The Scotland Russia Forum has redesigned its website. The website editor has asked for your comments – email on scotrussforum@blueyonder.co.uk.You can also join up for next year on the new interactive Join Us page (new subscriptions run until end August 2008).
A dialect so dense that it held up social reforms has been rescued from obscurity by the publication of its first dictionary, says this article on the Guardian Books website. Thousands of terms used in Pitmatic, the oddly-named argot of miners in north-east England for more than 150 years, have been compiled through detailed research in archives and interviews.
Read the full story on the Guardian Books website.
The annual Isle of Wight Conference will take place on Saturday 13 October. The lead practitioner will be Joe Dale and topics covered will include:
Aims and objectives:
There will be a free show-and-tell session on Friday 12 October for everyone attending the conference.
Find out more on the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) website or on Joe Dale’s blog.
The European Day of Languages (EDL), a Council of Europe initiative, is held annually on the 26 September to celebrate language and cultural diversity. The Day was first celebrated in 2001, the European Year of Languages and involves more people every year.
EDL aims to:
Most events and activities are held on the day itself, but some people extend the celebrations over two or three days and others even have a whole week of language-related events. Whether you decide on a single activity or a how series of events, there are a range of resources to help you make the day special.
EDL is celebrated throughout the UK and in 45 countries across Europe. The Council of Europe, who co-ordinate the Day at European level, are keen for the Day to be as decentralised as possible (although they do produce European resources) and the team at CILT is hoping you will either organise or attend an event yourself. If you are planning any kind of language or culture-related event, why not do it on the European Day of Languages?
View the Council of Europe Events calendar for details of planned activities in the UK and across Europe, and keep coming back to it - as 26 September approaches, more and more events are always added. And don’t forget to add your own event, even if it is not open to the public.
The 2007 leaflet on the CILT website provides more information about how to get involved and celebrate the day, or visit our FAQ to find out more.
There are free resources available to order NOW from Scottish CILT. Scottish CILT now has a limited supply of CILT posters (double sided) and stickers (’hello’ in 30 languages) to send out which will be distributed free on a first-come-first-served basis. If you would like to order some please contact Sheila McLachlan as soon as possible (s.e.mclachlan@stir.ac.uk).
View further information about the European Day of Languages on the Scottish CILT website.
The latest instalment of the ELT diary on the Education Guardian website talks about wristwatch translation devices, English-language learning devices for the Nintendo DS, and English-language classes for Gilette employees in the US.
Read the article on the Education Guardian website.
Current UCAS data, released 19 July, indicates that many languages are experiencing increases in applications for single and major honours degrees this year. Notably, Japanese applications are up by 41%, German by 20% and Modern Middle Eastern Studies by 10%. This is compared with a 6% overall increase in applications across all subjects, compared to this time last year.
Read the full analysis on the CILT website, or the news article on the UCAS website.
Bogus language schools and colleges are to be targeted in a new drive to bring down the number of fake students being given visas to come to the UK.
Read the full story on the BBC website.
Children in Europe is hosting an event at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival. ‘In My Own Words’, on 14 August 2007 at 5.30pm will be a lively and colourful debate considering whether our encounters with languages help shape our lives. A multilingual panel will include Scottish Gaelic folklorist and singer Margaret Bennett, French writer and journalist François Chignac and Irish writer and broadcaster Manchán Magan.
Tickets are available for £3.50 on the Children in Scotland website.
Russia has launched a campaign to promote the national language after almost two decades of retreat - to match the country’s increasing economic and political confidence.
Read more on the Reuters website.
Bookshop chain Borders has started selling Polish titles at its flagship stores in London’s Oxford Street, Southampton and Birmingham. The stock of more than 100 titles is expected to be introduced nationwide later this year.
Read more on the Guardian website.
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