimento delle lingue straniere.
http://ec.europa.eu/languages/documents/publications/learn_it.pdf

Italy in a day

Un interessante esperimento di cinema collettivo a cura di Gabriele Salvatores:

http://www.italyinaday.rai.it/dl/portali/site/custom/cosa%20%C3%A8%20Italy%20in%20a%20Day

Modo di dire italiano - capire l'antifona

Capire l’antifona (to get the message/ die Anspielung, den Hinweis, den Wink verstehen).

Capire l’antifona in italiano significa aver capito il succo di un discorso ambiguo o allusorio, o aver colto una minaccia velata o un’intenzione espressa indirettamente.

Esempio: Quando ha iniziato a usare quel tono, ho capito l’antifona e ho preferito lasciar perdere.

Deutsche Redewendung

Viel um die Ohren haben: sehr viel zu tun haben

z.B. Stör mich bitte nicht die ganze Zeit, ich habe echt viel um die Ohren.

British and American vocabulary differences: Episode 16

The American English term bill corresponds to what British people call banknote.

Ma perchè?..Quesito per le donne lavoratrici

Oggi pubblico una riflessione che è emersa da innumerevoli esperienze, colloqui e confronti con varie colleghe: Perché in Italia un uomo giovane sposato e con famiglia sul lavoro è visto come simbolo di affidabilità, equilibrio e stabilità, mentre una donna giovane sposata e con figli viene vista come isterica, inaffidabile, minacciosa e approfittatrice, e viene spesso discriminata per questo?

Una giornata da parlamentare europeo

Euroscuola offre agli studenti dai 16 ai 18 anni di qualsiasi paese dell’UE la possibilità di di trascorrere una giornata in veste di membro del Parlamento Europeo a Strasburgo.

Per maggiori informazioni

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/euroscola/view/en/index.html?utm_source=Newsletter%20251%20Politiche%20Giovanili&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Newsletter%20Politiche%20Giovanili%20del%20Comune%20di%20Trento&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2520251%2520Politiche%2520Giovanili&utm_content=maillink

IL Goethe Institut di Francoforte offre quattro borse di studio

Il Goethe Institut di Francoforte offre quattro borse di studio per giovani italiani in cerca di opportunità lavorative in Germania.  Requisiti: conoscenza della lingua tedesca almeno a livello B1.

http://www.goethe.de/mmo/priv/11295536-STANDARD.pdf?utm_source=Newsletter%20251%20Politiche%20Giovanili&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Newsletter%20Politiche%20Giovanili%20del%20Comune%20di%20Trento&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2520251%2520Politiche%2520Giovanili&utm_content=maillink

Careers with the European Union

Information available at:

http://europa.eu/epso/apply/jobs/index_en.htm

L’Italia vince il ricorso sull’uso dell’italiano nei concorsi.

http://www.tg1.rai.it/dl/tg1/2010/articoli/ContentItem-2f731b50-28ab-4885-ac21-14481afa7f36.html

Languages: head and heart

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

Nelson Mandela