Fall
2009

Key Languages News

Professional development – Cassia Silva will be attending the American Translators Association Conference in October. She will also be attending the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages in November, when she will make a presentation about the new agreement that unifies the Portuguese language.

Away but close – You don’t need to be in Key Biscayne or Miami to have English lessons with native-speaker teachers and if you are already our student, you don’t need to miss us. We are now offering lessons via Skype. Please call us at 305 365-5530 for more information.

Language in the News

Report Highlights Multilingualism in Business – The International Foundation for English Language Education recently published the study The Impact of English and Plurilingualism in Global Corporations. This study has shown that language proficiency not only facilitates knowledge transfer but also business performance. Moreover, the findings suggest that there is a price to pay if communications fail or are ineffective due to poor language proficiency of employees. To read a summary or a full version of this report visit www.tirfonline.org. The Language Educator. August 2009

Living Abroad Makes a Person More Creative, Studies Show – The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published an article that reported evidence that living abroad enhances creative thinking. The article, Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers, written by researchers William W. Maddux and Adam D. Galinsky, reported on five studies that showed that the relationship between living abroad and creativity was consistent across a number of creativity measures (including those measuring insight, association, and generation). To read the article visit www.apa.org/journals/releases/psp9651047.pdf. The Language Educator. August 2009.

Foreign Language Classes for Younger Students Fall to Budget – Many school districts in the New York area are cutting back on staff and instructional time. Educators and parents affirmed that children need more, not fewer, foreign language skills to compete in a global marketplace. Advocates for foreign language-instruction would like to see the lessons integrated into the core curriculum and that instruction should begin as early as possible – ideally in preschool – because research shows that younger children are more accepting of other cultures and better able to master pronunciation and intonation.The New York Times. September 13, 2009.