Are you planning your trip to Japan? You might be worrying about accidentally offending someone by saying or doing the wrong thing. It is probably fair to say that Japanese society in general places a premium on etiquette, but don’t … Continue reading
Japanese people have a sweet tooth and, lucky for us, there are all kinds of places where treats can be found. In this post, we’ll take a quick look at some of these spots and discover what kinds of delights … Continue reading
From the beautiful scenery to the fresh cuisine to the traditions that live alongside bright, new technologies, Japan has long been a destination for travelers of every age. This month, we take a look at Japanese culture through a roundup … Continue reading
How well represented are Hispanic and Latinx actors in Hollywood? Last year, a study released by the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism showed that even though Hispanics and Latinx make up 17.4 percent of the … Continue reading
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re focusing on Los Angeles, a city founded and built by people we would today call Hispanic Americans. The city was officially founded when California was still under Spanish control by a group of 22 … Continue reading
August is typically the last month for summer travel, and a perennial popular vacation destination is Italy. Italy has been the setting for many great novels, a place of culinary interest, and home to numerous talented writers. Revel in Italia … Continue reading
For those newly arrived in the United States, cultural norms can be difficult to understand. How do Americans decide what to tip? Why do Americans say “let’s get together sometime” and then not make further plans? What is “small talk” and why … Continue reading
Americans and Brits have shared a language for the entirety of America’s existence, but why do we have a hard time understanding each other sometimes? We might speak the language, but we each have very different vocabularies. (We’ve looked at … Continue reading
Immigration and language in the United States is a hot button topic. Some people believe that today’s immigrants are not learning English as quickly as those from earlier waves of immigration did. But research shows this to be a misconception. According to … Continue reading
In certain cultures, the summer solstice, or midsummer, is met with specific rituals. We asked our tutors and other language experts to share some of the summer and midsummer traditions from their cultures. Ireland “Traditionally in Ireland, St. John’s Eve (Oíche … Continue reading