Can Putonghua Relieve Poverty?
While Chinese President Xi Jinping has declared war on poverty, and instructed local governments to create a “moderately well-off society” by the beginning of...
‘No Barrier’ to Chinese Becoming ‘Global Language’
Australian author and professor Dr. Jeffrey Gil, of Flinders University in Adelaide, claims there is “no barrier” stopping Chinese becoming a “global language” like English, as universal literacy is not required for a global...
English May be Dropped from Disability Evaluation
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has proposed the elimination of the education category “inability to communicate in English” in the evaluation of disability claims.
According to the SSA, the proposal could reduce total insurance benefits...
House Boosts Language Funding in Defense Bill
Last month, the House of Representatives voted unanimously to include the World Language Advancement and Readiness Act (WLARA) as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2020. However, the...
Canoa Launched to ‘Internationalize Spanish Language and Culture’
En Español The Canoa project to promote culture in Spanish was launched with the signing of its creation agreement...
Beyoncé in Kiswahili
Beyoncé has released a song featuring lyrics in Kiswahili, one of Africa’s more widely spoken languages.
The song, “Spirit,” is featured on the Lion King album produced by the star, which is the soundtrack...
Ethiopian War Sparks Conflict in Ohio
The original trustees of the Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Columbus, Ohio, have accused its clergy of switching the language of services from Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia, to Tigrinya, the...
Russian, Ruslan Ustinov, Crosses Chinese Bridge First
Russian student Ruslan Ustinov won the 17th Chinese Bridge Chinese Language Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students last month in Changsha, in central China’s Hunan Province.
Over 150 students from 118 countries took part in...
Spanish in the World
Last month, the Instituto Cervantes launched its yearbook, Spanish in the World 2019, with the latest data showing that a total of 580 million people speak Spanish (7.6% of the world's population). Of these,...
French in Haiti: Is It Time for a Change?
With the recent natural disaster and assassination of the country’s president in July, Haiti is in the middle of major political, economic, and social upheaval. Amidst the turmoil, some commentators believe now might be...