Advice Corner

Researchers say many languages are dying
Associated Press - From rural Australia to Siberia to Oklahoma, languages that embody the history and traditions of people are dying. While there are an estimated 7,000 languages spoken around the world today, one of them dies out about every two weeks, according to linguistic experts.

Sir Cameron takes shows to China
BBC News Online - British theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh is to help stage Chinese versions of hit West End shows like Miss Saigon and Phantom Of The Opera. The first, a Chinese-language version of Les Miserables, will debut next year at Beijing's National Grand Theatre.

Technique links words to signing
BBC News Online - Technology that translates spoken or written words into British Sign Language (BSL) has been developed by researchers at IBM.

English invades Russian language
Daily Telegraph - First came Franglais. Then there was Spanglish. Now start getting used to Runglish, the English-laced argot of ‘kool’ young Russians that has traditionalists weeping into their borscht.

Business blamed for slide in modern languages
Financial Times - Teenagers are abandoning modern languages at GCSE level because business is not convincing people the qualifications are valued by employers, exam board heads said yesterday.

Japan seeks new ties with India
BBC News Online - Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has stressed the need for a strategic and global partnership with India to strengthen ties between the two countries.