All Engineering Centre for Languages & Inter-Communication courses

This intensive course is designed for students who have very limited or no previous knowledge of British Sign Language (BSL). The course aims to enable students to understand and use BSL effectively for purposes of practical communication with deaf or hard of hearing people, to develop understanding of the BSL sentence syntax and to learn more about a Deaf Culture.

• If you are not sure whether this course suits your proficiency level, please contact the instructor for more information (fyh20@cam.ac.uk).

The course uses "Chinese in Steps", a series of textbooks developed within SOAS Language Centre. Communicative context, with videos, audio, texts and conversation. Exact content will be decided with students.

Introductory course to Chinese. This course is for those with no previous knowledge of Chinese. Communicative context, with videos, audio, texts and conversation.

“Pronouncing someone’s name correctly can make people feel valued, honoured and respected — and mispronouncing their name creates real problems.” Gerardo Ochoa

This session will explore Chinese names. How to pronounce them. What it says about the person. The stories behind names. The focus will be on pronunciation but you will also be welcome to share your own experience and tell your stories.

Intermediate intensive course of Chinese.

We will focus on how to overcome listening difficulties using authentic video and audio Engineering scenarios.

• NB. Please read ATTENDANCE section below before signing up for this course.

We will focus on refining participants' language for correspondence, focusing on native-speakers norms and choice of words as well as register for formal versus casual correspondence

• NB. Please read the Attendance section below before signing up for this course.

Maximise your supervisions, as students and/or supervisors, by discussing the language, structure and style of effective Cambridge supervisions.

• NB. Please read ATTENDANCE section below before signing up for this course.

Come to this talk on Cambridge to find out more about the city's past and present and understand the context in which you live. Bring your questions.

Living in Britain

This online seminar focuses on any questions participants may have about aspects of living in Britain that are of particular interest to them, whether cultural, intercultural, historical or social.

It discusses practical everyday issues that participants may already have encountered, both within the University environment and in the wider community, and also possible situations that they may be concerned about dealing with in the future.

This is a very relaxed and informal seminar which will be conducted on a Q+A basis, and participants should email their questions or areas of interest in advance to Sheila Dodds (smd48@cam.ac.uk).

• NB. Please read the Attendance section below before signing up for this course.
• Delivery format (online or in person) to be confirmed.

Discover a bit more of Cambridge each term. Meet a member of our English team in CLIC and then take a guided walk to learn about different aspects of the city.

The Diversity Fresco is a collective intelligence workshop that allows participants to experiment with the cognitive mechanisms at work when it comes to discrimination, to discover approaches aimed at reducing it, to debate their scope and their limits, while acquiring a common vocabulary to engage in constructive dialogue and bring about a more inclusive and peaceful society.

Please follow this link for more information: https://fresquedeladiversite.org/en/

Please arrive 5-10 minutes early so the workshop can start at exactly 9.30am. There will be refreshments before and during the event and a sandwich lunch after.

• Intro to the Falling Walls concept. Review of rules of the competition.

• Vocal delivery, body language tips. Key linguistic strategies.

• Opportunity to present (draft presentation) to practice the skills mentioned during the session (optional)

Introductory course to French. This course is for those with no previous knowledge of French. Communicative context, with videos, audio, texts and conversation.

Introductory course to German. This course is for those with no previous knowledge of German. Communicative context, with videos, audio, texts and conversation.

Challenging conversations are opportunities to embrace. Why? Because they are catalysts for better connection and understanding. Often, they’re exactly what you need to advance in your life or career. Suitable for both non-native and native English speakers, this session provides a toolkit to help you navigate difficult dialogues with confidence and clarity, manage conflict with sensitivity, and set healthy boundaries with integrity and respect.

• NB. Please read Attendance section below before signing up for this course.

Interacting effectively & managing meetings: This interactive online workshop covers how to participate in and manage meetings effectively and productively.

In addition to being proficient communicators in academic settings, there is also a need for Engineers to further develop and diversify their communication skills to suit a range of professional settings (Almeida, 2019).

The Lent term masterclass series focuses on communicating with impact, adapting effectively to audiences across academic and professional settings and using business English successfully. This series consists of the following workshops:

• Successfully pitching your work
• Interacting effectively & managing meetings
• Presenting yourself successfully
• Negotiating with clients

Research has identified that the ability to verbally express ideas clearly and the capacity to work confidently in a group are the two key skills for employability. This series of workshops focuses on aspects of these skills most pertinent to Engineers at Cambridge.

• NB. Please read Attendance section below before signing up for this course.

This interactive online workshop provides guidance and feedback on the language and strategies of successful negotiation.

• NB. Please read Attendance section below before signing up for this course.

This online interactive workshop provides guidance and feedback on sharing your research clearly and effectively in spontaneous and prepared situations.

• NB. Please read Attendance section below before signing up for this course.

This workshop provides strategies, tips and feedback on presenting yourself with maximum impact in spoken situations, with advice also provided for written self-presentations.

• NB. Please read Attendance section below before signing up for this course.

“Global mindset,” “cultural intelligence,” “intercultural competence” … no matter how you want to call the skills that are necessary to successfully interact with people who might not see the world like you due to culture, geography, background, age or other factors, they are paramount in the industry.

Engineers need to be experts in their field (hard technical skills) but without the ability to influence, negotiate, build trust, lead, communicate ideas to different audiences (soft skills, also referred to as power skills in a recent report), projects have a much smaller chance of succeeding. When in an intercultural setting, have you ever struggled with your peers’ style of communication, wondered why some people seem to use more formal language, be more direct than others or perhaps less flexible with time than you are accustomed to? Culture plays a big part in how we communicate and enhancing communication is so much more than choosing to speak the same language.

In addition, remote learning mode brings further complications to the equation. The challenges of video conferencing such as the ‘zoom fatigue,’ the caveats of written communication (emails or text messages), or practicalities of working together across different time zones, add some extra pressure on the already vulnerable intercultural communication.

So you’ve mastered presenting to get your message across effectively...

But what if we told you that there was no guarantee that this message would work across different cultures?

There are different aspects you have to take into consideration when preparing to address diverse audiences, such as how they want to be persuaded, the appropriate style of the language to use and how to gain professional credibility in their eyes.

In our interactive session, we will share tools and techniques that will allow you to adapt your content and delivery style to the different needs and expectations of the diverse teams in the modern workplace. 

You will find out how to:

• Analyse your audience; • Structure your presentation in an easy-to-follow way; • Adapt your content (language, references, examples, types of evidence, visuals) to communicate your message to a diverse audience; • Use your voice to help your audience better understand the content and follow it with ease.

Join this session to find out how to adapt your presentation style to be a more effective pre-senter in a culturally diverse work environment.

Further information: This course will be led by Gosia Syta. A brief bio can be found under the Trainer header below.

In today's rapidly changing world, we need a new mindset and specific skills to navigate new challenges caused by disruption. This workshop will address the qualities needed to thrive in 'the new normal'—a landscape defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). The secret is to turn challenges into opportunities, but how?

Join our workshop to:

• Gain a clear understanding of what VUCA is and explore practical ways to leverage it to your advantage.
• Identify the core skills necessary to navigate the VUCA environment successfully.
• Develop a practical plan tailored to your own growth and adaptation in this in this dynamic environment.

Learn how to navigate the complexities of today's world - join us for an interactive online session on 1st November.

This is not a webinar. This is an interactive workshop and you will be expected to contribute to the session.

To participate you must have your webcam switched on.

In today's globalised world, effective communication in English transcends the boundaries of native and non-native speakers. It's a shared journey, and English-speaking individuals—whether native or proficient—have a pivotal role to play in fostering inclusivity.

Join our workshop to:

• Engage in an experiment highlighting the challenges of using English as a universal language of communication.
• Dive into the concept of accent bias.
• Develop a heightened cultural awareness of the subtle nuances between direct and indirect communication styles, and gain valuable tips and techniques to excel in international settings.

This is not a webinar. This is an interactive workshop and you will be expected to contribute to the session.

To participate you must have your webcam switched on.

Did you know that long before we developed languages, humans relied exclusively on non-verbal signals to understand each other? Even today, our unconscious brains are finely tuned to these cues, shaping our first impressions within seconds. Whether you're presenting, interviewing for a job, or working in a team, becoming aware of how you come across can be the key to success.

Join our workshop to:

• Gain a deep understanding of the fundamentals of non-verbal communication.
• Explore how non-verbal cues vary across cultures and discuss different preferences.
• Discover the art of using body language to project confidence, build rapport, and increase your presence-both in physical and virtual interactions.

This is not a webinar. This is an interactive workshop and you will be expected to contribute to the session.

To participate you must have your webcam switched on.