As many native English speakers will tell you, the problem with holidaying abroad is that many foreigners do not speak very good English. In order to try to solve this problem, us Brits have come up with a number of solutions to date. None of these, it has to be said, involve us learning foreign languages, as that would of course just be too hard.
So far, the best solution to the problem has been for us to send our underworked language graduates away for a year or two to TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) schools where they are exploited to the hilt by local cowboys who have found a lucrative market, selling native English speakers to locals desperate to speak the language of our Queen. [WTF has this got to do with videogames? - Ed]
Calm, down sir! There is a connection here. Nintendo has spotted the massive potential for providing an English learning aid on its DS, and hence is releasing English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills on October 13, 2006.
The press release which just dropped into our inbox describes it thus: "Perfect for anyone who hasn’t had the time, money or self-confidence to go on a course…the title has been rated for difficulty under the TOEIC® testing system. For more than 25 years, the TOEIC test (Test of English for International Communication™) developed by ETS, has been used by academic institutions, companies, and government agencies worldwide to measure the business English proficiency of non-native speakers."
Superb news then for lazy native English speakers everywhere. Next time you are on holiday in Italy, for example, and have eaten nothing but pizza for over a week, as you are unable to decipher the menu and too lazy to use your phrasebook, then you could just hand your DS to your waiter and give him an on the spot English lesson! whilst also obtaining better food for yourself.
Seriously though, English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills will cost around £20 and, should it work, Nintendo is sure to clean up yet again with this new Touch! Generations title. And language graduates worldwide may well be out of their underpaid jobs in cowboy TEFL schools within the year.
So far, the best solution to the problem has been for us to send our underworked language graduates away for a year or two to TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) schools where they are exploited to the hilt by local cowboys who have found a lucrative market, selling native English speakers to locals desperate to speak the language of our Queen. [WTF has this got to do with videogames? - Ed]
Calm, down sir! There is a connection here. Nintendo has spotted the massive potential for providing an English learning aid on its DS, and hence is releasing English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills on October 13, 2006.
The press release which just dropped into our inbox describes it thus: "Perfect for anyone who hasn’t had the time, money or self-confidence to go on a course…the title has been rated for difficulty under the TOEIC® testing system. For more than 25 years, the TOEIC test (Test of English for International Communication™) developed by ETS, has been used by academic institutions, companies, and government agencies worldwide to measure the business English proficiency of non-native speakers."
Superb news then for lazy native English speakers everywhere. Next time you are on holiday in Italy, for example, and have eaten nothing but pizza for over a week, as you are unable to decipher the menu and too lazy to use your phrasebook, then you could just hand your DS to your waiter and give him an on the spot English lesson! whilst also obtaining better food for yourself.
Seriously though, English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills will cost around £20 and, should it work, Nintendo is sure to clean up yet again with this new Touch! Generations title. And language graduates worldwide may well be out of their underpaid jobs in cowboy TEFL schools within the year.
Companies:
Nintendo
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Comments
siberdib 4 Sep 2006 14:46
1/1
I see another great money making title here for Ninty. I dont think it will have quite the impact as Dr Kwashimas did, but still will sell well.