Don’t be shy, get talking!

A recent poll has found that only one in ten British travellers learn any of the language before they visit another country. Some claimed this was because English is now so widely spoken, while others blamed shyness and a fear of saying the wrong thing. I understand the second excuse much more than the first. … Read more

A feast of languages: Shakespeare as we’ve never seen it before

Last Monday, 23rd April, was the 448th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare, and marked the launch of Globe to Globe, a series of Shakespeare’s plays performed over six weeks in 37 different languages at the Globe Theatre on London’s South Bank. On Monday, Troilus and Cressida was performed in Maori by New Zealand’s … Read more

The uncertain nationality of The Artist

On 26th February, The Artist swept the board at the Academy Awards, winning five of the twelve categories it was nominated for.  This included Best Picture, Director (Michel Havanavicius) and Actor (Jean Dujardin). However, something has bothered me since the release of this picture. It is a film with French actors in the two leading … Read more

Encouraging English learners in Ethiopia

Our guest post today is by Elizabeth Horsefield, a volunteer with the VSO in Ethiopia. Ethiopia was perhaps not the intended market for a EuroTalk Interactive Learn English CD-ROM. But it’s going down a storm. I work as a VSO volunteer in a Teacher Training College in a rural area of Western Oromia, Ethiopia. We … Read more

From Advanced Course to “um …” and “er …”

Our post this week is by Lisa Erne from Germany, who’s spending a few months with us at EuroTalk as an intern. Lisa’s been in London now for six weeks, and here she shares some of her experiences so far. When I arrived in London a few weeks ago I expected a tough start but … Read more

French – champion of the language learning world?

I remember the moment when we knew we were officially grown up in primary school – during French lessons with the headmaster. MFL lessons are the norm nowadays but back in my time, French lessons were a weekly highlight, as they meant me and about a dozen classmates spent half an hour learning something the … Read more