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CULTURAL TIPS
Greetings
Did you know that in France when friends meet they kiss on the cheek. How many times they kiss depends on the region they come from, it's twice in the north of France, three in the South-East and four in Paris. Although even some French people have trouble agreeing on the "rules"!
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Telephoning
"Mr Brown speaking". This may seem a strange way to start a telephone conversation but that's what often happens in the UK. When asking for a person on the phone, the reply might even be "Speaking", which means you've reached the right person.
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Why choose Connecting Cultures?
►Every service we provide is made to measure
►We have over ten years proven experience in the intercultural and language fields
►We offer all-round language and training solutions
►You have direct contact with experts, there are no intermediaries
Who are we?
Victoria Orange-Sibra, is the founder of Connecting Cultures. She is an expert in all the areas of activity of Connecting Cultures.
After obtaining an MA specialising in interpreting and translating she travelled extensively to develop her language and cultural skills. She has taught English as a foreign language in Russia, Spain and France to students of all ages and abilities. Her passion for intercultural interaction has led her to develop her interest in this field in the scope of over four years of research towards a PhD in intercultural communication. For the last ten years she has been putting her skills to work as a full-time translator and trainer. Therefore, she has both personal and professional understanding of her clients’ needs. British-born, she has extensive experience of living abroad and is now based near to Montpellier in the south of France and works internationally. Personal experience
She is constantly training herself and updating her knowledge and has given papers in Canterbury, Nottingham, Berlin, Bath, Vienna….
Memberships:
- Member of SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research)
- Member of IALIC (International Association for Languages and Intercultural Communication)
Partners of Connecting Cultures...
Connecting Cultures has a network of committed partners to call on for consulting and training. These include…
Stassie Zaprianova-King is an organisational psychologist, management and leadership trainer, certified cross cultural trainer and coach, project manager, (ESI – Project Management Institute and George Washington University). Currently based in Brussels, Stassie is a renowned expert in intercultural strategies and best practice. Stassie has spent more than 15 years in management training, university teaching and HR consulting; has written several books on intercultural integration; and has provided consultancy and high-level management training for clients such as Hilton, Interbrew, KRAFT Foods, Schneider Electric, Solvay, US Peace Corps, Umicore Copper, UNDP, the EU Commission & the World Bank.
Louis Belval is an intercultural consultant and trainer and offers his expertise in African and Caribbean cultures through intercultural training seminars. Learn how to understand the perceptions that your African contacts have of the realities around you and concerning you by exploring the cultural variables that differentiate you. Improve the view that you have of them and the one that they have of you in order to optimise your professional and personal relations. Discover how to reduce culture shock and avoid causing it. Make these differences an advantage rather than an obstacle.
Claire Richardson, MA (Hons) French & Spanish (University of Edinburgh), MSc Business Information Systems (University of Lincoln), PGCE Modern Languages (University of Hull), DELTA (International House Singapore). Claire's English language teaching career has included working in France, Spain, Cyprus and Singapore, where she was employed by The British Council and International House. She has also taught at the College of North West London, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Birmingham. She now teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students within all five schools of study at Aston University. In addition, she manages the Centre for English Language and Communication at Aston (CELCA).
Connecting Cultures has a network of partners for all its language and intercultural services
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