December 2007 | Issue 3

Welcome | The Business of Language | In the news | 2012 Games | Multilingual London | Language professionals | Teaching languages | Subscribing

Welcome
Welcome to the third edition of the RLN London Newsletter. It's here to keep you up-to-date with languages and cultural skills in London. This edition highlights a range of new cultural guides which are available on-line and in podcast format - ideal for businesses exploring new markets.

If you have any feedback at all - ideas for future stories, information you’d like to see in there or indeed on our website - please let us know. Have a happy holiday - we look forward to keeping in touch in 2008.

Jane Collis, Director - Regional Language Network London .

The business of language

Podcast website now live!
Cultural information can be made available in many different media. RLN East Midlands has harnessed the power of audio and the web to launch the RLN Podcast website – now available through every RLN in the UK. It includes 22 new podcasts covering 13 countries and regions – as well as pdf cultural briefings, and handy downloadable phrase books. We’ve also added a wide range of stand alone pdf briefings to our Publications area which now takes in more than thirty countries and territories. Find out more.

London Skills and Employment Board draft strategy
The Board has released 'Skills and Employment in London: Proposals for the London Skills and Employment Board's Strategy' for public consultation. If you, like RLN London, would like to highlight the crucial role that language and cultural skills can play in London's future economic prosperity, you can find out how to respond on our website.

In the news

Championing languages
Many congratulations to Novotel Heathrow, Brentford School for Girls and Hounslow Education Business Partnership (EBP) who were runners-up in the national Business Language Champions (BLC) award, presented during the National EBP Network’s conference. We also have to thank students from Blackheath Bluecoat School who recently supported our BLC 2007/08 launch event – giving delegates enormous inspiration. Find out more about these and other London Business Language Champions.

London with a Capital L!
We are pleased to announce the successful bid by a consortium of eight London higher education institutions titled ‘Capital L’ to join the nationwide Routes into Languages programme. Together with the expertise of regional partners including the Regional Language Network London, they will work over the next three years to deliver activities and programmes to engage young people in language learning. Find out more.

Eurostar and Euro start-ups
The significance of Eurostar’s arrival at St Pancras International station on 14 November has not gone unnoticed by local businesses. RLN London supported Camden Enterprise Week with a seminar on growing an international business from a languages and cultural perspective – with France and Belgium particularly in mind. Find out more.

Billionaires raise London’s international profile
London’s position as a global business centre is being reinforced by an influx of wealthy individuals from Russia, India, the Middle East and Europe – drawn by a combination of low taxes, historical ties and a geographical location that makes the city attractive for people doing business internationally. Find out more.

Proposal for bilingual French school in London
A west London comprehensive could be turned into a bilingual school, partly-funded by the French government. This would see Hurlingham and Chelsea school in Fulham using both the French and English languages and both their national curricula. Find out more.

2012 Games - Languages and the Olympics and Paralympics

Taster of the London 2012 education programme
A webcast on 6 December gave a glimpse of the London 2012 education programme, which launches in 2008 after the Beijing Games – encouraging students to get involved and engage with other students across the UK and around the world. Initiatives include celebration of the handover at the end of the Games in China, and ‘One Planet Education’, incorporating an international citizenship programme. Find out more.

PODIUM
PODIUM is the Further and Higher Education Unit for the 2012 Games, responsible for communicating Games-related opportunities to universities, colleges and beyond – as well as maximising the benefits of the Games to the FE and HE sectors. PODIUM acknowledges the need for language skills in the context of Business and Enterprise – and works across a number of other strands including community engagement and the Cultural Olympiad. Find out more.

Multilingual London

Support for migrant workers
The Migrant Gateway website is for migrant workers and employers, trade unions and other agencies who work with them, collecting together information about rights as an employee, rights to housing, healthcare and more. To link to Migrant Gateway and other resources for Community Languages and migrant workers, visit our website.

Letter translator
If you’re involved in services that support languages spoken in London’s communities, you’ll be interested in the latest development from Newham Language Shop. Working in Portable Document Format (pdf), it’s a web-based tool that translates, for example, appointment reminders quickly and easily. Find out more.

Funding for aspiring interpreters
‘Interpreting Skills for hospitality’ is a thirteen-week programme funded by the London Development Agency, lasting from 3 January to mid-March 2008. It will take place on Mondays and Thursdays in Stratford . Recruitment is taking place now with the final session on December 17.

Language professionals

New National Standards for Translation
A launch event for the revised National Occupational Standards for Translation is being held at CILT, the National Centre for Languages’ new premises on 18 December at 4pm. Please note that places are strictly limited . For joining instructions and to find out how to download the new Standards, visit our website.

Consultation on Standards for Intercultural Working
The development of New National Occupational Standards for Intercultural Working – being led by CILT, the National Centre for Languages – needs the input of those professionally interested in this increasingly important workforce issue. These new UK Standards must be relevant and valuable to all sectors – private, public, voluntary and community. To find out more about the consultation, and an event on 23 January, visit our website.

Teaching languages

New Diploma in Languages
RLN London welcomes the announcement of a Diploma in Languages to be available to young people from September 2011. Complementing the upcoming new industry-focused Diplomas (which also include optional language study and roll out from September 2008), the subject-based Diploma in languages will help build a wider range of options for fourteen to nineteen-year-olds. Find out more.

Bromley school wins European award
Downderry Primary School in Bromley have been in the winning habit. They were awarded a European Award for Languages for a project involving recently arrived Tamil-speaking parents who develop their English and IT skills – while their children learn Tamil. Find out more.

Transversal: funding opportunities
The Transversal programme is a new funding programme running from 2007 - 2013. It is part of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) and focuses on four key areas, including languages. It aims to support European co-operation in education and training. Find out more.

Subscribing
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© 2007 Regional Language Network London | www.rln-london.com | info@rln-london.com