Have you ever tried self-editing your content, but you: Can’t bring yourself to throw away those hours you spent wrestling with a white paper? Published that blog post you spent three days writing, only to get 10 comments about a typo? Cringed at the 250-word block of rambling text that’s your website’s landing page? Behind…
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Tempted to spread your wings and move to another city or country? But you want job security before you take the leap? A Video interview, using software like Skype, allows potential employers and employees to ‘meet’ face-to-face before taking that plunge. It’s never been easier to dip your toe into the vast pool of global…
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Ever called an estate agent about a rental, but they just kept giving you the address? You may have fallen foul to the French false friend location. Also known as cognates, false friends are words that look or sound the same in your native language but mean something different in English. And to think that house…
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Here’s a question a disheartened content writer asked me recently: “Whenever I see the headline “How to Write Good Content”, I’m immediately a-clicking. But often it’s just vague advice that’s heavy on the jargon and light on the practical. It’s all: ‘write to the audience, keep it short, tell a story’. But what do these…
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Found a word that sounds the same in English and your native language? Beware — you may have stumbled upon a false friend. At best, they make your English as clear as mud. At worst, they are downright embarrassing. False friends (or cognates) are words that look or sound similar in English and your native…
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Congratulations on your embarrassment! Confused? The Spanish word for pregnancy sounds like the English word embarrassed. With friends like these, who needs enemies? Found a word that sounds the same in English and your native language? Beware — you may have stumbled upon a false friend, the bane of multicultural content writers everywhere. At best,…
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English may have gatecrashed the official Luxembourgish language club, but it’s the life and soul of the party. English is everywhere: local news sites, government portals, social media campaigns. That’s because it’s good business: 47.9% of the population of Luxembourg are foreign More than 170 nationalities live in the Grand Duchy English is the most…
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Eating out is at the heart of socialising in Luxembourg. It’s loved by all — from casual teenagers tucking into pizzas to besuited bankers dining on a plat du jour. While eating ‘al desko’ may be gaining in popularity, one or more hour lunches are still the done thing. In the evenings it’s obligatory to meet…
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You’ve just arrived in the Grand Duchy and you’re already flummoxed by the what, why and when of the languages: German got you a ticket on a bus but a blank look in a clothes shop English got you an account in a bank but absolutely nowhere with setting up your Internet connection You got top marks in school for French…
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You’ve heard the old adage that moving house is up there with divorce and bereavement in the high-stress stakes. Having just moved house twice in one month, I confirm that my body did produce enough adrenaline to power a small town. But I also became a moving in Luxembourg expert and I’m keen to pass on my wisdom! Here’s…
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