Summer Camp Teachers Attend Concordia Language Villages

Last week, our World Language Programs Director–Dr. Maka Janikashvili–and this summer’s Language Camp teachers–Tahaira Khanam (Urdu), Yassaman Raouf (Farsi), and Mustafa Al-Gamal (Arabic)–returned from a workshop retreat to Minnesota where they attended the acclaimed Concordia Language Villages. To read about their time at the workshop, follow this link. Though all three summer camps are already full, it doesn’t mean you can’t be part of the action. Be sure to check back between July 13th and 24th for regular updates from the camps.

Welcoming a Partner from Japan

By Shirley Henderson at A.C.E.–We recently welcomed Daisuke Yoshioka from A.C.E. Japan to the A.C.E. Central Office and the Language Institute at Seattle Pacific University. His visit was marked by meeting staff and experiencing the atmosphere at our two Seattle locations. The meetings were filled with information exchange, site tours and program descriptions. The visit provided a great opportunity for A.C.E. to get feedback from one of our closest partners. Daisuke also had the opportunity to meet with our partner in Korea, Howard Kwon, and discuss closer ties between these two partners.

A.C.E. on YouTube

Did you know that you can watch videos about A.C.E., including World Language Programs, our Language Institutes and more, on YouTube? Follow the link to visit our YouTube channel and watch our movies, like this slide show from our 35th Anniversary International Symposium on May 23rd.

Have a happy Fourth of July weekend!

Language Profile: Arabic

I. History & Distribution: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. As a result, it is deeply embedded in various cultural contexts and manifests itself in a myriad of dialects. However, because the written form is fairly uniform, Arab speakers from around the world are able to communicate. It is spoken as the primary language in over 20 countries by around 186 million people. Arabic’s roots lie in Ancient Saudi Arabia with Proto-Arabic from the 8th century BCE, and MSA’s literary tradition extends back to the 7th century. The amazing proliferation of Arabic and its impact on various Indo-European languages can be felt in every day speech, as a significant portion of the lexicons of English, Spanish, Turkish, Farsi, Urdu, Portuguese, and more contain Arabic words.

Gangwon Teachers Arrive in Seattle

A.C.E. welcomes the Gangwon Teacher Program, from June 21 to August 13! The Gangwon Program is a group of 21 Korean elementary school teachers visiting Seattle to participate in an ongoing action research project, in which they evaluate teaching practices and best methods for schools similar to their own and apply it to their school system in Korea. The curriculum has been designed and implemented by A.C.E. at SPU Lead Instructor, Tim Healy.