News archive 2008
Exotic food wholesaler Asiana, of Nottingham, and Newark-based architects Benoy have won top accolades at the East Midlands International Business Awards. Asiana won the International Business Communication Category, and Benoy took the Established Exporter Worldwide award at the prestigious ceremony hosted by UK Trade & Investment at the Leicester Marriot hotel.
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Bingham based betterlanguages.com is planning to launch one of the most multi-lingual websites in the region. The company, which offers translation services for businesses, plan to use their expertise to market their services online and are currently translating their own website into every major world language in a bid to attract customers from across the world.
Chief executive Mike Hunter said: "Language is our business so we thought we would put our money where our mouth is, quite literally.
"The site is already live in Spanish, French, German, Flemish and Welsh and we are currently working on several other key world languages including Chinese and Arabic." He added.
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As part of its range of services to exporting and importing businesses in the East Midlands, the East Midlands International Trade Association is now offering the EMITA blog. This web log will include news and interesting articles for those involved in international trade. The latest blog entry contains details of how to promote your website in international search engines.
Visit the EMITA blog for more information
Pupils at a Lincoln school have taken part in a DVD that will herald the end of the dreaded French oral exam. Five thousand copies of the DVD will be sent to schools across the country, with footage of the pupils from Lincoln Christ's Hospital School. The DVD will be crucial for teachers across England and Wales as they prepare for the introduction of sweeping changes to GCSE language courses.
Under the revisions, one-off oral exams will be dropped and tests will be more conversational and less like questions and answers learned mechanically.
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Pupils at Littleover Community school could soon be adding Spanish and Mandarin lessons to their curriculum. The school, which has been a specialist science and maths school for five years, has been given a language specialism. Head teacher David Nichols said:
"We chose languages because it fits in well with national priorities and the fact that they already have a prominent role in the school."
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A Nottingham firm is taking the latest in multi-lingual internet marketing techniques to Chinese businesses seeking to export to Britain and Europe. Lace Market-based global online marketing company Metafocus was one of 16 businesses from the East Midlands to visit Shangai and Ningbo – the location of the University of Nottingham's new campus in China – to promote the best of Nottingham to Chinese businesses.
Alan Clements, managing director of Metafocus, said:
"Entering the market can be difficult because of language and cultural differences but is made much easier on the back of Nottingham's well-established relationship with China."
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Pupils at Spalding Grammar School have begun tackling Mandarin. A teacher from Shanghai has been engaged to give all the year seven pupils a 12-week grounding in Mandarin. And the school has already twinned itself with her school in China. Staff have also joined in, taking Mandarin lessons after school. The Chinese connection was first made after a local businessman, married to one of the teachers, put the school in touch with the school in China.
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Twinning links between schools in Derbyshire and Japan are to be given a £7,500 boost by the county council. The cash will support annual exchanges with a further £750 spent on an official reception for 26 visiting Japanese students, from Toyota City, in Matlock on Friday, September 19.
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Around 16 people attended the first meeting of "Let's Meet and Learn Another Language" held in Spalding. The first session, run by Community Lincs and Lincolnshire County Council Community Engagement Team, was hailed a success. "Let's meet and learn another language!" is an opportunity to share and exchange language knowledge. Anyone attending can learn phrases in Eastern European and African languages as well as helping others to improve their English. It is also a great way of find out about different countries and cultures.
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A 15-minute DVD has been produced by local police to help educate youngsters and build bridges between Boston's communities. Poland – A True Story was produced by the Boston rural north neighbourhood policing team. The DVD cost £15 to make and will form part of a lesson delivered by police in local schools. PC Glenn Palmer said: "We want these videos to change attitudes and by going into schools, we're starting with young people."
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Schools across Leicester and Leicestershire are being invited to take part in a sign-language challenge. Trained volunteers will be visiting schools to promote deaf awareness and to teach pupils basic sign language. The youngsters will then play games in silence using sign language to show what fun can be had.
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To celebrate European Day of Languages, the Regional Language Network is offering East Midlands businesses the chance to participate in a free language taster session. The session, held at your premises during lunchtime on Friday 26 September 2008, can be in the language of your choice and promises to teach you some basic words and phrases to make that next business trip or holiday even more rewarding!
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Seven out of 10 young people want to live and work abroad one day - but most do not have a second language, research for the government suggests. A survey of 560 UK students aged from 11 to 18 found enthusiasm for the US, Australia, Spain, Italy and France. Ministers are using the research to encourage more young people to take up a language.
The poll - by PCP Research - found 58% of those questioned did not speak a second language, while 71% wished they could.
Schools minister Jim Knight said:
"This research is yet more proof that we need to equip today's youth with the tools to succeed in the international marketplace - which means encouraging all young people to improve their language skills."
Read the full story on the BBC website
This summer's results revealed that the number of students opting to take languages at GCSE continues to slide, with French being the biggest loser. French entries were down by 6.8% this year, contributing to an overall decrease of more than 30 per cent in the past four years. Though numbers were also down in German, experts believe the trend is slowing, with other modern languages such as Arabic and Chinese growing in popularity.
Read the full story on the BBC website
The University of Northampton are offering a Diploma in Public Service Interpreting via distance learning. The course, which starts in September, provides the opportunity for interpreters across Leicestershire to prepare for the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) exams, which is the main qualification for interpreters who work in public services including legal, health and local government sectors.
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A Primary school in Carlton has won a prestigious European award for a language project focusing on Christopher Columbus. Children at Haddon Primary and Nursery, in Haddon Close, learned about the life of the explorer integrating Spanish with history, geography and culture.
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Chinese children are touring Lincoln schools playing traditional music and talking about their culture. The 40-strong group, from the city's twin town Tangshan, are in the county for a two-week summer holiday. Their trip has been arranged by Lincoln Christ's Hospital School, in Wragby Road, which has had links with the Hebei Tangshan Foreign Language School for around 10 years.
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A £60,000 marketing campaign has been launched to encourage Scandinavian visitors to discover the East Midlands. Funded by East Midlands Tourism, East Midlands Airport and VisitBritain, the campaign will run until spring 2009.
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Children could soon be taking lessons in sign language. Leicester charity Action Deafness is inviting schools to take part in a British sign language challenge to raise awareness and help generate funds.Volunteers will be visiting schools around the county over the next year to promote deaf awareness and to teach basic sign language.
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Pupils at Heanor Gate Science College tried out food from different countries when they took part in a European week. The youngsters tasted a range of cuisines and tried their hand at different languages including Italian, Russian, German, and Welsh and students even enjoyed a continental breakfast.
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Speaking skills remain a weakness among children learning modern languages in secondary schools in England, says a report from inspectors. The Ofsted report, The changing landscape of languages, an evaluation of language learning 2004 -2007, raised particular concerns over the poor quality of speaking skills and the lack of ability at using lessons for "real life" conversations.
However the move towards widening language learning in primary schools was progressing well, said the report.
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Pupils at Ockbrook school in Derbyshire have been taking part in a modern languages awareness day. The youngsters, aged 11 to 14, learnt about Spanish, Cantonese, Russian, Swahili, Japanese and Italian at Ockbrook School. The day began with a screening of a French film, Le Chateau de Ma Mere, which was followed by pupils attending language taster sessions. Activities included learning greetings and numbers.
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A community centre in Leicester is to run a Mandarin summer school over the next few months. The Leicester Chinese Community Centre, in Belgrave Gate, is to host classes in the language for youngsters aged from eight to eleven.
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Pupils at Whissendine Primary School experienced a cultural transformation as English and physical education were replaced with Mandarin and Tai Chi. The school held its Chinese week to provide the pupils with a better understanding of cultural diversity.
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Corby students put their language skills to the test on a week's work experience in France. Nine Year 12 students from Brooke Weston City Technology College worked in schools, shops and a restaurant during the visit. They all stayed in a converted mill near Pontivy, in Brittany.
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Pioneering primary school pupils have returned from a trip to China - and have left a clamour among other children to follow them. Eighteen final year pupils at St Bernadette's School in Ashby headed out during their half term. The 10 and 11-year-olds spent three days in the capital Beijing and then flew onto the Dalian region for five days to visit the Taoy Uan school which they have enjoyed a link with since 2004.
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A Wrist-mounted translation device developed by a Derby graduate has put the University of Derby in the running for a prestigious award. While studying there, design graduate Amin Ismail came up with the prototype for the Ahky - Arabic for "speak". The device is intended to help soldiers and uniformed civilians interpret key foreign phrases in emergency situations.
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Migrant workers in North Lincolnshire have a new guide for life and jobs in their new home. It includes detailed information for new arrivals from setting up a bank account to advice about British law and customs. The 38-page guide is available on the council website in English and eight other European and Asian languages.
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A Hi-tech language learning system will be installed at Repton school, in Derbyshire, this summer. The 26-position digital language centre enables fast manipulation of sound and video files via individual pupil computers, with voice recording and real-time interaction with the teacher and other pupils. Pupils will be able to access the language material within their school houses initially and later the scheme may be accessible from their homes during school holidays.
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Former Mayor of Derby Pauline Latham has handed over a series of German-language books to Derby's Central Library. Ten fiction and non-fiction books for children were exchanged between Derby and its twin city of Osnabruck, in Germany, as part of the Book Tour Around the World campaign - which is now in its third year.
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CILT, the National Centre for Languages, has teamed up with Routledge to run a competition to celebrate Adult Learners Week. All you have to do is answer two simple questions for the chance to win one of five Routledge Colloquial language learning packs in the language of your choice.
The closing date of the competition is 13 June.
Find out more and enter the competition...
Selected language students from Notts will be taking part in a four-day language school. Funded by Aim Higher and coordinated by languages teacher, Maria Collins, of Rushcliffe School, the aim is to raise the profile of language learning in the county and encourage language study in the sixth form and beyond. During the four days, students will participate in a number of language learning activities in French, Spanish or German under the guidance of course tutors.
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Two budding linguists from a Hucknall school are off to improve their French at a weekend language school. Year ten students Aimee Hadman and Emma Crump, of the Holgate Comprehensive, are at Caythorpe Court in Lincolnshire for a weekend of language learning fun. The aim of the course is to raise the profile of language learning in the county and to encourage pupils to carry on studying a foreign language at sixth form college and afterwards.
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Moat Community College in Leicester have been announced as the winners of the Regional Language Challenge, a competition run by the RLN, which challenged schools to create an information pack in a foreign language for a visiting Olympic team. The winning students can now look forward to redeeming their prize - a day trip to the Europa Centre, a simulation centre for adults and children learning languages.
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Wealthy French, German and Dutch tourists are being targeted in a £150,000 tourism campaign. Potential visitors with bags of disposable income will be given the hard sell and urged to visit attractions such as Lincoln Cathedral and Burghley House, near Stamford. A series of foreign language websites have now been set up and campaigns will be running in tourist offices in Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam plugging Lincoln's best sights.
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Food producers in Lincolnshire are among 600 companies being questioned about the economic impact migrant workers have on an industry worth £6.1 billion in the East Midlands. The food and drink sector skills council Improve has ordered the study - claimed to be the first of its kind since 2005. The survey will explore potential problem areas, such as language barriers and immigration laws.
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If you would like to enhance your company's prospects in either Japan or Korea why not propose a candidate for the Executive Training Programme? The ETP, a unique intensive professional development programme, targets executives working for dynamic EU corporations and provides them with a most insightful and detailed knowledge of the Japanese and Korean economy, language and business culture.
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At the Drill Hall in Lincoln, Polish people treated their English neighbours to a taste of their native food, music and language. Visitors could sample exotic delicacies, listen to traditional eastern European music and enjoy poem recitals from Polish schoolchildren. There were information stands and basic language lessons for English people to practise simple Polish phrases. The event was a huge success, as organiser Marysia Filip said: "there were more English people than Polish here. We're happy that they want to see what we're all about and get to know us."
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Boston has been featured heavily in today's national press after the town was mentioned in the House of Commons as a migration 'pinch-point'. It is said that 65 different languages are now spoken in the town and Communities Secretary Hazel Blears, who highlighted Boston as having gone through a rapid population change, said the town had coped well with the arrival of thousands of migrant workers.
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A survey published yesterday by CBI showed that employers highly value communication skills, with 75% seeing conversational ability in languages as a desirable skill in applicants. Conversational ability in languages was seen as highly desirable, with 75% of senior executives saying they look for this skill in applicants, as they see this as a means of building relationships and showing businesses abroad that UK firms are prepared to make the effort.
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Interpreters are being called out to translate for non-English speaking people in Northamptonshire about 21 times a day on average. Figures revealed to the Chronicle & Echo under the Freedom of Information Act show the Community Access and Language Service (CALS) was called out 7,800 times between April 2007 and March 2008.
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Palestinian singer, musician and broadcaster, Reem Kelani and her jazz band visited Yarborough school to lead a cultural workshop focused on singing. Year 6 children from local primary schools were encouraged to to work together as a choir, singing in the Arabic language and learning about the culture and traditions of the Palestinian people.
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Sixth-formers in Derby and Burton will soon be able to study for a new kind of qualification in place of traditional A-levels. The International Baccalaureate - the much-heralded alternative to A-levels which is recognised worldwide - can be used to gain entry into most universities in the same way that A-levels are accepted. Pupils study 6 subjects including a European language.
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A group of foreign exchange students from Mill Hill School, Ripley have visited the town hall for a meeting with the mayor of Amber Valley Peter Arnold. The students from Germany, Italy and Spain were accompanied by their English hosts as part of a project funded by the European Union through the British Council.
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Businessmen and women visited Belvoir High School in Bottesford on Thursday to share advice with pupils on entering the world of work. Representatives from the British Geological Survey, Wilmott Dixon Cnstruction, Grantham College, Connexions and the Regional Language Network spent the day working through activities with Year 9 students to get them thinking about the skills they will need for employment.
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Melton's growing Polish population can now even get a haircut in their own language thanks to a town salon. Aquarius Hair Studio, in the Bell Centre in Nottingham Street, has become extra popular with Poles thanks to the hairdressing and language talents of Sigita Zukauskaite. The Lithuanian national can speak English, Polish, Russian, Lithuanian and a bit of Italian, which comes in handy for English language beginners.
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A familiar name to the Business Awards Derbyshire have now been recognised for their export achievements. AESSEAL, previous winners of the Best Business Practice Award, took the title of 'Exporter of the Year' at this year's awards. Thanks to breaking down language barriers and talking to customers in their mother tongue, the Wetherby Road-based mechanical seal manufacturer has gained clients in over 83 countries.
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One quarter of UK companies have lost out on business because their staff cannot speak a foreign language, according to research released today by publisher of the Teach Yourself Business Languages Series. The independent research conducted by Gfk NOP reveals that insufficient language skills in the workplace has meant that 17% of companies have not been able to pitch for business globally.
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A charity for the visually impaired has issued an urgent appeal for Gujarati speakers to help revive its talking newspaper service. Volunteers at Vista have been providing a 60-minute recording of local, national and international news, short stories and features in the language for the past 12 years but fear it could come to an end if extra help cannot be found.
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Are you an interpreter? Could you spare a few hours to help a variety of organisations across Corby? Then you need to read on!
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Staff and students at QEGS in Horncastle are celebrating after hearing that the school has been awarded specialist Language College status. The school became a specialist Science College four years ago and was recently offered the chance to apply for a second specialism.
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Teachers from two Grantham primary schools spent an afternoon learning basic Polish this week. Staff from Huntingtower Primary School joined in a Polish class with teachers at Sir Isaac Newton Primary School on Monday.
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People in the Market Harborough area who want to learn French are being given the chance to take part in French conversations classes to improve their language skills before watching a selection of French films.
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Students in Wellingborough who want to acquire a basic knowledge of everyday Spanish and culture can attend a 10-week course starting next week. Holiday Spanish for Beginners, organised by the Workers' Educational Association, will be held at Wrenn School from 7pm to 9pm on Tuesdays from January 8.
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Research into language learning in schools resulted in an invitation to Downing Street for a former Derby man. Chris Evans, who grew up in Chaddesden and Spondon, visited Downing Street to discuss the findings of his report, which outlines ways to rejuvenate language learning.
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Shoppers in Boston had the chance to experience a taste of Eastern Europe when a Polish day visited the town centre. Boston College hosted three events around Lincolnshire during the build-up to Christmas to celebrate some of the food, culture, language and music of Poland.
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People wanting to learn a new language are being offered the chance to do so in the new year.
Leicester Adult Education College, in Wellington Street in the city, is offering Mandarin Chinese as one of a number of new language courses.
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Read more stories from our news archives:
News archive 2007
News archive 2006
News archive 2005
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