English in Madrid

Source: David Švihovec on Unsplash Spain's Magaluf and Ibiza crack down on alcohol-fuelled holidays Spain's Balearic Islands have passed a law banning pub crawls   and happy hours in three popular tourist destinations in a bid to crack down on alcohol-fuelled holidays. Restrictions apply to the tourist hotspots of Playa de Palma and Magaluf in Majorca and Sant Antoni in Ibiza. The regional government said it was the first law of its kind in Europe. Ibiza and Majorca have long been magnets for young British, German and Irish tourists. The measures adopted on Friday are just the latest effort by authorities to try to rein in heavy drinking on the Mediterranean islands. But some traders say the move could hurt small businesses. What are the new measures?  The new law includes a string of measures aimed at cracking down on so-called " booze   tourism", where visitors are encouraged to binge  drink . Organised pub crawls can no longer be...

Source: Wikipedia Ban on ' harmful ' gender stereotypes in adverts comes into force   A ban on adverts that perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes, such as men struggling with changing nappies , comes into force. A new rule written into the UK's Advertising Codes should mean adverts that perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes are taken off TV. From today, commercials must not include stereotypes "which are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence ". According to the ASA, the aim is to identify specific harm that should be prevented, rather than banning gender stereotypes altogether. Craig Jones, director of communications for the ASA, says: "You won't see an end to men doing DIY in ads or women doing shopping because we believe that not all gender stereotypes are harmful, but we've set out examples of ones we think are harmful, images like a family trashing the house and the mother having sole responsibility for clea...

Source:  Marloes Hilckmann on Unsplash Waiter fired for being too rude says he was 'just being French' A waiter fired for being "aggressive, rude and disrespectful" has insisted there was nothing wrong with his manner - he was just being “French”. Deserved or not, France’s reputation for producing surly waiters who eye customers with suspicion, indeed disdain , is known the world over and has stood the test of time . Now one waiter has taken that reputation to another level by appearing to claim that a grumpy “garçon” is a cherished French national trait , not a sign of unprofessional conduct. Guillaume Rey, who worked at a Vancouver restaurant on Canada's Pacific coast, filed a complaint with British Columbia's Human Rights Tribunal against his former employer, saying he is the victim of "discrimination against my culture". The restaurant, operated by Cara Operations, accused Mr Rey of breach ing its code of conduct...

Spain's Prime Minister set to ' drop siesta' to shorten working day by two hours  The Spanish Prime Minister has announced moves to cut the working day by two hours and bring an end to the traditional siesta, in an attempt to bring the country into line with its European counterparts .  Mariano Rajoy, the head of the centre-right coalition government, wants to scrap the traditional extended midday break.  Mr Rajoy said: "I will find a consensus to make sure the working day ends at 6pm." While the siesta is no longer universally observed - its impact on the length of an average working day can still be felt. The siesta was founded historically on the basis of allowing the country's largely agricultural workers to avoid the searing midday heat , the Times reports. Despite work ing longer hours than their German counterparts, statistics from the OECD show Spanish workers' productivity is much lower . A 2013 Spanish parliamentary co...

How not to behave badly abroad Travelling to all corners of the world gets easier and easier . We live in a global village, but how well do we know and understand each other? Here is a simple test. Imagine you have arranged a meeting at four o'clock. What time should you expect your foreign business colleagues to arrive? If they're German. They'll be bang on time . If they're American, they'll probably be 15 minutes early. If they're British, they'll be 15 minutes late, and you should allow up to an hour for the Italians. When the European community began to increase in size, several guidebooks appeared giving advice on international etiquette. At first many people thought this was a joke, especially the British, who seemed to assume that the widespread understanding of their language meant a corresponding understanding of English customs. Very soon they had to change their ideas, as they realised that they had a lot to learn about how to behave wit...

A drunken brawl , a celebrity call girl and tattooed men (and women)... whatever happened to a genteel day out at Ascot? For 300 years, it has been the highlight of the summer calendar for the well-off and well-connected. But these days, it seems, the enclosures and stands of Royal Ascot are becoming increasingly popular with a much less distinguished breed of racegoer . As the Queen’s favourite racing event celebrates its tricentenary, fights have been breaking out amongst the male racegoers at the historic Berkshire course, watched by worse for wear women who can barely stay upright in their high heels. A quick glance across the terraces reveals a sea of flesh and unsightly tattoos – of women in cheap, tawdry dresses and men who have shunned the expected top hat. Many believe that the social fixture, once a prestigious highlight of the summer season, is becoming as bawdy as the meetings at Aintree and Cheltenham. Yesterday was Gold Cup Day, commonly known as Ladies’ Day, bu...

George Orwell wrote in 1938: "The only way I could get along was to carry everywhere a small dictionary which I whipped out of my pocket at moments of crisis. But I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!" More than 70 years after the publication of Homage to Catalonia, a million of Orwell's fellow countrymen have followed his lead, although their motivation for coming to Spain may be different. What Orwell would make of this vast diaspora – the largest contingent of foreigners in Spain and 2% of the population – would certainly merit a book in itself, although it might not be a homage. The popular image of British expats here is of either reclusive retirees watching EastEnders on satellite TV, a Daily Mail on their lap , glass of cheap wine at their elbow and a full English breakfast in their belly or of boozed-up , drugged-up, football-loving young ravers . The annual report by all of Britain's co...

Source: Tom Pumford en Unsplash The myth of Britain's stiff upper lip The death of Diana is often said to be the moment the UK lost its stiff upper lip and the British started being comfortable crying in public. But has the UK always been a nation for mass outpourings of national grief ? In recent years it seems Britain has become a nation of cry-babies, despite its long-held reputation for keeping emotions firmly buttoned up . From the most unlikely politicians and public figures - including Peter Mandelson and Alastair Campbell - to just about everyone on a TV talent show, the tears are coming thick and fast. Often, this shift towards public crying is linked with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. This collective moment of mourning is seen as releasing a nation from the restraints of being reserved and stoical . But the British actually have a long history of very public outpourings of grief and their reputation for being emotionally reserved is only ...

Source: Joakim Honkasalo en Unsplash German minister rebukes press for football 'war' terms Germany's interior minister has criticised the UK's tabloid press for referring to the war in their coverage of the England-Germany World Cup match. The two teams are set to meet at South Africa's Bloemfontein Stadium on Sunday. Phrases used by the papers included " jeering jerries " and "fight". But Thomas de Maiziere told the BBC that such journalism belonged in the past and urged Germans to ignore the provocative language. BBC Berlin correspondent Steve Rosenberg said in the run-up to crucial England-Germany football matches, tabloid paper articles sometimes read more like despatches from the front than from a football tournament. Among others that have attracted attention include the Daily Star's headline on Saturday which stated: "It's war - we will fight jeering Jerries on the pitches" and featured Wayne Rooney i...

Another false friend - topic ! A topic is a subject that is discussed. What was the topic of conversation between the two Prime Ministers? A number of topics will be discussed at the meeting tomorrow You often translate "topico" as " cliché " or " stereotype ", depending on the context, of course. A cliché is a comment that is very often made and is therefore not original and not interesting: My wedding day - and I know it's a cliché - was just the happiest day of my life. I hate to use a cliché but really you shouldn't make a mountain out of a molehill.   Source:  Anastasia Shuraeva  en  Pexels A stereotype is a fixed idea that people have about what someone or something is like, especially an idea that is wrong. The stereotypical Englishman wears a bowler hat but I have never seen anyone wear one. He is just the opposite of the stereotype of a mean Scotsman. What clichés do you hate? What are the stereotypes of differe...

Source: Wikipedia   'Polite' Britons died on Titanic More British passengers died on the Titanic because they queued politely for lifeboats, researchers believe. A behavioural economist says data suggests Britons in that era were more inclined to be "gentlemanly" while Americans were more "individualist". Women with children had a 70% better chance of survival than men in such an environment, he told the BBC. The Titanic sank during its maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, with the loss of 1,500 lives. David Savage, from Queensland University of Technology, studied the disaster to look at how people react in life and death situations. He said that in testimonies from inquiries in America and Britain just after the event, there were a lot of statements from women saying their husbands put them on lifeboats. They then "went to the back of the boat to have a cigar, to stand around and be chummy, while basically the boat went down...

Source:  Dimitry Anikin en Unsplash German tabloid mocks UK tourists Germany's tabloid newspaper, Bild, has printed a list of holiday resorts to avoid - those dominated by the British. This comes after a British man was awarded £750 (953 euros) after suing his travel company over a holiday at a resort filled with Germans. Bild quotes a German legal expert saying that Germans holidaying in all-British resorts would not have the same opportunity of suing. It goes on to poke fun at British cuisine, drinking-habits and sport. David Barnish, 47, was awarded compensation last week for a holiday in Greece which he argued had been spoilt by the number of German tourists and the fact that all the activities were organised in the German language. Penalty jibe Bild points out that Germans will find it hard to get their money back if they find their hotel overrun with Britons. "Even if the travel company announces in the brochure that the resort is 'fa...

Source: Hunters Race en Unsplash Source: ShireChic (You Tube)   Key words: Catherine Tate offensive translator Can such humour be offensive? What languages do you find funny ?