A Few Choice Words: The Fine Art of Talking to People Who Don't Speak Your Language
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About this ebook
This collection of humorous anecdotes and short stories has been adapted from journals the author kept in the late seventies when she was traveling abroad with her husband, Harry Brabec, a symphony musician by trade who had sold his ingenious idea of an International Crafts Exposition to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. This work involved travel to several countries and capital cities of the world in search of old world artisans who might participate in the Exposition along with an equal number of American artists and craftsmen -- a kind of crafts festival that had never been done before and has never been done since anywhere in the world.
Several anecdotes in this book illustrate how Harry broke language barriers through the simple use of gestures, smiles, humor, and a few choice words. Two short stories, “The French Connection,” and “You’re Goethe? I Thought He Was Dead,” offer amusing examples of the kind of miscommunication and amazement that can happen when both parties are speaking English, but one party just doesn't “get it.”
The book also features the story behind this book and the International Crafts Exposition, (“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Unemployment”), and some language-related excerpts from the author’s memoir, THE DRUMMER DRIVES! EVERYBODY ELSE RIDES: The Musical Life and Times of Harry Brabec, Legendary Chicago Symphony Percussionist and Humorist.
Barbara Brabec
SELF-EMPLOYED for most of her adult life, Barbara Brabec was a crafts magazine publisher and home-business pioneer in the seventies before becoming known in the eighties as one of America’s most trusted home business writers and speakers. Her first two trade books, CREATIVE CASH and HOMEMADE MONEY, quickly became best-sellers and went on to achieve classic status in their respective fields. Now with several published books and decades of experience behind her, Barbara remains an inspiring role model for individuals who are trying to achieve success and financial independence through any kind of business based at home. After being widowed in 2005, Barbara began to wind down her active involvement in the home-business and crafts industries so she could focus on new dreams and ambitions. Since then, she has received high acclaim for her very personal book manuscript editing and critiquing services as well as her telephone consulting services for authors. In 2010, Barbara successfully transitioned from "home business writer" to "memorist and storyteller" with the publication of her first POD book, THE DRUMMER DRIVES! – the story of her unusual life with Harry Brabec, a legendary Chicago Symphony percussionist and humorist. Today, in addition to her regular work with authors and self-publishers, her focus is on bringing her lifetime of writing on a wide range of topics to the attention of a vast new audience of eBook readers. Among this work will be new books, updates of one or two of her print books, magazine columns, and several short story collections. Visit BarbaraBrabec.com for more information about her books, her professional services, and a rich archive of articles and resources on a wide range of topics. While there, you may also wish to join her mailing list to receive e-mail issues of the Brabec Bulletin.
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