A Goulash guy in foggy London

If you ever go to Hungary, and you happen to ask someone about a restaurant where exceptional goulash soup is served, don’t be surprised if 8.5 people out of 10 reply, “I don’t speak English” (even if they do). The reason is not related to our average IQ, which is fortunately relatively high, but it’s … Read more

Sorry Mickey! Dedicated Ben chooses JLC over Disneyworld

Nine year old Ben Fawcett will be cutting short his family holiday in Disneyworld to take part in this month’s Junior Language Challenge final. Ben, who is the first pupil from Oakwood School near Chichester to get through to the final, had been due to be in Florida when the final of EuroTalk’s JLC takes … Read more

To Dub or Not To Dub?

As a British-born Chinese citizen, I adore old Hong-Kong martial arts films.  By the time Jackie Chan had made his Hollywood debut, I had seen a number of his critically acclaimed films such as Project A, Wheels on Meals (set and filmed in Barcelona) and Armour of God (where he almost died after a stunt … Read more

What’s the hardest language to learn?

I remember the first day of my Hispanic Studies degree, when our head of department brought us all down to earth by reminding us that Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn. Having all worked pretty hard to get there, we were quite offended, but looking back now, I have to admit he … Read more

Is it OK to be Monolingual?

When England’s GCSE results came out at the end of August the British press were quick to report on the declining numbers of students taking the qualification in a foreign language: 12% fewer students than in 2010 sat the exam, and this is part of a continuing downward trend over the last few years. The … Read more

Innovative Language Learning Initiative for Haiti

Guest post by Sheri Colas-Gervais, Vice-President of the Le Flambeau Foundation The launch of two new sets of language learning CD-ROMs has many excited. The new products are the result of a unique relationship between Le Flambeau Foundation – a  U.S. non-profit organization providing educational programming and scholarships to youth in Haiti, and London-based EuroTalk. … Read more

There’s something different about this one…

I see myself as a moderately well-travelled person, having visited most of Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the southern states in the USA. Many memories are made on each trip, whether they are about trying strange food, meeting friendly locals or even having the odd moment of hilarity – but one thing I always find is … Read more

Lost in Translation – literally

A few weeks ago I wrote about my plan to get back into speaking Spanish regularly. First off, a confession – I haven’t actually spoken Spanish to anyone yet, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy! I’ve always been pretty fluent at reading Spanish. One of my proudest achievements is reading Lord of the … Read more

Mysterious Albania

Nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean with Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro as its neighbours, most people still don’t know much about this amazing country.  Influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Italian and Turks, Albania does have a long and troubled history. But since communism ended in 1992 and the Republic of Albania was founded, … Read more