Archive for June, 2010

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betting on the world cup

Friday, June 11th, 2010

The world cup begins today and it is one of the two biggest sporting even in the world (along with the Olympics). In London it’s becoming pretty much all anyone is talking about – everyone has become an expert and everyone seems to be able to predict the winner. If you want to choose one of the best teams to win then you’ll be looking for Brazil or Argentina or Spain, but of course if you are English then you’ll be rooting for England. If you are Scottish or Welsh then you will probably be supporting anyone except England. The English even have a song in the pop charts which we expect to become number 1 in the next week or so!!!

Although the tournament kicks off this evening with South Africa playing Mexico, England begin their journey tomorrow – Saturday – with a game against the USA. Kick off is 8.30. All the matches featuring England will be on the TV (as will most of the other games). If you want to be somewhere public watching the games here are a few suggestions: The Evening Standard has identified the best places for foreign supporters to watch their own teams – for example if you are Spanish you might enjoy watching Spain’s games in the company of other Spanish supporters in the Camino, 3 Varnishers Yard, N1. Time Out recommends going to a proper English pub to watch the English games – The Bag O’Nails, 6 Buckingham Palace Rd, SW1 is the nearest one to Buckingham Palace. If by some slim chance England win then you can be sure there will be the biggest celebrations ever known in Trafalgar Square. But then there’s not much chance of that happening!

Near UIC the best bet is International Students House which has a giant TV and which is free to all UIC students. Just ask us for a student card. Every pub in London will have a TV – you can go to the big crowded bars like the Sports Bar in Haymarket or just a quiet local one.

If you fancy a bet, the favourites are Spain at around 4:1 and the real outsiders are New Zealand at 2500:1. You can also bet on each game, on who the semifinalists will be, on who scores the most goals (the golden boot) and who gets sent off (red card) the most times or actually anything you feel like betting on. The odds on England winning are around 7 or 8 to 1 so that might be worth a small gamble!

Our recommendations for the Semifinals are: Brazil, Serbia, Spain and Germany with Brazil going on to win. Sorry England.

And while we’re on the subject of betting – here are some expressions you might find useful!

Have a bet

Have a flutter (a small bet usually from someone who doesn’t bet regularly)

The odds (what you might get if your choice wins – for example if the odds are 3 to 1 this means you’ll get back £3 for each £1 you bet if your choice wins. If the odds are “evens” then you get back what you bet)

An each way bet – something more common in horse racing where you make a bet on one horse to win and a similar bet on the horse to come 2nd, 3rd or 4th.

A safe bet (means something is virtually certain to win or happen – for example “it’s a safe bet she’ll do well in the exam, she’s so clever”)

All bets are off (means that there is no way of knowing how something will turn out, so it wouldn’t be a good thing to bet on – for example “the election looks too close to be able to predict a winner – all bets are off”)

Hedge your bets (means that you don’t bet everything you have on one thing – you save something for another time, or make the opposite bet just to be sure you’ll win something – for example “I’m hedging my bets by taking a coat and my swimming things to the beach – who knows what will happen!”

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world cup swearing

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

What do the soccer world cup (just about to begin in South Africa if you haven’t noticed) and page 573 of Michael Swan’s famous book ‘Practical English Usage have in common? This might be a bit of a loose connection, but that page and the few that follow it are perhaps the most thumbed pages of thebook for a foreign student of English – they are the section called Taboo Words. In other words swearing. And as everyone knows that is one of the most difficult things to do in another language, yet one of the things that many people want to be able to do – and if not actually use – many people might be too polite to want to swear for example – then certainly to be able to understand. And why shouldn’t you want o understand if someone is being rude to you?

That’s exactly what the referee of England’s first game in the World Cup thought. Carlos Simon (the Brazilian referee) and his 2 assistants who are also Brazilian have (according to the Independent newspaper) “revealed that they have been learning from a list of 20 obscenities while they have been training at the centre for the tournament’s referees in Pretoria”. It’s well known that the English players like swearing and some of them (Wayne Rooney for example) have become infamous recently for their abusive language when it is aimed at referees. Rooney was booked last week by the referee for saying “**** you” to the referee when a decision went against him and was told that had it happened in the world cup he would have been sent off.  When asked if it was in every language, the assistant referee said “it was only English. We can’t do this in 11 different languages but at least we have to know the swear words in English”. I wonder what 20 expressions they are learning? If you want to know then I suggest you have a look at Swan’s book – page 573! You might learn a thing or two, and if you can lip read you might even be able to know what some of the English players are saying to the referee when you watch on TV.

If you have any suggestions for expressions that you think should be included in Swan but are not then please email them to us and we will forward them to Oxford University Press. Othewise UIC in London might be able to teach you a bit more about real conversational language!

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marylebone village fair

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

There are several areas of London which have a real village feel. Its easy to see how perhaps even a hundred years ago they were real villages with their own identities. Hampstead, Highgate, Islington, Brixton, Hammersmith are some of these but not many of them still have that ‘villagy’ feel. One of the nicest and one of the most central areas is Marylebone. This is about a 15 minute walk from UIC – and if you have studied at our centre in the SES then you’ll be even nearer – it’s literally a 5 minute walk from there – just come out the door and turn left!

This Sunday you have a unique opportunity (until this time next year anyway) to get a feel of what a small village in London might have been like in the past – the feeling of local shops, bars, restaurants at the Marylebone Summer Fayre 2010. Have a look at their website where they say “The Marylebone Summer Fayre supports Teenage Cancer Trust and has been raising awareness and money for Teenage Cancer Trust for the last 5 years.  Throughout the Fayre you will be aware of various initiatives to raise money for the Trust, please give generously if you can. This is a fantastic day for a great cause and a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!”It’s not always easy in London to  find independent bookshops, foodshops and old fashioned pubs – on Sundays there is also a farmers market in the surrounding streets where you can buy fresh food direct form farmers who bring their produce into the centre of London. It’s sure to be an interesting thing to do – and if you get bored you are 10 minutes walk from Oxford Street and also from Regents Park in the opposite direction, so you’ll not be lost for something to do!

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the best school in Europe?

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

In your search for a good school (or even an excellent one – or even the best school in Europe) you may find a whole long list of what criteria are important – British Council Accredited, EQUALS, Quality English, IALC, EUK and so on – a plethora of associations and groupings – some existing for marketing purposes, others acting as trade associations.  What they all have in common though is that they have been set up by the schools to manage themselves – whatever the intended purpose of the group. However, there is one measure which is a bit different – and this is the LTM awards. The Language Travel magazine is the English Teaching industry’s voicepiece and as well as organising fairs throughout the world under the banner of ALPHE it holds an annual award competition where agents vote for schools in a number of different categories – and similarly schools vote for agents in a number of different categories. This is the only award in the whole industry where partners vote for each other. The schools are nominated in different categories – for example the best school in Europe, in Australia, in Canada, in the US, best summer school and so on. The schools then have the opportunity to vote for their favourite agent – and this is again in different categories for example best agent in South America, Eastern Europe, Asia and so on. For the second time  in 4 years UIC has been nominated as one of the best schools in Europe – and since this shortlist is only for 5 schools you can see it means UIC is one of the agents’ favourite schools in Europe. This is a wonderful endorsement of what we do – the fact that agents (who supply most of the students to schools around the world) bother to vote and then choose UIC is very flattering. Agents need to be sure that schools they work with have good teaching, good admin systems and also good facilities – amongst other things. The award is given from the final shortlist at the award ceremony at the Hilton hotel in London on September 4th when the ‘Best school in Europe’ will be chosen from the shortlist. At UIC we are quietly optimistic …….. and if the agents are convionced – you can certainly trust that recommendation.

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working as an interpreter

Monday, June 7th, 2010

In early 2009, the European Commission (EC) announced that they were urgently looking for interpreters with English as a native language, as they expect at least one third of their current English language interpreters to retire by 2015. So, although most people learning languages do so at school – and often because they have no choice – it seems that few of them have actually thought about the possibilities of working using a language. It’s been reported by CILT that employers value ability in a  foreign language generally but how about actually using your languages professionally?  Have a look at this clip showing what being an interpreter might actually involve.

When you are an interpreter you are professionally involved in “the transfer of one spoken or signed languages to another”. It’s a difficult profession but can offer great rewards – and not just financial. In an increasingly global business world there are always opportunities – and in the EU opportunities with community languages – as an equality issue. So, for example if you speak English and another language at home you might already have some opportunities for interpreting. There are opportunities not only in the traditional interpreting positions – in big conferences but also across the spectrum in – for example courts and doctors’ surgeries. There are job opportunities in translating one way (into your own language) or also both ways if you have sufficient fluency in 2 or more languages.

If this is something you are interested in then you should find a professional training course. There are 2 different professional associations – the Institute of Linguists and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, and they will not only be able to advise you on training centres but also on your level of fluency in the language – so it is always a good place to start.

Apart from fluency, you will also need to work well with other people whether ina  group of on a 1-1 basis. You might need to travel often, be confident in public speaking, have a good memory and able to stay calm under pressure!

But probably the best news is that the EU institutions employ large numbers of language professionals and there remains a shortage of qualified native English-speaking applicants. If you are interested in finding out a bit more and perhaps dipping a toe into learning a language or re-learning a language that you studied at school then why not give one of our foreign language courses at UIC a try. It’s an easy way to see if you have remembered anything from school or perhaps to find out if you have a talent for languages!

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The Beatles in London

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

There is a popular myth that the Beatles are a Liverpool band. Actually although it is true that they came from Liverpool and many of their influences are from Liverpool (for example Penny Lane, Strawberry fields and Eleanor Rigby are all based in very specific places in Liverpool) they really belong to London! As soon as they started to become famous in 1963 they left Liverpool and moved to London where they spent the next few years and during this time produced the vast majority of their work. When the Beatles first moved to London they lived in a flat at 57 Green Street in Mayfair, later Paul McCartney lived in Wimpole Street (minutes from UIC!), John had a flat in Emperors Gate in South Kensington and George and Ringo had various flats in Mayfair. Many of their album covers have photos taken in London – their first has the famous photo on a stairwell taken at EMI offices in Manchester Square (since demolished though) and the last – probably the most famous – on the street crossing in Abbey Road just outside the studios where they recorded all their work. Many scenes from the 2 films they made were also filmed in London. For these 6 years they  lived, worked and had fun in central London. If you want to know more then you can go on one of the Beatles walks around central London and see some of the places connected to them and their music. The UIC social programme is now planning a trip to Liverpool to see some of the places that are connected to Beatles – their childhood houses and so on. Make sure you see Mike and join in with us – then you’ll have experienced both parts of their lives. The tour is 12-13 June and includes transportation, accommodaiton, breakfast and a Beatles guided tour.

And if you want to explore yourself then here are some of the places that featured in the Beatles’ lives in the 60s:

Ad Lib Club (above Prince Charles Theatre in Leicester Square) – where the Beatles took LSD for the first time

The Scotch of St James – 13 Masons Yard where the Beatles used to be regulars – apparently they spent an evening there with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan in 1966

The Apple Shop – 3 Saville Row where the Beatles played their last concert on the roof in 1969 and where the Apple boutique was (this before Apple computers and ipods).

Posted in Famous londoners, Life in London | 1 Comment »

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International London – Spanish London

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

There isn’t really a Spanish Community in London in the same way that you can find a Chinese, Polish or Korean one! Geographically the Spanish in London are more spread out. Many Spaniards settled in London following the Spanish Civil War from 1936-9 and by the end of the Second World War a new Spanish quarter had developed in North Kensington, with Victoria also becoming a popular residential area. According to the last UK Census in 2001 there were 22,500 overseas nationals from Spain living in London – nearly half of all Spanish in the UK – which represented an 18% rise in just one decade. But, of course with freedom of movement across the EU it’s really imposisble to say how many.

At UIC we teach modern foreign languages and by far the most popular is Spanish. Whether it’s people planning to visit Spain for holidays or whether its people wanting to go eat in Spanish restaurants in London and order in Spanish we don’t really know. It has become increasingly common to find Spanish companies setting up in London – apparently 1 in 10 Spanish companies setting up in Europe does so in the UK

You can find Spanish restaurants and tapas bars throughout the city, but according to two UIC staff Sofia and Nuria, the best Spanish restaurants in London are:

Iberica, 195 Great Portland Street with special recommendations for the pork belly and whole pigeon with a great choice of wine

Feut and best choice of wine

Meson Don Felipe The cut Waterloo for tapas and music

Mar i Terra http://www.mariterra.co.uk/ You will feel at home in this little nice restaurant. Nothing to do with franchises like La Tasca! I recommend “Pan con Tomate” and “escalivada” for starters and the “conejo en cazuela” for main; “crema catalana” for dessert. Be adventurous and try a different wine from the well-known riojas: try Ribera del Duero or a Catalan wine. And then, enjoy a walk to the South Bank main attractions: Tate Modern, Globe Theatre,….

The best Spanish restaurant in London that I have been (says Sofia) is a place called “Galicia” in Portobello road, you will feel the Spanish culture very authentic , the waiters are between 60-70 years old, they are very slow they take their time in serving you but is worth it , while you are waiting you spend your evening drinking a very Good Spanish wine and eating a very good “Jamón” , the food is not expensive at all you can have plenty of  Tapas  for £15-20, It is full of customers every time, especially on weekends so you have to call reserve in advance.

Another favourite is Meson los Barriles 8 Lamb Street, Spitalfields Market, London, E1 6EA – which has won awards for the best Spanish restaurant in the UK! and if you just want to buy food there is the famous shop in Portobello Road which has all sorts of food and drink from Spain

So, no shortage there – why not give them a go – and perhaps if you just want a taster it’s easiest this weekend as there is a Taste of Spain festival in Regent Street on Sunday 6th when the street is closed and you will have the opportunity to experience food, drink and various cultural activities form all over Spain. You’ll find that your idea of Spain might be a bit limited – it’s not all flamenco dancers and tapas!

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students go to Northern Ireland

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

At many language schools in the UK there are social programmes – but none quite like the one on offer at UIC. as well as the normal events in London – more of that in a minute – we also offer a series of trips outside London, and actually outside England, and on occasions outside the UK! This year we (that is teacher and students) have visited Amsterdam, Edinburgh and most recently Northern Ireland – from 8-10 May. We have plans now to visit Prague and New York. So if you thought that coming to London was just going to give you a good base to visit Oxford and Cambridge you are in for a big surprise! Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful parts of the UK and for the students who went on the trip this was a big surprise. not only was the scenery stunning but the overwhelming feeling the students had was that the people of Northern Ireland were so friendly and welcoming. You can see more photos of the trip on our facebook page and the whole collection is on our student community site – unfortunately this is only available for students currently studying in the school (or about to come). So, apart from these fantastic trips out of London what else do we offer? The normal range of parties, shows, bars, karaoke, cinemas and so on. If you look at the social programme in June there are usually a couple of things on every day – and one of them is usually free. So there are really plenty of things to do!

Matt says “my experience in Northern Ireland was so special for me, no rain at all and the weather was so lovely. Furthermore the beach, mountains and Irish pub was very attractive”

Deski says” I had a great time in Belfast with Mike and my friends. I met different students from UIC who I’d never met before. In belfast the Youth Hostel was clean, breakfast was delicious. i really enjoyed being in Belfast. Pubs, friendly people, castles and the other beautiful places are unforgettable. Mike was great as well. He is funny, friendly. He is a teacher but at the same time a friend. I like him! Thanks for everything everybody!”

Seren says” Ireland was one of the places that I wanted to visit before I came back to my coutnry. It was in my list. northern Ireland has one of the most gorgeous coast line sin the world. Thanks to Mike I saw everywhere near to Belfast before I die!”

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