?? Spring forward with a 10% discount, Lessons in negotiation, ?? Sardinian secrets to longevity & Italy’s booming economy ??? April Newsletter 2024

Springing into April

After a long, wet English winter, the sight of cherry blossoms, daffodils, and tulips bursting into colour on every street has really cheered my spirits these last few weeks.

For me, Spring is a time when I start to think about the positive change I want to make. Like the flowers and trees, it’s a time for personal growth - in my daily life, career, and relationships.

A few years ago, I adopted a simple morning ritual which never fails to lift my mood. When I wake up, I open a window and let the morning air fill the room.

It's such a quick and wonderful way to energise yourself and bring a little of the outdoors into your life. Why not give it a try yourself tomorrow morning?

How have the first few months of the year been for you and your business? Have you been working through a whirlwind, or has it been a calm and steady progression?

I hope you can take a few moments to stop, exhale and take time to read my newsletter this month; it is always a pleasure to send it to you.

Here's what you can expect to find in this month’s newsletter:

• Lessons in the art of negotiation
• Why Italy’s economy is booming
• My tutoring service for time-pressed execs
• What can the Sardinians teach us about longevity
• Why you should set your own pace in business

To celebrate this season of growth, I'm excited to offer a special 10% discount on all my translation and interpretation services for the whole month of April. Find out more at the end of this newsletter.

Happy Reading!

Luciana

Lessons in the art of negotiation

Spring signals the start of a busy season of European Work Council (EWC) meetings. I’ve been interpreting for EWCs since 2011, working with more than 250 different companies, many of which have become long-term clients.

If you’ve never heard of EWCs, they are forums where the management of large companies can inform their employees of their plans and consult them on decisions affecting their employment.

Under European law, companies with more than 1,000 employees in the European Economic Area must establish an EWC if their workers request it.

When those discussions concern redundancies or other major changes, they sometimes become heated. Occasionally, I must find a polite way to convey a string of Italian expletives!

The ideal outcome is when both parties reach a compromise, but this involves hours of intense negotiation. Over the years, I’ve noticed successful negotiators often exhibit two key behaviours:

• Staying calm - This might seem obvious, but when participants maintain a composed demeanour, it puts everyone at ease and helps prevent disagreements from escalating. This also applies to my role as an interpreter. I must convey the speaker’s emotion while remaining emotionally detached. When I feel the tension rising, returning my attention to my breath for a moment helps me stay focused.
• Being culturally agile—EWCs can involve employees from ten or more countries with distinctive communication styles. Some nationalities are very direct, while others are very animated and expressive. Understanding those cultural nuances can help ensure the conversation gets off on the right foot and allows you to tailor your approach to the negotiation.

Italy’s economy is on the up

Italy’s statistics office released some surprising figures earlier this month - the Italian economy’s post-pandemic recovery is the best in Europe.

Experts attribute this to a “super bonus,” a tax relief on home improvements introduced in 2020. I’ve seen this first-hand. Many of my friends and family have embarked on renovation projects, including an uncle who has completely refurbished his hotel in Sicily to attract much-needed tourism to the island.

While analysts have expressed concern about what happens when the initiative ends in 2025, it has undoubtedly been an excellent opportunity for Italians to invest in the country’s infrastructure and will hopefully pay long-term dividends.

One-to-one business language tutoring

It’s always lovely when a past client gets in touch, so I was delighted to receive an enquiry from an Italian CEO who was one of my first interpreting clients many years ago.

This time, he wanted to hire me for some one-to-one business English lessons.

Language tuition for time-pressed executives who need to improve their business English is one of my specialities. Most of the execs I work with already have a good grasp of English, but they seek my assistance when they need to polish their skills before a speaking engagement or an important meeting.

One-to-one lessons are a good solution for C-Suite execs who don’t have time to attend classes because we can schedule our sessions around their existing commitments.

They also see quicker improvements in their fluency because we can focus on improving their specific areas of weakness.

What would you like to see in my newsletter?

I love keeping in touch with all of you, and this newsletter is written with you at the forefront of my mind! So, if there is something you would like me to focus on – perhaps there’s an element of interpreting that you’d like to understand better, or even just to find out about places in Italy, its customs and traditions, or a country I’ve worked in, I’d love to hear from you!

Tips for interpreters and translators

It’s hard to believe we are already in Q2 of 2024. I used to panic around this time of the year, feeling that I was behind on achieving all the goals I’d set for my business at the start of the year. It was exhausting.

While I’m still as ambitious as ever, I’ve embraced a more relaxed approach over the years - reminding myself I’m exactly where I need to be.

My business is still growing steadily, but now I’m enjoying the journey rather than constantly comparing myself to others.

If this sounds familiar, read my post on why it’s important to grow at your own pace.

The Secrets of Sardinia’s Centenarians

For the last few months, I’ve been participating in ZOE, a science-backed personalised nutrition plan developed by the epidemiologist Professor Tim Spector.

It’s not always easy to stick to the programme, especially when I’m travelling, but it works wonders for my energy levels when I do.

If you’re interested in healthy living, I thoroughly recommend the ZOE podcast.

A recent episode on Blue Zones - regions where people live longer than average - piqued my interest because the first Blue Zone to be discovered was on the Italian island of Sardinia. Sardinia has nearly ten times more centenarians per capita than the US.

This is partly due to genetics, but the traditional Sardinian lifestyle is also crucial. Here’s what I learned:

• Sardinians prioritise family and friendship (like most Italians!), reducing the damaging effects of loneliness.
• They eat a healthy diet of wholegrain bread, beans, vegetables, fruit, and pecorino cheese high in omega-3 fatty acids—all washed down with a glass of flavonoid-rich Cannonau wine. Meat is reserved for special occasions.
• They get plenty of ‘incidental exercise’ from growing their own vegetables, hunting, and walking up and down the island’s mountainous terrain.

Personally, I’m doing pretty well with the first two, but I need to work on getting more incidental exercise - it doesn’t help that there are not very many mountains in London or Cambridge, where I split my time!

P.S. If you want to try ZOE, sign up here to get 10% off

To celebrate this season of growth, I'm excited to offer a special 10% discount on all my translation and interpretation services for the whole month of April.

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As always, thank you so much for reading. I wish you a happy and prosperous April.

Feel free to email me for any interpreting and translation requirements, big or small.

If necessary, I can work to tight deadlines, and my services are always delivered within the agreed timeframe.

You can find out more about my services on my website, connect with me on LinkedIn and follow my adventures on Instagram.

I look forward to staying connected with you this month and beyond.

Luciana

P.S. Not enough time in your day to read the full newsletter? I totally understand! Get in touch now to discuss how I can help you with your translation or interpreting needs.