$500 prize for contest winner!

This year’s theme of the ACTFL National Video Podcast Contest is “Why I am a 21st Century Learner.” Open to currently enrolled world language students in grades K-16. All entries will be displayed for the world to see. Selected winners can win up to $500 and will be featured on ACTFL’s website and in the February issue of “The Language Educator.” The deadline is Dec. 20. Find out more and check out last year’s winners.

Microsoft, Google Eye Arabic Web Growth Potential

This article gives some good reasons for studying business and mobile tech in Arabic.

Teaching by Texting Starts to Take Hold – AOL News.

Informal poll: should foreign language classes start using texting? Read the article then come back and leave a reply here.

Spotlight on Asian Studies: Exchange programs prepare Upper St. Clair High School students for world beyond SWPA – Pittsburgh Business Times:.

This article shows the importance of culturally rich study abroad experiences for today’s students.

WORLD

Shanghai Is Trying to Untangle the Mangled English of Chinglish

By ANDREW JACOBS

Published: May 2, 2010

A commission is trying to clean up signs and menus to rid them of their malapropisms, like “Teliot” and “Urine District.”

Welcome to the Summer Arabic & Persian Language Institute
at Georgetown University!

http://summerschool.georgetown.edu/index.cfm

2010 SUMMER SESSION DATES
PRE SESSION: MAY 24 – JUNE 18
1ST SESSION: JUNE 7 – JULY 9
2ND SESSION: JULY 12 – AUGUST 13

The Language Institute offers students the opportunity to acquire or master skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in Arabic and Persian. Language instruction is proficiency-oriented and imparts cultural experiences and knowledge. The materials used are broad-based and help students develop skills for communication. Students learn how to accomplish language tasks in formal and informal situations. Assessments reflect the model of an educated native speaker as well as proficiency (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Language: ACTFL) guidelines.

Classes are small and students benefit from individual attention inside and outside the classroom. Experienced, dedicated, and diverse faculty use current techniques and incorporate technology-based instruction. The summer program provides real-time and on demand access to current media resources and the latest in classroom language learning technology. The Language Institute offers its students a gateway to an exceptional academic community at Georgetown University, a range of summeractivities in the Summer School, and state-of-the-art language opportunities.

Arabic: A comprehensive undergraduate program of intensive and non-intensive learning in Modern Standard Arabic will last ten weeks, with courses in basic, intermediate advanced as well as media Arabic. In the Pre-session, Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language will be offered which is open to both graduate and undergraduate students.

Content Arabic: Advanced Arabic language courses for advanced high learners are taught entirely in Arabic.. They offer undergraduate and graduate students essential subject matter learning (linguistic, cultural and political) while building their language proficiency. Courses include Arab Politics in the Middle East.

Colloquial Arabic: Undergraduate courses in spoken Egyptian, Iraqi, and Levantine Arabic will be offered with continuation in the Second Session. These courses are not open to native speakers of Arabic, heritage speakers of Arabic, or students who have completed three years or more of Arabic at Georgetown.

Persian: In cooperation with the Division of Eastern Mediterranean Languages, three Persian courses are offered at the undergraduate level. Intensive First Level Persian and Intensive Second Level Persian as well as non-intensive First Level will be offered both sessions.

Partial Tuition Scholarships
Non-Georgetown students accepted into this Language Institute are eligible to apply for a partial tuition scholarship offered by Georgetown University (Please see Financial Information). For further information and special application forms, please contact the Scholarship Coordinator, SummerSchool Georgetown University, 3307 M. Street, N.W., Suite #202, Washington, D.C. 20007. Tel: (202) 687-8700.

For questions, please contact Meriem Tikue at mmt43@georgetown.edu
or the Arabic Department at arabic.georgetown.edu.

Arabic Department Phone:  202-687-2735
Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies website

Registration is right around the corner!  If you are interested in studying one of the languages below, simply click on the Dialektos introduction page, read up on the Dialektos methodology (it’s not like an ordinary language class), and fill in the application to request entrance into the program.  Next fall, we will offer beginning and intermediate tracks in:

• Arabic
• Japanese
• Mandarin (Chinese)
• Portuguese
• Russian

Read all about it and sign up today!

Are you a native speaker of one of the languages above?  Would you like to meet people interested in you and your culture?  Would you like to help English-speaking students learn your language?  If so, we want to hear from you.  Find out more about becoming a Native Conversation Partner here.