Jon Meals (right) received a surprise visit from Nigel Jesson of our San Francisco office to deliver the news (and iPad).

Congratulations to Jon Meals on winning the Dedola Language Challenge!

Having successfully identified all 11 languages in our video, Language of Logistics, his name was chosen at random from all correct entries to receive the grand prize, an iPad 2.  If you haven’t already tried, test your own language knowledge by following the link above. (Spoiler: the correct answers are listed at the end of this article.)    

When speaking with Jon, it’s easy to see how his personal and professional experience helped him win the contest.  His facility with language started modestly enough in high school where he studied Spanish.  When he went to work for a Taiwanese-owned company, he added Mandarin to the list. Things really got multilingual when he met his wife, a polyglot with a command of 4 different languages.   In all, the Meals household boasts a working knowledge of half-a-dozen languages including: English, Mandarin, Spanish, Taiwanese, Japanese and Portuguese.  Jon’s 5-year-old son has a jump start, being exposed to Mandarin, Spanish and English on a regular basis since birth. Imagine dinner at the Meals home as a lively discussion, with equal parts of these three languages peppered throughout.

Together with extensive world travel, Jon’s multicultural background has come in handy in his professional life. As Import Manager for the Companion Group – an importer specializing in barbeque accessories, and home/outdoor living products – Jon uses his language and cultural skills when communicating with overseas suppliers to keep their supply chain running smoothly.

Again, we salute Jon for his language savvy and hope he enjoys his iPad. From everyone at Dedola, we say, ការសម្តែងនូវសេចក្តីសរសើរ, Felicidades, 祝贺, Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Chúc Mừng, تهنئة, Complimenti,  , Félicitations, , Maligayang Bati and Congratulations!

Answer Languages as they first appear: Cambodian (Khmer), Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin), German, English, Vietnamese, Arabic, Italian, French, American Sign Language (ASL), Tagalog