Learning To Play Piano Essay

I have always been interested in art since I was young so it did not take me too much time to decide the general area for my project. Drawing, singing or dancing have been growing with me since I was little. However, to make this project more challenging and interesting, I will try to do something I have never done before. At the end, I come up with the idea why don’t I try to learn how to play piano. Piano is a pretty popular instrument that lots of people play so I think that this is a good chance for me to start learning something new. I choose to go with this project because I have strong connection with art so somehow this will help me. Learning how to play piano is not as easy as it seems. To become successful, there are so many steps and challenges you may obstruct with. Briefly, my project will include four parts. First, I need to learn how to put my hand position correctly on the keyboard. Second, I will learn how to read the note precisely and where does it go. Third , I will start playing short music sheets to get used to moving my fingers around. And finally, the most challenging part, I will learn to play a long music sheet smoothly. Since I have been singing when I was young, I think that this will help me with reading the notes faster and understand how the melody goes throughout the music. At the end, I hope that I will not make any mistakes in playing wrong notes and everything will be fluent. However, nothing will be successful without effort. It will take a lot of time to finish this so I need to plan everything ahead and start early. As you can see, to be a good pianist, it takes people from years to years to actually play beautifully. Another obstacle is being patient. I am not a very kind of patient person so I think it will be hard for me to read all the notes slowly, also practice and practice again every day. The last problem I think that not so many people struggle with is that my fingers are really small so it is hard for me to surf on the keyboard and they are also easy to get tired. Despite all these disadvantages, I will still try my best to work on it. There are many learning goals I hope that I can achieve after finishing the project. Hopefully, I will find my interest in piano and keep playing for a long time so I can play some famous classical sheets. To achieve this, I cannot just go straight to the piano and start playing it. First of all, I need to do some research about how to play the piano such as looking up some videos people playing it. Then, I have to spend a little  time from every day to practice so by the time of presentation, I can play it beautifully. Besides the learning part, I will also look for some information about how piano has grown up throughout our lives and how it affects so many people in the world. I will also talk about some famous pianists. Since I cannot handle all of these by myself so I think that I really need someone’s help. With no doubt, my best friend, Tony, I think he will be the perfect teacher for me because he has been playing piano for about ten years. Ten years is long enough for me to believe that he will be a very good â€Å"expert†. He will help me a lot in finishing this project. In the first week, I will learn how to read the notes. Then, he will fix my hand position so that I can play the keyboard easier and more correct. He will also help me keeping the melody and beats in track and make sure that everything is going right. At the end, to make this project more special and interesting, we are going to play a song together on the piano. With all the problems we have gone through, I hope that the audience will be interested in my project. For the budget section, luckily, I have most of things are available for me. I can go the PA building because there are free pianos there for me to practice. I just need to set up my schedule to spend time going there. I may need to go to the library to borrow some books to look up some information about â€Å"how to play piano† and its history. To consider my project as â€Å"significant† I think that at least I need to achieve all the goals I have above and especially make the audience feel interested and excited after the presentation, make them actually want to learn how to play it, too. Since art is a very common area that lots of people will do so I think it is necessary that I need to make it special and unique. Although this project may not be meaningful for my long term carrier because my major is not about art, but it gives me another hobby so that I can have fun with, add beauty and entertain to my life. Playing the piano is also an excellent way to strengthen eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills, and people who take piano lessons learn a lot about discipline, dedication and the rewards of hard work. To demonstrate to the review panel that I met my learning goals, I will record everything that I did from the beginning to the end so that they can see how I have improved and what did I really achieve. Since my project takes a lot of time to finish, I need to start it early. I will spend at least an hour most of everyday to practice. First, I  need to spend hours to do the research about history of piano and how it continues throughout these years. Then, I also need to look up for the music sheets that I am going to play. As I plan, I will need to learn how to read short music sheet first, then Tony will help me with the hand position and start playing around with random notes. It might take one or two days for me to get used to it. After that, I will start with playing single notes with each hand. This may take up two or three days. Finally, I will learn how to play both hands together. I think this part is the most difficult and will take a lot of time so I will spend for the whole week to play two short easy music sheets for beginners. Then, after getting used to with everything, I will start learn how to play a longer and faster music sheet to show how much work I have put into this. I will meet up my â€Å"expert† maybe twice or three times a week so he can help me checkup things and if there is any problem, I can ask him to spend time together a lot to practice, understand each other so that we can both finish the song fluently. Since his and my study schedule at school is different so it is hard for us to find free time to study together. Therefore, I think that it will take even much longer time for us to finish studying the sheet, at least for two or three weeks. In conclusion, to make this project successful and significant, I have to spend lots of effort, courage, and time. Planning ahead is a very important thing to do so that the presentation will be finished on time. Hopefully, my project can make the audience find their interest and know more about piano. Also, for me, this project will be something meaningful and special for my life goals.

Marlow in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

In Heart of Darkness Conrad tries to deal with issues which are almost inexpressible.   The mysterious effect of the jungle wilderness on Kurtz, and on Marlow himself, puzzles the imagination and bewilders the understanding.   We might ask why Conrad chooses to tell the story through the character of Marlow, rather than simply to set it as a first person narrative.   The story is, in fact, about Kurtz, and about the way that contact with the primitive touches on the reality beneath human civilization, but it is also part of Marlow’s autobiography.Marlow is a character, not just a narrative voice, and his characterization enables us to judge and understand what he tells us.   He stands for certain impressive values – the practicality of the seaman’s life, the belief in the value of work, the refusal to judge too quickly, and the calmness of mind which allows him to consider and respond to the ambiguities in Kurtz’s experience. With his detached and skeptical manner, the fruit of a life among practical things, he makes the extraordinary story as believable as is possible.   We do not identify with him exactly, and he is not simply the voice of Conrad, but he is a convincing and unpretentious narrator who offers us glimpses into the ineffable.Much of the earlier part of the novel is concerned with establishing Marlow’s character and credentials as a narrator.   The actual narrator who speaks on the first page tells us that Marlow is the sort of seaman who is â€Å"trustworthiness personified† (5).   But he is â€Å"not typical† (8) in that â€Å"to him the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale† (8), which perhaps prepares us for Marlow’s attempt to convey to us the scale of his experience and its importance.   The maritime traditions and habits of mind are central to Marlow.   He values work over fantasy.   At the jungle station â€Å"I went to work†¦ In that way only it seemed to me I could keep my hold on the redeeming facts of life† (33), which is a vital and mature desire in him.   His instincts are to reject nonsense and absurdity and stick to the real.Talking to the ridiculous agent at the station, â€Å"this papier-mà ¢chà © Mephistopheles† (37), he tells us of his horror of lies, not because he is particularly virtuous, but because â€Å"there is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies – which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world† (38-9).   The agent’s insinuating invitation to Marlow to accept his petty corruptions meets with an instinctive shudder that speaks for his integrity.   Every man wants to get on, says the agent. â€Å"What more did I want? What I really wanted was rivets, by heaven!   Rivets.   To get on with the work† (40).   There is something wonderfully refreshing about such healthy disgust, and this contributes largely to our readiness to listen to Marlow as the tale reaches its most critical stages.It was a relief, he says to get back to the work of repairing the steamboat, not because he actually likes labor, â€Å"but I like what is in the work, – the chance to find yourself.   Your own reality†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (41). A powerful moment for him is the discovery in the riverside hut of Towson’s manual on seamanship, which, in the middle of the chaotic world of the jungle, gives him â€Å"a delicious sensation of having come upon something unmistakably real† (54), for the real is what he longs for, as the guarantee of sanity and purpose.   It reassures him that the book has been studied and cared for, the spine â€Å"lovingly stitched afresh with white cotton thread† (54) and the margin annotated with what he thinks is cipher but later discovers to be Russian.If Marlow’s integrity and devotion to the real is created thoroughly, so are his attitudes to wh at he experiences before he meets Kurtz.   Conrad gives him a style that is consistent.   He is skeptical, a little sardonic, and down-to earth.   He tells how he worked on his relations to try to ensure that he could go to Africa:The men said â€Å"My dear Fellow,† and did nothing.   Then – would you believe it? – I tried the women.   I, Charlie Marlow, set the women to work – to get a job.   Heavens!   Well, you see, the notion drove me.   I had an aunt, a dear enthusiastic soul.   She wrote: â€Å"It will be delightful†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (12)The voice is familiar, humorous and unaffected, and we feel every reason to trust what he says.   His devotion to the real makes him immediately sensitive to dishonesty and cant.   His view of â€Å"progress† is justifiably jaundiced.   The captain whom he replaces has been killed; â€Å"I heard the original quarrel arose from a misunderstanding about some hens† (13), and he is sur e that afterwards â€Å"the cause of progress got them, anyhow† (14).   His charge is â€Å"a two-penny-half-penny river steamboat with a penny whistle attached† (18) and he feels that his aunt talks â€Å"rot† when she describes him as â€Å"an emissary of light† (18).   He records the bizarre sight of a French warship lobbing shells into the jungle to destroy â€Å"enemies† (20).He is bewildered by the sight of the accountant at the station in his â€Å"high starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca jacket, snowy trousers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (25) working alongside the black workmen who are dying in the grass.   He encounters a white man who has the job of maintaining the road.   He is drunk, and â€Å"Can’t say I saw any road or any upkeep, unless the body of a middle-aged negro, with a bullet-hole in the forehead, upon which I absolutely stumbled three miles further on, may be considered a permanent improvement† (29).   The man who tries to put out the fire in the store shed carries a bucket and declares â€Å"that everybody was ‘behaving splendidly, splendidly,’ dipped about a quart of water and tore back again.   I noticed there was a hole in the bottom of his pail† (33).Everywhere Marlow’s shrewd and ironical intelligence spots the signs of decay, corruption and self-deception.   The whole establishment at the jungle trading station is â€Å"unreal† (35), and when the manager starts canting about Marlow being â€Å"of the new gang – the gang of virtue† (36) â€Å"I nearly burst into a laugh† (36).   The whole experience has for him the insane logic of dream, â€Å"that commingling of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured by the incredible which is the very essence of dreams†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (39).Such judgments and descriptions strike the reader as immensely observant and yet mo destly expressed.   Marlow feels fundamental decencies being abused by the colonial trading world, and it is hardly surprising that he becomes increasingly interested in Kurtz, who is clearly feared as well as despised by the other agents, largely because he has some sort of vision, a commodity seriously lacking in the ivory trading world.   Marlow’s convincing honesty and down-to-earth qualities even make Conrad’s symbolism easy to approach.The Fate-like knitting women in the Brussels office are entirely real as well as allusive.   One wears a dress â€Å"as plain as an umbrella cover† (14).   Marlow notes how the two women introduce many â€Å"to the unknown†¦ these two, guarding the door of Darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall† (16).   It is a rare and powerful effect, not clumsy, as it might have been, because we are so convinced by Marlow’s practical and realistic attitude.When it comes to the encounter with Kurtz we are therefore ready to give Marlow the benefit of the doubt as he reveals his own complex attitude to the man, and tries to explain what it is that Kurtz has seen and felt.   It is Kurtz’s idealism that first interests him, here in this nightmare place of unreason.   The other agents laugh at his hope that â€Å"Each station should be like a beacon on the road towards better things, a centre for trade of course, but also for humanising† (47).   At the same time Marlow cannot escape the thought that the savage figures seen on the bank are not inhuman, â€Å"the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar† (51) and we can see how he might understand how Kurtz’s own soul has been captured by the darkness.He finds that he wants to talk to Kurtz, even though he realizes as soon as he gets to Kurtz’s station that â€Å"He had taken a high seat among the devils of the land† (70), something Marlow knows will be almost impossible for his audience to understand; â€Å"How could you? – with solid pavement under your feet, surrounded by kind neighbours†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (70).   This is where Marlow’s story moves into the area of the incredible and the only partly expressible   Kurtz’s high-minded writings end suddenly with the savage cry â€Å"Exterminate all the brutes† (72).   The â€Å"brother seaman† talks of how Kurtz has inspired him – â€Å"I tell you†¦this man has enlarged my mind† (78).   But Marlow can only conclude â€Å"Why! He’s mad† (81) despite the Russian’s protests.The skulls are the evidence of his total breakdown, that the darkness â€Å"had whispered to him things about himself that he did no know† (83). The spell of the wilderness had awakened â€Å"forgotten and brutal instincts† (94) in him and dragged his soul â€Å"beyond the bounds of permitted aspirations† (95).   Marlow i s able to see Kurtz’s story as a tragedy.   His aim had been to â€Å"Live rightly, die, die† (99) but he had not known what was in himself, and Marlow’s readiness to stand by him at the end, even to rescue him in a way, rests on an awareness that Kurtz was not despicable, and that he himself might well respond in the same way.â€Å"He had made that last stride, he had stepped over the edge, while I had been permitted to draw back my hesitating foot† (101).   Back in Europe, like Gulliver, he is disgusted by his fellow man, â€Å"like the outrageous flauntings of folly in the face of a danger† (102), and he lies to Kurtz’s â€Å"intended† because neither she nor anyone else would be able to comprehend the truth.Marlow does not claim to know or understand everything.   It is the unassuming nature of his narrative stance that convinces us.   The â€Å"real† narrator calls the whole thing â€Å"one of Marlow’s inco nclusive experiences† (10). But no one could be omniscient with such a subject; Marlow only glimpses one of the great mysteries, and none of us is ever granted more than that.   What Conrad has done is to choose a narrative method and a type of narrator which conveys as well as possible immensely difficult things.Works CitedConrad, Joseph.   Heart of Darkness.   Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973.

Electronic communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Electronic communication - Essay Example This paper outlines categorically some examples that will help highlight the latter issue for ease of understanding. Basically, there are three types of electronic communications. These include: This is basically the simplest type of electronic communication and whereby transfer of messages is towards one direction at a time. In other words, the communication is one-way. Examples of such communication are: personal receiver (beeper), TV broadcasting and radio. A policy is typically described as a principle or rule to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy can be considered as a "Statement of Intent" or a "Commitment." For that reason at least, the decision-makers can be held accountable for their "Policy", (Paquette 200). Policies are therefore normally meant to ensure conformance with set objectives and in the case of electronic communication, one of the major issue of concern is privacy and security of communication. Electronic communication, unlike other forms of communication, poses great challenges to both the communicators and the communication service providers on how to ensure security of the messages. Another issue concerning use of electronic communication is its ability to bear legal value in that there have been issues on whether or not agreement reached using electronic communication can have evidential value (Madeline 198). There are, therefore, several policies governing use of electronic communication. One of the international policies on electronic communication is the New World Information Communication Order (NWICO). This is a UNESCO agency formed in the mid 1970s with the aim of bringing balance in world information flow (communication). NWICO was out to facilitate economic growth in the developing or third world countries by improving the communication system. According to it, free information flow encouraged economic development but was lacking in

The Chapter Reactions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Chapter Reactions - Essay Example The ideas presented in Chapter 2 are indeed very helpful in my own life because it has somehow made me more aware of the need to understand and respect the cultural differences among people with varying backgrounds. Just like anybody, I have my own world views of the world. It is important that I realize that my world views may be different from other people because of the differences in our backgrounds. For example, I realized that I tend to be very individualistic in terms of dealing with certain tasks or in terms of dealing with people. I personally do not feel the need to be extra friendly with other people if I do not feel like it. In fact, I could very well tell somebody up front that I do not like him or her and I expect other people to be straightforward with me too. However, I have to realize that there are indeed some people who would rather preserve their existing relationships rather than be straightforward and labeled rude or tactless. In addition, the chapter has also m ade me realize that while I personally may have a strong sense of achievement, other people are more inclined towards ascription and are more inclined to be confined within the roles or classes that they are oriented into.

The Food Sector of Saudi Arabia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

The Food Sector of Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example There is also scope for seeing a wider and diverse range of products apart from the available food products. With average annual sales of 3.5 billion dollars, this sector offers a lot of insights as well as opportunities for strategic marketing. The growth of the food industry in Arab can be seen from the fact that more and more international food organizations are launching their products and services in Saudi Arabia. This can be attributed to the changing food habits of the overall population, increasing demand for diversity in food, etc. The island of oil has seen a gradual shift in the food habits of Arab populations. With the rise in economy and increasing percentage of younger populations, the overall choice and taste for food has changed. More and more population is now opting for outside food outlets, such as restaurants and hotels. As women entrepreneurs and workers are increasing in numbers, home cooked food is being replaced by ordered food. The overall preference of Arab population is shifting towards eating out. This can be seen from the increasing marketing strategies adopted by Arab restaurants. The overall food and drinks purchased by restaurants in Saudi Arabia have seen a 12 percent year on year increase. As more and more people are opting out, the restaurants are also increasing their overall range of food products. Restaurants and hotels in Saudi Arabia have also categorized their food and beverages department according to the target population. Different menus and cuisines are prepared and served for locals as well as tourists in the restaurants. Thus, it can be said that food industry has become a burgeoning sector in Saudi Arabia, provided it is supported by proper marketing and branding activities. However, it is also important to highlight the negative effects of such a change in food preferences. Though outside food is becoming popular as a result of factor such as time saved, convenience, variety etc, it is also true that the overall quality of food is getting compromised. As a result, health concerns among general population are on the rise. Recent government reports have suggested that there has been a rise in obesity and diabetes, basically arising from irregular and unhealthy eating habits. Researchers have also shown that average percentage of obese children have increased in the past five years. Now all of the above facts pose a serious threat on the general health of the Arab population. Thus, it has been important for the government as well as the organizations to educate society in terms of healthy food and healthy lifestyle. Like other organizations in the food sector in Arab, Arzaq also faces few challenges and concerns in terms of marketing its food products. It can be seen that Saudi Arabia has become a hub for international food. Thus, in order to expand its customer base and gain market share as well as brand recognition, Arzaq will have to opt for strategic marketing activities.  Ã‚  

Project Management Review Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project Management Review - Coursework Example In other words, communication is the most significant element within any project. Project managers mainly use three communications channels namely upward channel, downward channel, and lateral channel in order to ensure effective communication at various levels. Since the project communication significantly affects employee performance, project mangers must ensure effective upward and downward communication in order to maintain a high-performance team working on the project. The process of project management mainly passes thorough eight distinct phases. The project management phases are team assembly, project initiation, project planning, project execution, project leadership, project monitoring and controlling, project presentation, and project conclusion. Communication is a vital component in all these eight project phases. However, the given scenario indicates only the project presentation phase. ... Therefore, resource scheduling may not be effective if the project manger is unskilled or inexperienced. In other words, a project manager’s competence would determine the flow of project development. Likewise, the resource scheduling program may not produce the intended results unless other project participants are really committed to the project. In the words of Kalton and Richards (2008), resource scheduling technology usually indicates procedures and software applications tools for planning and scheduling resources employed in a project. Therefore, improved technology’s deficiency may also reduce the scope of resource scheduling. In total, efficient and integrated operation of the project team is crucial for the successful completion of a project. 3. According to Gray and Larson (2005, p. 183), people, materials, equipment, and working capital are four types of resource constraints. It is obvious that people are an inevitable component in a project as this component determines the success or failure of a project to a large extent. For instance; programmers and mechanical engineers. Many project teams try to overcome labor constraints through internationalization as this process assists project teams to import foreign labor and to set up foreign subsidiaries that employ local staff from the host country. Similarly, material shortage has been attributed to the delay of many projects. It is also identified that equipment sometimes becomes a constraint to the project development. For instance, earth moving tractors. Lack of availability of equipments may result in project delay. Finally, lack of access to finance also adversely affects resource scheduling. If the availability of resources is extremely limited, the project management team would be forced to

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 93

Assignment Example The story reveals to the reader just how unfair identity prejudice restricted on women choices during the time period. The theme of gendered identity and roles gets illuminated throughout the book. This can be revealed when the author states that she liked to work outside while she noted that her mother worked inside. As a young girl, the narrator tells of how happy she was to work outside with her father who was a fox farmer. She liked being a hired hand that helped to bring water to the foxes, cutting grass, and watering plants. She notes that her mother worked inside the house concerning herself with housekeeping and particularly in the kitchen where she prepared foods such as jam, jelly, and preserves. The narrator notes of how her mother would on a number of occasions constantly try to negotiate with her father on getting her to work in the house more. This gendered view presented in the story is quite telling as it shows the place of the woman in the society back in the time period. Women got resigned to housekeeping and the kitchen as their traditional roles. The story is also interesting given the narrator persistence at trying to break down the social view on gendered roles at the time. As a young girl, she dreams of herself rescuing people from a building that got bombed. As an oldest child, she takes it upon herself to help her father with her pelting business which was traditionally a male chore. Through various descriptions in the book, the reader notes of the young girl’s adventurous nature, physical strength, courage, and her imaginativeness. As a young girl, she is clearly impervious to the concept of gendered roles. She happily dreams of opportunities that call for boldness, courage, and self-sacrifice. This illustrates her free spirit as a young girl that later becomes curtailed by societal conceptions of

Global Business in Latin America Research Paper

Global Business in Latin America - Research Paper Example Regardless of significant differences in Latin America, most of the LACs traditionally displayed huge inequalities in income distribution. In fact, today, the inequity between families, people or members of different social classes is not only present in countries such as Colombia and Brazil, but also in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. Thus, the concept of inequity in income distribution is not new but has been in existence for quite a long period of time more so among the LACs.Due to the global crisis of the 1930’s as well as the reduction of transnational trade, America was propelled towards the creation of an internal dynamic based on import as well as firm control of foreign exchange. After the WW II, large countries focused on spurring industrialization thus leading to a high level of income concentration. Nonetheless, due to a large supply of labor and the structural heterogeneity between wage and goods in Industrial and Agricultural sectors, there was an ultimate distribu tion of this income. Therefore, these were the factors which affected the income of individuals in the LACs. However, the introduction of the restraint affected the economic growth. This is because BOP led to the rise in interest rates as well as exchange rates leading to inflation, thus consequently exerting a depressing effect on real wages in LACs. The BOP constraint that recurrently complemented the process of industrialization in LACs was thus the key economic factor that led to the high surplus of labor and structural heterogeneity.

The Aztecs simplistic crop-enhancing Essay Example for Free

The Aztecs simplistic crop-enhancing Essay The main supply for food for the Aztecs were agriculture and farming. They rely mainly on the crops for every season; they grow, produce and consume food and this is how they get their daily food. Terracing Indicating the societal complexity of the Aztecs, the farming technique known as terracing is complicated and elaborate. They used terracing in the hilly areas and built walls, forming terraces into the sides of the hills. These stone walls ran parallel to the contour of the slope and rainfall washed compost vegetation and nutrients from the hills above. Terracing opened up previously unusable land for farming. Irrigation Because the Aztecs built extensive canal and water-diverting systems, irrigation farming became popular and productive. With water readily available, the Aztecs could enhance the growing season by irrigating the fields prior to planting, strengthen their crops by augmenting the rainfall with additional watering, and lengthen the farming season by irrigating long after the rains had stopped. Chinampas Also know to the Aztecs as floating gardens, chinampas were pieces of land created by piling up alternating layers of compost vegetation and mud from the lake bottom, in the shallow marshy parts of the lakes. Initially the 30 feet by 330 feet chinampas were held in place by man-made posts, but eventually these fertile farming patches stayed secured by the roots of nearby willow trees. Once the mud and vegetation piled up higher than the water level, the plot was ready for cultivation. The crop yield from chinampas was so prolific and expedient, farmers began growing, not only for themselves, but for marketing out to others. Rainfall Cultivation The Aztecs most basic and simplistic crop-enhancing technique, called rainfall cultivation, involved fallowing the fields. They left farming plots empty to collect itself and become nutritionally enhanced by rainfall. This process is the least labor intensive form of farming, but the Aztecs eventually cast it aside following the population boom and the need for larger, more productive crops.

Essay on Administrative Reforms in the Philippiens Essay Example for Free

Essay on Administrative Reforms in the Philippiens Essay A study was made by the World Bank about the extent of corruption in the Philippines. The study reveals the existence of a consensus in the government, nongovernmental and international circles that corruption in the public and private sectors in the Philippines is pervasive and deep-rooted, touching even the judiciary and mass media (Chay Florentino-Holifena, 1998). This is collaborated by the data collected in September 1998 by Social Weather Station (SWS). The survey says that nearly two thirds of the respondent thought that corruption exists in the government with 38% saying â€Å"a great deal† while 34% saying â€Å"some. † Also, according to Transparency International which calculated that Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) n the Philippines, on a scale of1 (higher perception of corruption) to 10 (negligible perception), the CPI for the Philippines was 3. 6 in 1999. Out of the 99 countries rated, the Philippines was perceived as the Fifty-fifth least corrupt. As a result of the problem of prevalence of corruption in the Philippines, then President Joseph Estrada asked the World Bank to make recommendations to help the Philippine government strengthen its fight against corruption. For its part, the Philippines thought that the need for a stronger anti-corruption program is imperative considering that it is being cited with increasing frequency by international business surveys and anticorruption agencies as a country where corruption inhibit foreign and domestic investment. The need for stronger anti-corruption program by the Philippines is also brought about by the effects of corruption which drains away limited and scarce resources of the Philippine government for development, distorts access to government services by poor communities and undermines the public confidence in the governments determination to help alleviate poverty and fight corruption. In addition, the need for stronger anti-corruption program is made imperative in view of the importance of attracting international aid which is severely hampered by the international image of the Philippines as one of he haven of corruption in Asia. It must also be stressed that the move towards improvement in the public administration is a global trend that has affected even Southeast Asian countries which desire to improve public administration (M. Shamshul Haque, p. 1297). The World Bank then proposed a Nine-Point Approach in fighting corruption in the Philippines as its recommendation for creating a national strategy for fighting corruption in the Philippines. The principle behind the Nine-Point approach is focusing on reducing opportunities and motivation for corruption and making corruption a high-risk and low-reward activity. World Bank therefore recommended nine key elements for the national anticorruption program: a) reducing opportunities for corruption by policy reforms and deregulation; b) reforming campaign finance; c) increasing public oversight; d) reforming budget processes; e) improving meritocracy in the civil service; f) targeting selected departments and agencies; g) enhancing sanctions for corruption; h) developing partnerships with the private sector; and i) supporting judicial reform (â€Å"Combatting Corruption in the Philippines†, 2000, viii). In the light of the necessity of implementing reforms in the Philippines, this paper seeks to discuss the three areas of governance that may help in the attainment of the national goals of the Philippines which is to eradicate corruption, minimize the bureaucracy, minimize overlaps in program implementation by government agencies and check the expansion of government activities. These areas are: (1) decentralization and local governance, (2) economic deregulation and privatization and (3) human resource management. Reforms in local Governance and Decentralization The Philippines follows a Unitary form of government in which there is a concentration of political powers and authority in the national government. Legislative power, or the power to make, amend, repeal or alter them is vested in Congress which is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Executive power, or the power to administer and enforce laws, is vested in the President. Judicial power, or the power to settle actual controversies involving rights, is vested in the Supreme Court and ther lower courts. This is unlike the United States which adopts the Federal system of government in which political powers and authority are shared between the national government and the individual states. However, the 1987 Constitution in recognition of the existence of territorial and political subdivisions of the Philippines which are provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays, has given these territorial subdivisions local autonomy for the purpose of making them effective and efficient partners in national building. Thus Article X Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution provides that: â€Å"The Congress shall enact a local government code which shall provide for a more responsive and accountable local government structure instituted through a system of decentralization with effective mechanisms of recall, initiative and referendum, allocate among the different local government units their powers, responsibilities and resources and provide for the qualifications, election, appointment and removal, term, salaries, powers and functions and duties of local officials, and all other matters relating to the organization and operation of local units. (Art X, Sec 3, 1987 Constitution) The constitution also gives the local government fiscal autonomy for them to be able to provide basic services to their constituents, to wit: â€Å"Each local government unit shall have the power to create its own sources of revenues and to levy taxes, fees, and charges subject to such guidelines and limitations as the Congress ma provide consistent with the basic policy of local autonomy. Such taxes, fees and charges shall accrue exclusively to the local governments. † (Art X, Section 5, 1987 Constitution) As a result of the delegation of some powers and authority by the national government, the local government has been important and vital machineries in the attainment of national goals of the Philippines. The national government has learned that delegating some of its powers will enable it to focus on more pressing national concerns. It has also learned that giving communities local and fiscal autonomy will help make them proactive partners by the national government in the fight for corruption and advancement of he country. As a result, the local communities have been able to transform themselves to mini-governments that can to a certain extent sustain the needs of their constituents. The local government units have been able to propose innovations on how to help the national government. These are: a) Taking Care of People and Environment in Negros Oriental which is a project geared towards developing and improving the quality of life in Negros Oriental, a province in the South of P hilippines. The project involves the construction of community hospital that seeks to provide basic health services and information dissemination campaign to inform the people on how to take care of their environment; b) Saving the Mangroves of Kalibo, Aklan is a project geared towards the reforestation of a fifty hectare swampland; c) Saving the Marikina River is a project whose primary goal is to restore the Marikina River for the purpose of making it one of the major tourist destination of the city; d) The Mandaluyong Public Market is a partnership between the private sector and the city for the private sector to built and operate a market on a land owned by the city. This project is now the source of the revenues of the city which it now uses to support its provision of basic services to its constituents; e) Transforming Malalag into a Provincial Agro-Industrial Centre in Davao Del is another example of the effect of empowering local government units as partners with other government agencies in local administration and management, human resource development; f) Acquiring a Complete Equipment Pool in Munoz, Nueva Ecija is a project of the local government unit in acquiring under-utilized equipment from national government and making good use of them in rebuilding the local government unit; g) Floating Bonds for Low Cost Housing in Victorias, Negros Occidental is a project of the local government unit which involve floating of bonds to finance housing projects of its constituents; h) Improving the Productivity in Naga City is a local government unit’s project that focuses on providing services to the constituents, getting optimum outputs wi th minimum expenditures, producing quality results as desired and planned and making services accessible and acceptable based on the principle of greater good for the greatest number; i) Number Code Scheme in Makati City is a project geared towards easing the traffic in the business district of the  Philippines; j) Medical, Dental and Legal Mission in Caloocan City which is a project that seeks to deliver medical, dental and even legal advises to poor residents in Caloocan City; j) Solid Waste Management Program in Bulacan is a project designed to ensure that the people learn to segregate and properly dispose of their garbage. Privatization Program Privatization is essentially the sale or lease of assets of the government. It is done either because the country realizes how efficient the private sector is in business management or because the government seeks to earn additional revenues and that privatizing its assets will be instrumental in the government’s economic development program. Privatization of government assets started in 1986 during an era of political turmoil as the country has overthrown the dictatorial rule of the former President Marcos. Th is is the first wave of privatization. At the time the government wanted to dispose the assets which have been sequestered from the friends and relatives of President Marcos (Lauro A. Ortile p. 130). Other properties were also included in the privatization such as those that were foreclosed and taken over by banks. The second wave started in 1990 with the disposition of government properties in the utilities and infrastructure sectors which were formerly state-subsidized (Lauro A. Ortile p. 130). The third wave consists in opening of a wide range of public services such as housing health, postal services and pension funds (Lauro A. Ortile p. 130). According to the Department of Finance, privatization has yielded positive results for the government. It has not only generated additional revenues, but it has also broaden the base of ownership and fostered favorable climate for investors (Privatization Monitor, 2004, p. 1). Since 1987, the revenue generated from the privatization program has reached more than P200 billion for the Philippines. According to United Nation Public Administration Network (UNPAN) (1997), the Philippine Civil Service more than doubled from 430,000 in 1971 to 840,000 in 1980 to almost 1 million in 1985 (Mirshariff Tillah, 2005, p. 27 ) By itself, there is essentially nothing wrong in having a large workforce. It may be argued that having a large workforce aids in the delivery of public services and gives employment opportunities to a large number of people. However, if despite having a large workforce delivery of public service is still slow and the amount allocated given to these civil servants eats away a large percentage of the national budget, then having a large workforce is a serious cause of concern. It must be stressed for a country like the Philippines, cutting down the size of its civil servants is imperative in the sense that money used to pay for the salaries of non-performing employees may be utilized for infrastructure and delivery of public services. As a result, then President Fidel Ramos implemented one of the legislative measures designed to downsize the government and ensure that its existing employees will be more effectively utilized. This is the Republic Act 7430 â€Å"An Act Providing for Optimum Utilization of Personnel in Government Service through a System of Attrition† which is otherwise known as the Attrition Law. The objective was attained simply by means of freeze hiring and preventing the filling of positions that become vacant due to resignation, retirements or death (Mirshariff Tillah, p. 27). The Attrition Law is still being currently implemented until now. It has been so effective that it has arrested the upward trend in government employment. Though it has not completely stopped the upward trend of the government employment, the same however has caused the increase to slow down. Research shows that the start of the implementation of the Attrition Law in June 1992, the total number of filled positions was 1,237,435. This number was reduced in 1993 and 1994 but increased from 1995 to 1996. The present figure of 1,213,602, however, still remains lower than the 1992 level (â€Å"Administrative Reforms: Country Profiles of Five Asian Countries† p. 117). It is also estimated that the five-year implementation of the Attrition Law, has resulted in savings for the Philippine government in the amount of more than six billion pesos (US$ 240 million) (â€Å"Administrative Reforms: Country Profiles of Five Asian Countries†p. 117). Conclusion The Philippines has undertaken dramatic changes in the last few decades. These policy changes are manifested in the legislative measures that have been passed which are designed to eradicate corruption, minimize the bureaucracy, and minimize overlaps in program implementation by government agencies. Though there are a lot more changes to be done, the future is bright for the Philippines as these measures are initial steps that have been taken towards national development. This is a sample essay from smartessaywriters. com – the leading provider of reliable and affordable essay writing services and research paper writing services in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Connotations Of Animal Words In English And Chinese Languages Essay

Connotations Of Animal Words In English And Chinese Languages Essay Abstract This paper aims to study the characteristics of different types of animal words in English and Chinese. Because of the close relation between human beings and animals, animal words have been given rich connotations. However, due to the differences of customs, living environments and cultural backgrounds of various nationalities, each nationality has its own understanding about animal words. According to their features, this paper divides animal words into three categories ¼Ã…’one is same animal words, similar connotations, one is same animal words, different connotations, another is different animal words, similar connotations. Whats more, it is to further analyze the translation strategy for each group of animal words and find out a rule for the translation of animal words. Key Words intercultural communication; animal words; difference; connotation; translation strategy 1. Introduction Animal words take over a large amount in English and Chinese. As the result, it is significant to master different meanings of animal words in intercultural communication. 1.1 Research Background With the rapid development of the global world, people have more and more chances to communicate with foreigners. Intercultural communication has become more and more important. It is a common phenomenon in our daily life, which can occur anytime and anywhere just between two people from different countries. Due to the differences of cultures and social backgrounds between the countries, people have diverse understandings toward a same word. A successful intercultural communication demands exact meaning and accurate expression. The animal is closely related to the human beings. In the daily life, people will use large numbers of animal words to express the feelings or describe some situations. Animal words contain large cultural information. As two of the most widely used languages, both Chinese and English are full of animal words which have accumulated abundant connotations as the time passed by. To know the right connotation of an animal word between English and Chinese, we can avoid making mistakes in the process of translation, and avoid misunderstandings in intercultural communication as well. 1.2 Purpose of the Research As Là ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Samovar said ¼Ã… ¡It is more accurate to say people possess meaning and that words elicit these meanings. We can have different meanings for the same word. All people ¼Ã…’drawing on their backgrounds, decide what a word means(Là ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Samovar ¼Ã…’1995 ¼Ã… ¡152). So based on different cultural background, animal words have different connotations. While in intercultural communication, its necessary to understand the connotations of animal words. Meanwhile, the translation is one of the most important activities on intercultural communication. Therefore, in this thesis, the writer wants to study the difference connotations of animal words in English and Chinese and to find out a translation rule for different kinds of animal words. 1.3 Structure of the Paper The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter includes the research background, purpose of the study and the organization of this thesis. In the second chapter, literature review aims at presenting the previous investigations of animal word, which includes the achievements and limitations of past studies of animal words. Then the third chapter discusses the similarities and differences of animal words in English and Chinese. In this chapter, the writer divides animal words into three different categories. The fourth chapter finds out the suitable translation strategies for each kind of animal words. The last chapter draws a conclusion and points out the limitations of the research ¼Ã… ½ 2. Literature Review The history of intercultural communication maybe is as long as the history of human life. The bargains of merchants along the silk road during the Tang Dynasty in China and the immigration of thousands upon thousands of gold-diggers to north America are the instances of intercultural communication(à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¨Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2011 ¼Ã… ¡5). But actually, the systemic study of intercultural communication just started in the United States in the 1950s. Intercultural communication is related to linguistics ¼Ã…’psychology ¼Ã…’praxiology ¼Ã…’sociology, philosophy and so on. In addition, intercultural communication plays a major role in tourists, overseas studies, business and immigrants. The scholars at home have been done many investigations of animal words in English and Chinese from various dimensions. Such as Liao Guangrong (à ¥Ã‚ »-à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å"†°Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2000) pays more attention to the cultural connotation of the animal word itself. Liu Yingjie(à ¥Ã‹â€ Ã‹Å"à ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2006) focuses on the linguistics to analyze animal words. The thesis A Comparative Cognitive Analysis of Metaphors in English and Chinese Animal Terms (Di Feng, 2006) studies the animal terms from the stand point of metaphors. He focused on proving the effect of metaphorical competence development to the language enhancement and cultural studying through the study of contemporary metaphor theories and the relationship between the animal terms and cultural. Zhou Datian(2007) analyzes the reasons that cause the different images of animal words in English and Chinese. He points out that these differences are influenced by four features. They are the cul ture, literary quotations about animal words, peoples customs and the mode of production, the sports and entertainment. Meanwhile, he thinks that animal words represent the national characteristic. If we understand and use animal words correctly, we can study and comprehend these two languages better. By reviewing the previous researches in animal words, the author finds that animal words studies on the perspective of the intercultural communication are limited ¼Ã… ½Even there is no paper systematically analyzing the major translations methods of different kinds of animal words that base on intercultural communication. 3. The Similar and Different Connotations of Animal Words in English and Chinese If people dont understand the cultural background of the sentences, it is hard to know the true meaning the speaker wants to express while in intercultural communication. For example, here is a dialogue about the connotation of an animal word. A asks B whether he is ready for the math exam tomorrow. Then B answers that he has got his rabbits foot right here. In this dialogue, the rabbits foot shares the same meaning of good luck and success. If we dont know this background, we would not continue the talking. So it is worthy of studying the similarities and differences of the connotation of animal words so as to avoid the embarrassment in intercultural communication. 3.1 Same Animal Words, Similar Connotations Most animal words contain abundant connotations. However, because of animals nature and traits, they often share the same meaning. The connotation of bull in English and Chinese are similar in accordance with the bad temper of bull. To refer to a person who is stubborn, Chinese and English share some similar expressions. In English, people say Sometimes you can be so bull-headed! While in Chinese, people usually say à §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã¢â‚¬ . And the image of the bee which is busy gathering honey is well-known by people, so we use the bee to praise the industrious and hardworking person both in English and Chinese, e.g. He is as busy as a bee. In addition, living in the similar environment, though people from different culture background, they would share similar understanding about a same animal. Take fox as an example, when the fox refers to a person, it means that the man is cunning or sly. According to Oxford Dictionary, pig is Domestic or wild animal with short legs, cloven hooves and a broad blunt snout (Oxford, 1108). That is the denotation of pig. Actually the imaginary and metaphorical expressions of pig in English and Chinese are alike as well. They both connotes the images of fat, foolish and greedy. In Chinese, à ¨Ã†â€™-à ¥Ã‚ ¾-à ¥Ã†â€™Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ´Ãƒ §Ã…’ ªÃ‚ ¼Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ´Ãƒ §Ã…’ ªÃƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¼Ã…’à §Ã…’ ªÃƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¨Ã‚  Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ §Ã…’ ªare gross words to scold people. In English, there are saying like as fat as a pig , He makes a pig of himself (à ¤Ã‚ »-à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¼Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã… ½Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚ ½) or He has been a pig about money(à ¤Ã‚ »-à ¥Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¥Ã‚ ¾-à ¦-  Ãƒ ¥Ã… ½Ã…’). There are others sharing similar connotation, for instance, lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen (à ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã… ½Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ®); fish in troubled waters (à ¦Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ ¸Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ¼); Its a good horse that never stumbles(à ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬Å¾) . In short, when in intercultural communication, the similarity of connotative meanings of animal words in English and Chinese can help people make less misunderstanding as possible. 3.2 Same Animal Words, Different Connotations In most cases, the animal word stands for different images in different cultures. Here the author wants to introduce some typical animal words which are remarkably different in different cultures.. 3.2.1 Fish(à ©Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ¼) Britain is an island country. The fishery and seafaring are fully developed and they mean a lot to Britain. Thus, many sayings are created according to the sea. For example, British will use a fine kettle of fish to express the things are in the mess or farfetched. Fish in the air is equal to the Chinese phrase à ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¦Ã…“ˆ. To have other fish to fry means people have other things to deal with. About the fish in English ,it is also a derogatory word reflected to the bad person, like a poor fish(à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“à ¨Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã‚ «); a loose fish(à §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã… ¸Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ´Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ º); a cold fish (à ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ º). It is very difficult to know the exact meaning without a well understanding about the English culture. So does the Chinese. The fish has the same pronunciation as à ¤Ã‚ ½Ã¢â€ž ¢, so the fish is the symbol of abundance in Chinese. In Spring Festival, people would like to cook a fish as a dish to symbolize a good luck in the next year(the authors translation) (à §Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ¼Ã…’2003 ¼Ã… ¡17à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 18). It is a special tradition of China which is unique over the world. Many foreigners hear little of it. 3.2.2 Dog(à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-) Dog shares the same denotation in both English and Chinese. But Chinese and English-speaking countries have different attitudes toward dog. To talk about the connotation, these two languages are greatly diverse. In English-spoken countries, people do not just keep dogs for hunting or farming, but also treat them as fellows. The dog always shows a lovely and loyal image in English. By this reason, English people keep taking the dog as humans faithful friend. Here are some expressions of dog : a lucky dog(à ¥Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¿), a clever dog (à ¨Ã‚ Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¦Ã‹Å"Ã… ½Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ º), a top dog (à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ©), every dog has its days ¼Ã… ½(à ¦Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ©Ã†â€™Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¦Ã…“†°Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¾-à ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦- ¶). Opposite to English, when to refer a person of dog, it usually means something bad in Chinese. For instance, the myth à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à ¥Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ´Ã… ¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ ½Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ ¿Ã†â€™ means mistaking a good person as bad guy. Most Chinese phrases about à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-are associated with derogatory connotations. It is reflected on the sayings like à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã… ½, à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à ¦Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¥Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ·Ã‚ ³Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¢Ã¢â€ž ¢, à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à ¤Ã‚ »-à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¥Ã…  Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ §Ã…  Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à §Ã…“ ¼Ãƒ §Ã…“†¹Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ½Ã… ½Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à ¥Ã‹Å" ´Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¨Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â€ž ¢. While Chinese say someone like a dog or à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à ¦Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ §Ã‚ , they are criticizing a person. No Chinese people would like to be called as a dog. T hus we must take special care while translating from English to Chinese. 3.2.3 Dragon(à ©Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â€ž ¢) Dragon is of commentary meaning in Chinese. According to the dictionary, dragon is a heroic animal of the ancient Chinese legend, the ancient symbol of the emperor (the authors translation) (à §Ã… ½Ã‚ °Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ±Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¯Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¼Ã…’816). Dragon is an imaginary animal in China. In Chinese culture dragon occupies a prominent position as it symbolizes auspiciousness, wealth, future and power. We Chinese people call ourselves as descendants of dragon(à ©Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ º). Parents hope their children can be useful and have a bright future like a dragon or a phoenix when they grow up. Ancient people also believed that the dragon was the king of the sea ¼Ã…’was an immortal. Therefore the dragon is always associated with water and heavens. On the contrary, dragon is a derogatory term in English. Though à ©Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â€ž ¢ and dragon are both an imaginary animal in China and western countries, they have different appearances. According to the dictionary, the dragon is a mythical monster like a giant reptile. In European tradition the dragon is typically fire-breathing and tends to symbolize chaos or evil (The New Oxford Dictionary of English.2001). Dragon is also considered to be a fierce person, esp. a woman. So obviously, the translator cant translate the dragon word directly from Chinese to English. It will make English people think that it is a curse. 3.3 Different Animal Words, Similar Connotations By the commonness of social lives and customs in China and English-speaking countries, people may use different animal words to represent similar connotations, especially in the idioms. For instance, à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ³Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ¤Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¬ has the same meaning of the black sheep of the family(à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ©Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ §Ã‚ ¾Ã…  ); à §Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ±Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã…  Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã…’ can be regarded as love me love my dog; English people would like to say like a rat in the hole to describe a person who is sure to win or troubles are easily to save. But in Chinese ,we prefer to employ à §Ã¢â‚¬Å" ®Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¦Ã…  Ã¢â‚¬Å"à ©Ã‚ ³-; To refer to hypocritical, in Chinese it would use à §Ã…’ «Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬Å" ­Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  . In English it would use the crocodile tears(à ©Ã‚ ³Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ±Ã‚ ¼Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ §Ã…“ ¼Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ª); Sell a pig in a poke has the same meaning as à ¦Ã…’‚à §Ã‚ ¾Ã…  Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ -à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-à ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã¢â‚¬ °. There is one more typical examination of this sort. HorseandOx Because of the difference of farming practices, horse and ox play the same role in China and Britain. They are the important instruments for farming, so horse and ox share some similarities in these two counties, even in other western counties. To refer to strong, in Chinese there are expressions like à ¥Ã…  Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ £Ã‚ ®Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¾-à ¥Ã†â€™Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ´Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬ º. In English, they are equal to as strong as a horse. Hardworking without complain, in Chinese, these person will be called à ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬ º(à §Ã‚ ½-à ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2010 ¼Ã… ¡2). While in English, they will be said as work like a horse or a willing horse. In other aspect, the man who tells lies would be called à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ §Ã… ¡Ã‚ ®. And he would be called talk horse in English. 4. The Translation of Animal Words in English and Chinese According to Columbia Encyclopedia, Translation is the art of recomposing a work in another language without losing its original flavor (Columbia, qtd. inà ¤Ã‚ »Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ³Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¦,2006:40). Our famous scholar Yan Fu defined the standards of the translation as faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance. Generally speaking, it is difficult for translators to translate a word individually without a sentence or a text. They should maintain the right meaning of the source language, and also follow the style of the original texts to keep the coherence of the source texts and the target texts. Translation is often compared to a bridge, which is not just between the source text and the target text but between the author of original text and the reader of the target text(à ¤Ã‚ »Ã‚ »Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ³Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¦,2006:40 41). The close relation between language and culture determines the close ties of translation and culture. Translation is not just about individual words. The cultural backgrounds and knowledge also play a major role in translation and restrict it. Therefore ¼Ã…’translation is one of intercultural communication activities. The words translation constructs the foundation of intercultural communication(the authors translation) (à §Ã‚ ¥Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ º,2003 ¼Ã… ¡21). 4.1 The Translation Strategy for animal words Sharing Similar Connotation Because the similar understanding of the same animal words in English and Chinese, the reader can easily get the right meaning of the words without the translators explanation. These animal words can be translated into other language directly. In other words, translators can use literal translation on animal words which share the same denotations or the similar connotation. Literal translation refers to translate a sentence originally, keeping the original forms, including construction of sentences, meaning of the original words and metaphor of the original and so on. It can not only reproduce the meaning and frame of language, but also keep its vivid image figure of speech and novel and unique expressive ways so that the readers can comprehend the origins literal grace(à ¤Ã‚ ½Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ , 2011). Here are some examples of using literal translation. There is an English sayings like water off a ducks back to describe a phenomena that the water couldnt stay in the ducks back and all slide off without any trail. It is used to criticize a person whom the suggestions have no effect on. Likewise, there is a same idiom in Chinese which has the same connotation à ¦Ã‚ °Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¨Ã†â€™Ã…’. Thus, translators can use literal translation on this saying. Because the image of the rat is timid and disgusting both in English and Chinese, the phrases A lion at home ¼Ã…’a mouse a broad and A rat crossing the street is chased by a11 can be directly translated to à ¥Ã…“ ¨Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ®Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‚ Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¥Ã…“ ¨Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤-à ¥Ã†â€™Ã‚ Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¼Ã‚   and à ¨Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¿Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ¡-à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ºÃƒ ¥-Ã…  Ãƒ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬Å". There are others animal words have similar connotations like black horse(à ©Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¬), as stupid as an ass(à §Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¾-à ¥Ã†â€™Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ´) and do not be a goose(à ¥Ã‹â€ Ã‚ «Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ½Ã¢â‚¬Å"à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ¢â‚¬  Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ´Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¦). The literal translation can not only express the same connotations of animal words, but also can remain the language style of the source text better. 4.2 The Translation Strategy for Animal Words Sharing Diverse Connotation It is a good choice to use the free translation to interpret animal words which have same denotations but different connotations in English and Chinese. Only to abandon the denotations can we guarantee that the cultural meaning would be accurately transferred. To take the typical example dragon. As we all know, dragon has a completely opposite images in Chinese and English. So, a Chinese phrase à ¦Ã…“†ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‚ Ãƒ ¦Ã‹â€ Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â€ž ¢ can not be translated literally into expect ones son to become a dragon. In order to avoid misunderstanding, the better translation is to expect ones son to become useful. Out of such consideration,à ¤Ã‚ ºÃ… ¡Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ²Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â€ž ¢ is properly interpreted as the four tigers of Asia ¼Ã… ½But in recent years, with the widespread of Chinese Dragon Culture, some scholars put forward that translator can translate à ©Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â€ž ¢ to Loong to reserve the Chinese cultural characteristic(à ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ ¨Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ ·Ã ¢â‚¬ËœÃƒ ¤Ã‚ ¾Ã‚  Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2008 ¼Ã… ¡2). In English, it has an acclaim like you are a lucky dog. But because of the different images of dog in English and Chinese, it will be considered as a curse when is translated to à ¤Ã‚ ½Ã‚  Ãƒ ¦Ã‹Å" ¯Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¦Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¦Ã‹Å"Ã… ½Ãƒ §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹-. If the connotations of one animal word is dissimilar even inconsistent in two languages, the better translation strategy is only to keep the connotation, in other words, to use the free translation. Thus, the sentence you are a lucky dog should be translated into à ¤Ã‚ ½Ã‚  Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¾Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ Ã‚ ªÃƒ ¦Ã‹Å"Ã… ½. 4.3 The Translation Strategy for Different Animal Words Sharing Similar Connotation On the basis of the analysis above, there exists a situation in which different animal words share the similar connotations in English and Chinese. This type of animal words can be substituted by each other. While translating, the translator just needs to find the matched animal words or some idioms to replace it. These are some translation instances from English to Chinese. As the analysis above, the connotations of the lion and tiger are similar. As the result, to place oneself in a lions mouth can be translated to à §Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ®Ãƒ ¨Ã‚ ºÃ‚ «Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã… ½Ãƒ §Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ´. Meanwhile, we would better translate the English idiom kill the goose that laid the golden eggs to à ¦Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ -à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ µ rather than à ¦Ã‚ Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ -à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚ µ. Beside, it seems no mistake to translate the phrase better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion to à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ §Ã…  Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¦-,à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ½Ã…“à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ®Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¾. Bu t the Chinese may dont understand the connotation of this translation. In addition, a Chinese saying à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ©Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ¤Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¾ shares the similar meaning with this phrase. Alternatively, we could use à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ©Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ ´Ã‚ ¼Ã…’à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ¤Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¾ to replace the translation of à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ºÃƒ §Ã…  Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¦-,à ¤Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ½Ã…“à §Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ã‚ ®Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ °Ã‚ ¾ in this phrase. The English to wake a sleeping wolf and the Chinese à ¦Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬Å"à ¨Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ ¦Ã†â€™Ã…  Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ¢â‚¬ ¡ both express the inadvertently action making the others awareness and prevention. In this way, these two phrases can interconvert while translating. The purpose of translation is to maintain the cultural meanings of the source texts. It is not suitable to use literal translation or free translation to translate animal words which different ones stand for similar connotation. It is easily to confuse and mislead the readers. The author thinks that the best translation strategy for these animal words is to use the similar connotation words of the target language to substitute the original animal word in source text. It is better to maintain the connotation and the language characteristic of source text as well. 5. Conclusion Animal words contain lots of connotations which are relied on peoples living environment, religion and the animals appearances. Since the close relation between human being and animals, and the various connotations of animal words in English and Chinese, it is really necessary to know the exact meaning of animal words to guarantee intercultural communication go on smoothly. The translation is one important intercultural communication activity. After analyzing animal words connotations, the writer finds that animal words can be divided into three categories according to their own connotation feature. Each group of animal words is suitable for one translation strategy. Translation in English and Chinese, translators can use the literal translation for the same animal words referring to similar meaning, and use the free translation for same animal words referring to different meaning. In addition, translators can use the same meaning animal words to replace when different words share si milar meaning. But this mode is not stationary, the translators must be flexible, they should find the right connotation in the source text based on the writers intention. A successful translation is to express the deep meaning of the source texts through analyzing the whole texts, instead of studying on the surface. By the limited scope of knowledge of the author and insufficient time, this paper just talks about a minimal part of the study of animal words and refers to only three major translation strategies. There are more animal words which cannot be listed and discussed here one by one. But the author hopes this thesis can be helpful for the further research of animal words.

insurance law Essay -- essays research papers

The Nature of Insurance came about to offset any loss that an individual or those engaged in business may suffer through the occurrence of some unforeseen event. To offset this loss the commercial world developed the contract of insurance. In return for a fee the individual, or the business enterprise, would be indemnified for the loss suffered on the occurrence of the event insured against. Contracts of insurance cover a wide field such as life assurance, personal accident public liability, damage to property and general liability insurance. A contract of insurance is a contract whereby one party, called the insurer, agrees in return for a payment called the premium to pay a sum of money to another, called the insured, on the occurrence of a certain event, or to indemnify the insured against the loss caused by the risk which is insured against. Policies of insurance are of two broad types: life assurance, which insures against an event that must happen, namely, death; and liability insurance, which insures against events that may happen. A contract of insurance may be in any form, such as by deed, in writing, or verbal. In practice such a contract is embodied in a written document called a policy, which expressly states all the terms of the contract. Three elements are essential to an insurance contract: (a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  consideration must pass to the Insurer. This usually takes the form of periodic payments, called premiums; (b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  there must be some degree of uncertainty as to whether the event insured against will happen, or if it is bound to happen, as to when it will happen (c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the event, if or when it happens, must be adverse to the interest of the insured. Insurance business in Ireland is carried on principally by registered friendly societies, which deal in life assurance and are governed by the Friendly Societies Acts 1909-1989. Both statutes attempt to provide some supervision by the state so as to safeguard the interest of policy holders. Insurance companies must hold a licence, maintain a bond with the High court and make annual returns. The usual procedure for a party seeking insurance is to first complete a proposal form and submit it to the insurers. Where the proposal form is rejected that is the end of the matter and there is no contract. The insurer is not ... ...Dodgem Insurance are therefore only required to pay Chandler at most  £150,000 even though the cost might be more. The policy taken out by Joey will in no way effect the policy Chandler has taking out with Dodgem Insurance Ltd. The two Insurance companies will be required to each pay an appropriate percentage of the claim. Chandler is not entitled to any contribution from Central Perk Insurance as this policy was taking out by Dodgem Ltd and is a general contents policy. Dodgem Insurance will receive a relevant payout for any damage done to the general contents on their section of Castle View i.e. the ground floor. Even though Chandler neglected to mention that Castle View has a thatched roof, he is covered by Section 18 (3) of the Marine Insurance Act 1906 (b) i.e. Any circumstance that is known or presumed known to the insurer. The insurer is presumed to know matters or common notoriety or knowledge, and matters, which an insurer in the ordinary course of his business as such ought to know. Chandler may have presumed that because Dodgem Insurance Ltd are located in the same building that he is insuring that they will have taking the fact that it has a thatched roof into account.

home school Essay -- essays research papers

Home schooling is another way for a child to receive his or her education. It is one of many alternatives to regular schooling (classrooms and schools). It is the oldest alternatives to regular schooling and one of the most effective. There are many true stories proving that home schooling is an effective and often successful way to teach you child. But first lets talk about home schooling began in the U.S. Home schooling started in colonial America, (around 1777 to 1783) for most colonial homes, home schooling was the only thing available. According to the Texas home school coalition, our founding fathers had a strong conviction that children should be able to read for the very important reason of reading the Bible for the spiritual benefits and truth it contained (Texas home school coalition 1997). Sometimes parents would hire a tutor to teach their children subjects in which they did not feel qualified (Texas home school coalition 1997). It wasn’t till later that education developed into religious training in the universities in the Ivy League. These universities were strictly there to train ministers. According to the THSC (Texas Home School Coalition), the entrance requirements often included being able to read and translate Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. Eventually, communities and states began to establish schools funded by the government however, these schools still had a strong religious up bringing. Home schooling has been around for a long time. But most people won’t know the steps it takes to successfully home school a child. But, to fully understand these steps one must first learn the basics of home schooling. Home schooling means to teach or be taught at home. Home schooling is to teach children at home, or be taught at home rather than in the public school system, using an approved curriculum. Of course the parents have to have a degree to teach their children (except in New Jersey). According to the New Jersey Education laws all high schools in New Jersey will accept students who were taught by their parents. The parents have to bring proof of the child’s progress and the names of the textbooks the child has used (NJ Education Laws 1). I do not think many colleges can accept students that went through home schooling at a high school level. These laws differ from state to state. California's Department of Education maintains that you can't hom... ...com. 2002 30 Mar. 2003 Rasicot, Julie. â€Å"College without a campus.† Good Housekeeping. Sep. 1997: p156 Academic search premier. EBSCOhost. Middlesex County College Library, Edison. 20 Mar. 2003 Texas home schooling coalition. â€Å"A home school history lesson.† Texas Home Schooling Coalition. 1997 3 Apr. 2003 Kendler, KS. â€Å"Social Phobia† Psychology Today. 1995 3 Apr. 2003 Wilkes, Byron. â€Å"If all you have is a hammer†¦can you build a solid foundation for your child’s learning?† The Old House. 2000-2003 Hallowell, Edward M. â€Å"What I’ve learned from ADD.† Psychology Today. May/Jun 97 15 Apr. 2003 Ray, Brian D. â€Å"Home Schooling: The Ameliorator of Negative Influences on Learning?† PJE: Peabody Journal of Education. 2000 Academic search premier. EBSCOhost. Middlesex County College Library, Edison. 15 Apr. 2003 New York Education laws. â€Å"NY education code for homeschooling.† Gomilpitas.com. 2002 16 Apr. 2003 California’s Education laws. â€Å"NY education code for homeschooling.† Gomilpitas.com. 2002 16 Apr. 2003 Bruner, Kimberly. â€Å"Homeschooling: A natural.† Countryside & Small Stock Journal. 2001 Academic search premier. EBSCOhost. Middlesex County College Library, Edison. 15 Apr. 2003

Collaborative Working †Case Study Essay

The aim of this essay is to examine the significance of collaborative working to achieve positive outcomes for service users. â€Å"Collaboration is a dynamic inter-professional process which two or more professionals make a commitment to solve problems and to learn from each other in order to accomplish identified goals, purposes or outcomes† (Hamric, Spross and Hanson, 2000, p.318). Since the publication of Every Child Matters (2004), social care, health, voluntary sectors and other children’s services have been joining forces to work more collaboratively around an early intervention and preventative agenda (Department for Education and Skills, 2004). This essay will focus on the National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP) and by drawing on the author’s experiences as a Nursery Nurse in the School Nursing team it will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required for successful implementation of this service and how to promote seamless working. The NCMP was established in 2005 and involves weighing and measuring all eligible children aged 4-5 years and 10-11 years. Research shows that it is difficult to visually tell if a child is overweight, which is why an objective measure if essential (Department of Health, 2012). The data gathered provides a picture about how children are growing nationally, therefore this information is used by the NHS to plan and provide better health services for children (NHS Choices, 2012). According to the NHS Information Centre (2010) one in four, 4-5 year olds, are overweight or obese; furthermore, these rates are higher among some black and minority ethnic communities and lower socio-econo mic groups. Although the Primary Care Trust (PCT) oversee the delivery of the programme effective partnership working is essential, therefore this essay will explore what partnerships are required and the factors that facilitate or hinder collaborative working in this area of work. Finally, this report will provide evidence from literature and published papers to support the identified barriers and benefits of collaborative working throughout this process. Setting The School Nursing team comprises of a range of skill mix which consists of a Head of Service, one team leader, seven School Nurses, five of which have obtained the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse qualification (Degree or Masters Degree) and three Nursery Nurses evenly spread in three different localities around the City. The team covers fifty two Primary Schools and ten Secondary Schools, mainly in the inner City but also in the rural surrounding areas, therefore an extremely diverse region with varying socio-economic backgrounds. This City has a very large Asian population, however recently there has been an increase in Eastern European, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese and travellers all presenting a multitude of cultures, values and beliefs. Measuring the children takes place in the school setting. Each individual school will be contacted to arrange a suitable date and time as well as organising a private area with adequate space for the ease of measuring and comfort for the children. Every school in this district has its individuality, not only do they vary in size but numerous schools have a large proportion of pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). There three special needs schools, furthermore schools with varying socio-economic backgrounds such as families experiencing poverty within the inner city and in contrast more affluent areas where the school attainment is generally higher. Knowledge and Skills of the Health Professional in the Setting The Knowledge and skills discussed in this section relate to the author’s role as a Nursery Nurse within the School Nursing Team and the planning, implementation and follow-up work required for the growth measurements of all eligible Reception and Yr 6 children as required by the Governments National Childhood Measurement Programme (NCMP). The skills required for successful delivery of this program not only depend on accurate weighing and measuring children but several other elements such as engaging with various professionals, inputting data, maximising the effective delivery of the program which is dependent on excellent communication skills, administration management, IT skills and clinical knowledge. These skills are required from the very beginning at the planning stage; high-quality organisational skills are essential when planning and booking in the measurement sessions with the schools. The Nursery Nurse requires good organisational skills as it is her responsibility to organise the logistics of these sessions; by liaising with the School Nurses a timetable is generated to complete the programme over the year, ensuring there is sufficient staff available for each school. Following this, the Nursery Nurse will contact all the Primary Schools to book in the sessions, good communication skills are necessary to request a suitable room to maintain the privacy and dignity of the children and ensure the session creates as little disruption as possible to the educatio n of the children. Generally, the booking is made with either the School Secretary or the Head Teacher who then cascades this information to the relevant teachers and staff. It is crucial to acquire the knowledge and understanding of the NCMP protocol regarding consent and confidentiality. Parents and children are issued with information prior to the session, subsequently the NCMP operate an opt-out basis, and therefore the parents are given the opportunity to withdraw (Department of Health, 2011). The refusal notification is sent to the Child Health Department who then records this on the specific child’s medical record; therefore communication and information sharing skills are essential for this to be implemented successfully. It is paramount to respect the parent’s choice to refuse and ensure that no pressure is placed on the family to participate (Schwab and Gelfman, 2001), by possessing the knowledge of the ethical considerations of children will assist situations where a child decides they would not like to be measured. According to Lord Scarman, children have the right to make their own decisions when they reach sufficient understan ding and intelligence to be capable of making up their own mind (Children’s Legal Centre, 1985). Annual training is mandatory which ensures competency in the accurate measurement of children to obtain reliable results. It is the Nursery Nurses responsibility to supply the relevant equipment to the sessions ensuring that the height measure is complete, clean and in good working order, furthermore the scales are required to be calibrated as required by the trusts policy therefore good time management and organisational skills are beneficial. Upon arrival, the school will direct the team to a suitable area to perform the growth checks and notify the relevant staff members of our arrival. The team normally consists of a School Nurse and two Nursery Nurses, however if the School Nurse has been requested to attend a Safeguarding issue then the Nursery Nurses will complete the task, so having the ability to adapt to different situations is fundamental. Being able to work as part of a team as well as work independently is a major requirement not only to this particular task but working within the School Nursing team in general. Normally the School Nurse will discuss the process with the class teacher and then talk to the children, explaining what will happen and that the measurements will be confidential and not shared with teachers or other children, furthermore any concerns they have will be addressed. However, if the School Nurse is not in attendance the Nursery Nurse will complete this task, therefore excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills (Philippot, Feldman and Coats, 2003), empathy and an understanding on how to reduce anxiety is imperative to ease any worries or concerns. Knowledge of the health implications from being overweight or obese would be beneficial, furthermore a general knowledge of how to achieve a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet and regular exercise would be necessary to provide advice if requested. Accurate recording of the measurements is paramount and knowledge of the correct procedure for information sharing is imperative. The trust adheres to the Data Protection Act (1998) furthermore to keep up to date with this information and gain the relevant knowledge, Information Governance training is completed annually. Normally the School Nurse will input the information onto each child’s medical record and send the records off to the Child Health Department via secure internal mail, however according to the trusts policy it is compulsory for the information to be inputted within 24 hours after the measurements have been taken. As School Nurses have more medical responsibilities they might ask the Nursery Nurse to complete this task therefore good IT skills to input accurate and concise information is essential as well as the ability to prioritise workload according to the needs of the project are essential. The final component of this process is responding to calls from parents after they have received the results letters from the NCMP department. Excellent communication skills and being able to calm a conversation if the parent gets upset, angry or has taken offense to the information in the letter is vital (Whitaker and Fiore, 2001). Additionally, it is important to understand the implications of different cultures and the impact they may have on diet and size of children. Knowledge of the programs of support available will enable the Nursery Nurse to advise the parents so they can seek the relevant help and support not only for their child but for the whole family. Obtaining this extensive knowledge is fundamental to ensuring that parent’s receives the correct information, help and support to contribute to understanding the necessity of healthy lifestyles for the long-term well-being of their child. Finally, it is important for the Nursery Nurse to refer any concerns or compla ints to the named School Nurse who will then either contact the parent or report the situation to the specific organisation (Lynn, 2010). There is a plethora of professional’s whom the Nursery Nurse may collaborate with throughout the NCMP process, several of which will be liaised with on a regular basis, such as the one’s named above. HHHnnjjjnjnjnslfjfljjjfieiedddeeergggggeeee333e3e3owever, further interagency working may be required to meet the needs of the children and families, these may include Dietician, Paediatrician, Social Workers, Leisure Centre Staff and MoreLife Weight Management staff. Legislation Legislation has the impetus for collaborative working, transformation in the structure and delivery of services for children and young people initiated new alliances between statutory, public and voluntary agencies (Children Act, 2004). There are numerous Government and Local policies stating the importance of implementing interagency, partnership or collaborative working and that practitioners are required to work more closely together and form integrated teams around children and families (Department for Children, School and Families, 2007). The Governments green paper, Every Child Matters (2004) emphasised that for each child to fulfil their potential there must be a greater deal of co-operation, not only between government agencies but schools, GP’s, sports organisations and voluntary sectors. To help meet the Government strategy of multi-agency collaboration, the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge (HM Government, 2006) was introduced to work alongside the Every Child Mat ters agenda. This emphasised six areas of expertise that are expected to be put into practice by all practitioners who work with children and families. Factors that facilitate or hinder collaborative working Collaborative working is a complex and multi-faceted concept, the Latin translation â€Å"together in Labour† signifies that to meet the individual needs of children and families, successful joint working between services in a more streamlined way is required. However, although collaborative working is regarded as desirable, nevertheless, it is difficult to attain. When the NCMP was established in 2005 the PCT set up a NCMP agency to oversee the programme with joint working with the School Nursing service, therefore clarity of the aims and objectives were to be recognised and understood by all parties for this programme to be successful (Denman, 2002). Lack of formal structure and agreed outcomes may cause confusion and can result in blaming others for inaction and lack of progress (Cameron et al, 2009), therefore clarity of roles and expectation were defined by producing a clear and comprehensive policy based upon the shared vision of all organisations (Rushmer and Pallis, 2002). The Children Act (2004) gives all statutory partners wide powers to pool their budgets in pursuit of improved outcomes for children, furthermore sharing resources reduces cost and prevents unnecessary duplication of work (Atwal and Caldwell, 2005). However, time constraints due to other work commitments by the School Nursing team make it difficult to achieve the 85% participation rate (NMCP, 2012) particularly when children are absent and parents or children refuse. This may cause conflict due to NCMP’s ignorance of the School Nursing complex role and other significant priorities such a safeguarding (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2010). Working in partnership with Schools is essential for the successful delivery of the programme, maintaining high participation rates by pupils and robustness of data (NCMP, 2012). A good system of communication and information sharing is required to book a convenient date and time to complete the measurements which will enable smooth running of the program with little interruption to the teachers or pupils (Integrated Care Network, 2003). Howeve r, when office staff fails to relay this information to the relevant teachers disruption to class activities, failure to provide suitable facilities and time constraints may occur which impact on the quality of service provided to the children. Factors that aid multi-agency working between schools and health services are willingness to work together, acknowledgement of professional differences, mutual respect and sharing a common purpose. Overall, the collaboration between the schools and School Nursing team is extremely good. However, occasionally conflict of interest may occur when teachers see the measurement programme as an interruption to education rather than acknowledging that children’s health status is related to their ability to learn and that children with unmet health needs have difficulties in engaging in the education process (Board et al, 2011). Therefore, creating a common purpose and employing a whole system approach (Miles and Trott, 2011) will facilitate ea rly intervention for childhood obesity will reduce health implications such as diabetes and heart disease, improve self-esteem and enhance well-being which contributes to better educational achievement. Therefore, mutual respect for each profession is paramount for successful collaboration and better outcomes for children. The Child Health Department works closely with the NCMP, School Nursing team, schools, parents and other professional bodies. Their main responsibility during the NCMP process is distribution of information to parents to explain the purpose of the programme and give parents the opportunity to withdraw. This information is recorded onto each child’s medical record and then highlighted on the lists issued to the School Nurses prior to the sessions. If the withdrawal of consent is not forwarded to the School Nurse in time for the session, then errors may occur, leading to legal and ethical issues, therefore to facilitate collaborative working improved communication and improved information sharing is vital for co-ordinating safe provision of care (Samuel, 2011). It is also the responsibility of Child Health to input the data onto each of the children’s medical record, however due to the NCMP agency possessing a different IT systems this task is duplicated therefore integrated services are hindered (Atwal and Caldwell, 2005). Within the School Nursing team roles and responsibilities are established, the School Nurse takes the lead role in the programme, however the Nursery Nurse will ensure that all the necessary equipment and paper work is present, both will perform the accurate weighing and measuring and recording of the data. According to Rushmer and Pallis (2002) positive joint working relies upon the merging of skills, knowledge and expertise from different professional hierarchies and reliance on team members can contribute to positive attitudes to other professionals. Dilemmas arise when there is a shortage of staff due to staff turnover, lack of trained staff to perform the task or competing priorities which may result in poor staff morale and impact on the accuracy of the task (Maguire and Trustcott, 2006). Furthermore, challenges may occur when there are status issues and blurring of professional boundaries, according to Wall (1998) when staff operates outside their area of expertise there will be loss of efficiency. The author recognises her role in the NCMP process; therefore any queries will be referred to the named School Nurse to respond to. Health and Clinical Excellence, NICE (2006) and Cochrane Collaboration (Summerbell et al, 2005) state there is an urgent need for evidence of effective strategies for reducing childhood obesity, therefore annual weighing and measuring data collected can be shared at National and Local levels to analyse the efficacy of the regional weight management programmes to receive continued funding to sustain the initiative to provide better health services for children (NHS Choices, 2012). Parents will be provided with feedback of their child’s weight status from the NCMP, effective information sharing raise awareness of potential associated health risks and provides parents with the opportunity to seek advice and support if they choose to (NCMP, 2012). However, complications arise when policies and guidelines differ; the School Nursing team employ a different guideline to the NCMP resulting in complex telephone conversations regarding the letter sent by the NCMP stating their child is overweight. Subsequently, for competent collaboration to exist, clarity of referral criteria’s is needed to be standardised across boundaries (NICE, 2013). The Laming Report (2009) stated a need for significant shifts in working relationships between schools, health services and parents and engaging with parents to enabling them to feel valued and encourage decision making will engage parent participation which is essential for positive outcomes to be achieved (Every Child Matters, 2004). Parents are important influences on children’s eating and physical activity behaviour (Golan, 2006) therefore collaboration with parents is vital (Whitaker et al, 1997). School based interventions such as MoreLife are effective when the whole family participate, furthermore NICE Clinical guideline 43 (2006) states that school based interventions engage families regardless of socio-economic status, cultural background and ethnicity, this is evident with the number of participants for this weight management programme in this diverse region. In contrast, barriers may occur with the lack of partnership working, power struggles, lack of commitment an d lack of equal representation, these will decrease opportunities for working together, therefore creating a shared responsibility to reduce obesity will increase the health outcomes for children. Multi disciplinary team work will identify children at risk from obesity and promote quicker and easy access to services (ECM, 2004). Additionally, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) can be shared between practitioners to refer children to appropriate services, promote information sharing and reduce duplication of and streamline assessments (CAF, 2012). However, collaboration with other professionals can be hampered when there are variations in working conditions, such as the School Nursing team and Schools working on term time only contracts. Furthermore many GP’s and Paediatricians have a professional hierarchy and delegate work to other agencies which in turn may have an effect on job satisfaction. Conversely, working with other professionals can be rewarding, stimulating, improve working relationships and increase knowledge and understanding of specialist practitioners.