Our kids speak on average three languages fluently by the time they leave school. How? They make each other laugh.
Learn more about the European Day of Languages here
September 26 is the European Day of Languages. |  |
If you want to build a house, you don't start off with a brick.
You start with an idea on how you want to live.
That's why we Global Natives don't start with words.
Learning a language starts with the wish to understand.
Our key ingredients are a child's natural curiosity, sociability and playfulness.
We add games and songs, jokes and stories. Then we give it time to grow.
We know: Children will always have something to say to each other.
Find out here how our kids communicate throughout the year!
We add games and songs, jokes and stories. Then we give it time to grow.
We know: Children will always have something to say to each other.
Find out here how our kids communicate throughout the year!
Global Native kids are in touch with their language partners throughout the year.
To spice up their conversations, they make each other laugh!
To spice up their conversations, they make each other laugh!
| | Explaining humour. |
Explaining a joke usually kills it.
Not so, if you're really keen to fully grasp a lingo. And it isn't just about jokes! Kids encounter all sorts of unfamiliar idioms and phrases, bewildering puns, local sayings and regional slang terms when they read a book, watch a film or listen to a song in another language.
It is an ongoing challenge to every youngster:
Every time you come across something you don't understand - particularly if you can't find it in the dictionary - ask your language partner and, if need be, even their parents or siblings, to put you in the picture. You'll be more than surprised how much you will learn about culture and country, about history and geography along the way. Context is everything.
Every time you feel you don't get the joke or don't understand the pun: Ask!
And whatever makes you laugh in your own tongue: Share it!
Not so, if you're really keen to fully grasp a lingo. And it isn't just about jokes! Kids encounter all sorts of unfamiliar idioms and phrases, bewildering puns, local sayings and regional slang terms when they read a book, watch a film or listen to a song in another language.
It is an ongoing challenge to every youngster:
Every time you come across something you don't understand - particularly if you can't find it in the dictionary - ask your language partner and, if need be, even their parents or siblings, to put you in the picture. You'll be more than surprised how much you will learn about culture and country, about history and geography along the way. Context is everything.
Every time you feel you don't get the joke or don't understand the pun: Ask!
And whatever makes you laugh in your own tongue: Share it!
| | What we find funny! |
Slapstick or black humour, simple comedy or highly political wit - not all laughter is equal.
In fact, the differences are amazing. Just take Mr. Bean.
You either love him or you can't stand him. Mr. Bean polarizes.
Back in the Sixties and Seventies, there was Luis de Funès. He made folks from all generations roll with laughter, others turned off their TV sets the moment they saw his face. And hundreds of millions of avid Monty Python fans cannot understand how anyone would not find them hilarious. But their antics don't resonate with everyone.
There is a strong bond in shared humour.
In fact, the differences are amazing. Just take Mr. Bean.
You either love him or you can't stand him. Mr. Bean polarizes.
Back in the Sixties and Seventies, there was Luis de Funès. He made folks from all generations roll with laughter, others turned off their TV sets the moment they saw his face. And hundreds of millions of avid Monty Python fans cannot understand how anyone would not find them hilarious. But their antics don't resonate with everyone.
There is a strong bond in shared humour.
| | If it's a good one, share it! |
Translating humour across a language barrier - it turns out to be a real favourite with all age groups. What better way to dive into a lingo than to make it your own! Kids love it, they love taking their parents on board too. So this is how we celebrate the European Day of Languages: We're having a good laugh together, we read between the lines, we check out comedy and satire in other languages!
Visit FAMILIAR LANGUAGES to see how Global Native kids grow up multilingual.
Find out more about the European Day of Languages here!
Find out here how to become a Global Native family and join the community!
  We speak the same language. In many languages.  Learn more about the wisdom of WIT | Care to give it a go? Try to translate some of these into another language ... Gandhi walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis. What did the beaver say to the tree? "It's been nice gnawing you!" Why can't a bicycle stand up on its own? Because it's two tired. Why was six scared of seven? Because seven "ate" nine. What’s the difference between a poorly dressed man on a unicycle and a well-dressed man on a bicycle? Attire. What's the difference between a cat and a complex sentence? A cat has claws at the end of its paws and a complex sentence has a pause at the end of its clause. |
