Japan eased the language ability requirements in its move to bring in foreign technical trainees in nursing care. Although the relaxed requirements have been lauded as a way to alleviate the chronic shortage of caregivers in Japan’s rapidly graying society, others warn of potential health risks caused by miscommunication. It is the first time Japan…
Raohe Street Night Market in Taipei – Taiwan.In the town of Hanhsi in the northeastern mountains here, where many of the Atayal indigenous people reside, a language resembling Japanese — “Yilan Creole” — can be heard being spoken. According to remaining records in Yilan County, the Japanese language school in Hanhsi was established in January…
The Justice Ministry plans to tighten rules for running Japanese-language schools from October in a bid to close loopholes that allow foreign students to work in Japan based on the pretext of studying abroad. As the number of overseas students in the country surges, the current system is thought to be allowing many students to…
Austria will no longer offer its written driving test in Turkish, according to the country’s transportation minister. Norbert Hofer of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) claimed the move was to cut costs but added that the government hopes it will serve as an “encouragement to learn German.” Over a quarter of a million people with…
Californians Together is releasing a new report today entitled Masking the Focus on English Learners. The report questions the efficacy of California’s accountability system for identifying the needs of English learners accurately. The report claims that by combining data from two English learner subgroups (current and reclassified), the system fails to recognize the distinct needs…
The more baby talk (e.g., words that repeat themselves, like choo-choo, or diminutives, like bunny or Mommy) that babies are exposed to, the quicker they grasp language, according to a new study at Scotland’s University of Edinburgh. The study’s assessments of nine-month-old children suggest that those who hear baby-talk words more frequently are faster at…
MIT has released a series of free videos to learn Italian while cooking through their Experimental Study Group. According to their website, “The Experimental Study Group (ESG) offers instruction in the core freshman subjects of biology, chemistry, math, physics, and humanities through small, discussion-based classes designed for students who are interested in taking an active…
Young children who are regularly engaged in conversation by adults may have stronger connections between two developing brain regions critical for language, according to a study of healthy young children. This finding, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, was independent of parental income and education, suggesting that talking with children from an early age…
A slew of educational advocacy organizations, including TESOL, the Center for Applied Linguistics, American Federation of Teachers, Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, Joint National Committee for Languages, National Association for Bilingual Education, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, California Association for Bilingual Education, Californians Together, and the American Association of Teachers of German, are…
Speak My Language is a new radio program that has launched with the goal reaching out to aging populations across Australia. The project harnesses the power of radio to inform diverse seniors about aged care, health, and wellbeing. The Australian government funded the project with a $1 million backing. Aged Care Minister, Ken Wyatt AM…