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Ukraine Attempts to Appease Russian Speakers

Ukraine’s de facto president and prime minister have today offered to strengthen the constitutional right to use the Russian language to try to defuse separatist movements.

In a joint televised address, acting President Oleksander Turchinov and Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said they would support constitutional change and decentralizing more power to local councils, including over their official language – a central demand of Russian-speaking protesters in the east of the country.

“We will strengthen the special status of the Russian language and protect this language,” Yatseniuk said.

Turchinov expressed disappointment that parliament had failed to unanimously support a draft of the proposed reforms. The former ruling Party of Regions, whose power base is in the Russian-speaking east, said the proposals fell short. The party wants Russian to have equal status with Ukrainian.

“To achieve peace and understanding among the citizens of Ukraine,” he added, “regional, municipal and district councils will be given the right to decide to grant, within a particular area, alongside Ukrainian, the state language, official status to the Russian language or to another language spoken by a majority of the local population.”

See: Editorial: Don’t Dictate Language
Ukraine Revokes Linguistic Rights
Ukraine Considers Adding Russian

Long Beach Campaigns for Language Access

Campaigners in Long Beach, CA gathered outside city hall on Tuesday, to emphasize city’s the need for better ‘language access’ in the run up to this week’s council meeting.

The rally addressed the Council directly, following a 2013 approval of the city-wide Language Access Policy (LAP).

Promising better language education and resources for speakers of Spanish, Tagalog and Khmer, the $500k+ program was set to be implemented last year, but is still yet to be unveiled.

“What the city had agreed to do was to basically implement a series of programs and protocols to expand access” said Parent Education Organizer for Building Healthy Communities Long Beach, Laura Merryfield.

Long Beach is home to over 62,000 Spanish speakers and over 13,500 Tagalog and Khmer speakers, in desperate need of translation services in the public sector.

Merryfield continued “We don’t ask that we have quatrilingual people at every front desk, but that we know where they are. Having vital documents in multiple languages. Not using children as interpreters. These are necessities”.

According to the most recent council compliance report, in addition to research conducted by the Long Beach Language Access Coalition (LBLAC), no translations of formal documents have been made and no plans have been announced to improve translation training – as suggested by the Council last August.

A number of requests were made at Tuesday’s demonstration; many for basic needs such as the translation of vital documents into Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog and the inclusion of these languages as an option on public voicemail services.

“Back in August, we were very happy—and for obvious reasons: our council passed a very progressive policy,” Merryfield said. “Now with where we’re at, our advocacy is about making the details that were supposed to happen actually happen.

The council is set to meet again in July with aims of presenting a budget to implement these changes.

Sixty Mexican Languages at Risk of Extinction

mexicolanguages2

Sixty of Mexico’s native languages are at risk of extinction – with 21 deemed “critically endangered”, according to a recent statement released by Mexico’s Centre of Research and Higher Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS).

Among those most at risk are Ayapaneco from Tabasco, with only two senior adult speakers and Kiliwa of Baja California, with only 36 speakers remaining.

Lourdes de León Pasquel, a linguist at CIESAS claims “migration, social instability [and] economic and ideological factors” are joint contributions in the language shift towards Spanish.

As part of an ongoing language revitalization initiative, researchers at CIESAS are closely monitoring language data across Mexico with specific criteria to determine a degree of ‘danger’ in displacement or extinction processes.

A CIESAS researcher said “When the transmission of an indigenous language is in danger of extinction, researchers work with the last speakers to document their knowledge. Documentation is made on grammar, dictionaries and ritual language to record the highest number of lexicon, a treasure to revitalize the language and give it to the new generations”.

According to the National Institute of Indigenous Languages (INALI), the first phase of language extinction is measured by a loss of speakers in the youngest generation; for example when young children no longer inherit the language from speaking to parents or grandparents.

Despite numerous revitalization efforts, indigenous languages are continuing to disappear due to increasing usage of Spanish as a global lingua franca. The report by CIESAS claims “relearning rates” of indigenous languages are low and that there is an ongoing failure to reproduce these languages in their “natural condition”.

Fighting to preserve Mexico’s endangered languages, Pasquel argues “there should be an integrated policy to keep them alive: bilingual education [and] design of school curricula and bilingual materials. But more importantly, teacher training is basic to achieve this goal and that is what we lack”.

Belfast Protest for Irish Language Rights

Irish language speakers and activists took to the streets of Belfast on Saturday in protest over what has been described as the government’s “failure” to protect the Irish language.

Over 4000 people marched through Belfast city centre, demanding a “rights-based Irish language act” including a comprehensive Irish medium education system and adequate resources for the Irish-speaking community in Northern Ireland.

Organisers Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League) said in a statement “The ongoing failure to protect and promote the language in the courts, in public signage and in the education sector continues to unravel the promises made in the Good Friday Agreement.”

Saturday’s demonstration was one of many across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, after a report by the Council of Europe that claimed the promotion of the Irish language in Northern Ireland is hindered by a lack of support.

An Lá Dearg campaign committee member Caoimhe Ní Chathail said “Today we are making a stand, but tomorrow we will be engaging with our elected representatives to compel them to act to keep their promises in the hope of a better and brighter future for the language – free from hostility, discrimination and demonization”.

Gerry Adams, President of Irish Republican Party Sinn Féin was also in attendance, commending Culture Minister Carál Ni Chuilín and Education Minister John O’Dowd on their continued efforts to promote the Irish language, despite “considerable opposition”.

He added “All these young people are entitled to speak through Irish, it threatens no one, they are being reared through Irish anyway, we have a burgeoning Irish language sector”.

Quebec Court Rules Against French Signs

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The Quebec Superior Court has deemed the province’s main French-language group too harsh, after trying to enforce major retail chains to change their trademark names and outdoor signage into appropriate French-language translations.

A total of eight companies including: Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Toys ‘R’ Us took the Office québécois de la langue française to court in 2012, arguing that they should not have to change their internationally-recognized trademark names.

Quebec’s French language charter states that trademark names are exempt from translation; however subsequent accompanying regulations enforced by the Office argue that stores are obliged to include a “generic” French-language description.

Threatening to invalidate companies’ certification if they refused to comply, Quebec’s “language police” gave suggestions for company names such as “Le Magasin Walmart” in place of Wal-Mart.

The Retail Council of Canada backed the companies’ decision to contest the regulations, emphasising the importance of design and branding. Nathalie St-Pierre, vide-president of the council’s Quebec branch said “You know the brand, you know the colours, you know the sign…that’s the work that’s done behind setting up a trademark and there are brands that stand on their own and need no description.”

However, many international companies have voluntarily made changes to their branding in Quebec, Kentucky Fried Chicken changing its name to “Poulet Frit Kentucky” and Value Village to “Village des Valeurs”.

It is these companies among others, which Jean-Paul Perreault, president of the lguage-defence group Impératif français, advised shoppers to visit – slamming those contesting the suggestions. He urged patrons to boycott companies which he claims “lead a costly and merciless legal battle against Quebecers”.

The Office québécois de la langue française has 30 days to appeal the ruling, and language watchdog Jean-Pierre Le Blanc said the decision will be made by Quebec’s attorney general.

Language Education Affected in Iowa Budget Cuts

Students in the Iowa City School District are to suffer the loss of language classes in state budget cuts, starting next year.

The School Board approved the budget for fiscal year 2015 in Tuesday’s meeting, including budget cuts totalling $3.6 million.

The proposal is set to see the loss of all German- language programs, all seventh-grade language programs and class size increases across the school district. The plans will also affect music education, eliminating fourth-grade orchestra programs and all general music programs at junior high level.

Cutting and reducing language programs would save the district $124,000 throughout the high school district and a further $239,000 from junior high schools, but the decision has been met with sadness and disappointment from community members, following official approval from Superintendent Steve Murley who claims “…this is the lowest [amount] we can do”.

Ulrike Carlson, a member of the Iowa City community took to the microphone to challenge the decision: “Any cuts to culture, arts, and language programs are not going to have the desired effects…it’s going to make us worse as a School District, which means doors will close for students in the future.”

Murley said students currently enrolled in German courses will have the opportunity to continue their studies, progressing to higher levels, but level one will no longer be offered in coming years.

Continuing on a note of dissatisfaction Carlson added “…language and the arts are key to many aspects of successful learning and life; it removes an ability to understand culture, it’s not only about speaking, it’s about understanding another culture, about enlarging our narrow view of the world”.

Launch of First Online Chinese Teacher Training Program

Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) – an international university promoting Chinese language and culture and Academic Partnerships – a leading organisation supporting worldwide online learning have today announced the launch of the world’s first International Online Chinese Teacher Training Program (ICTP).

The fully online program available at BLCU is aimed at training students to teach Chinese as a foreign language in their respective countries, and can be completed in as few as ten months.

The course content has been written and developed entirely by the university faculty and features many of the world’s leading Chinese language-teaching experts in the learning material.

In order to give students the most comprehensive learning experience, equal focus will be paid to Chinese language history and cultural context in addition to teaching theory, methodology and classroom management.

As the first of its kind, the complex construction of this high-quality online teaching format has received worldwide attention and will be presented at The Sloan Consortium’s Seventh Annual Emerging Technologies for Online Learning International Symposium taking place this week in Dallas, TX.

BLCU’s Online Education College Dean, Li Wei said in a statement: “The online ICTP, which will now allow BLCU to serve students near and far, is a reflection of the University’s commitment to being a truly international institution and promoting collaborations across cultures and borders”.

Hansa Language Centre

Hansa Language Centre has been teaching languages to adult students from around the globe since 1969. It is one of Canada´s largest and most respected language schools. Its two campuses are just steps from the Eglinton Subway station in the heart of Toronto, one of the safest and most multicultural cities in the world.

English programs are based on the principle that students learn best in a language program that can be customized to their unique linguistic needs and goals. Hansa uses a “Flexible Learning System” and offers over 300 classes daily. Students have the freedom to choose the classes they want at the time they want while benefiting from the advice of experienced counselors, the instruction of accredited native English-speaking teachers, and the choice of a variety of subjects. Students meet regularly with counselors to discuss their study program and progress. Tests and interviews are scheduled to monitor progress and determine when class changes are needed.

The school is a member of Languages Canada and it offers a great selection of courses from beginner to advanced focusing on conversation, grammar, vocabulary, idioms, listening, reading, writing and phrasal verbs. Business English, TOEFL, IELTS and Academic Preparation are also included.
Hansa can also arrange several services for students such as homestay, Academic Pathways, booking proficiency exams, trips and activities and among others.

www.hansacanada.com

UK Announces Tougher Language Exams

Education ministers in the UK have announced plans for tougher GCSE examinations as part of a series of government education reforms.

For the first time in several years, the government education review specifically outlines plans for more vigorous tests in modern foreign languages, in addition to syllabus changes for core subjects such as English language and literature, mathematics and the sciences.

Set to be taught from September 2015, GCSE language courses will require all “questions to be asked in the respective foreign language” and a larger portion of the written paper will be focused on translation from English into the chosen language.

Michael Gove, UK Education Secretary said today “Our changes will make these qualifications more ambitious, with greater stretch for the most able; will prepare young people better for the demands of employment and further study”.

Changes to the syllabus will also mean students face more challenging marking criteria, designed to create greater distinction between achievements and blurry grade boundaries.

No official course content for the new language GCSE has yet been announced, but the government has stated exams will adhere to a more “essay-based system”. The first group of students to take the revised examinations will begin studying in September 2015, sitting their final exams in summer 2017.

In a bid to boost literacy, the new compulsory GCSE in English literature will carry a “whole book” policy, where exam questions will be designed to ensure that students have read the chosen text in its entirety. Course content will include at least one play by Shakespeare, a selection of work by the Romantic poets, a 19th Century novel, a selection of poetry from 1850-present and a 20th Century novel or drama.

Digital texts will be excluded for both English language and literature, which will remain separate subjects.

The plans follow a desperate plea from Gove earlier this week to “eliminate illiteracy in the UK in our lifetime”.

Elizabeth Truss, UK Education Minister said today: “We do need to start competing against those top performing countries in the world, because for too long we’ve pretended that students’ results are getting better, when all that’s been happening is the exams have been getting easier.”

Study Abroad With BridgeArgentina

Following January 2014’s feature on Argentina as a Spanish-immersion destination, it is worth highlighting BridgeArgentina — one of the country’s most popular Spanish schools.

Bridge’s methodology is designed to make students comfortable using Spanish in practical, everyday situations, such as traveling, meeting people, using the telephone, conducting business, and participating in conversations. Students combine Spanish courses and authentic cultural experiences, enabling them to fully immerse themselves in the culture of Argentina.

The basic principles of the BridgeArgentina methodology are:
No translation in class: students and teachers speak only in the language being learned; teacher rotation: this exposes students to many different pronunciations and vocabularies, ensuring that they understand the language in a variety of situations, and it keeps class fresh and interesting; and emphasis on communication: the focus is on speaking and listening. Grammar, reading, and writing are all included, but are taught through a very practical approach.

The school is located in the center of the action in Buenos Aires, just a few blocks from the iconic Obelisk and steps from Calle Florida. This bustling pedestrian shopping zone is home to the beautiful Galerías Pacífico, a shopping mall located in a restored historical building that also houses the Centro Cultural Jorge Luis Borges.

During breaks, students can walk a few blocks from the school to peaceful Plaza San Martin, full of elegant trees and shaded benches in the midst of the city. The school is also located near numerous subway and bus lines, as well as train stations and even a ferry to neighboring Uruguay.

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