Mango Languages

Announcing our new Polish language course

Dzień dobry! (Good Afternoon, in Polish).

We are very excited to announce the release of our Polish course to all our library customers and patrons. The course is now available as part of language offerings in libraries with a Mango subscription.

Here’s a little information about the Polish language: Polish is in the subgroup of the West Slavic Languages, it is used throughout Poland  (being that country’s official language) and also by Polish minorities in other countries, like in the United States.

Despite the pressure of non-Polish administrations in Poland, who have often attempted to suppress the Polish language, a rich literature has developed over the centuries, and the language is currently the largest, in terms of speakers, of the West Slavic group. It is also the second most widely spoken Slavic language, after Russian. How interesting.

With this new addition, Mango’s language offering now stands at over 40 languages. Mango also offers 16 English as a Second Language courses.

Want to know more about Polish culture? (Let’s be honest, who doesn’t.)

Check out this site for information about Polish history, travel and culture.

Interested in learning Polish? Want to know if your library offers Mango Languages? We can help you with all of that!

Go to www.findmango.com to see if your library offers Mango Languages. All you need is your library card to start learning Polish or any of the languages Mango offers.

Happy Learning!

Travel Tuesday: Ringing In The New Year Right

Sawat dee pee mai! For those of you who don’t speak Thai (myself included), Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and joyful celebration, full of good people, good times, and good food (and drink)! I write to you from 32,000 feet in the air, a mere 2 hours into my 12 hour flight from Bangkok to Paris, where I will have an 8 hour layover, followed by another 7 hour flight back to Detroit. A small price to pay for the absolute trip of a lifetime I just experienced during my two weeks in Thailand. My cousins and I traveled to Bangkok, Petchaburi, Chiang Mai, and Mae Hong Son, doing virtually everything from riding elephants, to kayaking, to shopping, to visiting temples, to playing with tigers, to shopping, to eating amazing food, to shopping again. Needless to say, we had our fair share of awe-inspiring activities to keep us occupied.

It was a little weird to be away for the holidays. I must admit, hanging out in 90 degree weather on Christmas day is not something I am accustomed to (but something I could definitely deal with). Additionally, on New Year’s Eve, rather than the usual gathering of friends and family with fancy clothes and classy drinks, my cousins and I experienced something quite different in Chiang Mai. I had seen pictures of the lighting of the lanterns, but thought I had missed my chance to see it in person, seeing as Yi Peng (Floating Lantern Festival) occurs in November. I was thrilled to see lanterns being sold on nearly every street corner as we made our way to dinner. We learned that these lanterns are also a New Year’s Eve tradition. Each person that sends a lantern off into the sky is supposed to make a wish for the year to come. My cousins and I all took turns lighting our lanterns and sending them on their way, watching as they joined thousands of other glowing masses carrying the wishes of everyone on the ground below. It truly was a sight to be seen, and nothing I could capture with my personal camera. Though these professionals seemed to do a pretty good job.

Rather than listening to everyone’s New Year’s resolutions revolving around hitting the gym more, spending more time with friends, or learning a foreign language (a resolution I fully support, by the way), the Thai people are much more reserved, silently sending off their wishes for the new year into the sky.

At midnight, the lanterns were joined by a seemingly constant stream of fireworks ringing in the new year. Unfortunately, some of these lanterns quickly became casualties and fell into the river below (that can’t bode well for those New Year’s wishes, could it?), but for the most part, they floated out of harm’s way into that black abyss. We didn’t stick around Chiang Mai long enough to catch the after math of the lanterns making their way back to Thailand (as Sir Isaac Newtown said, what goes up must come down), but I have heard that it is a sight to see, as well.

I know that lighting the lanterns was a really special moment on the trip for my cousins and I, and I am so happy that we were able to be a part of something so different than from we were used to, especially because the tradition is laden with cultural relevance. It is something truly unique to have experienced and something I will never forget!

What is the most interesting New Year’s Eve tradition you have heard of around the world? Have you ever been able to participate?

Mango Monday: Mango wherever you go!

We asked users of our library iPhone app where they Mango! Here are some of our favorite answers from our awesome Facebook fans and Twitter followers:

Christie Valdecantos: “Waiting in line for a ride at Six Flags!”

@jjswim: “Your iPhone app makes waiting for the bus and train and even the Laundromat bearable! I’m having a blast with Korean!”

Janice Monroe: “Was at a hospital in the pre-op area…people probably wondered why I kept repeating myself-prob thought I should be in another area of the hospital! Lol”

Serena Shiel: “I used it to study Korean in my Latin class after I finished the work. Oops.”

@ray1759: “So far I have only used the iPhone app siting in my Lazy-boy in front of the fireplace on a cold Canadian night. ”

Thanks everyone for the awesome responses! The Mango Languages iPhone app is available to library patrons and can be found in the App Store. Check it out and let us know where you Mango!

ALA Midwinter: Be Our Date.

Preparations are already underway for Mango’s booth at ALA Midwinter 2013 (Jan. 25^th – Jan. 28^th) and this year the theme is all about LOVE.  Celebrating the love we have for our clients and the fantastic relationships we have built over the years.  So there’s just one question to ask: will you be our date?

We can’t wait to talk to you about the exceptional value Mango can provide to your campus.  Not only will you have a chance to see our products in action, but you also get to learn about all the value-added offerings Mango provides to help you get the most out of your subscription.  What’s more, we’ve got treats!  So be sure to drop by booth #1215 and try some of our Mango-love infused smoothies.

And what’s a great date without some memories?  On Saturday, you’ll be able to capture your visit by having fun at our on-site photo booth.  Plus, every day of the show we’ll giving away a free gift to each visitor and providing the chance to win even more awesome prizes!

So whether you want to learn more about who we are, demo our products, or just have some Mango fun, we’re ready to take our relationship to the next level.  Can’t wait to see you at ALA!

xoxo Mango

The Gift of Giving

We, here at Mango Languages, have six key core values that we live by: integrity, entrepreneurial spirit, positive attitude, fundipline, innovation and quality. Our Marketing Communications Director and Co-Founder, Mike Teshuba, has added another one to the list, giving back.

Funof is an organization in Cali, Colombia, that is dedicated to getting working children off the street and back into school so that they can study and enjoy being kids.  These children, ranging in age from 7-15 years old, oftentimes work selling gum or fruit, washing windshield and peddling other various products and services on the streets.  They feel the need to work on the streets because either their families don’t have enough money to buy food and other basic necessities, or they don’t even have families to take care of them in the first place.  These children face many dangers on a daily basis, such as rape, getting hit in traffic, being exploited by drug dealers, child trafficking, etc.  If these children don’t get an education then they are highly likely to become the parents of children that will continue this vicious cycle.  This foundation has several centers in low income neighborhoods in Cali Colombia helping around 2,300 working children.

This holiday season, with the donation from Mango Languages, Mike, his family, and some awesome Mango fans were able to buy gifts for over 200 of these children. They were able to personally visit one of the centers to hand out gifts and food to about 150 of the kids.  The event went really well and the children were very appreciative of being able to have a gift for the holidays.

Check out this awesome video where Mike Teshuba describes what Funof is all about and see how Mango spread some holiday cheer to kids in Cali, Colombia.

Mango Monday: Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays from Mango Languages! We hope you and yours enjoy a wonderful holiday season and an even better new year!

What are you thankful for this year?

A few sales and marketing Mangoes wanted to show off their favorite holiday attire…

Travel Tuesday: Traditions, Old & New

Another year has passed and the holidays are upon us yet again. Decorations, family, and food (lots and lots and lots of food) abound. It feels like we were just here, doesn’t it? It’s time for gatherings and reflecting on the past year. Despite our country of origin (or language we speak), one thing about the holidays remains the same: TRADITION (I think they say it better than I ever could). Whether you celebrate by going to a parade, watching “Elf”, or traveling to see family, it’s these traditions that we look forward to every year around this time. Coming from a large family, we always spend Christmas Eve with my dad’s family and Christmas day house hopping to visit all of my mom’s sisters and their families. Each Christmas night ends at our close family friends’ home, which is opened to everyone (literally everyone) looking to celebrate the holiday.  Besides my near comatose state after being force fed at six houses each Christmas (no complaining here, trust me. Nothing beats homemade Chaldean food), the feeling I remember most is looking forward to the traditions within the tradition. For instance, the day always begins with Auntie Samira’s pacha (a Chaldean dish made of tripe… breakfast of champions! Check out one of my favorite Facebook groups to learn more). As the day progresses, we always eat dessert at Auntie Ferial’s (cousin Jeanie’s famous sugar cookies) and see friends we probably haven’t seen since last Christmas at the end of the night at Auntie Lamia’s house. That night we head home, full, tired, and happy, thinking how far away next Christmas seems.

This year, however, things are going to be a little different. When my cousin Anthony’s job was transferred from Houston, Texas to Bangkok, Thailand for the year, my cousins and I knew this was an opportunity for the ultimate vacation. Figuring we would have the most time off around the holidays, we decided around May that we would be spending Christmas in Thailand, no matter what. Now mere days away from our trip, I’ve only just begun to think about how different the holidays are going to be this year. No Christmas mass (shh..don’t tell my mom!), no opening presents by the tree on Christmas morning, and no family visiting on Christmas Day. However, because of the traditions that have been instilled in us throughout the years, we are going to create our own makeshift Christmas. I made sure to get some small gifts for my cousins so we will still have presents to open and my cousin Jeff is even braving making a pot of harissa. This classic Chaldean porridge is as close to comfort food as it gets and we eat it every Christmas Eve at grandma’s. Though this Christmas will be anything but ordinary (with 90 degree weather, a trip to Tiger Kingdom, and massages… rough life, I know), we will still have a little piece of home halfway around the world, due to the traditions instilled in us our entire lives.

Here’s to creating new traditions! Happy Holidays to you and yours!

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? If you have ever been away during the holidays, were you able to hold on to them in some way?

Mango Monday: Using Mango

Mango Monday: Using Mango

Thanks to the Shortgrass Library System for creating this video showing their patrons how to access Mango and highlighting some of the features of the program that help you learn a foreign language.

What’s your favorite feature of the Mango program? Are there others you would like to see?

Travel Tuesday: Riding the Information Wave

Military Librarians met a few weeks ago from December 4-9 for the 55th annual Military Libraries Workshop, and Mango Languages was there “Riding the Information Wave.”

With temperatures at 70 degrees with plenty of sunshine, Norfolk, Virginia served as a lovely backdrop for the over 150 MLW attendees, and 44 major library industry vendors at the annual event.  Everywhere you looked, the town was beautifully decorated for the holiday season, from sculptured mermaids adorned with bow-tied wreaths to the lights along the harbor of Norfolk.

The successful MLW event kicked off with some pre conference sessions, including service meetings for all Military branch personnel on December 4th. Pre-conference sessions started on Monday, 5th December. The traditional welcome and vendor appreciation reception was held on the evening of Monday, 5 December.  Most of my focused time was spent discussing new products, technologies and services targeted for the Military Library user base.  The winners of the 2 Mango Languages door prizes were Cindy Shipley: United States Marines Corps (Mango Passport Gift Card), and Trevor Riley: National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.  This year’s events included: DTIC boot camp, Veterans History Project workshop and presentation, offsite at the MacArthur Museum and Archives; presentations on information overload, managing your library’s managers, analysis of intelligence, Coast Guard mission and information resources and for a little “after hours” fun, a pub crawl, a ghost walk, and much, much more. The highlight of the workshop was a banquet held aboard the Spirit of Norfolk on Wednesday, 7th of December, with a jazz theme.

Mango enjoyed being a sponsor of this year’s MLD (Military Library Division of SLA) Board Meeting, and especially enjoyed meeting clients, new prospects and vendor colleagues in Norfolk, the cultural heart of the Hampton Roads region. We were also excited to give out our brand new Mango camo bags!

MLW 2011 is a team effort with representation from all military services and other communities within the division.  This year’s MLW hosts were the National Defense University and Joint Forces Staff College, both valued customers of Mango Languages.  Mango Languages supports peace-keeping efforts of all branches of the Military and Government Agencies worldwide.  Mango had such a blast in Norfolk, and we are anticipating seeing you all at MLW 2012!

Can you guess how many Foreign Languages are used by active duty members of the U.S. Military?

Mango Monday: Around the world in the office.

We are proud to be a very diverse group here at Mango Languages.

Just peering around my desk as I write this, I see Mango employees from Russia, Italy, Colombia, Albania and France as well as a handful of bilingual Americans.

Despite our many different cultures and native languages, we still manage to find striking similarities and shared experiences amongst eachother.

Sometimes we even dress alike.

We love documenting Mango “Office Twins” as a fun way to lighten things up around the office but it also highlights how alike we all are despite our different backgrounds.

Click on the photos below to see a few of our favorite twin pictures!

Do you work in a diverse office place? How does getting to know people of other cultures broaden your professional experiences?