SPONSORED: What’s that you say? You haven’t heard of the Global Readiness Forum? Don’t worry. Neither had we, which is why we had no choice but to create it! But who are we and what exactly is it that we do, you ask? Simply put, the Global Readiness Forum is a group of global business leaders and language industry veterans who study current events and trends at the intersection of language, culture, ethnicity, geopolitics, and global business — you know, the types of things that led many of us to be curious about the world and language in the first place, but which, too often, go unnoticed in our traditional day-to-day work.
August 27, 2021
After 20 years, the US has withdrawn from Afghanistan and the Taliban has taken back control of the country. Obviously, this is a huge and heavy topic with the ensuing panic and humanitarian crisis in the country. We’ll have an open discussion of what this might mean for the world and the future of the country and zoom into social media’s role in monitoring and shutting down accounts maintained by or in support of the Taliban, still a recognized terrorist organization. We’ll look at policies put into place earlier in the summer by Toyota to prevent the resell and export of new Land Cruisers to Afghanistan and similar areas in crisis. Wrapping up on the topic, we’ll discuss how the withdrawal might affect Afghan interpreters left in the country, who have in previous periods have suffered execution or other dire consequences for collaborating with “enemy infidels.”
In the news, we’ll have one final look at the Olympics, with China counting the medals of Taiwan and Hong Kong to claim victory over the US in the Games. We’ll examine the results of a poll that indicates that China has surpassed Japan as the nation most disliked by South Koreans. Staying in the region, we’ll get a taste of South Korea’s guidelines imposing a distinct Chinese word for kimchi, in an attempt to defend a part of their culture that has been inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Heritage since 2013. Sticking with food, we’ll look at Russia’s new gingerbread man—the curious mascot of the emergency team of the Tula region.
If we have time to give it a go, we’ll look at the Peppa effect and how young Americans are picking up some elements of a British accent and word usage. Finally, we’ll witness a revival of Tut, a disguised language used by enslaved Africans in the US, thanks to awareness created on TikTok, and see the voiding of an 1864 Colorado law encouraging the killing of Native Americans.
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My interest is piqued! How do I get in on the action? We’re currently accepting applications to join our client-side discussion group, reserved for senior-level professionals working in client-side roles in global operations, which meets at 9 am Pacific Time every other Friday.
Can’t make it? Don’t currently qualify? Tune in to our sister podcast, The Venn Diagram, hosted by Michael Reid.
