Do you need a translator or an interpreter? What is the difference? Learn more in this article.
Resolve to learn a new language in 2019. Register now to learn some basics of American Sign Language. The class will meet twice a week for 1.5 hours.
“Linguists who were both translators and advisors for the king are important officials in the Akan royal court.” - object label at Newfields in Indianapolis, Indiana
Register now for our upcoming ESL classes!
Julie Metz, Execuitve Director of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, Interviewed Tanya Hoover of Midwest Language Services, LLC last week. Click here to listen to the interview.
Julie Metz, Executive Director of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce interviewed Tanya Hoover, President of Midwest Language Services, LLC on Giant 106.5 FM.
Julie Metz, Executive Director of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, interviewed Tanya Hoover, President of Midwest Language Services on Giant FM, 106.5 in Shelbyville, Indiana.
Tanya Hoover, President and Founder of Midwest Language Services, was invited to talk about her business on a radio show this morning that aired on 106.5 FM, The Giant. Executive Director of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, Julie Metz, invited Ms. Hoover to speak on the Chamber Chat radio show. While Tanya is not new to Shelby County, Midwest Language Services, LLC is. She started English as a Second Language teaching adult students from Yuma Industries when she started her business as a sole proprietorship nearly fifteen years ago.
A new English as a Second/New Language (ESL/ENL) class is being offered by Midwest Language Services in Shelbyville, Indiana that will meet on Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 12:00 noon for non-native speakers of English. For more details about this and other services Midwest Language Services provides, such as sign language (ASL) interpreting, document translations, and other interpreting services, please contact us at info@midwestlanguageservices.com or call (317) 296-7997.
Join us for a weekly English conversation group that will meet on Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 12:00 beginning in March. The cost for each class is $12.50. We will meet at 735 Shelby St., Suite #106, Indianapolis, IN 46203. Class size is limited to five students.
Moving to a new country can be exciting. In the beginning stage of the move, everything is new. There are new places to see, new foods to try, and new things to do. However, there are other stages of living in a new country that are not so pleasant. The purpose of this blog post is to help prepare you for your move. It might also help you if you have already moved and are experiencing sadness from being away from home.
If you know that there are different phases of culture shock, this might help you know that this feeling is normal. After a time, things will get better.
1. Excitement - You have moved because of new work opportunities or for a better life. There are a lot of reasons why people move. When you first arrive, you may be so busy unpacking and getting your new home or apartment set up, that you are too busy to think about anything else. You want to learn about this new place that you will be calling "home" for a while.
2. Frustration - You may be using a new language and simple tasks such as going to the store or going out to eat provide new challenges. You might understand parts of conversations at work, but you don't have enough language skills to be able to add anything to the conversation quickly. Then you realize every day is going to be like this for a while. You might wonder why you ever moved to begin with. You might feel that you should have stayed in your home country. You might start to feel some sadness and even deep sadness for a long time (depression).
3. Adjustment - You start to have a routine of things you do every day or every week to keep you busy. You start to see familiar faces and maybe even make a few new friends. Your navigation of places to go and your routines become easier. You don't compare your home country to your new country as often. If you work, you start understanding more vocabulary and start learning common expressions and short sentences that are used often.
4. Acceptance - Even though there is no place like home, you feel comfortable in your new country. You may not understand why people do what they do in this new place, but you accept that this is what locals do. If it's time to go back home, you might even feel sad about leaving because you now actually like your current home and have made some friends.
Tips for overcoming culture shock:
1. If you live in the United States where there isn't much public transportation, get a driver's license. This will enable you to find new places to go and more things to do in your free time.
2. Take English classes. Learn everyday English sentences or take a business English class. This will help make your everyday life easier. This is also a good way to get to know other people who are new to the United States.
3. Be patient. Learning a new language is a lot of work. You may not learn as fast as you want to, but don't quit.
4. Try to find things to do every day or every week that you can look forward to.
5. Get plenty of sleep. Everyone feels better when they have enough rest. It is easier to have a good attitude anywhere in the world if you get at least seven hours of sleep.
6. Eat healthy food. If you get sick, being away from home will be more difficult. Try to stay healthy to avoid getting sick.
7. Talk with friends and family using e-mail, Skype, Line, or WhatsApp. These days, it is much easier to stay in contact with people you know than ever before.
Here is an introduction to some of our new classes that are available at our Indianapolis office.
Beginner/Basic Communication:
This class is for students that already have very basic communication skills. If you can speak in a simple way about routines and already know some frequently used expressions, this course will be beneficial. The focus will be on perfecting grammar and increasing vocabulary. (CEFRL A1-A2)
Intermediate:
This class is for students who would like to practice conversation and improve their grammar. We will learn to speak about a variety of topics using various verb tenses in past, present and future. Some topics include hobbies, goals and plans for life. (CEFRL B1-B2)
Casual Conversation (MeetUp Style group):
This group is to give non-native English speakers an understanding of daily conversation, which can include anything from get-to-know you conversations, cultural differences, or current events. There will be a range of abilities in order for students to be able to hear and learn from others. Topics will be provided for discussion, but ultimately it is up to the students to determine where their interests lie and what they want to discuss. (Intermediate to Advanced, CEFRL B1-C1)
9:00 AM-10:00 AM - Beginner
10:00 AM-11:00 AM - Beginner
11:00 AM-12:00 PM - Intermediate
1:00-2:00 PM - Intermediate
2:15-3:15 PM - Casual Conversation
3:30-4:30 PM -Casual Conversation
5:00-6:00 PM - Beginner
6:15-7:15 PM - Intermediate
3:30 - 4:30 PM Beginner
5:00 - 6:00 PM Beginner
6:00 - 7:00 PM Intermediate
7:00 - 8:00 PM Conversation
3:30 - 4:30 PM Intermediate
5:00 - 6:00 PM Intermediate
6:00 - 7:00 PM Conversation
7:00 - 8:00 PM Intermediate
9:00 AM-10:00 AM - Beginner
10:00 AM-11:00 AM - Beginner
11:00 AM-12:00 PM - Intermediate
1:00-2:00 PM - Intermediate
2:15-3:15 PM - Casual Conversation
3:30-4:30 PM -Casual Conversation
5:00-6:00 PM - Beginner
6:15-7:15 PM - Intermediate
One of our students, Akiko, will be be returning to Japan very soon. After teaching a class about phrases used to offer advice and suggestions, I asked the students to write to a letter to people who would be moving to the United States. This gave an opportunity for Akiko to use her English skills while leaving a legacy here for newcomers who might look for advice about things to do while living in Indiana. Here is her revised letter.
Dear New Friend,
My name is Akiko and I’m from Japan. I’ve been in Columbus, [Indiana] for three years. I would recommend going to watch sports such as baseball, basketball, and football. There are many professional sports teams in the U.S.A. Live games are exciting.
My favorite game is basketball. Any team is fine, but I like the Indiana Pacers. You should check the Pacers home page [so] that you can get information about where you can watch the games, get tickets, and ticket prices.
You should take an English class or workshop. Don’t stay in your house alone. I would recommend Midwest Language Services.
Best regards,
Akiko S.
“We engaged Midwest Language Services for ASL interpretation. The service provided by Midwest Language Services is prompt and professional. Requesting service is easy and quick! The service from the office staff has been exceptional and efficient. The interpreter has been nothing but fantastic. She is engaged and does not hesitate to pause the speaker to request clarification. She advocates for those she interprets, which is very welcome and encouraged. Since the first time we engaged Midwest Language Services, we have signed up for two additional service visits. I highly recommend this company to anyone in need of interpretation services.” - J. Elliott, Chewy.com
“I am seeing [him] communicating more with our colleagues and fully engaged during our staff meetings etc. I believe his English is progressing rapidly. We are thrilled he has learned and shared so much in such a short time. Melanie has been a phenomenal instructor and even teaches me a few things from time to time in passing. She is very personable and a pleasure to work with.” - N. Bunton, Hirata
"My wife has improved her skills and her self confidence after taking classes with Midwest." - R. Silva
“Thank you for this year. The English lessons were helpful and made my [American] life better.
I’m looking forward to studying English again.” - S. Nakamura
“I was very happy with the service provided by Midwest Language Services. They are very flexible and able to offer different types and meeting times for classes, including teaching at my home, which was very convenient. My instructor was very experienced at teaching. I took the accent modification training and I learned lots of techniques and exercises to help me improve in this area in addition to some grammatical explanations.” - Pablo Da Rosa
