Mango Languages

Public Service Recognition Week

Since 2007 Mango Languages has supported public servants across many sectors of government, military, and law enforcement in their foreign language learning (and ESL) needs. Mango believes, as President John Kennedy envisioned, public service is a noble calling and we are grateful to all those who serve. The First Lady, Michelle Obama has declared the week of May 1^st PUBLIC SERVICE RECOGNITION WEEK.  Mango Languages supports hundreds of people in the public service sector everyday by providing language learning resources.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/02/public-service-recognition-week

Public servants do a million things we take for granted every day.  These are the people who pick up the phone when you call 911; the police and firefighters who come to your door; the teachers in your schools; and the people who maintain your local parks. Public servants are not always visible. They focus on national security and law enforcement tasks like protecting our borders; they pursue criminals who cross state lines; and they care for our veterans.  Some fifty years ago, in his state of the union address, President John F. Kennedy declared, “Let the public service be a proud and lively career.”

Mango thanks each and every public servant for keeping our homeland and shores secure and safe.

Greenery Day

Today is　Midori no Hi (みどりの日) in Japan, part of a week long string of holidays known as “Golden Week”, in which most of the country is given time off from work and take the opportunity to travel or spend time with family.

Midori no hi itself is, as you might expect, a celebration of all things green. Parks and gardens in Tokyo and other cities have events to honor nature and some places plant trees, but all around the country there is a general initiative to clean up parks, beaches, and other areas.

Greenery Day finds its roots in the celebration of the Emperor Showa’s birthday on April 29th during the Showa era in Japan (1925-1989). In 1989, the name of the holiday was changed from “Birthday of the Emperor” to “Greenery Day”, but was still observed on April 29th. In 2007, Greenery Day was moved to May 4th.

Celebrate Greenery Day wherever you are! Plant a tree, pick up some litter. Have you ever celebrated a holiday like this?

Happy National Teachers Day

The National Education Association describes National Teacher Day as “a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives.”  I’ll never forget my high school business teacher Mr. Rosenburg.  He had the unique ability to capture my wandering attention and created a very fun and interactive classroom environment.

My sister is a teacher, plus being the Academic Sales Manger, I work with teachers and professors on a daily basis.  I know the extreme amount of effort that they put into their profession to give their students the best learning experience possible.  To all of our teachers and educators around the U.S. using Mango Languages, we hope that you truly know how important and special you are.

Have you had a teacher that has changed your life? Let them know you appreciate all that they do!

Meet Our Newest Mango, Jeff!

We are very excited to introduce our newest Mango staff member, Jeff Letson. Jeff joined the Mango team on Monday, April 18th.

Here’s a little bit about Jeff:

“You could call me an analytic strategist. I went from graduate work in psychology, to higher education sales, to analytic and business intelligence roles, all in the educational publishing industry. I am a Spartan at heart, but also hold an MA in psychology from Long Island University, and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan (marketing and strategy). I’ve also spent time with New York University’s Digital Media Marketing program. That sounds like a ridiculous amount of education but I think we are living at a fascinating moment in which the technological tools have become so robust that our ability to solve problems is bounded only by our ability to form interesting questions. The broader your domain knowledge, the more interesting questions you can pose.

How did you hear about Mango? A Michigan classmate told me about a Mango event at Melange in Ann Arbor. From there I hounded Mango’s Marketing and HR Directors on LinkedIn until they agreed to meet with me!

What made you want to work for Mango? It is exciting to see companies that think beyond products. Mango’s leadership team has done something that most companies never think to do: they have thought about what their products mean in the contexts of peoples’ lives and re-imagined what language learning can entail. When you get an opportunity to work with people like that, you jump on it!

Do you like to travel? If so, what was your favorite trip? Alas, I am one of the least well-traveled folks at Mango. However, I would have to say that hiking through the rain-forests of Dominica and repelling in its gorgeous canyons would be at the top of the list.

What are your hobbies? As a father of three, I find that they increasingly relate to light saber battles, the zoo, and similar fare. When I have a moment, I usually reach for a guitar and rock some 90s grunge.

Which Mango core value(s) do you think you represent the most? I would say innovation. My hope is that my analytics role at Mango will feed our discussion about how we can deliver new forms of value to our customers that surprise them, enrich their lives, and establish lasting connections with them.”

Welcome Jeff!

Travel Tuesday: My Trip to Oxford

When I was a student I thought that, like every decent future teacher of English, I should spend some time in the country where the language I was to teach was spoken. I chose Oxford University in England because I wanted to visit one of the oldest universities. I found a good school and I arranged an accommodation at a house that would allow me to practice my English on a 24-hour basis, seeing as I am Greek. Everything was planned; I would land in Heathrow, then I would take the train to Paddington, from Paddington to Oxford, and thence by taxi to my landlady’s house. My knowledge of the language was very good, or so I thought at the moment. We had done most of the works by Shakespeare, so my vocab was rich, right?

So there I was on the platform at Paddington, with Shakespeare’s books in my suitcase, very confident and happy that I was at a place where I could hear only English and my favorite rock songs around me all the time. Fearless, I saw a sign that the train to Oxford would depart in 5 min., I approached the guard thinking it was the perfect time to start practicing. I asked him if the train went directly to Oxford or if I had to change trains, and to my surprise, I didn’t understand a word of his response. Not even a little word that would give me some sort of clue. Oops! But I wasn’t going to give up that easily. I tried again. “Excuse me, could you repeat please?” In response I got the same rumble of words that still made no sense. Oh my.

I gave up the third time; I had to get on the train anyway. Not a very good start. I arrived at Oxford, exhausted, worried, and slightly disappointed. I went to the taxi stand and fortunately the taxi driver’s English was more comprehensible. Feeling relieved, I went to sit in the passenger’s seat only to realize that for some reason the wheel was on that side too. I gave a Hugh Grant, “Right!” and moved to the other side.

My landlady was an older lady who welcomed me with a “nice, hot cup o’ tea, dear.”  She told me that her husband had passed away but…”look here” she said, proudly holding a pic she had on the mantle. “Look who he is with!” Her husband was with another older lady with a lovely little hat – but who on earth was she? “Oh,” I said “He is with the…?” “Yes, right! With the Queen!” Phew! Well, at least I knew Queen Elizabeth, the one from Shakespeare’s time.

She showed me to my room, a lovely little space. She said that she would be hosting another student who had arrived before me and so he took the bigger room and the bigger bathroom. Besides, he was an Earl. Poor me, I would never get a big room. Conclusion: before you go to England, learn a few things about the royal family. Also, look into your family tree. If you are distantly related to royalty, you will get big rooms.

And before we said goodnight, she asked, “How would you like your breakfast, love?” How would I like my breakfast? It dawned on me that in England they have English breakfast which keeps you going till the evening. But what does it consist of? “I’ll have what Jan (the Earl) will have.” That proved to be a good idea since we had orange juice, eggs with sausages, milk with cereal, toasted bread with marmalade (not jam), and coffee. I was now ready for everything.

I had no more adventures, unfortunately. Once, I went with my friend to a pub for lunch and would still be sitting there to this day unless a guy with many tattoos told us that in pubs you need to order at the counter. You live and you learn.

I have only fond memories of this trip. I didn’t mind the blunders, at least in retrospect. My teacher taught us all the dialects, so after that I was prepared to talk to any train station guard. My landlady took me to the oldest pub in the area, something like the Jamaica Inn. I went to all the colleges, walked in the corridors where so many famous people walked too. I visited the libraries. I made friends with people from other countries. Also, I saw a Shakespearean play in a courtyard of one of the colleges. Of course it rained in the middle of the play, but blankets, umbrellas, and hot cider were provided (for free!) so we were able to continue watching it. I had a great experience in Oxford.

Will you be partaking in the English culture by watching the Royal Wedding this weekend?

April is Month of the Military Child

Did you know there are 1.7 million American children and youth under 18 with a parent serving in the military and about 900,000 with one or both parents deployed multiple times?

April is designated as the Month of the Military Child, underscoring the important role military children play in the armed forces community.

The Month of the Military Child is an opportunity to recognize military children and youth for their heroism, character, courage, sacrifices, and continued resilience.

Mango Languages supports the Troops and their families by working with United States Marine Corps and the United Air Force.  Mango Languages is an online Language Learning Resource tool offered at Military Base Libraries all around the world.  The online language learning experience is critical to Military personnel during peacekeeping efforts.  Language learning for military families is something that the entire family can share.

For instance a military family member deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq might need to learn Arabic in order to function in a foreign setting on behalf of United States peace keeping exercises.  Learning a new language through a tool like Mango can put everyone on the same page.  Mango offers language learning courses for children ages 0-6 via its Little Pim product.   Accessible and engaging for young children, the Little Pim method incorporates words and themes that are relevant to the child’s daily life, and research shows that early language learning enhances verbal development, social, and cognitive skills. Click here for more information about language courses for your Military Library.

Mango Languages celebrates the brave little souls this month in their support of families on the front line, and says thank you (in 49+ languages) to all the Troops and those family members supporting them at home.

Tartan Day!

Tartan Day, a holiday celebrating Scottish heritage, is held every year on the 6th of April.  This is the same date on which the Declaration of Arbroath, the declaration of Scottish Independence, was signed in 1320.

What is Tartan, you ask? Tartan is the pattern we call plaid in North America. If you go to Scotland, though, plaid only refers to a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder, or a blanket.

Tartan Day originally began as a single celebration in 1982, but didn’t pick up steam until around the mid-80′s, mostly in Canada. There, an annual “Gathering of the Clans” takes place on April 6th or the Sunday nearest to it on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. This includes pipes, drums, and dancing hosted by Canada’s oldest civilian pipe band.

The United States, with an estimated 6 million people who claim Scottish descent, has been a little late in the game. It wasn’t until 2004 that the National Capital Tartan Day Committee successfully lobbied the House of Representatives to designate April 6th of each year as National Tartan Day. This Resolution was adopted on March 9, 2005.

Do you have any Scottish friends? Be sure to wish them a happy Tartan Day!

Celebrate Diversity Month

April marks the beginning of new experiences and new transitions, being the first full month of spring. April is also Celebrate Diversity Month. Diversity is understanding, appreciating, and ultimately managing difference and similarities at the same time. Its reach is all-inclusive and may represent categories such as class, race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, physical disabilities, nationalities, political beliefs, and many other categories.

We, at Mango Languages, are fascinated and inspired by people’s diversity. Our company and products all came about from the interest in learning more and connecting people all over the world. Our staff is incredibly diverse, giving each of us an opportunity to learn someone new each day about different nationalities, religions, cultures, languages, etc. We take every opportunity we can to celebrate the eclectic bunch that we are, realizing that Mango Languages wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the different views and ideas from our diverse fans, staff, partners, and vendors.

We bring in ethnic foods for everyone to try, share international holiday and traditions with each other, and learn new words and phrases in different languages that inspire us to create language courses to share with the rest of you. To learn more about us and watch some fun videos, check our About Us page.

Everyone should take the time to learn, understand, and appreciate the amazing and diverse people that you are surrounded by every day. I came across a great site by Carole Copeland Thomas, the founder of Diversity Awareness Month, which is in October. She writes about the importance of diversity and the best ways to appreciate and learn about diversity. On her site she has 25 Ways to Promote Diversity, which I thought was a great list to use for your company or organization.

Here are a couple of ideas to promote diversity:

-Design a diversity calendar for your organization.

-Develop or enhance an intense diversity training program.

-Establish diversity days in your company’s cafeteria by serving different ethnic dishes.

-Give diverse books to your local school library.

-Read at least two or three newspapers each week to broaden your perspective.

We shouldn’t just celebrate diversity a couple months at a time, we should be appreciating the fascinating and unique people who make up this world every day of the year.

What does diversity mean to YOU? How are YOU going to promote diversity?

Travel Tuesday

Today, I decided to dedicate this blog post not to a particular destination but to the journey itself: traveling and the life changing experiences that come with it.

I consider myself a cultured individual, therefore I love to travel.  Or is it the other way around? Do I, like many, travel and therefore become a cultured individual? What came first, the chicken or the egg? The beauty of it is that they go hand in hand. To travel is to explore, to learn, and to discover.

Traveling has no limits. You could take a road trip to Seattle, backpack through Europe, or take a 20 hour flight to India–in all scenarios you embark on a path of self discovery as well as world discovery. There is nothing like traveling to provide knowledge, understanding, and a new outlook on the world that we live in. The people we meet, the cultures we learn about, the languages we speak, and the amazing history that is behind Rome, Moscow, Cairo, and Beijing is just a small part of what traveling can provide. We are all interconnected, and to experience this first hand you have to take a dive into a place that someone else calls home.

Travel writer Pico Iyer said it best, “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed.”

The curiosity, motivation, and hunger to unveil something new for yourself is what matters most.

Why do YOU love to travel? What is your next destination?

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by Learning Irish… for Free!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The Irish have been celebrating this holiday for over a thousand years. Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada and Australia as well as in other parts of the world.

Pubs will be open all day and night, there will be parades held across the country, and rivers will be dyed. From hunter to electric, the variety of shades of green will not disappoint today as people celebrate this Irish holiday.

History.com provides a ton of cool information about St. Patrick’s Day: everything from explanations of the symbols and traditions to recipes and places to celebrate across the country.  Check out these fascinating St. Patrick’s Day facts:

• Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish. In 2009, roughly 26.1 billion pounds of beef and 2.3 billion pounds of cabbage were produced in the United States.
• More than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades are held across the United States. New York City and Boston are home to the largest celebrations.
• There are four places in the United States named after the shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland: Mount Gay-Shamrock, WV; Shamrock, TX; Shamrock Lakes, IN; and Shamrock, OK.
• There are 36.9 million U.S. residents with Irish roots. This number is more than eight times the population of Ireland itself (4.5 million).
• There are approximately 122,000 current U.S. residents who were born in Ireland.
• Irish soda bread gets its name and distinctive character from the use of baking soda rather than yeast as a leavening agent.

As you are picking out your favorite green attire, selecting a pub to go to, and loading up on corned beef and cabbage, don’t forget to brush up on your Irish.

Mango Languages is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day by providing a FREE Irish course.

This course will allow you to connect with your Irish traditions to the fullest. You’ll be able to ask the bartender for a refreshing and authentic Irish beverage, impress your friends with your knowledge of just who the heck St. Patrick is, what he did to deserve his own day, and engage in all sorts of practical St. Patrick’s Day conversations.

Click here to get your FREE Irish Course!

How do YOU celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?