Galimatias Blog

Christmas greetings

To begin with, what is the correct greeting or congratulations for this period?

The traditional greeting is “Merry Christmas! (and a Happy New Year). However, in some places, for example the United States, this is considered perhaps too Christian-centric and “Happy Holidays” is used instead. This also covers the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah which occurs around the same period. Another neutral term could be “ Wishing you a good festive period”.

In most English-speaking countries “Merry Christmas” is by far the most popular and you will find it everywhere.

Aiheet: xmas, happy holidays, christmas, merry christmas, christmas greetings, the 26th of December, the 24th of December, the 25th of December, christmas in the english speaking world

Tässä blogissa käsittelemme aina ajankohtaista aihetta: sähköpostin kirjoittaminen englanniksi. Miten aloitan englanninkielisen viestin, entä miten lopetan sen?

Vastapuolen kunnioittaminen on englannin kielisessä viestinnässä huomattavasti tärkeämpää kuin suomalaisessa. Kohteliaisuuteen liittyvät aiheet sekä tittelit ovatkin tärkeä osa englannin kielen oppimista ja englanninkielistä kommunikaatiota.

Aiheet: koulutus, englanti, English language, kohtelias sähköpostiviestintä englanniksi, Miten aloitan englanninkielisen sähköpostiviestin, polite emails, miten lopetan englanninkielisen sähköpostiviestin, sähköposti, emailing in English, koulutus sähköposti englanniksi, englanniksi, miten kirjoitan sähköpostin englanniksi

Finnish summer traditions are very special. Sometimes so special it’s hard to describe them to outsiders in English. How can you find the exact words for traditional Finnish things such as:
Lonkero, tynnyrisauna, vihta, mäkäräinen, kassler, mölkky, talkoot, löyly?

Aiheet: summer, Finnish summer, Mosquitos, sauna, barbecue food, learn English

Using social media in English is becoming more and more important in Finnish working life. Social media feeds in English are used in Finland to publicise events, reports, carry out positive marketing, open recruitment, and also interact and build networks nationally and internationally.

Aiheet: English language, events, call to action, publications, social media, politically correct, reports, good news, promotions

In the USA and the UK there are of course many internal accents and even dialects. However, there are some standard differences between American pronunciation and British pronunciation. It can be good to know the difference and when each is used. Which variety do you prefer?

Aiheet: British English, American English, English pronunciation, wordstress

A good way to make your English livelier and improve your public speaking skills is to emphasise the keywords in an English sentence. This will really make them stand out and sound far more fluent and close to native. This can be challenging for Finns who sometimes sound a little flat when speaking English. This is usually due to using Finnish stress patterns when speaking English. However just learning a little about English stress and putting a few points into practice can make a big difference.

Aiheet: English language, English pronunciation, wordstress, StandOut, Make a good impression, Be more fluent

In English ”scene, scheme, and scenario” are three very common business words. Unfortunately, they also have a very tricky pronunciation pattern. Over the years I have heard many otherwise fluent Finns come unstuck on the horror trinity of ”scene, scheme, and scenario”. However, help is at hand if some key pronunciation rules are followed…

English pronunciation can indeed feel like chaos – but don’t despair, there is some method in the madness!
Let Galimatias show you how…

Aiheet: ääntäminen, English, pronunciation, English language, quiz, English pronunciation, key rules

On Tuesday, November 3 the United States will hold its elections. These will elect not only the president but also members of the Senate, the House of Representatives, thousands of state officials across the country and decide hundreds of local referendums.
The American electoral system differs from Finnish system in almost every single aspect and can be confusing.

Aiheet: us election, 2020 United States presidential election, trump vs biden, new president, your vote counts, every vote counts

With the pandemic having such a strong influence on people’s lives all over the world, it can feel important to mention this in emails with international partners. You may feel that you wish to show your concern and good wishes towards your clients or colleagues when writing in English. How can you do this in a caring but also business like way?

Aiheet: English, keep safe, take care, Yours from afar, see you soon, showing care, pandemic, keep in touch, keep well

The coronavirus pandemic has brought not only serious disruption and change to countries across the world but also a new range of terminology to help describe the disease and its effects.The epidemic will not be under control until there is at least a working vaccine. In this blog you have the chance to revise your English vocabulary related to this current matter.

Aiheet: English, English language, covid-19, korona, pandemic vocabulary