enewsletter

Volume 4, Issue 2
April 2009

In this issue:

Eyes for only you
Tips for writing a complaint letter
April Fools in print
Did you know?
Ask TSW!
Spotlight onBen Hoshina

Let us take care of your words.

EYES FOR ONLY YOU
houses in a row

When you write a sentence with the word only, where you put the word only can change its meaning. Lets take a look at two sentences:

Example 1: The group only built five houses on Mulberry Street.
Example 2: The group built only five houses on Mulberry Street.

In the first example, the sentence makes it sound like the group built houses and did nothing else. However, in the second example, the sentence makes it clear that the group built five houses, instead of ten houses or twenty houses. In the first sentence, only emphasizes the activity (or activities) that the group did, and in the second sentence, only emphasizes the number of the houses built by the group.

Source: http://www.grammarerrors.com/grammar.html
Photo: http://student.britannica.com/comptons/art/print?id=107682&articleTypeId=0

TIPS FOR WRITING A COMPLAINT LETTER
Is Oscar the Grouch your favorite Sesame Street character? We may not complain as much as Oscar the Grouch does, but from time to time we may need to write a complaint letter.

The first thing you must do is to identify the appropriate person to send the letter to. If you complain to the wrong department or person, then your complaint may get misplaced. Do not get angry and make threats to get the results you want. Rather, say that youre disappointed and offer resolutions instead. If you use anger or threats, this may challenge the other person or make the other person defensivewhich may lead to them ignoring your request. Wanting to work with the other party doesnt mean you have to be sweet and charitable (or wimpy); it simply means you can ask for a solution.

Be sure to provide specific information about dates, times, who you talked with, what happened, and where it happened. Also, specifically request a resolution. For instance, if you received a damaged product via the mail, be clear about what you want in return: a refund, a replacement product, or other resolutions acceptable to you.

If you hear nothing back after your initial request, then go ahead and be persistent, but try to maintain a positive tone when you contact the company or individual again.

More useful tips are at http://www.writeexpress.com/complaint-letters.html.

APRIL FOOLS IN PRINT
April Fools Day has been around for quite some time, and people arent the only ones playing pranks on each other in person.

In 1994, PC Computing had an article by John Dvorak saying that Congress was considering a piece of legislation which would make it illegal for people to be drunk while on the Internet. The bill was numbered 040194, the same as April 1, 1994, and the contact person for the bill was Lirpa Sloof (April Fools written backwards).

Comic strips are another culprit: on April Fools Day in 1997, some cartoonists switched comic strips where the artist drew characters in the other strips environment, or the artist drew visiting characters in her/his own strip.

The most recent example of trickery occurred in 1998, when Burger King ran an ad in USA Today announcing left-handed Whopper burgers. The ad stated the burgers were designed so that left-handed people could more easily use the condiments, designed to drip on the right side. Victims of this prank actually asked for the old, right-handed burger.

Source: http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/

DID YOU KNOW? IRS AND 300,000 TREES
Every year, almost 300,000 trees are cut down to make enough paper for IRS to print its tax forms and instructions.

Source: http://www.netscientia.com/tax-taxes.html

ASK TSW!

A reader asks:
When is it appropriate to use smiley faces (emoticons) for work e-mail, if ever? I work for a small company where we see each other everyday, but I also e-mail people from outside of the company who I have never met.

This is a question that has no clear answer. While emoticons, the faces created by typing :-) or :-(, in e-mail serve the purpose of expressing emotions via text, they can often come across as inappropriate in business-related e-mails. The idea is to think about how you would get your ideas or message across in a face-to-face professional conversation, and in this situation, keeping the same level of formality is a good idea. Some people may misinterpret some emoticons as flirting or even insulting, and not all people appreciate emoticons. If you know the person you are e-mailing well, then it may be more acceptable to use emoticons especially if you two work in the same office.

In the Deaf community, it is fairly common to work with people who you know, so try to limit yourself to just one or two emoticons (or less) in an e-mail. However, it is better to err on the side of caution. As the saying goes, better to be safe than sorry.

If you need more food for thought on this subject, check out:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2106854_know-use-emoticons.html
http://www.quasifictionalviews.blogspot.com/2009/02/emoticons.html

Have a question about American Sign Language or English that you're too embarrassed to ask? Send your question to us at news@tswriting.com. We'll try to answer your question in an upcoming issue. All questions will be kept anonymous.

GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP IN ASL!
Perfect for agencies, schools and programs serving deaf and hard of hearing people!

A two-day workshop on the basics of grant writing is now available, led by experienced grant writer Trudy Suggs. This workshop is designed for the individual working in the nonprofit or educational sector (i.e., program staff, executive directors, school administrators, and other administrators) and will be presented in American Sign Language.

In an interactive environment, individuals working in the nonprofit or educational sectors (i.e. program staff, executive directors, school administrators and program directors) will learn about building relationships with funders, develop evaluation plans, create need statements, build components of their proposals and leave with an in-depth understanding of the grant writing process.

Limited bookings are being accepted. For more information on how to bring this popular workshop to your area, contact info@tswriting.com.

SPOTLIGHT ON...BEN HOSHINA
Each month, TSW profiles one of its clients. This month, we talk with Ben Hoshina.

Ben

As the coordinator of student development at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) in Washington, D.C., Ben Hoshina is always striving for the best. Just take a look at his background, and it quickly becomes clear how driven he is and where his drive comes from.

Born deaf to deaf parents, Hoshina's father is from Japan, while his mother is from Maine. Hoshina, born in Manchester, Conn., has an older sister who is also deaf. Attending the American School for the Deaf, the country's first permanent school for deaf student, he played soccer for a team that won four consecutive national championships. Graduating at the top of his class, Hoshina went on to Gallaudet University where he earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies in 2000.

It was at Gallaudet that Hoshina met Wanda, a Canadian who became his wife on New Year's Day 2005. They make their home in Washington, D.C., with their two-year-old dog, Lucky. A few years ago, he decided to purchase a townhouse that needed a lot of renovations. "I was a nervous wreck knowing that I needed to give this house a lot of tender loving care, but decided not to be afraid of making mistakes. With that attitude change, I succeeded in flipping the house and learned that I was a handyman for the first time. That helped me see that I could do things even if I wasn't sure about my abilities," he says.

Starting out as a residential educator at Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD), located on the Gallaudet University campus, Hoshina eventually became coordinator of student development. "There's nothing routine about my job, and I really do have to expect the unexpected every day," he says. "My job ranges from coordinating dormitory activities to working with parents and individualized education plan coordinators." MSSD serves 140 students, and has two dormitories. "I'm always on the run, because the students keep me on my toes, but it's been a great career path for me."

Hoshina hopes to eventually become a professor for Gallaudet University's physical education and recreation program, or work with dormitory programs either at a deaf school or at Gallaudet, while earning a doctorate in education. He often utilizes T.S. Writing Services for a variety of business writing purposes. "TSW is an incredible company that ensures my writings are perfect and ready to go," Hoshina says. "They also make sure my writings are within my parameters by asking questions back and forth until they're absolutely sure the words and content are what I want, and besides, their services are lightning fast and the fees are excellent."

"What I want is to make sure that whatever I do makes a difference in people's lives," Hoshina says. "It makes me feel good, and that's the best career choice I can think of."

ABOUT TSW
T.S. Writing Services, LLC, is a Deaf-owned company that provides writing, editing, design, and translation services for American Sign Language and English users. For more information, visit www.tswriting.com.

If you have suggestions or questions about this e-newsletter, e-mail the editor at news@tswriting.com.