If you want to talk (”tawlk”) like a Brit with a standard southern accent, then you need helps from her.
Archive for July, 2008
Standard Southern British English
July 30, 2008In Memoriam: Professor Randy Pausch
July 28, 2008Professor Randy Pausch of Carnegie Mellon University, who delivered the famous “The Last Lecture” several months ago that inspired millions of people, died of cancer on Friday, July 25. He was 47 years old.
Time magazine has named the professor one of the 100 most influencial figures in the world. This is his interview with the Time.
Learn from Lonely Planet
July 25, 2008For those adventurous world travelers whose budgets are always short than their audacity, the travel guides published by Lonely Planet are their savior. A backpack on the shoulder, a passport in the pocket, and a Lonely Planet guide book on hand are enough to get them on the journey.
Besides reading travel guides, the avid travelers can also watch several TV series that Lonely Planet produces, and the video clips it uploads to its website, all neatly grouped in six channels: Bluelist, Destination Low-Down, Encounters, Adventure, World Parties, and Travel Tales.
Watching enough of those video clips will not only tempt you to get on the road on a whim, but also convince you that mastering another language is an equally rewarding experience.
What Should the Blind Do?
July 23, 2008The Philippine Daily Inquirer has this advice to the blind: “Blind should learn English for BPO career“. According to the article:
BLIND FILIPINOS have a bright future in the business process outsourcing (BPO) trade, but it is their poor command of the English language that has prevented them from taking this career path, according to advocates for the rights of people with physical disabilities.
Naas Dymettenaere, the Belgian director of the Baguio-based Institute for Inclusive Education Foundation (IIEF), said technology has opened up new work opportunities for Filipinos suffering from various disabilities. IIEF is an institution under the Saint Louis University here.
Could BPO also stand for Blind Profit Opportunity?
English radio lessons a hit in India
July 21, 2008
We are in the 21st century. Computer and Internet are increasingly popular in classrooms. But in the certain part of the world, radio is still the king, particularly as it comes down to the language learning. BBC News reported the following scene spotted in a primary school at a backward village in India:
The students are looking inquisitively at a radio set perched on a plastic chair in the middle of the classroom in the capital, Patna.
They are all waiting for a new English lesson to begin – on the radio.
The lesson is called ‘English is Fun’ and teaches the basics of the language to primary school students.
“It is very easy to learn English on radio. Every day we wait for this class. Even if the teacher is not in the class we learn and enjoy the programme,” a student, Sakshi Kumari, said. (for the complete report, click here)
Learning is always fun, no matter through which medium.
Learn from the Fortune Magazine
July 18, 2008Housewives read Good Housekeeping; CEOs (chief executive officers) read Fortune, which covers the global business and heavyweight executives the way that People magazine does with the entertainment industry and celebrities. It not just about reporting fortune-making; it’s also about glamorizing it.
Even if you are not a CEO, or find the business is boring in general, the Fortune magazine is still a great bet to get you familiar with the business world in English. In its video reporting, you may learn how Bill Gates is different from you and me, and how women CEOs break the glass ceiling.
You can dig out more gems from its video collections.
Beijingers learn English at the salon
July 15, 2008The Olympic athletes are in their final preparations to get ready for the world’s biggest sport event in Beijing. The residents of Beijing are practicing English hard to welcome the athletes from all over the world. Are them ready?
When You are on a Foreign Land
July 14, 2008If you are in a hurry before going aboard, she offers a few suggestions to speaking the language of the country you are going. We all know it comes handy in some circumstances.
Learn from the Associated Press
July 11, 2008The Associated Press (AP) is all about speed. In the print media, it’s usually AP that first breaks the story. It stations the reporters everywhere, and they get the concise stories on the wires quickly. In the era of the satellite dish and cable, however, AP is not fast enough. The minutes after something unusual happens, the live scene shows up at the 24/7 cable channels, and people glue their eyes on the tube from that moment on.
If you can’t beat them, join them. AP started the Online Video Network two years ago so that it could put out the latest stories in the video form. It retains one signature of its print media–speed, so much so that sometimes it presents just the “raw material”, the footage without editing and reporting.
You can watch the AP’s video report for free at its channel in YouTube. It churns out at least a dozen of the clips everyday.
Yes We Should
July 9, 2008An old joke goes like this: if you speak two or more languages, you are multilingual; if you speak only one, then you are an American. The U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama took on the issue of language education in the U.S. today.
Yes We Should.
