Everybody knows that can be one of the most fantastic experiences you can have in your life.

Three days ago, one of my students came back from a memorable, intensive course to learn Italian in Florence.

We crossed each other on campus while I was walking to teach a Level I class. She was radiant and fashionably dressed in unmistakably Italian clothes. Claudia, in her forties, looked ten years younger.

With curiosity, I asked her how it went in Italy. I have to clarify here that she took all three Italian levels that I teach at the University of Houston in the Accelerated Foreign Language Program. And that she was ready and confident to study for two weeks in Florence in a “total immersion” program designed for learning and practicing Italian day and night.

She started to tell me what an incredible time she had. Unfortunately, we could only chat in fluent Italian for a few minutes before I had to get to class. We agreed to meet again so she could tell me more of her adventures in this famous Italian city.

Yesterday we finally had the opportunity to lunch together, and she gave me a good overview of her experience in Florence. I appreciated her new Italian accent. It was outstanding and well above my expectations.

I have already experienced several methodologies used to ease students into absorbing and integrating a new language, but I was fascinated by her enthusiasm for the way it is done at her school in Florence. With her eagerness and my curiosity, we could have talked for hours and hours.

The course in Italy is designed to integrate fun and exciting adventures into the learning process. Shopping, dancing, eating and discovering unique parts of the city are all activities in a well-designed program. I was admiring the creators of the course for their capability to combine study and everyday life in such an impeccable, harmonious balance.

Italians are known for being great teachers. Creativity and beauty make them famous all around the world. On top of that, the charming environment of Florence and the Italian people themselves make, without a doubt, learning an unforgettable experience.

Here in Houston at the Accelerated Foreign Language Department, we use a unique way to learn new languages that is ideally suited to adult learners. This method employs the best teaching practices with whole-brain learning theory to maximize each individual’s learning style. Our system is a combination of accelerated “tools” where we recreate the way Italians learn to speak naturally from the time they are born. We try to make the student feel like they are actually in Italy.

In Italy, the method is similar, but with the great advantage that there is no need to recreate being in Italy. You are in Italy. And all around you, everyone speaks Italian, from teachers and staff to neighbors and shopkeepers.

The experience is real and complete. And…very effective.

Sergio Tamburri
Italian Instructor
Accelerated Foreign Language Department
University of Houston
Learn Italian Now!

Early in the process of writing, every writer will need to make a decision — what person to write in?

Traditionally, English grammar has divided references to people into three categories, to refer to I, you, and he or she. The first person is I, me, my, we, our, and so on. The second person is you and your. The third person is he, she, they, their, his, hers, him, her, and so on.

However, most writing tasks are written in either first or third person. Instructional and how-to type writing can be written in second person and some fiction — although rarely.

How does a writer decide which person is right for their writing task?

For many writers, the first and only criteria used is comfort and experience. As most of our oral communication takes place in the first person and much informal written communication is in first person, many people are just more comfortable writing in first person.

However that doesn’t mean that first person is the ideal choice for that particular writing task.

First person is a great choice when you intend to write informally or casually. Even if the task itself is actually for a formal or professional purpose, you may deliberately choose a casual tone. Then first person is the right choice.

First person is also a wonderful choice when writing about personal experience. If you are sharing a story about your life or an event that you witnessed then many times it is more powerful written in first person. The writer is a part of the story and it is important for the reader to know that so first person is the right choice here as well.

There are many times, though, when third person really is the better choice. In fact, many academic and professional situations require it as first person is more casual and informal.

The biggest reason to move from first to third person is simply that third person takes the writer (the “I”) out of the writing which places the emphasis on what is being said rather than who is saying it.

It creates a sense of more objectivity and distancethe writer’s feelings and personality are peripheral to an argument’s validitythe facts are allowed to speak for themselves.

Writing in third person is also stronger and more forceful therefore is often more convincing. Often the “I” statement weakens an argument or statement.

Often first person is unnecessary ie. I think [most students do not need algebra]. Many of the first-person elements (I think, I believe,I know, etc.) often simply weaken or bog down the writing for no purpose. Taking those out to make the switch to third person can make the writing stronger and more powerful.

If you want to learn and grow as a writer then you must experiment and gain experience using both first and third person. That way you will make the choice based on the purpose of your writing not simply your comfort level.

Deanna Mascle is the publisher of Word Craft Online. You can read more writing advice in her writing blog.

How to get a lot of traffic to your website FREE? Writing articles. This is one of most cost effective way to promote your website - it saves you a lot of money, in the meantime, you get a lot of valuable visitors. The following are a few tips for your reference.

1. Submit them to e-zines and web sites for publishing.
Include your resource box at the end of the article to get
free advertising.

2. Combine your articles into a free e-book. You can place
your business ad in the e-book. Give it away to visitors and
allow them to do the same to multiply your advertising.

3. Create an article directory on your web site. People will
visit your web site to get the free information.

4. Submit your articles to print publications that pay for
submissions. You can make extra income getting paid as
a freelance writer.

5. Combine a few of your articles together into a free report.
Give away the free report as a bonus for buying your main
product or service.

6. Publish a book with all your articles. Make extra money
selling the book from your web site.

7. Give people an instant article directory. Tell visitors they
can instantly add a free article directory to their web site
by linking to yours. All those links can add up to a large
amount of traffic to your web site.

8. Post your articles in related online communities. This can
give you free advertising in newsgroups, forums and e-mail
discussion lists.

9. Allow people to include your articles in their free e-books.
Your article could end up being in 20 to 30 e-books in no
time. You won’t even have to promote the e-books.

10. Let people access your articles by autorepsonder.
Include your full page e-mail ad with the article.

———————————————————
Julia Tang publishes “Smart Online Business Tips”, a fresh
and informative newsletter dedicated to supporting people
like you. To find out the best online business opportunities,
to discover hundreds more proven and practical internet
marketing secrets, plus FREE internet marketing products
worth over $200, visit: http://www.best-internet-businesses.com
———————————————————-

Missing any markets lately? That’s a good question to ask
yourself if you’ve never given much thought to the disabled.
I’m sorry to admit that I really hadn’t, until a client gave me
directions to include a TTY telephone number (for the hearing
disabled) in a B2B print ad.

It’s worth considering that the Internet is a liberating tool
for many disabled, and that the disabled could be a
significant market for your goods and services. According
to a spokesman for the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web
Accessibility Initiative, these people make up some 8 to 10
percent of the Web-surfing population.
That’s a big market to ignore!

In some camps, most notably the non-profit sector, Web page
designers are beginning to design for easier access and
navigation by the disabled. They’re taking into account
vision problems, and motor skills problems. And they’re
making their software compatible for the text readers and
Braille translators used by the blind.

Another market that may be somewhat invisible to American
e-marketers is not a group per se, but an entire country: Canada.

In the Letters to the Editor section of Business 2.0, a Canadian
IT professional complained that he is forever responding to
U.S. ads that push him to their Web sites. Yet when he goes
there and attempts to register, the site requires his “state” and
“zip code.” Not good especially when you consider that per
capita, Canada has a history of having more people online than
the United States!

So whatever your product or service, think for a moment whether
you’re pulling in the disabled, or pushing them away. And a few
tweaks to your Web site might just increase leads and sales from
our fine neighbors to the North.

About the Author

A veteran freelancer and award-winning copywriter, Chris Marlow
offers business coaching to new, aspiring, and seasoned business
freelancers who want to accelerate their success. She can be
reached via http://www.TheCopywritersCoach.com or via email
chris@chrismarlow.com. Publishers please respond to:
jr-manager-thecopywriterscoach@earthlink.net
© Chris Marlow, 2004 All rights reserved.