Category Archives: Authors R-Z

ADR authors listed by last name R-Z

A German’s Thoughts on American Values – by Beate Ziehres

As a German, I never thought deeply about the things that American people value. I heard about their preference for comfortable footwear and that they love burgers. When I moved to Chattanooga, I realized it’s true.  Lots of folks wear tennis-shoes, no matter if it is with jeans, slacks or skirts.  And as an almost vegetarian, I learned to value juicy grilled beef.  I’m sure I will miss that back in Germany.  After two years living in the US, I notice more differences between the attitudes of American and German people than I had imagined

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American English Pronunciation Challenges – by Katie Schwartz

If you are a mono-lingual American, it can be helpful to know how native speakers of other languages often pronounce English, so you can understand them more easily.  China is a huge country, and Mandarin is spoken differently in various parts of China. For some people, Mandarin is actually their second language, not their first. People in India speak somewhere between 780 and 1683 different languages, although reportedly only 21 are officially recognized.

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Asian American Women Executives You Should Know — by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

To honor the success of Asian Americans in this country, I would like to highlight the professional lives of five prominent Asian female executives.  They have demonstrated a sense of pride in their own heritage and that this has not diminished their professional success in the western world.   They are among the most powerful women in the U.S.

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When Minorities become the Majority — by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

Not long ago, Texas made history.  It became a majority minority state. In other words, the minorities together make up more than 50% of the population. Here in Texas, diversity is a buzzword. Not only does it attract attention, it gets people excited, who now want to jump on the bandwagon to organize diversity initiatives such as cultural sensitivity training or setting up a diversity council.

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