Publishers urged to cooperate to raise quality of Philippine textbooks

MANILA, April 21, 2011—Storybooks and other reading materials in public preschools are riddled with errors and have content harmful to young children’s impressionable minds, a quality textbook crusader said the other day.

Antonio Calipjo-Go, academic supervisor of Marian School in Sauyo, Novaliches, Quezon City, said that a quality check he has done on some 28 “supplementary reading materials” being distributed in public and private preschools shows numerous errors and have content better left out of the supposed learning materials.

Go has blown the whistle on numerous textbooks made obligatory reference materials for millions of public and private elementary and high school students in the country in the last several years.

The extent of the errors and the questionable contents, he said were also considerable, needing a two-book corrigenda or error guide to guide teachers of children who will be exposed to the said materials.

Go turned over the corrigenda to Education Secretary Armin Luistro in official ceremonies held the other day with officials of several publishers present.

Luistro played referee to a face-to-face between Go and the publishing company officials where Go was again met with angry and indignant tirades.

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1.5M children to be educated in Philippine schools in 2011, thanks to 4Ps

MANILA, April 10 (PNA)—Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Soliman has announced that 1,538,592 children, coming mostly from marginalized families, will go to school this year, thanks to the agency's "Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program" (4Ps).

“It is hoped that the program can be an important weapon in empowering the poor and a step forward in the effort to create a base for a movement for 'transformative social protection,' one that sees the right to be free of poverty as a basic social right. Education is one of the core ways in attaining this right,” Soliman said.

She also said that the 4Ps is a dream come true for poor but deserving students who want to complete their studies as this poverty alleviation tool ensures that the beneficiaries will have food and some money to spend in their educational trek.

Statistics from the Department of Education (DepEd) reflect the conditions of many poor students.

According to DepEd’s research, only 65 percent of pupils reach sixth grade in the elementary level while only 61 percent get a high school diploma in the secondary level.

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Over 80,000 jobs available for students, Philippine labor department announces

MANILA, April 8, 2011—The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday reported that over 80,000 jobs in various government offices and commercial establishments are now available for poor but deserving high school and college students.

Nicon Fameronag, DOLE-Labor Communication Office (LCO) director, said employment would be available to young students as part of the government’s special program for employment of students (SPES).

“A total of 84,918 students would be employed for the entire 2011 and those who would be hired this summer vacation could already start reporting for work on Monday,” Fameronag said.

Fameronag said the Department of Education and Department of Science and Technology and local government units have allocated P32 million to hire 10,000 students this year.

He said persons employing less than 10 workers are allowed to hire poor but deserving students with ages ranging from 15 to 25 years.

College students and those enrolled in vocational and technical education could also be employed any time of the year or during the school break as long as they obtained passing grades during the school year.

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1,246 high school grads finish DOST-SEI scholarship exam

MANILA, April 3, 2011 (PNA)—Around 1,246 high school graduates passed the scholarship exam given in November 2010 nationwide by the Science Education Institute (SEI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Out of the total number of passers, some 846 qualified as scholars under the RA 7687 scholarships, a scholarship program for talented and deserving students belonging to economically disadvantaged families. The remaining 400 passed in the DOST-SEI Merit scholarship program.

DOST-SEI scholars will receive tuition fee subsidy and other school fees, monthly stipend, book allowance, monthly living allowance for a 10-11 month duration, post graduation clothing allowance and more.

On the other hand, DOST-SEI Merit scholars will also receive the same benefits except for a pro-rated monthly stipend depending on their economic status.

Qualifiers can enroll in state universities and other schools recognized as Centers of Excellence or Centers of Development by the Commission on Higher Education…

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Rural students affected by government failure to establish English Language Labs

HYDERABAD, April 18, 2011—The failure of collegiate education department to impart aural and oral skills in English language to students in government degree colleges has deprived thousands a chance to be globally acceptable.

Be it employment opportunities either at call centres or marketing firms, the chances of these students making it to the interview-level look grim because of the failure of the government to establish even one new English Language Lab (ELL) in the past two years.

The state government had launched the ambitious ELL programme in 2006 after several IT companies indicated that Andhra Pradesh, with its huge talent pool, would be their most preferred destination. Despite a budgetary allocation to start 75 ELLs in the state in 2009-10 and 50 ELLs in 2010-11, not a single lab could be established. Though there are 75 ELLs running in the state now, uncertainty dogs the fate of students in the remaining 125 odd government degree colleges across the state.

The government had announced that the ELL curriculum was designed to make the poor rural student globally acceptable. The software introduced in ELLs was designed to develop and strengthen communication skills (oral and aural) and analytical skills and also help students of first and second year degree to hone their communication, logical and aptitude capabilities…

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India BPO industry suffers 55% attrition

NEW DELHI, April 14, 2011 (AFP)—The attrition rate in India's business process outsourcing sector jumped to 55 percent from a year earlier, dealing a potentially fatal blow to the flagship industry, a study said on Thursday.

The study released by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) blamed the high turnover rate on bad working hours and a perceived lack of long-term career growth.

Between December 2010 and April 2011, the attrition rate in the BPO industry increased to 55 percent from 40 percent during the same period a year earlier, Assocham said.

"Although the BPO sector has been popular since the beginning, as it has opened up plenty of job opportunities, the high attrition rate is plaguing the sector now," Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat said.

The sector is also facing serious challenges such as a shortage of skilled workers, the study said.

US and other foreign firms, drawn by India's English-speaking workforce and lower costs than in the West, have farmed out a wide range of jobs from answering bank client calls to processing insurance claims and equity analysis.

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“Language still the biggest hurdle in medical education,” says health official

April 2, 2011—Admitting that language is still the biggest hurdle in medical education, central Additional Secretary (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) Keshav Desiraju today said the government is trying to find a way out so that regional languages can be incorporated.

He said this in his speech at Pramukh Swami Medical College, Karamsad, where three-day national consultations on reforms in medical education is going. The recommendations arising out of these consultations are intended to serve as inputs to the Medical Council of India and the Centre.

“Even 60 years after Independence and having 840 medical institutes, we are still struggling to get good students for medical education and the reason behind (this) is English language. We have seen that the students coming for medical education literally struggle with English,” said Desiraju, adding that this problem must be tackled at the school level.

He said the government wished to help medical education reforms with the help of statutory and regulatory agencies, and that it has no intention to play the role of MCI.

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Master your language

April 1, 2011—Two years ago, Taufiq Alam could barely speak English. Now, he is not just fluent in the language but can even address a gathering of over a hundred people.

Taufiq was among the first batch of students who benefited from the English Access Microscholarship programme that began at the Sir Syed Group of Schools, Mominpur, two years ago. They were recently present at a programme to induct the second batch of 100 students.

“I got the opportunity to learn English. I was ready to set aside my inhibitions and rise to the challenge,” said Taufiq, a Class X student at Kidderpore Muslim High School.

Funded by the US department of state, the two-year programme enables underprivileged children to learn the language and communicate better.

The programme began in India in 2004. In the city, it began at the Sir Syed Group of Schools two years ago.

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How service providers in Israel handle English speakers
By Nofar Sinai Porat, YNetNews.com

April 16, 2011—Put 100 Israelis in a room and you'll see 100 different ways of contending with the English language: Those who speak well and those who don't speak at all, those who understand everything but are terrified to speak, those who have the courage but speak badly, and those who reply in Hebrew…

Still, we expect service providers in Israel to possess a minimal level of English-language skills. After all, not all residents in this country speak good Hebrew, not to mention the many tourists who arrive here.

For our report, Yedioth Ahronoth enlisted the help of instructors at the Wall Street Institute School of English. We asked them to present questions to service providers at various companies, government bodies and businesses. The replies were ranked from 1 to 10 based on the service provider's level of English.

While this is not a scientific poll, it does provide an impression about our level of spoken English…

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High schoolers turn away from learning second foreign language

SEOUL, April 10 (Yonhap)—The number of South Korean high school students choosing to study a second foreign language fell sharply last year, after education authorities decided it was no longer required, government data showed Sunday.

According to data released by the state-run Korean Educational Development Institute, the number of high school students learning a second foreign language totaled 596,044 as of April 2010, marking a drop of 16.8 percent, or 120,939, from 716,983 in the previous year.

The number of second foreign language classes at high schools nationwide also fell 11.2 percent to 18,554, the data found.

The dive in popularity for a second foreign language has come after the government adjusted high school curricula in 2009 to put more emphasis on the study of English, Korean language and math. Learning a second foreign language was compulsory until 2009.

By language, the number of students who chose German as a second foreign language marked the steepest 26.9 percent fall from 29,881 to 21,841, according to the data.

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Set a clear goal when learning, teaching English
By Han Sang-hee, Korea Times

April 13, 2011—English is considered extremely important in Korea and thousands upon thousands of hours and won are spent learning it, but how about in other countries? How well are other non-English speaking countries learning English? Do they too invest as much time and effort as Koreans? What’s the secret?

The answers can be found in an interesting index conducted by English education institute Education First (EF). The English Proficiency Index (EPI) ranks countries depending on their English proficiency level, as well as considering cultural, social, financial and historical backgrounds regarding the results.

As for Korea, 13th place is not bad among 44 countries. Malaysia topped Asian countries in ninth. The second highest Asian nation was Hong Kong, while Japan was 14th. The country with the highest English proficiency was Norway.

So how does this translate?

``It means we’re not that bad,’’ Yerrie Kim, special project manager at EF, said in an interview in Samseong-dong.

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India, China at par in English proficiency?

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9, 2011—India and China have been placed at par in an English language proficiency survey conducted here. It places Malaysia on top among all Asian nations and ninth globally.

While Prime Minister Najib Razak has said he is "proud" at Malaysia being placed on the top, The New Straits Times Saturday expressed "surprise" at India being placed at a level similar to China.

"Others may be astounded that countries with better English-speaking credentials, like India, lag far behind us. It's certainly surprising that, given its British past and large population of English speakers, India is on a similar level as China," the newspaper said in an editorial.

Media reports on the first ever "Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) 2011" report have not indicated the precise ranking of India and China.

Many other surveys have noted that India has the highest number of English-knowing population and the language is used by millions in education, commerce and public discourse.

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Private school students looking to foreign universities
By Graeme Paton, Telegraph.co.uk

April 5, 2011—Britain is facing a serious brain drain as growing numbers of private school pupils consider taking university degrees in foreign countries, a study suggests.

Almost 60 per cent of top independent schools said sixth-formers were increasingly interested in studying abroad, it was revealed today.

The shift is being caused by the imposition of tuition fees of up to £9,000, which are likely to hit students from middle-class households the hardest.

Headmasters also warned that bright sixth-formers risked being driven out of the country by the Government’s social mobility drive which urges universities to increase the proportion of pupils recruited from state schools and poor backgrounds.

The conclusions are made in a survey of 250 fee-paying schools belonging to the elite Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference.

According to figures, almost eight-in-10 heads said their school will be actively encouraging sixth-formers to consider applying for a place at universities overseas.

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Graduates with a foreign language have huge edge in the job market
By Steve McCormack, Indepedendent.co.uk

April 14, 2011—There are pros and cons about being a native speaker of English. One advantage, of course, is the ease with which English speakers can move around the world, on holiday or on business. But a disadvantage is that it breeds laziness. Far too many of us Brits, either consciously or unconsciously, don't really bother with learning a foreign language.

The flip side, though, is that the relatively few Brits who do have a foreign language string to their bow stick out in the crowd, and consequently have far healthier career options.

"Languages give you so much more flexibility in terms of where you work and how quickly you get promotion," says Teresa Tinsley, director of communications at CILT, the Government-funded National Centre for Languages, which, among other things, provides support and career guidance to anyone who uses languages in their work.

One of Teresa Tinsley's strong beliefs is that graduates in a foreign language have far more to offer potential employers than just the ability to operate in that language.

"Language graduates need to show that through learning a language they have gained international awareness and international business awareness," she argues.

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Foreign doctors work in Britain without speaking English

March 29, 2011—Foreign doctors whose English is so poor that they need interpreters are being allowed to operate on patients in Britain, the medical regulator has warned.

The General Medical Council said current European rules represent a “serious cause of concern” and risk to patient safety by banning it from testing GPs’ language skills before they can start working here.

The regulator said it has some doctors on its books who "are not able to communicate in English" but could not prevent them seeking work here under European law.

It warned that bogus doctors from other countries may find their way into the NHS by presenting fake certificates or ID, because of a lack of security checks, or could hide the fact that they had been suspended from practising in their homeland.
Even genuine doctors from abroad may have little idea of how to carry out procedures that are standard in Britain, because there is no standard training, education or healthcare system.
The GMC’s strongly worded submission to the European Commission, which is reviewing the laws that allow free movement of medics across the continent, comes after the scandal of Daniel Ubani.

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Schools in disaster-struck Japan zones want English teachers back

April 12, 2011—The earthquake in Japan on 11 March, which triggered a series of devastating events across the east of the country, has left tens of thousands dead or missing, huge swaths of the population anxious about nuclear energy and had an economic impact that remains opaque. For the English language teachers, that means an uncertain future, not that those remaining are thinking ahead too far.

The earthquake came at both the best and the worst time for the region's English language teachers. During an exam period and close to Japanese spring break, many teachers were not at work when the tsunami struck, and have had time to think about their ongoing residence in the country. By the end of March, only one ELT fatality from the disaster had been reported, that of 24-year-old Taylor Anderson, a teacher on the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme in the tsunami-struck town of Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture.

However, with many schools offering one-year contracts that end on 31 March, employers have struggled to keep teachers as much as teachers have struggled to keep their jobs. "Many foreigners in Japan are on yearly renewable contracts, most of which end in April," said Louis Carlet, vice-chairman of Zenkoku Ippan Tokyo General Union, which represents a large number of EL teachers throughout the country.

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It takes a village to raise an English speaker
By Shoko Okuda, Yomiuri Shimbun

OSAKA, April 7, 2011—Back in January, sixth-graders at one particular elementary school in Osaka-Sayama, Osaka Prefecture, had three teachers when they studied English.

In addition to their full-time teacher, they have a foreign assistant language teacher and Mika Miyazono, who was dispatched by a nonprofit organization assisting the city's primary schools with their English lessons.

The students' teacher, Akitoshi Ikeda, had his students repeat the target phrases in unison with the ALT:

"I get up at 6:30."

"I eat lunch at 12:30."

As they did this, Miyazono walked around the classroom, watching each of the students. She would approach any student who looked lost and say the phrases along with the child.

The Osaka-Sayama Shogakko Eigo Katsudo Shien no Kai (Osaka-Sayama elementary English booster club) was inaugurated last year at the behest of the city. It's mission is to find people in the community who can assist in English instruction in primary schools.

The group has 32 members, all of them living in the area…

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Indirectly Speaking: Cheat the cheaters with a test of real ability
By Mike Guest, The Daily Yomiuri

March 28, 2011—February's university entrance exam cheating scandal, which had seemingly the entire nation caught dazzled in its collective headlights discussing how to eliminate future subterfuge. Some called for stricter rules as to what is allowed into the testing venue, recommending that cell phones be handed over before entering the site. But this would not foil determined cheaters who could easily hide a cell phone and instead hand over a dud to proctors. And the more technologically proficient could well start using an assortment of hidden gadgets resembling something out of a spy film. Hey--they have the technology.

Others called for better-trained or more alert proctors. Having invigilated tests myself on numerous occasions, I must admit that I find it stunning that the perpetrator pulled off his cell phone stunt not just once, but at four different test venues. I had thought that proctoring naturally required a constant monitoring by walking about the room while being as surreptitious as possible so as not to disturb the examinees--in short, being vigilant! I had not imagined that a student holding an item under the table or regularly looking away from the test paper would go unnoticed, but I have heard since that in some settings proctors fall asleep or concentrate on other work. Still, the sneak in the Kyoto University must have been either exceedingly lucky to have had inattentive proctors four times or have magician-like stealth in his manner.

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Bangkok English school flirts with Chinese market
 
BANGKOK, April 14, 2011—A local English language institution is introducing long-distance online learning courses to China to tap into dramatically growing demand there for English teachers and courses in remote areas.

Fun Language International (Thailand) has been providing English teachers and curricula for children in both public and private schools in Greater Bangkok since 1997. Managing director Tongjai Tangsanga said it was cooperating with its partners in China - Leap School and an investor from Hong Kong - to develop interactive English classes via the internet.

It has set up a 10-million-baht studio in Shanghai where English-speaking teachers are filmed and broadcasts sent to schools in Shanghai's suburbs.

Mr. Tongjai said China's education market had improved markedly after the country held the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Demand for English teachers and courses is rising significantly, and many international English teaching institutions are setting up shop in Beijing and Shanghai.

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Chinese language proficiency contest held in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, April 11, 2011—The third Chinese Bridge Chinese language proficiency competition for Swedish middle school and university students has been held at Stockholm University.

Nine students from Stockholm, Lund and Linkoping Universities and 42 students from a dozen middle schools in Sweden participated in the competition jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Sweden and Nordic Confucius Institute in Stockholm.

Professor Thorbjorn Loden from Nordic Confucius Institute said that with the support of Confucius institute, more and more schools open Chinese courses and more and more people began to study Chinese in Sweden.

"I like you to follow the Chinese principle that friendship comes first, competition comes second and enjoy the process of taking part in the competition," he gave the students such good advice before the competition began.

Incomplete statistics show that all Swedish Universities and over 60 middle schools in the country have started the Chinese courses. The Swedish government has made Chinese a second foreign language equal to English, French and Spanish for students.

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Russia makes breakthrough in the English-language world
                           
MOSCOW, April 12, 2011—“A stepping stone for modern Russian literature to the English language world”. This is the name used by Russian book publishers, writers and translators for the 40th London Book Fair on the 11th to the 13th of April, at which Russia is an honorary guest.

Russia considers its presence at the book fair in the capital of the UK as an opportunity to expand its participation in the international literary dialogue. The head of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergey Naryshkin spoke about this on the day when the Russian pavilion opened at the Earls Court exhibition centre in London:

“This is certainly a step towards integration with the global book publishing community. As we can see, the interest in the Russian exhibition is great. One of the best ways to find out how a country lives, what its people think and what they dream about is to read books by its contemporary authors.”

Modern Russian fiction can interest foreign readers only if it describes present-day life in Russia and does it without any bias. This is the opinion of Arkady Vitruk, the director of the Azbuka-Atikus publishing group:

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English language monopoly on shaky ground
By Bernard Lane, The Australian

April 6, 2011—The federal government shows no sign of bringing forward the long-expected breakup of the IELTS English test monopoly, after the worst case of onshore fraud at a test centre in Perth.

Eileen Tyson, whose US-based TOEFL test has been lobbying against the monopoly since 2005, said the falsification of results at the Curtin University centre "highlights the need for alternative testing methods."

Both TOEFL and the new Pearson test claim their systems are not open to the manipulation seen at Curtin.

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Chris Bowen could not say when a decision on the monopoly would be announced.

However, the timing of the decision is not dependent on the handing down of findings from Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission investigation into the Curtin fraud, the HES understands. CCC hearings ended on March 28.

In May last year the federal government declared its "in-principle support for the acceptance of more than one English language test under the migration regulations."

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Language tests should change, says opposition immigration spokesman

March 31, 2011—English language tests were being used as a trade barrier to restrict temporary workers coming into Australia, the opposition immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, said yesterday.

English skills were important for workplace safety and social cohesion, but the English testing program had to be geared to vocational skills and not a ''one-size-fits-all'' test that applied to both a German PhD student and a Brazilian abattoir worker, he said.

The level of English tested should also take into account the intended length of stay, and was not as critical for a three-month contract.

Mr Morrison said increased temporary labour migration, with greater conditions applied, would better meet skills shortages than the informal overseas workforce provided by the working holiday and student visa program.

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Probe hears of bribes for overseas migrant English exams

March 24, 2011—Up to 25 immigrants could have paid bribes to have their English-language exams changed in order to be granted a visa or permanent residency, a West Australian corruption hearing has heard.

The state's Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) is investigating allegations a staff member at Curtin University was bribed to falsify results of English-language competency tests.

It is mandatory that applicants for permanent residency and work or students' visas pass the International English Testing System (IELTS), which is relied upon by the Department of Immigration.

In 2009 Abdul Kader, who migrated from India and is now an Australian citizen, was living in a sharehouse with an employee at the Curtin English Language Centre, Keith Low.

Mr Kader had been approached by his former petrol station workmate Pritesh Shah concerned about a friend, Vishnal Pandya, who was applying for permanent residency but was repeatedly failing the English language requirements.

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Adult literacy pursued on many fronts

April 5, 2011—Once a week, a dozen learners and their tutors get together to practice literacy skills in a program called COOL (Community One on One Learning) for Adults. COOL provides volunteer tutors for people who need help with basic literacy skills.

“Tutors report that it is very rewarding to make a difference in someone’s life,” said Bev Krieger, who co-ordinates the program and trains the tutors.

One student’s remark speaks to the success of the program: “It’s like being released from prison.”

Many learners have gained the skills they needed in the workplace or who have qualified for further training, Krieger said, adding that “all of our learners have improved their language skills.”

Another said, “I get a real kick out of learning a new word or the spelling of a familiar word,” and another described the classes as great fun. “I’m always learning something new,” he said.

“Before, I would pass over words I couldn’t read and now I try hard to figure them out or get help,” said another.

One student felt “really proud of myself as I was able to fill out an application for OAP without help,” and one learner was able to reach the point where he was able to complete the paper work he needed before he could move into his new apartment. He managed it without help from family or friends.

The comments of students demonstrate the success of COOL. One student talked of “no longer hiding the fact that I attend literacy classes.”

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Volunteers invited to help improve English language learning In Armenia

YEREVAN, April 1, 2011—On the occasion of its tenth anniversary serving Armenia through volunteerism, the Armenian Volunteer Corps has launched “Teach,” its most ambitious program to date, helping to improve the quality of education in Armenia through English language learning.

Teach provides native English-speaking volunteer teachers to middle and high school students to complement the existing curriculum with a concentration in conversation, creative and academic writing skills, and creating a globally aware and active community.

Teaching English is not new to AVC. Over the last decade many of AVC’s 339 alumni have taught English as the primary or secondary focus of their volunteer service. English language teaching occurred in both formal and informal settings, in public school and university classrooms, in English language “clubs” for adults and children, at NGOs for staff, and during after school and summer programs.

Sheila Terjanian was a retired economist when she took one year off in 2002 to volunteer through AVC. She had spent 30 years in public policy with the Canadian federal government. After she retired, she received a diploma in teaching English as a Foreign/Second Language, and prior to volunteering in Armenia she taught English as a volunteer in her community, working mostly with refugee women.

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Tamil, English courses improve forces’ language skills

April 4, 2011—English and Tamil language courses offered to the combined forces and police will help improve their inter-personnel relationship and language skills, said National Cadet Corps (NCC) Director, Major General Gamini Jayasundara.

He said so addressing a ceremony to distribute certificates to 102 police and combined forces personnel who successfully completed Tamil and English language courses, at the NCC headoffice, Pamankada.

Sri Lanka was freed of terrorism due to the commitment of the combined forces and police although there were issues among them during the conflict due to language barriers, Jayasundara said.

The NCC had organized these Tamil and English Language courses for the combined forces and police in collaboration with the Official Languages Department on Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s concept.

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Spreading the English word: BC reaches out to teachers

April 3, 2011—Whether singing a punk rock song or a musical classic like Edelweiss, the student from the schools in Gampaha are confident in their English language skills. Participating in a concert held in Gampaha the children showed members of the British Council and other guests to what degree they’ve improved in speaking English.

However, the concert was more of a review meeting that reflected the progress of the teachers who have received training by the British Council. The teachers have been selected for the University of Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test project, a training programme designed to improve teachers’ capability in teaching English.

The programme in Sri Lanka is conducted by the British Council and apart from helping the children improve in spoken English, the teachers are trained to help them improve in writing and understanding the language that dominates the commercial world.

As Country Director of the British Council in Sri Lanka, Tony Reilly says, “English is everyone’s language. It is the language of business, the language of the internet and the language people across the world protest in” emphasising the importance of being able to communicate in English.

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English words fail to take root in Polish vernacular
By Julian Borger, The Guardian

April 6, 2011—The constant shuttling of hundreds of thousands of mostly young Polish workers between Poland and Britain has had a big and visible impact on demographics, economics and culture. But the influence on language is curiously hard to pin down.

That is partly because Polish, like Poland itself, has been subjected to successive waves of invasions. Americanisms have been here since before the end of communism, arriving principally through television and films. So dzinsy (jeans), keczup (ketchup), koktajl (cocktail) and hamburger were already part of the vernacular long before the great Polish migration of the past decade.

The other wide-open portals through which English words have poured into the everyday language are through western management jargon, computers and the internet.

This linguistic invasion would have happened without a single Pole moving to Britain looking for work. It started with the mass arrival of US business consultants in Warsaw in 1990 – the archetypal biznesmen and bizneswomen seeking to set up “joint ventures.” It continues today with social media such as Facebook (fejsbuk). After meeting someone for the first time, you could wyguglowac (Google) them, and then perhaps rzucic posta na fejsa (add a post on Facebook).

Words picked up in the bars, restaurants and offices of Britain and then carried home to Poland are harder to find…

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Colombia failing to learn English, says ministry

April 5, 2011—English language education in Colombia is producing dire results, despite programs to encourage Spanish-English bilingualism, newspaper El Tiempo reported Tuesday.

According to the newspaper, the Ministry of Education in conjunction with education evaluation program Saber 11, has published figures showing that despite a 2004 strategy to encourage national bilingualism in the country, only 8% of 11th graders in Colombia speak even intermediate English.

Furthermore, of 13,324 English teachers evaluated as part of the study, only 25% achieved intermediate proficiency in English while only 6% demonstrated a better than intermediate command of the language.

A Ministry of Education spokesperson told El Tiempo that these figures present a significant challenge to the government, which had hoped that "100% of English teachers would be able to demonstrate intermediate proficiency in English". The latest figures in fact also suggest that the standard of English tuition in Colombia may have even deteriorated further in the last few years.

The figures have resulted in Colombia being ranked 41 out of 44 countries in the English proficiency index, an assessment created to establish a standardized model for measuring the standard of English by country…

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