“Schools will soon be able to swap French and German for Mandarin and Urdu under new plans to shake up foreign language teaching. For the first time head teachers in England and Wales will not be forced to offer one European language to children aged 11 to 14. Instead, they will be able to choose from a list that will highlight 'economically useful' languages from Asia and the Middle East.
The radical proposals are part of an attempt by ministers to avert a crisis in language teaching. Teenagers dropped French and German in droves following the controversial decision to make studying a language optional at 14…
The new plans are part of a major review of the secondary curriculum that will be published tomorrow by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority and are in line with recommendations by Lord Dearing, who is due to publish the findings of his review into language teaching in the spring. Head teachers and business leaders have welcomed the move to end the dominance of EU languages.”
Extract from Guardian Unlimited, February 4, 2007
At Language Translation Inc. in San Diego, we know that the most useful language is the one your company needs to do business in! That’s why we offer quality translation and interpretation services in over 40 languages, including both Asian and European languages. “We speak your language…and theirs.”
Betty Carlson
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