Language and Meaning: Helping Minds Meet Exercise 1: Subject: Basic translations online If you have ever had difficulty communicating online with someone from another
country, never fear! Free Translations, an online company specializing in translation
services, offers basic text translations through their website for free. Of
course, more advanced translations will cost you. Try translating an email for your favorite e-friend overseas. If you do not
yet have a pen pal overseas, go to www.penpals.com
and register. You'll meet plenty of interesting people and learn a lot about
intercultural communication. Exercise 2: Subject: Examining online portals to other cultures Online portals are starting places for people of specific cultures to visit,
in order to find out more about their country, culture, and other pertinent
information. One of the most popular of these "portals" is www.China.com,
or China.com. Visit the English version of the China.com portal, and see how
the discussion of news (even when translated into English) differs from traditional
reporting in the U.S. How does the reporting of news in countries like China differ from, say, the
news style of the U.S? Exercise 3: Subject: Learning netiquette Netiquette, as our textbook informs us, is a set of courtesy rules for online
communication. Sometimes these rules are written, and sometimes these rules
are unwritten. Visit netforbeginners.about.com/cs/netiquette/index.htm
to learn more about netiquette. Read the document, and learn the many norms for online communication. | 
2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education