Winter 2014 Italian Book Club :

Letteratura dell'immigrazione in Italia

Led by Daniela Cavallero

“Scontro di civiltà per un ascensore a piazza Vittorio”,

by Amara Lakhous

Join Sentieri in a Sunday afternoon discussion group that will explore this remarkable novel suitable for intermediate and advanced Italian students.

Winter 2014's book is a compelling mix of social satire and murder mystery. A small culturally mixed community living in an apartment building in the center of Rome is thrown into disarray when one of the neighbors is murdered.

Meets Sundays, from 2-4pm, January 26th, February 9^th and 23rd, and March 9th
Registration and payment in hand by 1/18/2014.
Cash/check: $ 150.00
+ Materials not included, to be ordered independently
+ Membership discount does not apply.

+ $15 surcharge for payment by Visa or Mastercard.

Interpreting and Translation

Interpreting and Translation Services

English and Italian

Services for general language and specific language including commercial language, business language and legal language.

·        General Language Interpreting for 1–5 people:

$80.00 per hour*

·        General Language Interpreting for 6-10 people:

$100.00 per hour*

·        Specific Language Interpreting : $150.00 per hour*

·        Customized General Language Interpreting for 10 or more people.

*Minimum of 3 hours.

·        General Language Translations: ¢20 per word

·        Specific Language Translations: ¢25 per word

·        Italian Citizenship Document Translations: $50.00 per page

Past and Present Clients:

·       C.A. Studio Nervi, Torino, Italy

·       Chicago Symphony Orchestra

·       Prudential Relocation, USA

·       Inlingua Cross-Cultural Services, USA

·       Cendant Cross-Cultural Services, USA

·       McDonalds Co., USA

·       Whirlpool Co., USA

·       NTC, USA

·       Rand McNally, USA

Eataly Opens Tomorrow!

A great week for Chicago Italian-food enthusiasts.

Italian food emporium Eataly opens tomorrow, December 2nd, at 4 p.m. at 43 E. Ohio Avenue. The two-story megastore will host eight restaurants, two coffee bars, a microbrewery, a gelateria, a bookstore, and retail stands that sell produce, fish, meat, cheese, pastries, and salumi. And it would be remiss of us not to mention the Nutella stand.

Now, who's excited?


Gisella
Sentieri Blog Contributor

Skip the Black Friday Crowds & Give the Gift of Language

This year, instead of fighting the Black Friday crowds to do your shopping, curl up with a glass ofvino and give your favorite Italophile a gift certificate at Sentieri Italiani.  

Certificates can be purchased in any amount and used for language classes, private Skype lessons, movie nights and cultural tours. 

We will print out the certificate and send it to you or to the recipient - your choice! 

To purchase by check or over the phone, call Enrico at 773-275-5325 or email at enrico@sentieri.com  

Different Languages, Different Personalities

It's not a new debate, though it still comes up quite frequently among linguists and language teachers. This recent article in The Economist poses the question yet again. Does each language encode a specific worldview that influences the way in which its speakers communicate? The obvious answer seems to be a resounding yes, but what of bilinguals? Or second language learners? Do languages rather than emotions shape thought?

The article posits that a single person's personality and behavior can drastically change from language to language for a variety of reasons. Of course, there's language ability and comfort level as well as emotions associated with a language. If a particular language reminds someone of friends or home, surely they behave differently than in the language that represents work or studies. But perhaps there are certain inherent properties in languages that cause their speakers to behave in certain way? Is it possible that grammar and syntax can push us to think differently?

The article offers some examples of this, but no concrete proof. For example, a language like Greek, in which the verb comes first and is loaded with information based on its conjugation, might allow for its speakers to interrupt more easily than in a language where the verb comes at the end of the sentence.

So, I pose the question to you- Do you notice a change in personality when you speak Italian? Why do you think this is?

Gisella
Sentieri Blog Contributor

Sentieri Event: Festa di Natale

Festa di Natale – Sentieri's Holiday Party

Sunday, December 8^th

5:00 – 8:00 pm

at the California Clipper

  Magic Show!      DJ!      Snacks!      Cash Bar!      Raffle!

Celebrate the holidays and another year with your favorite Italian speakers! Join the students, teachers and

friends of Sentieri as we celebrate Natale. The private party is at the California Clipper bar, located at

1002 N. California Ave.

$20 per person

$15 per Sentieri member

*Cash or check payment due by December 2, 2013

*Send check to: Sentieri 5430 N. Broadway St. Chicago, IL

*Call to make an appointment: 773-275-5325

La Zucca isn't only for Halloween

This week, seeing as though Halloween is fast approaching, we saw it only fitting that we introduce you to some of our favorite Italian idioms that also happen to reference one of the most popular foods from this time of the year. Pumpkin!

Avere poco sale in zucca translated literally means "to have very little salt in the pumpkin," but what does it even mean? The phrase is used to describe someone who is- how can we say?- lacking in intelligence or good sense. Interestingly enough, this phrase comes from a time when pumpkins were used as containers for salt. When poor farmers were low on salt, they would often say, "Abbiamo poco sale in zucca."

Pumpkins also got a bit of a bad rap since they weren't considered to be of much nutritional value and don't have a strong flavor. So if someone calles you a "zuccone" ("a big pumpkin") or tells you that you are a "zucca vuota" (an empty pumpkin), you can be assured that it isn't a compliment.


Buon Halloween a tutti!

Gisella
Sentieri Blog Contributor