Technical English is the differential on job selections

By Waldirene Biernath

Mastering English language for everyday use is no longer a differential. Nowadays, to outstand, professionals are investing in technical language learning.

Familiar terms such as "tier one capital" (funds that banks have in the coffers to ensure risk operations, such as loans) and "corporate divestiture" (strategy to remove the portfolio of corporate units) -just to fit in business vocabulary- is something valued at companies and on job selections.

The growing demand for specific courses at language schools confirms that, according to interchange and educational institutions.

Computing is one of the areas which demands most specific language knowledge, according to the schools.

Vivian Barone, pedagogical coordinator

Technical English is even necessary on job interviews. Vivian Barone, Barone English’s coordinator, explains how workplace vocabulary can be required on interviews. “Being fluent in English is not sufficient nowadays.  It is required to be able to argument in a critical way in English. Questions such as “How would . . . ”, “How can . . .”, “What would . . . ”, “What experience . . . ”, “What qualifications . . . ”, “Can you describe. . .”,  “Have you been . . .”, have been rare on current job interviews. The interviews, nowadays, are Competency-based interviews, also known as Behavioral-style interviews. The questions focus on the candidate actions in particular workplace situations. He must be able to compare his experience to the company’s requirements, so without technical vocabulary is difficult to talk about it”.

Human resources experts, however, recommend caution before enrolling in a course for specific purposes. The importance and value of the technical knowledge of another language "will depend on the work area and the company," states Elaine Saad, the general manager of the Right Management consultancy.

Two important aspects to be considered before enrolling in a technical language course; according to Silvia Freitas, director of corporate relations at Berlitz language network; are the course price and the language proficiency the person has. Specific courses cost up to R$ 6,000.00 per semester, twice the traditional course price, according to schools consulted.

Source: http://classificados.folha.com.br/empregos/1008938-ingles-tecnico-torna-se-diferencial.shtml

Chevron Corporation takes responsibility for Brazilian oil spill

 By Waldirene Biernath

Chevron Corporation announced it is taking full responsibility for the oil leak that occurred off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

An ongoing oil spill off the Brazilian coast occurred because 
Chevron underestimated the pressure in an underwater reservoir.

"Chevron takes full responsibility for this incident," said George Buck, Chevron Brazil country manager, in an official statement released on Sunday night. "We are committed to deploying resources until the sheen can no longer be detected."

At least 18 vessels are working around the clock to clean up the oil sheen from the surface of the water. The company assessed the sheen at 18 barrels of oil, according to Chevron's statement.

Chevron is calculating the total volume of oil seeped into the South Atlantic since the leak was first reported Nov. 8, and said it should know within several days.

Brazil's National Petroleum Agency said 5,000 to 8,000 barrels of oil were leaked after an appraisal well cracked the ocean floor.

Brazil is expected to fine Chevron nearly $28 million for an ongoing offshore oil spill, Rio de Janeiro state's environment secretary said Monday.

Carlos Minc said the national government will also ask Chevron to pay for damages caused by the Atlantic spill.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was expected to meet with the national environmental minister and its mines and energy minister later Monday to discuss the oil spill and determine the government's actions.

George Buck, chief operating officer for Chevron's Brazilian division, said the spill occurred because Chevron underestimated the pressure in an underwater reservoir.

Brazil's worst oil disaster was in 1975, when an oil tanker from Iraq dumped more than 8 million gallons of crude into the bay and caused Rio's famous beaches to be closed for nearly three weeks.

Vocabulary:

spill (noun): an amount of liquid that has accidentally flowed out of its container;

leak (noun): an amount of liquid or gas that comes out of a hole or crack in something;

sheen (noun): a shine on the surface of something;

assess (verb): to calculate what something costs or is worth;

fine (verb): to make someone pay an amount of money as punishment for breaking the law;

appraisal: The phase of petroleum operations that immediately follows successful exploratory drilling. During appraisal, delineation wells might be drilled to determine the size of the oil or gas field and how to develop it most efficiently;

well (noun): a deep hole or shaft dug or drilled to obtain water or oil or gas or brine.

crude (noun): oil that is still in its natural state and has not yet been refined for use by chemical processes

Source:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/11/21/chevron-oil-spill-brazil.html;

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-21/chevron-transocean-spill-may-trigger-fines-bans-in-brazil.html

Brazil will produce fuel from sewage sludge

By Waldirene Biernath

Brazil will import from Germany a manufacturing process of clean fuel - without emitting greenhouse gases - which uses sewage as raw material.

Google image

The process consists in tranform the gases  on renewable  

Compressed Natural Gas.

The process transforms the gases generated in the decomposition of sewage sludge on biomethane, a kind of renewable Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), unlike petroleum derivative.

The system will be deployed in a treatment plant of Sabesp (Basic Sanitation Company of São Paulo) in Franca City (400 km from the capital) and should start operating in March, 2012, even on a trial basis.

The new fuel is already used in organizational fleets (public and private) in Europe for a decade.

Budgeted at R$ 6 million, the project is developed in partnership with the Fraunhofer Foundation. Germany will transfer U.S. $ 5.1 million and Sabesp afford $ 900 thousand.

The Sabesp technological innovation superintendent, Américo Sampaio de Oliveira, said the plant to be installed in Franca will produce 1,900 m³ of biomethane per day.

Each m3 of gas equals one gallon of gasoline and, therefore, the daily volume for the planned unit corresponds to 10% of all fuel used today by 5,057 vehicles in the fleet in the State of Sabesp.

"This initial production can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 16 tons per year," said Sampaio.

Initially, however, the new fuel will be used in 49 company cars.

If the experiment succeeds, biomethane can be adopted for the entire fleet of Sabesp.

MORE TESTS

First, it will take three years of study on the feasibility and logistics for distribution in the state.

Although produced from sewage sludge, biomethane has not the typical bad smell of sewage.

This is because the manufacturing process filters out H2S (hydrogen sulfide), responsible for the odor of rotten eggs and can corrode the engine.

It also removed from the gas siloxanes, substances that form crust that can block small pipes of the machine.

Vocabulary:

greenhouse: of or relating to or caused by the greenhouse effect;

sewage (noun): waste substances, especially waste from people’s bodies, removed from houses and other buildings by a system of large underground pipes called sewers;

sludge (noun): a thick soft substance that remains when liquid has been removed from something in an industrial process;

raw material (noun):  material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing;

fleets (noun): a group of vehicles, planes, boats, or trains, especially when they are owned by one organization or person;

plant (noun): a factory that produces power, or processes chemicals, etc;

pipe (noun): a tube that carries liquid or gas from one place to another.

Source:

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ambiente/1003967-brasil-produzira-combustivel-a-partir-de-lodo-de-esgoto.shtml

Engineering in São Carlos is the most disputed course at USP

By Waldirene Biernath

Source: Google images

USP Campus in São Carlos

The Fuvest (Fundação Universitária para o Vestibular) has announced the ratio of applicants to places to the 2012 entrance exam, which will select students for USP (Universidade de São Paulo) and to the Medical Sciences Faculty of São Paulo’ Santa Casa.

The civil engineering entrance exam at USP in São Carlos is the most disputed. The course has 52.27 candidates applying for each one of its 60 places - 3,136 candidates in total.

The second most disputed course is medicine, with 51.18 candidates for each one of its 275 places. There are in total 14,074 candidates. Advertising and Marketing is in the third place, with the ratio of 47.2 candidates/place.

In total, 146,892 people enrolled in the Fuvest 2012 entrance exam. Candidates apply for 10,852 places at USP and one hundred places for Medical Sciences Faculty of Santa Casa.

Of the total number of candidates, 51,661 are applying for places of courses in the humanities, 40,221 for biological and 36,211 for exact areas.

New prime minister named in Greece

By Waldirene Biernath

Source: Google images
Lucas Papademos is the Greece' s new interim Prime Minister

Former European Central Bank vice-president, Lucas Papademos has been named as Greece's new prime minister after several days of negotiations.

Greeks hope the news will provide the stability to get them through their debt crisis.

Mr Papademos will head an interim government being formed to make sure debt-laden Greece gets its latest bailout payment, and to approve a new 130bn euro international rescue package from eurozone partners and the International Monetary Fund.

The drama in Greece has shaken international markets, as investors fear the new bailout deal negotiated with European leaders late last month - which has stringent austerity measures attached - may not be implemented.

Mr Papademos will replace Greece's outgoing prime minister George Papandreou who announced he was resigning after a disastrous call for a referendum on the eurozone rescue package.

The new prime minister will face a confidence vote before parliament, which is expected to happen on Monday, Greek state TV reported.

Source:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/10/world/europe/greece-main/;

http://br.noticias.yahoo.com/lucas-papademos-nomeado-primeiro-ministro-gr%C3%A9cia-oficial-130051630.html

Vocabulary:

bailout (noun): money that someone gives or lends to a person or organization with financial problems;

stringent (adjective): stringent rules or conditions are strict and make you achieve high standards;

measures (noun): an action that is intended to achieve or deal with something; a system used for expressing a particular quantity.

New meeting tries to end the occupation at USP

By Waldirene Biernath

Source: Google images

A new meeting between representatives of students, rectorship of the University of São Paulo (USP) and the University of São Paulo’s Workers' Union (Sintusp), tries to end the occupation of the rectorship by students and staff.

According to the chairman of Sintusp, Magno de Carvalho, students and two teachers will attend to the meeting.

“We hope that representatives of USP bring a concrete proposal for negotiation, otherwise, the occupation remains. The assembly of students, scheduled for next Wednesday, will decide the continuation of occupation”, concludes Carvalho.

The USP building was occupied on Wednesday dawn, November 2, by protesters opposed to the presence of Military Police in University City. The place was raided on October 28, when Military Police arrested three students of geography smoking marijuana on campus.

Source: http://odia.ig.com.br/portal/