May 2007 | Issue 1

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

Welcome
Welcome to the first edition of the RLN London Newsletter. It's here to keep you up-to-date with languages and cultural skills in London. 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.  

 Jane Collis, Manager - Regional Language Network London

2012 Games - Languages and the Olympics and Paralympics
To celebrate the launch of our Newsletter, we'd like to invite you to visit a brand new, expanded area of the RLN London website - all about languages and the Games. With increased tourism guaranteed, we show businesses how they can maximise their profit, and give language service providers tips and advice on the role they can play in an expanding market. 

The volunteering programme is vital to the success of the Games - and the language skills of individuals and communities will be an important ingredient here. Looking at recent sporting events, we show how Germany made cultural awareness training a key part of its volunteering strategy during the 2006 World Cup; and how Sydney devised a language strategy for the 2000 Games. Find out more about languages and the 2012 Games.

In the news

Why try harder?
Whether as an individual or a business, we may have asked ourselves this question when it comes to languages. With competition building from people, businesses and cities around the world capable of working in English and other languages besides, Regional Language Network London is challenging this mindset with its newly launched Language and Cultural Skills Strategy for London. Find out more.

CBI survey - 94% of employers make the case for languages
The fourth London Business Survey by CBI London highlights for the first time that foreign language skills are a key factor in business success - with 94% of employers believing that these skills are important for the London economy. Find out more.

Tour de France
The 2012 Games is not the only major international event coming to our shores. Between 6-8 July this year, the Tour de France will actually host the Grand Départ in London, with cultural displays, food markets and of course world class cycling becoming a major draw for visitors and residents alike. The website is available in both English and French - you'll even find bike-themed games on there. Find out more.

Routes into Languages
A £40,000 'Languages and International Events' research project has been awarded to the University of Westminster, which will result in a report to higher education modern languages departments on their potential contribution to high profile international and sporting events such as the 2012 Games. The work is part of the HEFCE-funded 'Routes into Languages' programme. Find out more.

Language professionals
The Institute of Translation and Interpreting celebrated its 21st birthday in style last month with an event on April 21-22 in Knightsbridge, with Jane Collis of Regional Language Network London generating a lot of interest with her presentation on the 2012 Games and opportunities for linguists. Continuing in this vein, members should make a note that the Chartered Institute of Linguists' Annual General Meeting is taking place on 6 June 2007.

Multilingual London
RLN London is hosting an event on June 11 'Making the most of community language skills'. When Londoners are conservatively estimated to speak 300 languages, it begs the question - how can we harness this linguistic diversity for new business, employment and training opportunities? Click here to find out more about the event.

Over the coming months we will be developing a dedicated area on the RLN London website which focuses on supporting languages spoken in London's resident communities. With plenty of information out there - but rarely in the same place - we have already started to collate sources detailing languages spoken in the London population on our Labour Market Information page. Find out more.

The business of language
London is home to the largest Korean population of any European city, now thought to number over 20,000 people. The city has taken advantage of this, attracting over the last seven years 40% of all Korean foreign direct investment projects into Europe, according to Think London. Find out more.
           
China is never far from the headlines when it comes to new business and investment. Think London, the foreign direct investment agency to London, recently welcomed a leading Chinese Publishing Group - while further media professionals, including journalists, have been studying over here for some time, getting up to speed with the Western media in time for the 2008 Games at Beijing - you can read about them here. If you'd like to learn more about working with China, the IoD are running an event on 14 June.

Teaching languages
Business Language Champions is a project supported by the DfES - reaching across England - which aims to pair businesses with local schools to bring languages to life through joint activities. In Hounslow, Lampton School worked with BAA - and really benefited from the experience. Schools interested in organising work placements with businesses in the UK or indeed overseas will also be keen to learn about CILT's new Language work placement toolkit.

Specialised Diplomas are a hot topic in teaching just now - and if you're interested in finding out about these and other developments in Further Education connected with languages - Comenius London is hosting a free event on July 4 at CILT.

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