Word for the Travel Wise (04/19/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here’s a pretty cool event to pencil in this summer if
you’re anywhere in or around Sonoma this July. Gloria Ferrer Winery will celebrate 20 years of making world-class
sparkling and still wines during their Catalan
Festival. Featuring food, wine, entertainment, music, and dancing with a whole lot of Catalan flavor visitors can
get small taste of Spanish culture during the two day bash. Specific details for the July 22-23, 2006 event are still
in planning stages, but if last year’s festival sounds mouth-watering enough go ahead and get your tickets now. It’ll be a great place to
practice your Catalan to be used later on in the big trip to Spain.

Today’s word is a Catalan word used in Spain:

Em dic… – My name is…

You would think this would be pretty similar to the "mi llamo…" used in Spanish to provide another with
your name, but it’s quite different. So now you know. Practice, practice at the wine festival or anywhere for that
matter, then take it to the Spanish streets on a summer night for the full effect. Just remember not to spill your
wine.

Resources on the web are many for Catalan. Check out Ominglot first for history and a fantastic list of links to keep
you chugging along in your studies. Some of the best in my own opinion include this Intercat site which has a University conversation guide with
audio, a section titled " 30 Tips Catalan
in Catalonia," and other additional tools. BBC has a short summary about
Catalan and a few helpful phrases.

Past Catalan words: sisplau

Word for the Travel Wise (04/17/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Northern Europe has been an area I’ve long neglected to visit or think much about, but the more information I gather on countries like Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Finland I’m starting to sing another tune. Today I’ll say Finland and their sauna’s are slowly winning me over, but tomorrow I’ll probably say it’s Denmark. For the Finnish a trip to the sauna is part of everyday life. Today they are considered a common luxury, serving as a focus for family and community as noted by the tourism site. If you’re considering a trip to Finland’s saunas check out the site here for all the details and remember the season for sauna is summer.

Today’s word is a Finnish word used in Finland:

löyly – quality of steam

Finnish is a member of the Finno-Ugric language family and classified as an agglutinative language. This particular Finnish language site provides some examples of easy words and phrases, an intro to the lingo, pronunciation guide and a list of additional Finnish material elsewhere. Another excellent way to advance your skills and engage your senses is to listen to the local music. Try the Finnish Music Information Center for audio and background information on the country’s favorite sounds. Online Finnish Lessons is another site offering lists of links to check out and if you’re in the city of Helinski stop by one of the schools to enroll in Finnish courses.

Past Finnish words: väsynyt

Word for the Travel Wise (04/14/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It is a firm belief of mine that I will one day return to Budapest. I’m setting my hopes high to reside in the city for at least one year, but I’ll surely settle for a quick jaunt if it’s the only way to explore my beloved Budapest at least once more. To prepare for the day of my return I like to keep tabs on what’s happening via Pestiside.hu – the daily dish of cosmopolitan Budapest. In one of their more recent dispatches a failed shoplifter returns to the scene of the crime to file a complaint. You can read the full account of what went on at Pestiside or Index.hu (a Hungarian consumer blog). Pestiside notes the original letter from the alleged thief claims he was removed from the store after asking to write in the shopper’s book, which brings me to the word for today.

Today’s word is a Magyar (Hungarian) word used in Hungary:

vásárlók könyve – shopper’s book

Now Hungarian speakers out there, please help me out. It is my guess that vásárlók könyve truly means shopper’s book, but judging from the piece I’m also going to have to second guess myself. Give me the inside scoop. Dish the deal on this Hungarian language find in parentheses.

The Hungarian lingo is a Finno-Ugric language, which you can learn more about at Wikipedia, right now let’s stick to the places you can learn it for free. Hungarotips is a completely free site with beginner, intermediate, and advanced lessons. This impulzus web page has everything you’d basically find in a LP guide. There’s no audio, so read a little about the alphabet and then find someone who’s willing to make sure you speak like a local. The verbal exchange will be very rewarding I am sure. As always remember to scope out the BBC for basic lang downloads.

Past Hungarian words: köszönöm

Word for the Travel Wise (04/13/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Should you want to know the correct
way to eat while in Brazil you better check this Maria-Brazil site out. The author of the piece
describes what is usually eaten during breakfast, lunch and dinner and how most are served in Brazil. She also offers
the appropriate thing to do when stopping at a snack bar or juice bar in Rio, which is to stand around until you have
finished your food. Apparently it is NOT OKAY to eat food on the go. In Brazil it is considered rude to eat in places
that are not meant for eating. Hmm… Sure glad I stumbled upon this piece before going off to the country and gobbling
down the delicious fare while walking down the street. I’ve been known to do that in my own neighborhood.

Today’s word is a Portuguese word used in Brazil:

lanchonete –
snack bar

Easy Portuguese online offers a small
dictionary of useful words, useful phrases, and a couple of short lessons to get you started. Most have audio clips
including our word for the day found here. Portuguese Language dot net has excellent historical info on the language
and numerous tools to help you get motivated and be successful at learning the 6th most spoken language. For Portuguese heard in Portugal you can download mp3
audio from BBC, which I’m sure there are several similarities between the two countries. Those interested in classroom
study abroad can click here for more info at Franco Americano.

Past Portuguese words: xixi, bronzeador

Word for the Travel Wise (04/10/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Just decided to take a much needed
break from packing to think up a word for this evening. To help with my task I went looking through some of the past
lessons and realized almost immediately what language we need to concentrate on tonight – Swedish. I haven’t touched it
since I started doing the daily word. I haven’t met many people studying the language, but just because I don’t know
them doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Today’s word is a Swedish word used in Sweden:

invandrare – a
foreigner that has relocated to Sweden, an immigrant

Seems like an easy word to remember and
reminds me of the English word invader. Imagine as a foreigner you are invading the country during your vacation, but
in reality you’ll only be checking the scenes, tasting the eats, and engulfing your every waking hour in trying to pick
up more of the Swedish lang. (Okay, with the full meaning of the word you will have enjoyed your stay so much that you’d
end up living in the country.)

Phrasebase
has a decent sound library for several language translations. The downside is I couldn’t find the Swedish equivalent to
the English words we already know in written form. I struck gold with this long list of words and phrases used in the country.
It includes the good and the bad so be prepared. BBC has the usual mp3 download for the basics. One can find
several Swedish radio stations listed here. As always there’s
Lonely Planet and their handy
pocket phrasebooks.

Past Swedish words: ett askfat