Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with foreign

Foreign films with English audio for kids -- what exists?

crapmatic — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:43:40 -0800

I'd like some movie recommendations for foreign children's films which have a good English dub. I'm looking for dramas or comedies, suitable for children, which show more of a world cultural view than the typical stuff that comes out of Hollywood. The catch is it needs to be dubbed in English and shouldn't be one of those stereotypical bad quality dubs. Anything up to a PG-13 type of film is ok. I tried looking around on Netflix but it doesn't let you search by language; foreign films there are just kind of lumped together.

Help me help my wife

alshain — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:37:24 -0800

My wife has confidence, self esteem issues. We have been married for four years and we have two kids. I live in Canada and she's from S. Africa. She lived there all her life until she was 22. We met there. Got married there. But now live in Canada. She is finding it difficult to adapt. The life here is very different for her. One of her biggest obstacles is her accent. Also, because she has lived in S. Africa for so long, she finds it difficult to connect with people and family from here.

I live with my parents. Which doesn't help. It's a culture thing. Family business doesn't help the matter either. My brother who is married to a Canadian girl, lives a few houses down.

My parents connect with my brother's wife than they do with my wife. My wife usually gets left out of the loop. She is also shy and likes to keep to herself. She is very soft spoken and a very kind person. Problem is she takes garbage from everyone - can't stand up for herself.

How do I resolve this issue? I know I have a few issues going on here.

The longest shot ever.

pjern — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:31:58 -0800

OK, something that been bugging me for a long time: Can someone identify a foreign film/tv show from the 80's given some memories of production details? The reason I'm thinking this is a longshot is that my entire memory of the details is from the production end, as that part of it was shot at the railroad museum where I worked for a while. I'm thinking that there might be clips somewhere that I would appear in. Here's the details of the scenes that I remember:

Our "hero", wearing ridiculous clown shoes, runs along the top of a moving train jumping from car to car. If I appear, I would be running the locomotive. The consist of cars for the train was patently ridiculous: A boxcar, gondola car, streamlined passenger car, wooden caboose, and a locomotive with the number "167" on the side.

A scene or two of gangsters with Tommy guns shooting up a wooden boxcar with a modern Norfolk and Western logo on it (The locomotive on the rght in the linked picture has it). The 'boxcar' was a fake structure built on top of a real flat car, gaffed with squibs and rigged to slowly "collapse" after absorbing enough gunfire to sink a battleship.

At least one scene of 'mobsters' lined up firing guns at the faux boxcar, and one of them discovering a trap door that the hero must have escaped through in the wreckage.

This was done for an Italian production company, there was a lot of joking about "spaghetti railroading" etc, while we were working on the project: I had the impression that it might have been a series of some kind, or a childrens (!) show over there. Time frame, early 1980's.

I'm pretty damn certain that this never showed up on the air in the US, still, with the worldwide audience here at Ask, there's just the chance that this will fire a neuron somewhere in the hive mind.

I was in a number of productions while I was at the museum, to include a few print ads and one Burt Reynolds movie, but I remember this one for the sheer amount of fun we had while doing it. I never even learned the name of the movie/show, and have been kicking myself for a long time because of that.

SEO Study Help

snapplepop — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:25:27 -0800

Can you help me become a Foreign Service Security Engineering Officer? I have recently been granted the opportunity to be assessed/interviewed for this job. In less than a month, I will take a series of written and oral tests that cover my technical knowledge and current world events. They didn’t give me any advice on what to study, except to tell me to read the job posting and be familiar with the description of duties and qualifications. Here is what I’m a little hazy on:

1. Specify, design, procure, install, and certify equipment or products for technical security and information technology systems, such as:

--Technical systems/closed-circuit television, intrusion detection and alarms, locking devices, access control and denial systems, countermeasures equipment, and acoustic/RF attenuation technologies.
--Computer systems/encryption, firewalls, forensics, network intrusion monitoring, and system security audit products.

2. Understanding of the electromagnetic spectrum, and RF interrelationships and characteristics as they relate to the design and operation of electronic and electromechanical systems

3. Knowledge and hands-on familiarity of computer systems, computer security, and familiarity with operating systems, hardware platforms, and networks

I currently hold a bachelors in mechanical engineering and am finishing up my masters in mechanical engineering where I am studying automation and mechatronics. My real worry is the computer and network security, but I would like to be more familiar with everything. That being said, could you guys recommend any technical or current event related study material for me?

Oh, and I have seen this post.

Why are there separate repair places for foreign cars?

madcaptenor — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:56:40 -0800

Why are there separate repair places for foreign cars? I live down the street from a car repair place called "X's Foreign Fix" (where "X" is a person's name) which I assume fixes foreign cars. Is fixing foreign cars so different from fixing domestic cars that separate places are needed for this? If not, was it so in the past? I live in Philadelphia, and walking around my neighborhood foreign cars outnumber domestic cars by about two to one.

I really know nothing about cars, other than how to drive them, so feel free to point out something obvious.

Taking a Loan in a Foreign Country

Giovanna123 — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:33:17 -0800

I would like to know if I took a bank loan in another country and had the money wired to me here in the US, around 160K, if the IRS would tax that amount. I called them and apparently they didn't know because they could not answer the question. I will have to pay back that loan so i would imagine that the amount wouldn't be taxed here (as long as i prove to the IRS that i got the loan).

Dating someone in another country?

KimikoPi — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:32:18 -0800

How do you date someone in another country? I met someone about 1 month ago on a dating site. 100 messages and daily chatting later, we're quite bonded. However, I do realize the importance of meeting in person sooner rather than later. So for the first meeting, I'm not sure if we should meet somewhere halfway. Or, if I flew to his country (which is quite expensive), would the proper etiquette be for him to offer to share the costs?

If there's anyone out there who's taken a gander at this, how did you do it?

What are some of the best Italian movies of the last 30 years?

katemonster — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:15:39 -0800

What Italian movies am I missing out on? I'm familiar with the post-war classics, but it's hard to come by more modern stuff in the States. DVD region is not an issue for me; English subtitle availability is nice but non-essential, as my Italian will suffice. I'm not particular about subject matter or genre -- children's movies, action flicks, documentaries, whatever -- I just want to know what's out there in Italian film that's worth seeing, particularly from the last 30 years or so.

Movies I've seen and loved:
I cento passi (The Hundred Steps)
Caterina va in citta'
Mio fratello e' figlio unico (My Brother is an Only Child)
Pane e tulipane (Bread and Tulips)
Il ladro di bambini (Stolen Children)
Mediterraneo
Il postino
Hamam (Steam)
Cinema Paradiso
Johnny Stecchino
La vita e' bella (Life is Beautiful)
Kaos

And as a minor subquestion, does anyone have any recommendations for online sources for Italian DVDs that will ship to the US? I've used ibs.it in the past for books, but don't know if there are any other viable options for DVDs.

I like Jameson's, isn't that enough?

lazywhinerkid — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:26:16 -0800

Can I get an Irish passport? (complications inside) This question got me wondering if I can get an Irish passport. I have a few friends who have been successful based on the fact that their grandparents were born in Ireland. I think I may be able to as well, but there are a couple complicating factors.

1. I'm adopted: the Irish in me comes from my birth mother's family. I have documentation, etc. which shows my change of names and uh, owners I guess you could say.

2. My birth grandfather was born in Armagh, which is in Northern Ireland, but in the link above it says that anyone "born on the island of Ireland" before 2005 is eligible for Irish citizenship. I guess that includes him?

I definitely plan to ring the nearest consulate but would like to try and have an informed conversation! Thanks so much.

Smart couple, will work for fun and adventure.

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:39:32 -0800

I didn't get into grad school, but instead of vast disappointment, I feel like I dodged a bullet. Sigh, another question for someone who wants a fulfilling job, preferably not in the US, in the midst of an economic meltdown. My husband and I had it all worked out: I'd get accepted into a small, very exclusive PhD program at the only school with my specific department. My undergraduate advisers said I was a shoe-in, so we'd mentally prepared ourselves to move to a university town where I would devote the next 7 years to research and getting published. As it turns out, I was less of a shoe-in than originally advertised, and just received a definitive rejection after being waitlisted. Naturally I'm quite embarrassed--but I also feel oddly relieved. Even though I love this field of research, I was secretly dreading a life of dry coursework, and living in a teeny college town, and having to put my life (and my husband's life) on hold for 7 years while I got my doctorate. Maybe I'm coping with disappointment, but if that's what keeps me from jumping off a bridge, so be it.

Everything following the rejection letters feels very open-ended. My husband works as a freelance graphic designer, but he's bored with his career. We both have majors in the humanities. I've been a freelance writer, editor and substitute English teacher. And now that I'm not packing my bags for the academic life, I've wondered if we have more options. We'd like to embark on a new career path where we're not living in PoDunk USA while I slave away in library. We don't need glamor, or wealth, as long as we have an opportunity to enjoy our lives while we're young, childless, and in good health.

I know it seems silly to ask about interesting work in such grim times, but I'd also be mildly surprised if there are literally no options for two educated, articulate people who are willing to move anywhere and with open minds regarding the next career move. PeaceCorps? Teaching English in Asia? Train hopping?

Do we have options?

Looking for foreign language dictionaries.

RavinDave — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:53:46 -0800

Need help compiling a list of monolingual dictionaries. Looking for any online dictionaries where the definitions are given in the language itself. Example: Yahoo's Japanese-to-Japanese monolingual dictionary.

Particularly keen on Russian or German resources, but am grateful for anything.

Oh yeah ... English doesn't count. Got that covered. ;)

Teaching in order to move abroad

Unred — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:31:17 -0800

I'm curious about teaching English overseas and if anyone has done this and is willing to share their experiences with me. Such as, why did you move abroad to teach English? How long did you do it for? Where did you do it? Would you recommend it? What did you wish you'd been told before considering it?

Licensing Question

octomato — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:45:59 -0800

Licensing foreign films for commercial use follow up... Following up on this question:
How can I go about licensing foreign films (1940-1960s) for a web based commercial?
I have contacted various production companies but keep hitting a wall. Some of the films that are "rights free" are licensed in Europe, but not in the States. We have a few films in mind, how can we proceed?

Thanks!

Can you get NYC teaching certificate with a valid foreign one?

zavulon — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:03:35 -0800

A friend of mine is a teacher, living in China. How difficult would it be for her to get NYC teaching certificate? Is there any chance some of her credits would be counted? Looks like China is not on the list of accepted countries: http://schools.nyc.gov/TeachNYC/requirements/international/Countryinfo.htm

Or is her only choice pretty much the standard 4 years of school?

Using Online Radio for Foreign Language Immersion

RavinDave — Fri, 29 May 2009 07:27:31 -0800

Looking for favorites among the MeFi regulars in the category of: Foreign Language radio streams, suitable for language immersion and/or passive practice. Yeah, I can use Google with the best of'em. I'm well aware there are dozens of ginormous lists and dedicated websites categorizing an absurdly large number of radio stations from around the globe.

Problem is -- precious few of them seem to be of much value. I log onto some Dutch site advertised as "News" and "Talk" and it is invariably playing 90% American music (usually from the 80's). It's a bit discouraging.

And I'm also aware of mega-sites like BBC, VOA, RFI and Deutsche-Welle. These are wonderful resources for the language learner, but I keep thinking: I can do better. I can find something a bit less polished, more colloquial. Something with a more local flavor.

Thus, I turn to the MeFi hive mind to see if anyone has any specific bookmarks they might wanna share.

The ideal stations would not only have plenty of straight news broadcasts, but also interviews, discussions, maybe some caller interaction. The less music, the better (I can find that easily enough).

My particular interest at the moment are:

STRONG: Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, Spanish
MIDDLING: Italian, French, German

But, if you know of a "Portuguese" or "Cantonese" or "whatever" station, feel free to mention it. I have several friends who are always on the lookout for something and perhaps their particular interest will be addressed.

Teaching the Teachers

Holly — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:00:58 -0800

I'm in Spain and have been asked to give summer courses in English for academic purposes to university researchers and teachers of engineering. Apart from "English Academic Vocabulary in Use" (CUP), which I used last year - it's good - do any MeFites have any tried and tested recommendations for books and other materials that might be suitable? Amazon is great, but too often you can't get a feel for the book.

How do you pronounce "Gebeta"?

hdh — Sat, 23 May 2009 09:12:43 -0800

I'm a storyteller learning a story about a game that uses a Gebeta board. The game is similar to Mancala. I need to know how to pronounce the word "Gebeta", so I can be true to the story and its origins. Any ideas?

Diplomacy in absence

cmonkey — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:13:58 -0800

When an embassy acts as a proxy, representing the interests of a third country, what kind of compensation is made to them? The US has asked Sweden to check on the status of two arrested journalists in North Korea, because the US does not have diplomatic contact there, and the Swiss represented US interests in Cuba for a while. What do countries like Sweden or Switzerland get out of such an arrangement, and is there a formal term for this?

talk talkie online?

octomato — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:11:29 -0800

Where can I find old foreign film footage? I'm looking for old (1930's), foreign language and obscure film footage for commercial non-broadcast use. It should be very verbose/ talkie type of material.
I'm not broadcasting it, but using it for web. I know I would still need to buy the license and rights to use.
Where could I find this online or anywhere?

Thanks!

Are expensive American undergraduate educations worth it for foreign students?

Mo Nickels — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:44:41 -0800

Is it worth it for a foreign parent to squeeze his budget to manage very expensive undergraduate educations for his children in elite American schools? A respected colleague in Asia writes with this query. It's not so much about how to get financial aid when you are a parent of foreign student seeking an undergraduate education in the United States so much as it is a question as to whether it is worth it at all, even if you can pay.

His words are below, posted with his permission. I have stripped out identifying information. The family is not in Singapore, for what that is worth.

«I have 2 children entering university at the same time this year.

My son has won a partial scholarship to the Eastman School of Music, but even then, the amount we'd have to come up with to send him there is rather forbidding.

My daughter has been accepted into New York University to do Liberal Arts -- but without any aid, which makes it virtually impossible for us to help her realise her dream.

What resources can I apply for in the US or elsewhere to help them? We've tried ones in our country but so far without success.

Would you recommend they take up the places offered them by the 2 schools, given the constraints? Are the schools really worth the astronomical expense? (Well, I know Eastman is about second to Juilliard, and NYU is reputable, although its Arts programme is 15th in the world.)

Would it really count so much that these would be for undergraduate study? Do people look more at one's postgrad pedigree? Would it be just as well that they did their first degree elsewhere (more affordable) and seek to go higher at Eastman and NYU afterwards? (In fact, my son has also obtained a full scholarship to theYong Siew Toh Coservatory of Music in Singapore. But then, what is YST compared to Eastman?)

I'm sorry if I sound inane but this issue of my children's further education has been keeping me from sleep for quite a while.»

Help my foreign friends enjoy their American experience...

whiskey point — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:51:05 -0800

Any ideas on a route (and some great points of interest) for some Italian visitors to take from Mt. Vernon, Ohio to Fargo, ND? It'll be their first time in the U.S. and would like to see as much as possible. The parents of the Italian foreign exchange student (and said exchange student) who stayed with my family in high school are making their first trip to the US to attend his college graduation. They're going to rent a car to drive from Mt. Vernon (near Columbus) to Fargo, ND.

They would like to see any big attractions or wildlife, basically taking in some Americana. I'm sure any Italian-American towns/areas would be great for them to check out. Also, a fun place for them to stay overnight would nice (they'll be splitting the trip into two days, so somewhere close to the halfway point).

If you've taken trips along the route, or live along the route, any advice you have would be greatly appreciated - these people are very special to me, and I'd like them to have the best experience possible! Thank you in advance.

[USA] Best chances to become a foriegn service worker?

Nighthawk3729 — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:29:36 -0800

[USA] Best chances to become a foriegn service worker? I want to apply, I've alreadly gotten the study guide, but beyond studying and being open minded of the people I'd be dealing with, I don't really know how to prepare. I'm 21 and don't have much experience in anything foreign service related, a class I took last semester turned me onto it though. I'm pretty much flying solo on this and know the chances of getting it are pretty slim. I do know that the next test date is somewhere in the next 2 months. I was wondering if there was anyone out there who could give me some advice as to how to prepare for the field, [besides reading, although a few recommendations aren't minded short of a newspaper, the economist or a textbook] and anything that will polish me up nice for the test. Also, would you recommend it? The highs, the lows, boring job, excessive work, everything is great, even down to the pay and experience required.

Online currency exchange?

krisptoria — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:57:55 -0800

Anyone here have experience ordering foreign currency online? I know I'm over-preparing for my four day trip to Montreal, but I'd really like to have some CAD in hand when I get there. I'm sorta too lazy to find a bank around here that will do it for me...

Just tell me what I owe

foxy_hedgehog — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:19:14 -0800

TaxFilter, specifically Department of Part-time Expatriate Freelance Taxation. A thorn in my side, inside. Hello everyone. I am a US citizen who moved to Germany in June of last year. I plan to continue living here for the foreseeable future.

While I have not resided here for a full year, my reading of the IRS forms suggests that Germany is my tax home based on the "Physical Presence" test (data dump below). So:

-I should submit Form 1040 using my current address in Germany.

-I should also file as a part-time resident of the state of New York, where I lived for the first half of 2008.

Here is where things get complicated.

1) How do I file and report on income I earned in the US for the first half of 2008? The only things I can find on the IRS website pertain to non-citizens who worked in the US. There doesn't seem to be a form for part-time residents of the US who are American citizens (ie, only for "non-resident aliens."

2) I'm a freelancer, and after my move to Germany I continued to earn my income from companies in the US (note: I only have income from US companies).

My clients are preparing W-9s for me (IRS form W-8, which was the form for foreign freelancers, seems to no longer exist). Since I've worked for some of these companies over the course of the entire year, their W9s will show my cumulative income, rather than what was earned in the first half vs the second half of the year. How do I show the IRS which amount was earned when so I will only pay US taxes on the income I earned while I was in the US?

Or do I have this all wrong?

Thanks, veteran expatriates and tax ninjas, for your help.

Criteria for meeting the "Physical Presence Test" to claim a tax home abroad:

"Physical Presence Test":

"I expect to be present in and maintain my tax home in (foreign country or countries) for a 12-month period that includes the entire tax year . Or, if not the entire year, for the part of the tax year beginning on , 20 , and ending on , 20 . Based on the facts in my case, I have good reason to believe that for this period of presence in a foreign country or countries, I will satisfy the tax home and the 330 full-day requirements within a 12-month period under section 911(d)(1)(B)."

Help me find academic lectures in Japanese!

kinakomochi — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:23:34 -0800

Looking for academic lectures in Japanese freely available on the web Just got back from Japan a few months ago and trying to keep my academic Japanese up to scratch has proved quite difficult. I'm looking for lectures (a la Stanford's Youtube lectures) that I can listen to in my spare time. Social sciences/ linguistics are best but I'll take anything I can get.