"News in Slow English" brings you current events in clear, slow speech—perfect for learners who want to boost listening skills and stay informed at the same time.

News in Slow English

My podcast is specifically for those learners who feel like they've peaked and are just not sure where to go next. So, yes you know the word "fashionable", but have you come across "sartorial"? 

English Gym for Word Nerds

Conoce la vida de este inquieto chico finés que ha cumplido su sueño de niño de vivir en la ciudad que ama, Barcelona.  Descubre qué anécdotas interesantes tiene y qué cosas le han sorprendido de su vida en su nueva ciudad

Café con acento

Café con acento  - Entrevista a Julius 1 (Finlandia) 

みなさんはウナギを食べたことがありますか？
日本では、夏の「土用の丑の日（どようのうしのひ）」にウナギを食べるのが伝統です。
ウナギはビタミンやカルシウムなどが豊富に含まれているので、夏バテ防止に効果があると言われているんですよ。
今回は、「土用の丑の日」から食品ロスについて考えます。

Have you ever tried Japanese dishes with eels?
「土用の丑の日」«Doyo no Ushi no Hi» is a summer tradition in Japan, where people eat eels.
It is said that the eel is effective to prevent summer fatigue because it is abundant in nutrition including vitamins and calcium. 
This time, we think about food loss and waste through this tradition.

♤ キーワード 
・アナゴ（conger eel） 
・下位互換（かいごかん：backward compatibility） 
・腑に落ちる（ふにおちる：make total sense） 

♧ 理解度チェッククイズ 
1. フミさんが「土用の丑の日」にアナゴを買った理由は？ 
2. フミさんが「土用の丑の日」に矛盾を感じたのはなぜ？ 

♢ 前回のクイズの答え
1. アヤさんが食べた夏っぽいものは？ 
→ 韓国冷麺 
2. アヤさんのご主人がそれを残した理由は？ 
→ 辛すぎて食べられないから 

BGM special thanks：MusMus

アヤさんとフミさんの日本語雑談（Aya and Fumi’s Japanese Chit-Chat）

Episode 10：土用の丑の日

Convergent Thinkers vs. Divergent Thinkers: Is One Better Than the Other?

verybody is capable of both convergent and divergent thinking, depending on the situation. However, it’s natural to lean more toward one or the other when approaching problems and projects.

“Some people have a natural preference for divergent thinking. They are the people in organizations who love to come up with new ideas,” says Manning, “They are also the people who are most useful when solving daunting, complex challenges because they are more likely to articulate ideas that are new and useful.”

The real issue lies in becoming too reliant on one method of thinking. “Too much divergent thinking can lead to endless ideation and no solutions. Too much convergent thinking can lead to no new ideas and ‘analysis paralysis,’”

Project Management and the Lure of Convergent Thinking
That’s a trap that project management professionals—who are notoriously married to their plans and processes—can fall into easily.

Let’s break this all down with some examples. Divergent thinking starts with an objective—perhaps you need to generate 1,000 new leads within a month. You start by brainstorming creative ideas and solutions to satisfy that goal: happy hours with famous speakers, direct mailers including $100 gift cards, a man in a gorilla suit on the corner of Times Square.

From there, you move into evaluating those options and settling on the one(s) that works best. This is an example of convergent thinking.

Let's continue later today on this topic and explore it further. See you soon.

The Habits of Professionals Growing Into Strong, Confident English Communicators

Business English For Project Managers. Reading & Comprehension

Learn why and in which situations we use the Past Simple tense!

English Syndicate

Why do we use the Past Simple tense?

“夢”という漢字は、どういう成り立ちでつくられたのか、具体的にわかりやすく説明します。
How was the Chinese character (kanji) for “yume (dream)” created?

#日本語勉強 #日本語勉強 #uchiga #漢字勉強法

[Intermediate-Upper level] Interesting Japanese Not Taught In Schools About Japanese business culture, Japanese habits & Osaka

“夢”という漢字は、どういう成り立ちでつくられたのか、具体的にわかりやすく説明します。 How was the Chinese character (kanji) for “yume (dream)” created?

Expresión coloquial en español. 
Reserva clases conmigo para conseguir confianza y fluidez en español.