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Wonderful English from around the World

david — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 06:23:41 +0000

The keep us in work, so be thankful…

In a Bangkok temple:
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.

Cocktail lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.

Doctors office, Rome:
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.

Dry cleaners, Bangkok :
DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.

In a Nairobi restaurant:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.

On the main road to Mombassa, leaving Nairobi :
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.

On a poster at Kencom:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.

In a City restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.

In a cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES .

A Tokyo hotel’s rules and regulations:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.

In a Tokyo bar:
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.

Hotel, Yugoslavia:
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID..

A Hotel, Japan:
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET
COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.

A sign posted in Germany’s Black Forest:
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF
DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.

A hotel, Zurich :
BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand:
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?

Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

A laundry in Rome :
LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.

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The big Australasia TEFL news roundup

david — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:17:28 +0000

Here are some recent TEFL headlines from around the region.

South Korea: Language education ’starts in the womb’

Bilingual education starts from womb, a research team led by Krista Byers-Heinlein and Janet Werker from the University of British Columbia claims to have found. The researchers compared the reactions of newborn babies whose mothers are monolingual in English with those of mothers who are bilingual in English and Tagalog.

Read the full story here.

India: English radio lessons… Exit UNICEF, enter government

After the UNICEF decided to discontinue the implementation of “Interactive Learning Through Radio” programme in Uttar Pradesh from next academic year, the state government has decided to implement the unique scheme on its own.

Read more here.

Nepal: Unique school aims to be the ticket to equality

Beginning with 850 students in the 2001 and teaching up to Grade 3, the first Satama (“equality”) school now has over 3,500 students. The founder, Uttam Sanjel, said “I had no idea that it would be so popular.” The medium of instruction is English – considered a passport to success – because parents and guardians in Nepal prefer private English- medium schools over Nepali or other vernacular language schools. Satama schools have entrance fees that are much less than other private schools, allowing Nepalis–however poor they are–to send their children to private school.

Read on.

India: The road to English to begin with mother tongue

What is common between ‘pencil’, ‘railway station’, ‘programme’ and ‘machine’? These are English words used in Hindi, Punjabi and other languages. And a professor has found a novel way to use these words in teaching of the English language. Professor Anil Sarwal, linguistics expert and faculty member at DAV College, Sector 10, has identified 12,000 such words. The aim behind compiling these words, according to Professor Sarwal, was to use one’s mother tongue to teach the English language. “If encouraged to learn English by beginning with words that are known to them, the ice between learners and the English language will start thawing,” Professor Sarwal says.

Read the full story here.

India: Lend an ear, mind your languages

A recent report by the NGO Pratham shows that less that 50 per cent of children in Class I could even identify capital letters in English. Parents, especially from rural and semi-urban families, see English as a gateway to better opportunities for their children. They send their children to English-medium schools. In most of these schools, children learn Maths, Sciences and other subjects in English, without knowing English. This situation has led to an increasing number of educators advocating that schooling should be in the mother tongue only.

Read more here.

Vietnam and United Kingdom: British Council helps improve English teaching in Vietnam

The British Council and the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam (MoET) will inaugurate a bilingual website (www.teachingenglish.edu.vn) in early February. The website is part of the Access English project, which has been launched by the British Council in across South East Asia to support changes in English language teaching.

Read the story here…

Australia: 8 English schools won’t reopen

Voluntary administrators in eight English language schools say that the schools will not reopen because of the financial situation. They say they are working with the federal department of education and state government departments to find arrangements for the 2300 international students.

Read on…

Cambodia: Cambodia’s minority languages facing a bleak future

More than 20 languages are spoken in Cambodia, lathough most are minority languages and face extinction in the coming decades. For Jean-Michel Filippi, recording the language is one way to preserve a cultural view of the world.

Read more now.

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Moving home

david — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:36:07 +0000

After a few years of TEFLing you’ll probably have accumulated a great many personal items from around the world and will at some point need to move them all to a new location. A lot of research indicates that the angst of moving house is one of the most taxing events that can occur during life, even being on a par with break up and bereavement. Not only is there the primary stress of viewing houses and having to show strange people around your home, there is also the predictable apprehension of the build-up to the actual day itself. Nonetheless, there are many ways in which you can lessen the stress of moving house.

Humboldt Storage and Moving is one company that understands this dilemma and are zealous in addressing the specific worries and stresses of moving to a new home. The Moving Company aims to get you to your new location, help you to commence your new quest and diminish your stress too. In order to reduce the stress of a move, it may be worth bearing in mind the option of buying a newly built house. The primary reason for this is that it cuts out the inevitable unreliability of a house buying chain.

There are few things more stressful in the moving process than falling in love with a house and thinking you are going to make the move, only to find out that the matter is no longer feasible because of difficulty somewhere along the chain, seemingly unconnected to you and your wishes. Buying a newly built house can help, but is not the only way to trim down the constant worry. It is always worth considering selling your house first and then renting a property until you find somewhere to buy. Admittedly this can be a perilous action but it does give you the advantage of completely cutting out the property chain, consequently reducing the unreliable nature of selling.

When you know you are going to be moving, have a preliminary clear out of possessions. The Humboldt Storage and Moving Company will also help you at this stage. In the build-up to the move itself, ensure you get some early nights and start to eat and drink healthily. Having only a small amount of sleep at night, combined with junk food and unhealthy drinks will only lead to increased nuisance and unneeded stress for all involved. There are many things you can do to help yourself but don’t underestimate the benefit of a good Moving Company.

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UK language school opens its first overseas branch in Taiwan

david — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:41:19 +0000

United Kingdom and Taiwan: Britain’s private English-learning school ‘Center of English Studies’ (CES) opened its first branch outside England and Ireland in Taipei last Thursday, aiming to help Taiwanese students improve their English skills so they can get into schools abroad, according to E-Taiwan News.

The branch has been opened in collaboration with the local education consultant United Kingdom Education Advisory Service (UKEAS), which has been working with the CES in sending Taiwanese students to study at CES schools in England and Ireland.

Read the full story…

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A new Quebec law makes Lara Croft a francophone

david — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:46:34 +0000

Canada: French language rules on video games come into force today that prohibits the sale of new English-only video games in Quebec, if a French version is available, notes the Star. It’s causing a lot of consternation among retailers and gamers alike, who fear the rules will lead to delays in video games arriving in the province, and may not accomplish what the law intends, which is to promote and protect the French language.

Read the full story…

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Volunteerism a way of giving in Sri Lanka

david — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:43:13 +0000

Sri Lanka: The Sunday Times notes how Pilapitiya Maha Vidyalaya was the scene of a bittersweet celebration on Friday, March 27th. Three undergraduates, one from the Netherlands and two from China, members of AIESEC – the world’s largest student organization, were saying their farewells, after two months of volunteer English language teaching in selected schools in Sri Lanka. The project was organized by the Colombo North Committee (University of Kelaniya) of AIESEC to enhance the English knowledge of school children between the ages of 8-14 in seven schools in Kelaniya, Kiribathgoda and Kadawatha.

Leeds school offers language support to EAL pupils

david — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:21:08 +0000

United Kingdom: Ingram Road Primary School in Leeds is harnessing language learning technology using Rosetta Stone, a leading language learning software provider, for its English as an Additional Language (EAL) pupils to help them integrate into the school community.

The school caters for primary pupils in the inner city Holbeck area of Leeds and has 203 pupils on role, 56% of whom do not speak English as a first language. Pupils at the school speak a total of 21 different languages, ranging from Arabic to Zulu. The program is available on the school’s computer system at Ingram Road as well as accessible online for students with internet access at home and has solicited positive reactions from pupils and staff alike.

Read the full story…

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Distance Education from PCDI Canada

david — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:08:17 +0000

As TEFL teachers with busy, hectic schedules, what we look for in terms of educating ourselves usually tends to involve the leaders in ‘distance’ education. This is especially the case for those of us who are looking to make the transition back into normal life after having spent some time on the TEFL circuit. PCDI Canada is such a service provider, offering professional career training courses to adults who require the flexibility and expediency that only home study can provide. When they were established in the late 1980s, they offered just one career training course dealing with Real Estate Appraisal. Their services have expanded exponentially to the point where today users can prepare for their dream careers in more than fifty fashionable fields of study, including medical transcription and forensic science.

With in excess of a million customers from all around the world having chosen the PCDI alternative, it’s clear there are many reasons to consider them for your future distance education needs. What many people like about the programs is that you are fully able to learn on your own schedule and don’t necessarily need to rearrange your life to take courses. Individual instruction is the norm making you feel like you’re in a classroom of one. Say, for example, you wish to study interior decorating and are worried about the practicalities of doing it ‘distance’. The courses, despite being distance education, retain many hands-on techniques and elements meaning you’ll be ready to apply what you learn in the real world. This is further accentuated by the fact that materials are regularly updated to reflect the latest technical advances and research. Furthermore, you can pay for the courses via easy monthly tuition payments that are interest-free, after having made your initial down payment. Exams don’t need to be a cause of panic either, as they are open-book and are fully accessible online.

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Awesome anagrams

david — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:21:51 +0000

I got this lot via email and thought they were too good not to share:

DORMITORY
When you rearrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM

PRESBYTERIAN
When you rearrange the letters: BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER
When you rearrange the letters: MOON STARER

DESPERATION
When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES
When you rearrange the letters: THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH
When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE
When you rearrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES
When you rearrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME

[ad#underpost]

ANIMOSITY
When you rearrange the letters: IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS
When you rearrange the letters: LIES – LET’S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS
When you rearrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z ‘S

A DECIMAL POINT
When you rearrange the letters IM A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES
When you rearrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO
When you rearrange the letters: TWELVE PLUS ONE

MOTHER-IN-LAW
When you rearrange the letters: WOMAN HITLER

Yep! Someone with way too much time on their hands!

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Students visit New York city

david — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:13:41 +0000

An educational field trip to New York City can offer the student the travel opportunity of a lifetime. When student travel tours are scheduled for New York City, the main item on the schedule is art and culture, with some standard points of interest, like The Statue of Liberty and Times Square, included. For example, almost every student group wants to experience at least one Broadway Musical while in New York, while at the Metropolitan Art Museum, an emphasis on the classics benefit the student visitor, giving them a well rounded approach to art history. With such things in mind CitySights NY is a known service leader when it comes to organising New York City sightseeing and things to do in New York City. CitySights NY provide bus tours around the city, operating with a fleet of 60 state-of-the-art double-decker buses designed with top-deck-only seating to provide you with the best possible views of New York’s places of interest.

When it comes down to looking for things to do in New York City, CitySights NY also offer some of New York City’s best-value double-decker sightseeing packages including harbor cruises, shopping day trips, museum visits, helicopter tours, and one-day escorted motor coach tours to other major East Coast cities such as Boston, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia and also Amish Country.

To get an astonishing view of the illuminated Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn waterfront, consider the Night Tour, while the CitySights NY Brooklyn Tour takes visitors to trendy and historic neighborhoods. So, if you’re looking for fun, interesting and entertaining things to do in New York City, remember CitySights NY.

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