Our classes in January were so popular that we thought we’d add some more to start in March 2012.

Anyone for Beginners Spanish or German? Do you know French and German already – why not sign up for the German Intermediate or French Improvers?

Better still if you sign up by Sunday 19th February, you’ll get a 10% discount off the cost of the course!

Not many people are lucky enough to be able to say ‘I love what I do’. I’m one of those few. Let me tell you why.

I’ve been teaching languages in primary schools for over 6 years now. It’s wonderful, and the children are all so receptive and have the greatest questions (do you live in France, Madame Shaw?). We sing, we tell stories and we play games. And, yes, we learn!

Yesterday is an example of a great day. I went into a school to cover for a colleague, to be told ‘you’re very beautiful’, by a 7 year old! Next school arrives, and ‘I love you Madame Shaw’ from another 7 year old.

Onwards to my after school club, where the children all performed their songs to their parents with much enthusiasm. They are all, apparently, speaking French at home, and driving parents mad singing our French songs.

How wonderful to be able to look at that sea of happy faces and know that languages were being enjoyed by so many.

What do they say? Those who can’t, teach? I say, Those who can, inspire our young people.

Wow! What a fantastic day we had today at our first Open Day for 2012. 6 taster sessions, 5 languages, 4 hours of language and culture.

“Want to learn a new language? Then you MUST speak to HS Language Services. Superb tutors, a real passion for languages, fun learning!”

(Reaction from one of our learners today!)

The idea behind the Open Days is for potential learners to experience how we teach here at HS Language Services. Language learning isn’t scary with our fantastic tutors – they make the sessions fun and relaxed.

Doors opened at 09.30 and the tea and coffee was much appreciated – it was a chilly day today! The first taster sessions were French, German and Spanish beginners. The French beginners enjoyed it so much that they stayed for the French improvers afterwards as well!

After a quick coffee break, we had French Improvers, Chinese and Italian beginners. It was lovely to hear laughter and languages mixed around the building!

Of course, today was the last day for our 10% early bird discount, so the majority of those attending the tasters today booked onto courses starting 23rd January.

Let’s talk languages!

What are your New Year’s resolutions this year? To learn a new skill? Maybe a new language? (of course, we can help with that!) Pop along to our Open Day to sample a new language, or just have a coffee and a chat.

It’s a great British tradition to set ourselves resolutions for the New Year, but what do other countries do? Here’s a great link to how to say Happy New Year in other languages and to learn about other customs.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year for 2012, hope it’s your best year yet, and we look forward to seeing you.

In the current climate, where university places are becoming harder and harder to get and the job market is becoming ever more crowded with qualified candidates, the opportunity to stand out from the crowd by taking a gap year is becoming increasingly popular.

However, for many people the aim of a gap year is not to experience new cultures and have fun but also to gain extra skills that will make them much more employable. These so-called ‘career gappers’ are opting not for the standard get-up-and-go mentality, but are choosing the much more structured route, often finding part time jobs abroad and volunteer places that they can add to their CV’s. The time spent abroad for these people is usually spent in the time between jobs, or after university, following difficulty in finding a graduate job.

One thing that theses experiences do give the gappers is an insight to the use of language in the countries they visit. It is widely known that an extended period of time in any country will give you the best knowledge of the language spoken there, especially if it is backed up with further tuition either before going or after returning (before being the more logical option).

As far as destinations go, the most popular by far is Asia. Thailand, being the typical gap year get-away, is still exceedingly popular, closely followed by India and other Asian countries like South Korea and Japan. Australia, America, Africa and New Zealand are also highly popular.

The idea that gap years are unusually expensive is also an old one. There are many ways that gap years can be undertaken cheaply, though it should be noted that some of the cheaper options will provide less support than other more traditionally priced experiences. Many people are also opting to go abroad for only a few months, to gain experience in an international company or simply to spend time in the desired country. There are also plenty of initiatives run by the Government and the EU which help people who wish to go to other countries to volunteer or work, by providing financial help and support whilst in the country.

So, whether you want adventure or that highly paid job in London, it seems that a gap year may be the answer you are looking for. 

Our world is becoming smaller. We all know and accept this. More and more international relation and easier ways to travel, have all contributed to a much more global market than there was 50 years ago. However, in this new, truly, global market, communication is essential. Co-operation between cultures is the first step to a working business relationship, and this begins, of course, with language. With a reputation for being ignorant of foreign languages, British business men and woman have an even harder job than other’s in creating these crucial relationships with international businesses.

So…make way for the linguists. Language skills are now recognised as being essential in business, so for those who have a knowledge of, and can use a foreign language, employability options are much more expansive. In the latest national data available (2009 graduates) Modern Language graduates had the lowest unemployment rate of all Arts and Humanities subjects, and this is a continuing trend. There are higher numbers going into further study and training and then into employment when compared with all other subjects.

So what do modern linguists do? Well, there are no shortage of options. Long gone are the days when a linguist’s only choices were to be an Interpretor, Translator or Teacher. These options are still, of course, on the table, the changing world is perfect for those who wish to enter these professions. However, for linguists, the skills they possess are swiftly becoming a fast pass to other jobs, not normally associated with language skills, for example banking, marketing, government, public affairs, research analysis and many more.

Its clear that its time to forget the boring language lessons you had back in school and start developing useful language skills for the business environment. In the current job market, it can only be beneficial. 

There are a great many translation agencies and translators advertising their services, but how do you know who to choose, and if your document will be translated well? Here are our top tips:

Ask:  Will the translator be translating into his or her own language? Ideally, a translator will only translate into their mother tongue, but will also have an excellent working knowledge of the source language. They should be educated to degree level and had some training in translation.

Ask: What are the quality assurance procedures? Here, at HS Language Services, our translations are all proofread by a second translator, returned to the original translator for final amendments and then quality checked by a 3rd person to ensure that the document has been translated to the very highest standards.

Ask: What about machine translations? Translation software can be very useful, but we prefer not to use it.  It is often quicker and more accurate to translate from scratch, rather than to edit a computer generated text.

Ask: do you use the same translator for all documents? The answer to this should be ‘no’. Each translator will have their own area of specialism, so it is important that each document is matched carefully to the translator and their area of experience. However, if there are amendments or further documents to be translated (see our case study below), then the same translator should be used to ensure that the style is consistent.

Be aware: that, whilst googletranslate is a fantastic tool for getting to know the gist of a document, it is by no means a replacement for a translator. It translates mainly on a word or word basis, which means that nuance, phrases and cultural references are ignored.

Be aware: that you get what you pay for! If you receive a quote which appears too good to be true, it probably is.

The BRIC countries. We all know of them. We all know they have continually growing markets. We all know that business with them is the only kind that matters. China, Russia, India, Brazil and possibly soon South Africa, are the countries which are rapidly dominating the world markets, so of all the language skills needed, these seem to be the most important.

Export rates from China are larger than from any other country, and the services trade from India is far larger than most other countries, especially in the medical services and computer services. Russia is a huge seller of commodities such as oil and Brazil is also a massive seller of iron ore and steel.

In today’s climate, any language skills are useful, but language skills in Chinese, be it Mandarin or Cantonese, Portuguese, Russian or Indian will seriously mark you out as a good employability choice. With the BRIC countries leaning on each other whilst the US and European economies are still recovering from the downturn, they are less inclined to do business in English. The ability to communicate in their own language will help immensely with any business.

So if you are looking to study a language and are not sure which will be of most use, consider the future market when making your decision and chose one of the BRIC languages. 

Only a couple of weeks to go before the start of  our language courses, but still time to use some more tips on learning a language while on holiday:

French: http://www.france2.fr/

Italian: http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/homeTv.html

German: http://www.daserste.de/

Same goes for radio. Listen to it in the background, you will improve your listening skills without knowing it! Choose your ‘style’ from the lists below:

French: http://www.listenlive.eu/france.html

Spanish: http://www.listenlive.eu/spain.html 

Italian: http://www.listenlive.eu/italy.html

Music – go to youtube.com and listen to foreign songs and then find their lyrics.

2.) Reading

Online – have a look at newspapers and magazine and find short articles to read concerning subjects that you are interested (popular culture, sports, etc.)

Songs – listen to songs and go over the lyrics to know what they are saying

Amazon.fr – order a book in the language you’re learning (it can even be one you already know and enjoy in English). Depending on your level, a teen book could be an alternative to a thick novel.

3.) Learning new words

When engaging in reading, make an attempt to underline/write down important vocab. A suggestion would be as you read, underline certain words you feel you should know because:

a.) They keep showing up, and you don’t know what they mean

b.) There is one word preventing you from understanding the overall meaning

Look these words up and then jot them down somewhere (on the page, in a separate notebook, etc.) Refer back to them from time to time to ensure that you memorize them and become that much more familiar with your favourite foreign language!