We apologise for interrupting the current programme, but we have some shocking news to report from the UK. People of a sensitive nature should look away now. 


ENGLISH IN A TEACUP

BREAKING NEWS

Learning English has uncomfortable moments, but reasonable natives will accept non-natives! Never give up.  Also, I provide commentary on the TOEFL and IELTS exams. I based some of my ideas on "Tower Of Babble: Nonnative Speakers Navigate The World Of 'Good' And 'Bad' English" on NPR (the news company).  

The Inside Scoop on English

Uncomfortable Comes with Learning

There are few things you can do to 'start' impressing the interviewer.

Check the short recording and utilite it in your next interview!

if you want my 1:1 mentorship in preparing you for your next job interview - send me your request.



Job Interview Preparation | CEO Interview Strategies From Diverse Business Sectors!

How to impress the interviewer?

Believe me; you want to hear the job interview question, "Why should we hire you?" It's your chance to cut through the noise and tell them exactly what is unique about you.

While you cannot possibly know other applicants' qualifications, you can sell yourself to the best of your ability, stating the things that would make you really great at the job, and convincing the hiring manager you're ready to hit the ground running

In this episode, we’ll quickly revisit your three goals in every job interview, since these goals will influence every answer and every interaction you have during the interview. You’ll then learn why employers ask, “Why should we hire you?”, hear how one of my clients who got a job offer answered the question, and get tips on how to answer it. You'll land your dream job in no time!

Episode originally published on August 28, 2020.
Transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/hit-the-ground-running-phrase/.
Infographics for this episode at https://www.pinterest.com/ExpresstoImpress/. 

Express to Impress

How to Answer, "Why Should We Hire You?

In this episode we will talk about 【Chinese style blind date】, you will learn how to say 【urge sb. to get married, become non-single】 ect.
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It is recommended that you study in the following ways:
1st time: listen without looking at the text.
2nd time: look at the text and write down the new words, later look up the dictionary. 
3rd time: listen again without looking at the text.
4th time: repeat after it without looking at the text.
大家好，我是Yuli。欢迎收听我的播客。
今天想和大家聊一聊【相亲】的话题。
在中国，读书的时候父母会反对我们早恋，所以学生时代没有谈恋爱的人很多。等到我们毕业工作，父母就开始催婚。但是因为交际圈很窄，脱单很困难，所以很多人在找对象的时候，可能会选择相亲这种方式。通过相亲可以了解对方的职业，家庭情况等，判断自己是否与对方合适。
最常见的相亲是亲戚朋友介绍，或者同事介绍。见面前先看下照片，了解下对方的情况。如果感兴趣就加个微信聊一聊，然后再见面。也有的是媒人安排大家一起吃个饭，先见个面互相了解一下。这种情况下在场的人很多，相亲的两个人比较不尴尬。
相亲的时候都看什么呢？在中国，谈婚论嫁的时候最讲究的是门当户对。也就是说：男女双方家庭的社会地位和经济状况相当，结婚很合适。因为讲究门当户对，在相亲市场上也就出现了很多歧视。
第一、地域歧视。本地人比非本地人好，因为本地人有相同背景、观念和生活习惯，更重要的是有户口，有房子。
第二、职业歧视。公务员稳定，即使收入不如私企，在相亲市场仍然是香饽饽。
第三、家庭歧视。是不是城市户口？父母有没有退休金？
第四、学历歧视。本科生不如硕士、硕士不如博士。不过有意思的是，女博士反而不吃香，大家会觉得太优秀了不容易找对象。
还有其他的年龄歧视、外貌歧视等等。
有的人觉得门当户对是好事，条件差不多的人才能一起生活。有的人觉得门当户对是把婚姻市场化了，变成了买卖，没有真情实感。你觉得呢？留言告诉我吧。我们下期见。
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早恋	zǎo liàn	puppy love
催婚	cuī hūn	urge sb. to get married
交际圈	jiāo jì quān	Social circle
脱单	tuō dān	become non-single
媒人	méi rén	matchmaker
谈婚论嫁	tán hūn lùn jià	talk about marriage/about to get married
门当户对	mén dāng hù duì	be matched for marriage
歧视	qí shì	discrimination
户口	hù kǒu	registered permanent residence
香饽饽	xiāng bō bo	extremely popular
吃香	chī xiāng	popular

Yuli's Chinese Channel

中国式相亲 Chinese style blind date （Intermediate and advanced level）

descubre los significados de la palabra pico en el idioma español...es una palabra varia a y a la vez graciosa.
Descubrámosla en una conversación amena y divertida.
ven te escucho conversemos.

palabras polisemicas en el idioma español

palabra polisemica de hoy

En el episodio de esta semana hablamos de comida. Y aunque los platos que menciono son muy comunes entre los españoles no son los platos típicos que los extranjeros asocian con España. 

¿Tienes curiosidad por saber de qué platos te hablo? Te cuento todo en el episodio.

Después de escucharlo no te olvides de dejar una valoración al podcast desde la plataforma donde lo estés escuchando. Además, me encantaría escuchar tus opiniones, ¿qué te ha parecido el episodio? ¿Conocías estos platos españoles? ¿Cuál es el que más te ha sorprendido?


Blanca to go 

141-platos españoles que son raros para los extranjeros

00:00〜 ネイティブのスピード
01:29〜ゆっくり

----script-------
先週「舞妓（まいこ）さんちのまかないさん」という日本のドラマを見ました。漫画が原作（げんさく）だそうです。
 まず「舞妓」をとても簡単に説明すると、歌や踊りでお客さんをもてなす女性のことです。おそらくほとんどの舞妓さんは京都にいると思います。見た目で特徴的（とくちょうてき）なのは真っ白いお化粧と着物です。
「まかない」には主に二つの意味があります。一つ目は下宿や寮などの料理、そしてその料理を作る人という意味で、このドラマのタイトルの「まかないさん」はこの料理を作る人を意味します。二つ目の意味は料理人が余（あま）った材料で自分たちのために作る料理のことです。一般的にはこの二つ目の意味で使われることが多いと思います。例えば、まかない付きの飲食店のバイトでは休憩時（きゅうけいじ）にタダでご飯を食べられます。
以上をまとめると、この「舞妓さんちのまかないさん」というタイトルは「舞妓さんたちの家の料理を作る人」のような意味になります。
このドラマは台詞（せりふ）が少なく、しかもほとんどのセリフが京都弁（きょうとべん）なので、日本語の勉強になるかどうかは微妙（びみょう）ですが、日本や京都の雰囲気や文化を感じられる作品だと思います。
タイトルの説明だけでかなり長くなってしまったので、内容は次回お話ししたいと思います。
---------------

🌟ネタバレ = spoiler  (ex; ネタバレしないで！
🌟原作（げんさく）= original work
🌟もてなす = to entertain, to treat, to welcome  (ex;美味しい料理で客をもてなす
🌟特徴的（とくちょうてき）だ= characteristic
🌟休憩（きゅうけい）= rest
🌟タダ = free  (ex;このサンプルはタダです。
🌟まとめる = to summarize, to settle, to arrange
🌟台詞（せりふ） = actor's line, words
🌟〜弁（べん）= 〜 dialect
🌟微妙（びみょう）だ = iffy, unclear, slight  (ex; 今日飲み会に行けるか微妙だ/微妙な違い 

日本語いずみの国

「舞妓さんちのまかないさん」を見ました👘 その1🥪 ネタバレなし

The number of couples getting married in South Korea increased by almost 15% between 2023 and 2024.

That's the biggest percentage increase in marriages since the government began collecting this data in 1970.

More than 222,000 couples got married in South Korea in 2024. That's good news for a country with one of the world's lowest birth rates.

The government has been trying to encourage people to get married and have children to help boost the country's shrinking population.

It may just have worked. However, not all young people are convinced that marriage is the right thing for them.

According to The South China Morning Post, many young people in the country are still choosing an "unmarried lifestyle" for personal and financial reasons.

Some said that getting married and doing things like buying a home and having children are too expensive.

Others felt they would be more likely to find happiness on their own.

The government data also showed that the number of marriages between South Koreans and foreign nationals has increased for the third year in a row.

There were almost 21,000 of these marriages last year. That's an increase of more than 1,000 from 2023, although still not quite as high as it was before the coronavirus pandemic.

Almost three out of 10 foreign husbands were from the US. And about a third of foreign wives were from Vietnam, while many others were from China and Thailand.

The number of divorces among couples of different nationalities also decreased last year, according to Yonhap News Agency.