March 31, 2008

Diane Mufson: Americans must speak more than just English - Huntington Herald Dispatch


Diane Mufson: Americans must speak more than just English
Huntington Herald Dispatch, WV - Mar 14, 2008
"While many recent immigrants speak a foreign language and have various
degrees of facility in English, the great majority of Americans are
monolingual; they communicate only in English." …

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages indicates that about a third of American students in grades 7 to 12 are taking foreign languages, but more than 95 percent study only Spanish, French, German, Italian or Latin." …

"The same article also noted that the Chinese have more than 200 million
students studying English, but fewer than 24,000 Americans are studying
the Chinese language. In everyday terms, this means that millions of
Chinese will understand our conversations but only a tiny fraction of
Americans will comprehend theirs."…

"In the 21st century, teaching foreign languages should be viewed as
just as important as math, computers, science and social studies.
Schools should be offering a variety of foreign languages to all
students from an early age.Our traditional way of teaching foreign languages to mainly
college-bound high school students is ineffective. Developing fluency
or even familiarity within another language also tends to "

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January 30, 2008

LANGUAGE BARRIER - Centre Daily Times


LANGUAGE BARRIER
Centre Daily Times, PA - Jan 26, 2008

Klein demonstrated another stretching position, leading the kids in more foreign languages: French, German, and Japanese. By spring, the students also will learn to count to 10 in Russian, Greek, Mandarin and Hebrew.

"…
Chinese [is the] the second most common foreign language spoken in the nation, according to 2005 U.S. Census Bureau data.

Spanish is the most common. French is third.

About 20 percent of Americans ages 5 and older speak a language other than English.

The long-range goal of Young Scholars is to see its graduates proficient in both Spanish and Chinese by the time they reach eighth grade — when students at most other schools are just getting started learning a foreign language.

Read the full article here LANGUAGE BARRIER

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January 20, 2008

German study, work widen horizons - Ironwood Daily Globe


German study, work widen horizons
Ironwood Daily Globe, MI - January 13, 2008

Spenser Stephens has studied the German language since age 11 and has traveled to Germany every summer for the past six years. At the language camp, German youths studied English and international students learned German.

At the end of his stay in German, Stephens led a tour of Christmas Markets in Bavaria for a group of American tourists. He served as translator and go-between at hotels and restaurants. …

Stephens recommends his foreign experience to others. A short course leads to certification as a teacher of English as a second language, Stephens said.

"There's always a need for native English speakers to teach English in many countries," he said. …

Read the full article, German study, work widen horizons

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December 30, 2007

Usted habla espanol? - Alexandria Echo Press


Usted habla espanol?
Alexandria Echo Press, MN - December 29. 2007

Typically, in the United States, foreign language classes are introduced at the middle school level.  And typically, it’s just the basics while more in-depth foreign language classes don’t often begin until the senior high level.

Students often choose between learning the language of the French, German or Spanish cultures or nowadays, even Mandarin Chinese.

However, Alexandria School District 206 is looking at beginning foreign languages at an earlier age – the elementary school level.

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December 6, 2007

Stern Magazine hails German Wikipedia as better than a commercial encyclopaedia…

Magazine hails German Wikipedia as better than - EUX.TV



Magazine hails German Wikipedia as better than

EUX.TV,?Netherlands?- December 6, 2007

The German version of the do-it-yourself online
reference work Wikipedia is better than Germany's most prestigious
commercial encyclopaedia, the weekly magazine Stern asserted Wednesday.



The German-language section of Wikipedia, numbering 673000 articles, is the second biggest after the English version (2115000). Bilingual readers say the

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November 28, 2007

Goethe-Institute promotes German language through e-learning

Goethe-Institut Chooses Eedo's Learning Content Management System … - Market Wire (press release)



Goethe-Institut Chooses Eedo's Learning Content Management System

Market Wire (press release) - November 28, 2007

The Goethe-Institut is a German non-profit government organisation whose mission is to promote German language and culture worldwide.

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November 26, 2007

German language still very much alive in the Czech Republic

Reports that German is kaput are exaggerated - Czech Business Weekly

Reports that German is kaput are exaggerated
Czech Business Weekly, Czech Republic - November 26, 2007
gathers together heads of state or governments of European Union member states—to teach “at least two foreign languages in school from a very early age.

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November 20, 2007

German Language professor receives high honor

German School professor receives high honor from German government - Middlebury College News and Events



Middlebury College News and Events


German School professor receives high honor from German government

Middlebury College News and Events,  USA - November 19, 2007

MIDDLEBURY, Vt.—Karl W. Obrath of Middlebury College's summer German Language School has received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of

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November 19, 2007

German Cultural Institute is rolling out a slew of new courses

Lessons in tongues - Calcutta Telegraph



Lessons in tongues

Calcutta Telegraph, India - Nov 16, 2007

The German cultural institute, which is observing German Language Day with a workshop on November 23, is rolling out a slew of courses catering to corporate

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