Language is Everything has spent the past year helping a team of young entrepreneurs at the Snaith School take part in a Young Enterprise course (see also here and here).
Dawn Bowes (our senior account manager) and Carol Curtis (our MD) were present at the group's recent AGM, where the directors presented their accounts and reported a profit for the year.
The aim of Young Enterprise is to inspire the UK's next generation of enterprising young people.
Dawn Bowes, our senior account manager, opened the third annual Eurofest at Selby College recently.
Eurofest is an international trade fair where year-8 students test their language and entrepreneurial skills by selling products and ideas in French and German. Our photo shows Dawn getting procedures underway, along with Allan Stewart, the principal of Selby College.
The following day, Dawn was in London for a special preview of the new Who Am I? gallery at the Science Museum.
Who am I? investigates everyone's favourite subject: themselves! A number of linguists from Language is Everything took part in the project by providing translations and voice-over recordings for the interactive exhibits.
According to Professor Chris Rapley, the director of the Science Museum: "The Who am I? gallery addresses some very big questions — such as 'what makes each of us unique' — through a fascinating mix of up-to-date research, historical objects, exclusive art works and hands-on, multimedia exhibits. The interactive multimedia exhibits have been inspired by the research projects under way now in research laboratories across the globe."
The foreign language that most of us can speak is not the one that most of us would like to speak. It's also not the one that most of us think would be the most useful.
That's one way of looking at the findings of a survey of Yorkshire business leaders carried out by Language is Everything, with help from CFS Europe.
We questioned 40 people at the Yorkshire International Business Convention in Bridlington on the final day of Business Week 2010. Feedback was collected by CFS using their customer feedback keypad.
Our first question was: Apart from English, in which languages can you personally have a basic conversation? The runaway winner (the answer given by 72% of respondents) was French.
However, we then asked: If you could magically be given the ability to speak any language perfectly (apart from English), which one would you choose? The clear winner here (on 35%) was Chinese Mandarin.
We followed this up with: Which language do you think will be the main language of international trade 100 years from now? Again, the clear winner was Chinese Mandarin (on 44%).
Here at Language is Everything, we've always thought that language learning should extend far beyond the 'traditional' path of French, German and Spanish. (Click here to download our 2007 booklet Which is the most useful language to learn?)
Language is Everything was once again proud to be involved with Humber Business Week, which took place earlier this month. As the Hull Daily Mail put it:
"With a 'Can do, Will do' theme running through the week, the aim was to inspire and educate while giving local businesses the chance to celebrate their successes and feel good about themselves."
Our photo below shows Carolyn Burgess (our chairman) in action alongside Nick Parsons (head of markets strategy with National Australia Bank), Julian Wild (corporate finance partner at Rollits Solicitors) and Captain Richard Brough (managing director of Jenkins Shipping).
And this is Carolyn with Kate Carroll (left) and Rachel Diaz (right) from the Humber Economic Partnership, along with Ed Warner from The One Foundation.
We've published our 2010 annual report. You can download a copy using the link below (PDF, 450KB), or you can call us on 0800 731 7878 to request a printed version.
Download Language_is_Everything_2010
Meanwhile, don't forget that Business Week 2010 kicks off tomorrow with a series of fringe events. (Click here to find out what we're up to later in the week.)
And the World Trade Centre Hull & Humber is holding a 'Doing business in Algeria' event at 12 noon on Tuesday 8th June. The UK is Algeria's largest foreign investor, and the session will include presentation by Ahmed Tibaoui, the general manager and CEO of WTC Algeria. (Click here to find out more and download the flyer.)
The conference programme for Critical Link 6 is now available online (click here).
Critical Link focuses on public service interpreting in the social, legal and healthcare sectors. The organisation's sixth international conference takes place at Aston University in Birmingham from 26th to 30th July — it will be the first major event devoted to public service interpreting to take place in the UK.
Language is Everything will be making a presentation on Thursday 29th July in partnership with Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. Our paper looks at the role public service professionals can play in interpreter training and education.
Humber Business Week, the biggest combination of week-long regional events in Europe, kicks off on Monday 7th June.
Language is Everything was the main sponsor of Business Week 2009, and we're delighted to be involved again this year. On Thursday 10th June we're organising When I Grow Up, I Want To Be..., an all-day event that will see primary-school pupils taken on chaperoned visits to some of Goole's key employers. Then in the evening, in partnership with the Humber Education Business Partnership and Goole College, we're holding another Business Education Dinner at Carlton Towers.
Go here to listen the Business Week song, which was written and recorded at last year's event by the ex-Eurythmics star Dave Stewart.
A new badge has been launched to recognise businesses that employ apprentices. According to the National Apprenticeship Service, research shows that 64% of consumers would use a register enabling them to choose a business that hires apprentices and over 80% of people are more likely to use a business if it offers apprenticeships to young people.
Language is Everything has been providing opportunities for apprentices for a number of years (see here, here and here).