New Guide Provides International Students, Visitors With American English Missing Links

Oct. 30, 2012 - PRLog -- CHANDLER, AZ (October, 2012) – Cathryn Cushner Edelstein is poised to become the Emily Post of American English communication and manners with her new guide, Excuse Me, Can You Repeat That? How to Communicate in the U.S
as an International Student, a reference guide that demystifies pronunciation, confusing situations and common gestures for non-native English speakers.

“The rules of communication are not universal – they are specific to particular cultures. International students who learn the language can speak basic English, but the clarity of their speech and lack of knowledge about what to say in daily situational dialogues is less than good, leaving them frustrated with their skills,” explains Edelstein. “In this guide, I provide readers with insight into navigating through ways of communicating in the United States, so language and cultural frustrations are lessened.”

For the past 30 years, Edelstein, a speech consultant and communication professor, has been working with individuals who have come to the United States to either work, study or live. She is a scholar-in-residence in the Department of Communication Studies at Boston's Emerson College and consults through her company, Verbal Impact, established in 1982. Past clients include employees of Fidelity, Hitachi, Homesite, Inktomi, Fox News, Biosphere Medical, MIT and more.

Excuse Me, Can You Repeat That? includes enlightening comments from 50 foreign students who are or were studying in the United States. The quotes were taken from a survey conducted by Edelstein that asked them from a communications perspective to compare what they thought studying in the country would be like to what it was actually like once they began taking classes.

“My first culture shock was the way Americans greet each other. They ask how you are but then walk away,” says Yi fromChina. “I took this personally, that they didn’t want to be friends with me. I later realized that this is just part of their culture. American students are generally very friendly and polite.”

Excuse Me, Can You Repeat That? (ISBN: 978-1-58985-256-3, $14.95 softbound; eISBN: 978-1-58985-257-0) is a Five Star Publications, Inc. title, and is distributed by Ingram, Baker & Taylor and Midpoint Trade Books. The guide will soon be available at most major bookstores, BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com and FiveStarPublications.com. For more about the book, visit the website ExcuseMeCanYouRepeatThat.com.

To learn more about Five Star Publications, Inc., which celebrates 27 years in business, and its other award-winning books,visit the website, email info@FiveStarPublications.com or call 480-940-8182.