GI- in the UK: Learn German

Does the logic in this video sound familiar? --rsb



Listen to the children's support for German!

Mr. Bean singt das Europahymne

 An die Freude von Beethoven

Freude, schöner Götterfunken...



Und was ist's mit Strophen 2 und 3?

WWI Adversisement

BBC  (Beware:  There are English references which can befuddle a bit; hang in there! -- rsb)

Ad BreakdownThe Magazine's review of advertising

Ad Breakdown: Sainsbury's WW1 Christmas truce advert.

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Christmas supermarket advertisements used to show a paper-hatted extended family, lashings of mince pies, copious tinsel, and an inordinately large turkey. But this year's Sainsbury's offering rewinds 100 years to dramatize the Christmas truce of 1914, writes Tom de Castella.

It starts with the boom of artillery. It's night and British soldiers huddle in the trenches. Snow is falling. A Tommy opens a parcel from home - out falls a woman's photo and a bar of chocolate. The Sainsbury's Tommy - for it is he - smiles. Silent Night rises eerily - at first in German and then in English. The Sainsbury's Tommy pokes his head above the trench and after momentary tension - will they shoot? - the two sets of soldiers are in No Man's Land playing football and chatting.

The protagonist hands his chocolate to a German called Otto and in return receives what looks like a piece of hardtack biscuit. In the distance the guns rumble, both sets of troops return to the trenches, and the rousing score morphs into meditative piano. "Christmas is for sharing," flashes up on screen, followed by the familiar orange Sainsbury's logo, and finally "Made in partnership with the Royal British Legion".

Some have seen it as a massive counter-offensive against John Lewis after their penguin and boy blockbuster. While John Lewis had opted for "a mawkish story about a lonely penguin" using CGI, Sainsbury's had created a moving memorial based on lots of historical research and austere production values, one newspaper review said. But foranother it was a "dangerous and disrespectful masterpiece".

Rory Sutherland, vice-chairman of Ogilvy Group UK, says Sainsbury's probably decided there was little point trying to outdo John Lewis. Instead it's opened up a new front in the ad wars. It's risky, Sutherland suggests. There's always going to be a certain number who feel you're using millions of deaths to "sell wrapping paper", he says. But most people will like it. "It's a healthily oblique way to do a Christmas advertisement" that sells "the spirit of Christmas".

There were powerful emotions on Twitter.

"I know, I know: capitalism etc but still: *sobs* #sainsburyschristmas" Angela Clarke tweets.

Matt Henry opined: "The Sainburys Christmas ad should win an award. Sorry John Lewis you don't even come close."

"Great ad, beautifully made AND doing good," says Chris Arnold - a reference to the £1 chocolate bar that will be sold in aid of military veterans.

There were plenty of naysayers too.

It "shamelessly exploits a moment of genuine humanity during #WorldWar1 to get us to buy more stuff" writes Chris Hudson.

Above a photo of the Tommy shaking Otto's hand, Gareth Dimelowwrites: "What say we put aside our differences and get every customer to spend an extra ten shillings?"

Tim Footman moves the Anglo-German struggle from the trenches to the supermarket aisles: "Subtext of the #sainsburyschristmas ad: poor Germans, they only have Lidl and Aldi."

As the guns fall silent incongruity appears to have won the day, Alison Dunn tweeting: "Yes, the ad is nicely made but horrid orange sign at the end makes me fear Jamie Oliver will pop up in the trench."

Is only speaking English enough to compete in the jobs market?

English may be a world language, but is it really enough to compete in the global job race?

• Loksan Harley  Guardian Professional, Friday 19 July 2013 03.30 EDT

 

      Photograph: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images

 

Language skills boost career prospects. 

 

English is the world language, the dominant lingua franca in commerce and media. The language cruises at the apex of globalisation, technology and pop music, and is arguably at its most dominant position in its history. But is this a blessing or a curse for the people who speak it as a native language, rather than a second language? And is there any point of learning another language?

Graduates in the UK are facing stiff competition in this seemingly never-ending economic slump. Carl Gilleard, former chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), says: "Businesses require talent to compete at a global level, and the fact that the UK is lagging behind its competitors in developing graduates who fit the bill is a real cause of concern."
According to Eurostat, 54% of Europeans can converse in at least one foreign language. In comparison, just 39% of Brits claimed the same. In fact, only a 1% lower score for Ireland saves us from being labelled the most monolingual country in Europe. Aside from the slight PR boost from Nick Clegg's Dutch and Boris Johnson's French, if language is the "dress of thought", then our wardrobes are bare.

Having contracted a serious case of wanderlust on my gap year, I moved to the French-Canadian metropolis of Montréal. For me, living there while studying Chinese and economics helped push my proficiency in French far beyond my flailing GCSE level. It also helped me unshackle myself from the sluggish UK graduate jobs market by opening up opportunities in alternative countries and growth markets.

The Confederation of British Industry's Education and Skills Survey 2012 concluded that almost three quarters of businesses value foreign language skills among employees, and nearly 70% are not satisfied with young peoples' linguistic skills. German tops the list of languages rated as most useful, followed by French, Spanish, Mandarin and Polish.

A separate survey of 1,000 UK graduates revealed that 14% lost out on a job in the digital sector because they did not speak another language.
...

Speaking one language gets you onto the racetrack, but two will knock down half the hurdles.  Communicating in a foreign tongue can be the most exhilarating experience. And it will probably help you get a job too.


Loksan Harley works for Kreab Gavin Anderson, an international communications consultancy.

2014 England requires L2 Instruction in Elementary School

England to require foreign language instruction
Beginning in 2014, all primary schools in England will offer at least one foreign language option for students ages 7 to 11 (Grades 2-6) .

Potential choices include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Latin and ancient Greek. 

Officials hope earlier exposure to language education will result in more students learning classical languages, which can boost students' knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.

The Telegraph (London)