Mango Languages

Happy International Mother Language Day!

“The language of our thoughts and our emotions is our most valuable asset. Multilingualism is our ally in ensuring quality education for all, in promoting inclusion and in combating discrimination. ”
- Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO

Today is  International Mother Language Day, which is meant to promote linguistic and cultural diversity, as well as multilingualism. It was originally announced in 1999 by UNESCO and has been in observance since February 2000.

Do you have any plans to celebrate your Mother language today? Here are different suggestions on how you can celebrate in your own way:

1) Read a poem, story or book in your mother language
2) Do you know someone who has a different mother language than you? Ask them to share a short song or poem in that language. Or maybe teach you a couple of words.
3) Watch a film in your mother language. Or celebrate someone else’s mother language and watch a film with them in their language with subtitles in your language.
4) Visit your local library to explore their foreign language book offerings and check out if they have Mango Languages.  ;)
5) Use Mango Languages to practice a language you’re learning or celebrate by trying to learn a new one.
6) Check out your local university communities to look for cultural events, discussions, celebrations, and festivals
7) Learn more about endangered languages and what individuals and organizations, including UNESCO, are doing to help prevent different languages becoming extinct.
8) Visit UNESCO.org to learn more about International Mother Language day and what different organizations around the world are doing.

Do you have any other suggestions on how to celebrate this multilingual day? 

Eat Your Way Around the World

As you learn a different language, it can also be a great time to learn about the cuisine of that language’s country or culture.

In the book, Hungry Planet, Photographer Peter Menzel profiles 30 familes around the world and offers descriptions of that family’s weekly food purchases. It is a small, but very interesting,  insight into how and what families in different countries eat.

After looking through some of these pictures, it made me want to learn how to make some meals from around the world! Check out this food around the world website to get some ideas and learn a little more about different cuisines.

Here is a Turkish dish I tried on my own called, “Hünkar Beğendi” or as some like to refer to it, “Sultan’s Delight”.  There a couple of different stories as to why the name of “Sultan’s Delight” was given to the dish. Maybe you’ll have your own theory after you try it!

Do you have any favorite dishes that you’ve tried? Or what are some popular dishes in your native cuisine? Happy cooking, but most importantly, happy eating!

Is there an international language? Part Two.

In the previous post we looked briefly at the main factors that can lead to the abandonment and loss of a language.  Let’s see now what happens nowadays to foresee if of the 83 major languages, one will surpass all others and be crowned THE language.

Part 2: What Is the Situation Today

Let’s say first that from a biological standpoint, the existence of only one language is not impossible. Our brains are hardwired to learn language, not a language. A child will learn the language(s) s/he is exposed to, regardless of their nationality. For example, a Chinese child will learn Chinese if s/he is exposed to Chinese, or Japanese if s/he is exposed to Japanese.

So, what is the situation today?

There is still immigration.

There are social forums, where people want to communicate and make friends with people sometimes in the other part of the planet, speaking a different language, so they need a lingua franca, a language commonly known.

There are new developments and so new vocabulary is used, and languages either create new words to cover that need or adopt the foreign word as is; there is osmosis, attrition, “languages” like Chinglish, or Spanglish.

There are movements of language revitalization: despite the efforts of the former Spanish dictator Franco to stamp out the regional languages of Spain, today Catalan is stronger than ever; similarly, efforts are made to restore Irish, Cornish and other languages whose speakers were forced to abandon them.

All these phenomena have been with languages since day 1. People have always come into contact and had lingua francas. Languages have always come into contact and borrowed or lent words; new words have always been created to cater for new needs. Creoles have been created.

But is there coercion? Is there loss of self-esteem? Is there conscious effort to keep up with the changes or are the changes too rapid for us to keep up pace with them?

Maybe the answer to the two first questions is no, or not to the same extend as in the past, but we must explore the third one more in depth. One word that characterizes “today” is “globalization.” People today come into contact more often than before, through forums, blogs etc. The reason why there were so many languages in the past was that people lived in small settlements of a few speakers, sometimes in complete isolation, and used a lingua franca whenever they had to communicate with other tribes; they met, solved their issues, and left to meet much time later, if ever. But today, people use the Internet on an everyday basis. Services are created that are addressed to the world as a whole. Translation of services is costly and sometimes it cannot be done automatically and hence on time.

Languages must keep up with the technological changes. If a page is not translated into someone’s native language but is translated into English and s/he speaks English, then s/he will read it in English. There is automatic translation but if only English is supported then the future of the other languages is bleak.

There is much need for an international lingua franca, and the English Language is the best candidate. The question now is, will it prevail? Are we – or rather our children’s children – going to experience an anti-Babel phenomenon?

Why give up a language when you can speak both your language and the lingua franca?

No reason, probably, but let’s look at what happened in Italy: Before 1861, there were many states in Italy and as many languages: if someone from Milan met someone from Sicily, they wouldn’t be able to communicate. After 1861 when all these states were united, through education, but more importantly for our topic, through the mass media, the Italian language has been homogenized and is now what we call “Italian.”

Can there be a similar case today through the Internet? Can people unconsciously start using one language more and more until they forget their native tongues?

This is yet to be seen.

Learn Thai for the adventure of a lifetime in Journey One

Jean-François Dubé, 27, of Montreal set out to learn Thai with Mango Languages before his thrilling and culture-rich experience discovering Thailand.

Without plans or even a hotel booked, Jean-François Dubé jetted to Thailand to immerse himself in the language and culture during his month-and-a-half stay. Nighttime spearfishing, motorcycling through remote Thai villages and connecting with the locals filled his spontaneous itinerary.

“My favorite experience is when we went spear fishing and got enough fish to feed fourteen people. That was the best experience of my whole life. We took a lot of risk from what I’ve heard later. I guess it’s not a good thing to swim at night with dead fish attached to you when there are sharks around…I didn’t think of it at the time.”

Although he believes that when it comes to travel, “the less plans, the better,” Dubé did prepare for his trip by learning Thai with Mango.

“I wanted my first trip to Asia to be a full experience. For me, to learn a language is a cultural thing. The experience is totally different when you try and immerse yourself in the culture.”

Dubé’s adventure took him outside the city where he had to use what he learned of the language to find his way.

“I took a motorcycle into the country and got a bit lost. In the little cities, they don’t speak English as well as in the touristy places so knowing some Thai saved me a lot of trouble because I could say where I was going and get help. Because I used Mango to learn Thai, it created a link with the locals also.  There’s a use for us to learn a language but it’s also a basic respect to talk to someone in their own language. It’s the same as if I were in Montreal. If an American came to me and tried to speak to me after they took the time to learn French, I would enjoy helping him more because I would feel an openness with our language.”

A native of the francophone Canadian province of Quebec, Dubé’s first language is French, adding an interesting layer to his language-learning experience.

“French is my first language but I learned Thai in English with Mango. While I was doing it I said to myself, ‘Wow, I’m starting to learn a language in another language that I don’t usually speak!’ At the end of the course, I was often thinking in English.”

For Dubé, the importance of language goes far beyond learning solely for travel but is deeply rooted in his upbringing and day-to-day life in the bilingual city of Montreal.

“Even if you don’t travel, learning languages opens your mind to other cultures. When I speak another language, I feel like I’m in that country. Every time you learn a language, there’s always a story that goes with it. I feel like I share something else with the rest of the world. There’s something special about it.”

Dubé plans to continue his culture and language adventures in India this fall, “I’m planning to spend two months in India by myself. India is a passion for me even though I’ve never been there. This summer I’m going to use Mango to learn Hindi and I am even learning their national sport! I started practicing cricket two weeks ago; I want to play with them there because that’s their sport.”

Are you an adventurer like Jean-François? Tell us what kind of Journey you would take with more advanced content from Mango Languages and you could win a Mango Passport bundle containing Mango Passport Journeys One, Two and Three!

Mango Implements Unlimited Paid Time Off. Seriously.

At Mango Languages, we pride ourselves on bringing language learning innovations to enthusiastic learners across the world. But our innovation starts much closer to home: in our work environment.

Mango’s headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan resembles an office plucked out of Silicon Valley with its open work areas, neon colored walls, and young, casual atmosphere.

Adding to the list of reasons why it’s awesome to work here, Mango recently implemented an innovative paid time off policy: unlimited. No more counting vacation days at the end of the year or questioning whether you have enough days left to take that awesome trip. Mango employees now follow the simple policy: get stuff done while you’re here and take time off when you need to.

We’re results focused. We believe that it’s not the amount of time you spend in the office that matters, it’s the goals you’re able to reach. Providing an unlimited paid time-off policy affords team members the flexibility to stay motivated, spend time with friends and family abroad and see the world. Thanks to this new policy, Yana, Marketing Project Manager, will reunite with her mom and sister in her birthplace of Kiev, Ukraine- somewhere she hasn’t visited since she was two years old. That’s just one example of how this policy is changing the work and personal lives of Mango employees.

So let’s recap, shall we?

1. Unlimited paid time off.
2. Fiestas every Friday (alcoholic refreshments included).
3. Casual day, everyday.
4.  We make beloved language learning solutions that enrich lives.
5. We’re hiring.

What is your workplace like? What would you do with unlimited paid time off?

Honored Guests at the Mango Grove

We were thrilled to welcome a distinguished delegation of students and professors from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology for an inside look at a growing software company in metro Detroit.

Mango Languages CEO Jason Teshuba spoke on the relationship between the technological progress being made in metro Detroit and that in Israel:

“People don’t think of metro Detroit as a center for technology and digital entrepreneurship, but we’re seeing it happen more and more as companies like Mango grow and expand. Much of our success mirrors what’s happening in Israel, in large part because of the incredible work done at the Technion. We hope that this cultural exchange continues to strengthen the bonds between those pushing the boundaries of technology around the world.”

The students; Marina Toger (architecture) and Guy Bershansky (engineering and medicine), along with Professor Zalman Palmor (the Technion’s deputy executive vice president for academic affairs); also shared their experiences about the value of their world-class educations and the vital role public universities can play as incubators for technology and business.

Introducing: Conversational English for Mimes

We’re thrilled to announce the release of our highly anticipated, Conversational English for Mimes course!

At Mango Languages, we are proud to promote language and culture learning for the world’s most in-demand languages. Mango Passport: Conversational English for Mimes will provide a user-friendly and practical language-learning resource to support one of the most blatantly underserved and unrecognized cultural communities: mimes.

Helping the world communicate and promoting the growth of a more united global community means more than creating courses to help people learn to speak Spanish or learn to speak French. We are reaching out to a group whose language-learning needs have previously been ignored by our industry, “____________________________  ________________________________________________________
__________________,” said Mime Society President of Verbal Communication.

Mango Passport: Conversational English for Mimes boasts the same innovative features as our other online language learning resources: phonetic pronunciation guides, grammar and culture notes and the mime-community favorite, a voice comparison tool.

Mimes on the go never have to sacrifice mobility with Mango. Our mobile options allow you to learn while you’re performing on a street corner, traveling the world or stuck in a glass box.

What can a mime expect to learn with Mango Languages? Chapter topics include:

• Telling someone you’re stuck in a box.
• Interjections to convey surprise.
• Expressing that you’re sick of pulling that rope.
• Getting help finding face make-up in a store.
• Asking if your beret is artfully askew.

Check out the course in action with Nicolas, Director of Pantomime at Mango:

Celebrating Women and Language

A powerful message from female polyglots on the importance of women learning foreign languages. Happy International Women’s Day from Mango!

Are you a multilingual woman? How have you used your languages to better yourself and the world around you?

Now Hiring: HR Coordinator and Content Development Manager

Mango Languages is growing and we’re looking for some awesome additions to our team! Are you or someone you know on the look-out for jobs in the Detroit area?

Check out our open positions here: www.mangolanguages.com/careers !

Here’s a sneak peek:

Human Resources Coordinator:
You will develop a world-class human resources department aligning to Mango’s six world-class core values.  You will provide HR support to 50+ employees based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Your support extends to the 200+ contractors in our course editor and developer network. Your entrepreneurial spirit will help you drive, develop and implement.  Sound like a perfect match for your skills? Learn more about this HR job!

Content Development Manager:
The Content Development Manager is responsible for managing the Content Development Team which consists of a Content Editor, Quality Manager, Linguists and a Project Coordinator. Sound like fun? Learn more about this Content Development Manager job! 

A little bit about Mango Languages:
Mango Languages is one of Metro Detroit’s most up-and-coming workplaces, offering a unique blend of cutting-edge technology, cultural appreciation, and office camaraderie.

It’s a little piece of both Silicon Valley and the United Nations right here in Farmington Hills, Michigan!  Mango is language-learning software that teaches practical conversation and cultural awareness for many of the world’s languages.

Mango Languages offers team members a culture that is laid back and fun, while at the same time promoting a sense of entrepreneurial spirit and innovation.

Mango is becoming an internationally recognized and respected self-study language learning company. We are looking for talented and dedicated rock stars to work at Mango Languages!

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?