French Connection

In the years that I have been travelling, I am a host of stories and experiences. Some are better than others, some worse than others, and some like mine, which is a rather unique one. When we travel, we interact with the people of other countries, gaining intercultural competence as well as a new experience. It is this gaining of intercultural competence, regardless of whether the incident that brought about it was a good or bad one that ends up leaving a lasting impact of the nation on us.

A couple of years ago, I happened to visit the capital of love, Paris. As much I was taking in the sights and appreciating the beauty of the nation, I was eager to gain intercultural competence hoping to interact with some of locals which would give me a better chance to appreciate the country. Having just arrived from Britain via train, I was looking forward to hospitality and a country that would be able to accommodate an Asian from an English speaking region.

However, my first brush with a Frenchman made me realize the importance of communication in a foreign country and how language is closely linked to the pride of a country. Being the typical tourist I was lost around the Arc de Triomphe, trying to find my way back to my hotel. Having a serious language barrier especially in a country where the signs were all in French I approached two men who were conversing in English assuming that they would be able to solve my problem. However, the moment I started spouting English, their initial friendliness disappeared and it was a look of mild hostility. They started saying something that I could not comprehend, but sounded like some angry remarks and walked away. I later caught on when I told a fellow tourist, lamenting about my sad situation who informed me that the French and English were not exactly the best of friends and that the Frenchmen were very proud of their language. He said that they might be well versed in English language but they would rather converse In their mother tongue, especially to tourists to demonstrate their fierce national pride and identity.

Thus it was then I realized that interaction and communication in countries abroad also depended on the people and whether they take to you and their reacceptance of foreigners. The notion of superiority still existed in certain countries especially national pride as the Frenchmen displayed to me. Being a Singaporean I take pride in my multi cultural identity, the same way they take pride in their French culture and language. As much as I feel I encountered a rare but lasting experience, it is something that I would take in my stride and not deter me from being proud of my multi culturalism especially, my knowledge of English as my first language and Tamil as my mother tongue. How would I expect the French to be accepting of a person coming from the South east Asian region, a region known for its variety of cultures and languages

Critique

LETTER

Dear Students,

The ISPE is organising the Singapore Student BioPharmaceutical Symposium. To be held on 17th October 2008 from 2pm to 5pm at Biopolis Matrix Auditorium.

The purpose of the event is to introduce students to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry in Singapore. Many well-known companies in the industry will also be in attendance, including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Schering-Plough Ltd, Genentech, Pfizer, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth, Lonza Bilogics and Abbott Laboratories.

The special keynote speaker is Dr Fatimah Lateef, director of Undergraduate Training and Education at National University of Singapore, Senior Clinical Lecturer, and a member of Parliament.

All Polytechnic and University students in chemical, biological, engineering and pharmaceutical tracks are encouraged to attend as there will be special networking sessions, HR department participation, and roundtables after the symposium.

Speakers will focus on Process Development, Automation, Developmental Sciences, Validation, Process Engineering, Quality and Manufacturing. The Affiliate welcomes all students to join them at this event to find out the wonderful opportunities that await them in Singapore and find out more about these companies.

** Registration deadline is 15 October 2008. If you would like to participate in the Symposium, please confirm your attendance by replying to this email. With the subject title: CONFIRMED ATTENDANCE.

Together with the following information:
Name:
University / Polytechnic / College:
Designation:
Address:
Postal Code:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:



Please forward this email to your students who are interested in attending the Symposium.

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About the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering [ISPE]
ISPE is the world’s largest not-for-profit society serving pharmaceutical manufacturing professionals. As a member of ISPE you join experts around the globe in sharpening your skills, building a career, defining best practices and interacting with regulators.
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Best regards
Ange Teo

ISPE Asia Pacific Office 73 Bukit Timah Road #04-01, Rex House Singapore 229832
Email: sgstudent.symposium@yahoo.com.sg
ISPE - Engineering Pharmaceutical Innovation

CRITIQUE

This letter was written to invite students for a symposium. The letter has several flaws, which I would like to highlight under the 7Cs.

In terms of courtesy, I feel that the writer could have been more polite by addressing the students instead of jumping into the details of the symposium. The tone could have been more convincing to capture the attention of the readers. Relevant information was given to substantiate the event. Though the words used could be easily understood, relational pattern of development was not established. The letter was also not concise as the sentences were very long and wordy. The letter was however complete as all the relevant details needed for the readers was conveyed (date, time and venue of the event, details of the talk and administrative matters, etc). The structure and organization of the paragraphs was not good. For example, the writer addressed the topic on speakers in two different paragraphs. Moreover, the information of the company could be been addressed at the beginning of the letter. Though the letter had no errors on spelling, there were errors in the sentence structure. For example, in the 1st paragraph, the sentence starts off with “ To be held…”. The closing was incorrect as it lacked the comma and the position of the writer was not given.

The letter could have been more effectively written if she had only applied the 7Cs. :)

Cheers,
Jay

Post 2: What to tell? You have the guts?

A is the head of a drama group that is taking part in a national drama competition. A is a good leader and has good management qualities. However, A is a person who is unable to accept criticism. During their many trainings many of the group members felt that A was not grasping his lead role well. They felt that he was not bringing out the character in the right way.

Then there is B, a new member to the team and also taking part with them in the competition doing a main role as well. Having worked with A for sometime, he understood that it was difficult to approach A and tell him that his acting was not good due to several reasons. Firstly, due to A's personality. Secondly, due to the fact that B is new to the team and does not have as much experience as A in acting.

Time is running out; someone needs to tell A. No one in the team has the guts to approach A and most of them are not bothered about the competition. However, B wants to win. How do you think B can approach and tell A?