The Latest News in ELT

Keep up to date with all the news and developments in English teaching, in Japan and around the world. This page contains stories from the last seven days. Click on the calendar to the right to see any news stories from this month. They will open in a new window. Web ELT News

November 2008 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat             1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

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The Tokyo Expo and Book Fair for English teachers is this weekend
This Saturday/Sunday is the big weekend for English teachers in the Tokyo area. The ETJ expo combined with the Tokyo English Language Book Fair (TEL) is highly recommended for any teachers interested in attending useful presentations, looking for new teaching materials, or just meeting other teachers.

The Expo/Book Fair is at Toyo Gakuen University (near Tokyo Dome) so it's in a very convenient location. There are presentations on everything from teaching kindergarten children to teaching specialist university courses, and displays of books and other teaching materials by both large and small publishers.

Click here for the presentation schedule, a map of the location, and general information.
November 26, 2008

Students unable to pay tuition fees
The Zenkiku Shikyoren, a private school teachers' union, has reported that 3,400 private middle school and high school students had not paid tuition fees for three months or more up until the end of September. The union is concerned that the number of students who cannot pay will increase further as the financial crisis gets worse.

This could easily affect private language schools in the near future. The crisis will almost certainly result in lower incomes for many families unless things improve soon.
November 24, 2008

Violence in school is increasing
A new Ministry of Education report shows that violence at schools is on the increase. The number of violent incidents at elementary schools in 2007 increased by 37.1% compared with the previous year. At junior and senior high schools it increased by 18.2%. Most incidents were between students, but many were also against teachers or acts of vandalism. All figures were record highs. The only positive news was that bullying seems to be decreasing, though it is a still a serious problem and Internet bullying seems to be on the increase.
November 22, 2008

Schools likely to be closed if there is a flu epidemic
The government is likely to close all schools in a prefecture if there is a serious flu epidemic, particularly if it is a new kind of flu. Schools are regarded as the major source of the spread of infectious diseases.

Language schools, particularly those that charge a monthly tuition fee, will have serious problems if this happens. During the bird flu scare many schools looked into how to get insurance to cover their losses if students stayed at home either because of a government order or simply to reduce the chances of catching the flu. At that time, insurance companies seemed unwilling to provide support, and the same things is likely to happen with any future problem of this kind.
November 19, 2008

Kansai Expo a great success
The ETJ Expo in Osaka on Sunday was a tremendous success. English teachers gathered from the whole Kansai region and even from further afield to attend presentations and look for teaching materials. There was a very positive and friendly atmosphere all day and teachers went home full of new ideas and enthusiasm.

The next Expo is in Sendai this Sunday and the following weekend is the Tokyo Expo combined with the Tokyo English Language Book Fair. These events are highly recommended for teachers living in these areas. You can see full details on the ETJ website.
November 17, 2008

Dual nationality may become legal
The LDP is considering a proposal that would allow the children of mixed-nationality couples to have dual nationality. One of the parents would need to be Japanese. Under the current law the children have to choose one nationality or the other by the time they are 22. Under the proposal, foreigners would also be able to obtain Japanese citizenship without giving up their original one. This is still all at the proposal stage and it will take time before changes are made to the law.
November 15, 2008

Brain research indicates Japanese students should start learning English at a younger age
Researchers at Tokyo University have carried out brain research on Japanese junior high school students, comparing students who started to learn English from the beginning of elementary school with those who started from junior high. The students who start earlier expend less brain energy when using English especially when processing grammatical tasks. The researchers concluded that it is important for Japanese children to be exposed to English from a young age. The research was published in 'Human Brain Mapping', a U.S. science magazine.
November 14, 2008

The principal event for English teachers in the Kansai area is this Sunday
All teachers in the Kansai area that are interested in professional development, finding new teaching materials or just meeting other teachers really should attend the ETJ Expo in Osaka on Sunday November 16th. It's being held at Seifu High school in the Tennoji area. Click here for a map and schedule of presentations. The Expo starts at 9:00 and finishes at 6:00 in the evening. Teachers are welcome to go all day or just drop in for a while. There will be about 45 different presentations on everything from teaching young children to teaching university students. There will also be a wide range of teaching materials on display.
November 12, 2008

Teachers' Union calls on members not to attend English-education seminars
The Hokkaido Teachers' Union has called on primary school teachers not to attend seminars in English education that are being run by the Hokkaido Board of Education. The Board of Education has made the seminars a requirement for primary school teachers. The Union is opposed to current plans to make English a compulsory subject in primary schools. They say the debate on primary school English education has been insufficient
November 11, 2008

Japan Interpreters' Association shuts down
The Japan Interpreters' Association, the most well-known body for certifying interpreters in Japan has been forced to close for financial reasons. The reason given on its website was that it 'has been forced to close down as it could not receive necessary financial assistance amid the economic recession of late'. Despite being a private company, the association had gained widespread respect and recognition for the certificates it awarded. About 130,000 people have taken interpreter exams through the association since it was founded 35 years ago and it had a turnover of about 130 million yen per year. Many people have already paid for the exams that were due to be held in many cities around Japan over the next few months.
November 10, 2008

Keio University Wins ESUJ Debate
The English-Speaking Union of Japan's annual university debate competition was held on October 12th and saw Keio University beat Tokyo University in a hotly contested final.

This year saw the largest number of participants with 36 teams from 30 universities. The motion for the final debate was "This House believes that taxpayers' money should not be used to bail out financial institutions." The debate took place in front of a large audience, including David Warren, the British Ambassador.

Visit: The English-Speaking Union of Japan
November 05, 2008

Macmillan Releases Nikkei Weekly Interview Book
eigoTown.com and Macmillan today released a new book containing 15 interviews with top foreign business executives in Japan. The book is in English and Japanese and is ideal for students of business English.
November 04, 2008

eigoTown Launches English Magazine Site
eigoTown.com has launched a new website where Japan-based teachers can quickly and easily subscribe to English magazines and newspapers. Periodicals currently available include: TIME, Newsweek, National Geographic, Scientific American, The Nikkei Weekly and others. More publications will be added shortly. Payment is by credit card or PayPal.

Visit: eigoTown.com: Magazines and Newspapers
October 21, 2008

Benesse Profits 37% Down
Education giant Benesse Corporation, which has revenues in the billions of dollars, said Friday that it expects consolidated net profit for the fiscal first half ended Sept. 30 to fall 37% on the year to 9.3 billion yen because the value of shares bought through an acquisition fell sharply.

The company, famous for its correspondence courses, will post an extraordinary loss of 7.6 billion yen for the amortization of goodwill because the stock price of subsidiary Tokyo Individualized Educational Institute Inc. (4745) plunged about 60%

Benesse is still in the process of forecasting profits for the full fiscal year through March 31. Many English-related companies have seen their stock prices fall dramatically over the last 18 months, with companies such as ALC having lost 90% of their market capitalization since going public.
October 20, 2008

Canadian Schools Offer Gateway21 Students Free Tuition
About 160 students hit by the Gateway21 bankruptcy have been offered free tuition by 13 members schools of the British Columbia-based Languages Canada Association. The total tuition involved that was paid by the students to Gateway21 for these lessons was around 42 million yen but not passed on to the schools at which the students were due to study.
October 14, 2008

ESUJ to Host University Debate Competition
The English-Speaking Union of Japan (ESUJ) will host its 11th University Debating Competition on October 12-13 at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center in Yogogi, Tokyo. The event will feature teams from university teams. On the second day there will be a model debate presented by four British university debaters.

Admission is free, but registration is required for the finals on October 13th. Visit: ESUJ
October 08, 2008

Macmillan Posts Videos on YouTube
Macmillan has announced that it now has about 50 inspirational video clips on YouTube. According to the company they are "Perfect to use as teaching aids in the classroom!"

Videos can be viewed on the Macmillan LanguageHouse website in the downloadables area. (http://www.mlh.co.jp) in our Downloadables area!
October 07, 2008

Gateway21 Goes Bankrupt Owing 12 Million Dollars
Major Japanese study abroad agency Gateway21 has gone bankrupt owing over 12 million dollars. The company shut its doors without warning on September 29th and closed its website -- leaving an estimated 1800 customers without their promised study trips overseas. Of the 12 million dollars owed, it is thought that 9 million dollars was to individual customers.

The company was founded in 1997 and had annual sales of around 28 million dollars.

Visit Nikkei Net (in Japanese)
September 29, 2008

Manpower Japan to Sell ALC Distance Courses
Manpower Japan and ALC have partnered to sell correspondence courses. The companies believe that the need for linguistic skills is increasing and that both companies have similar customers.

Visit: Press Release
September 24, 2008

Eiken Website Makes Official i-mode Portal
The Eiken mobile website has been formally accepted to be featured on the offical i-mode menu. The Eiken mobile website was launched in 2000. Eiken intends to start new services such as “first examination answer news flash”,or “pass or fail result inspection”.

Visit: Press release

ALC To Teach Japanese to Speak Properly
ALC will launch a new correspondence course that specializes in British English “Eikaiwa Coedas British”. The course uses ALC’s “coedas method”, and begins on October 10th. The course pays special attention to the pronunciation and grammar of standard British English.

The first level is equivalent to TOEIC 350 or Eiken 3. The course fee is 28,700yen discounted to 25,900 yen until November 25th.

Visit: Press release
September 23, 2008

Longman Releases Bilingual Dictionary for iPhone
Pearson Longman, together with Enfour, Inc. has released its Japanese-English Dictionary as the first in a line of iPhone/iPod Touch applications.

The Longman English-Japanese Dictionary is, according to the company, the first and only bilingual dictionary to be based 100% on English and Japanese corpora and is designed to help learners easily find information and focus on natural meanings.

The dictionary is in full color and includes over 500 illustrations and photos, 102,000 headwords and phrases, 83,000 example sentences, 63,000 collocations, clear grammar presentations, error notes for Japanese learners, notes about formality, pronunciation and much more.

Among the many features are extensive sound files for pronunciation, example sentences, search history function, book marking facility and zoomable illustrations and photos.

"At Pearson Longman, we are committed to delivering our content in ways that makes it readily accessible for our users." said Mike Mayor, Editorial Director for Longman Dictionaries. "We are delighted to have worked with Enfour to make the most up-to-date and reliable English-Japanese dictionary available in this exciting new format. Through the iPhone version of the dictionary, we are making natural English available to users as and when they need it during the course of their daily lives."

The application cost 2,400 yen and is can be downloaded through iTunes.
September 22, 2008

English Vitamin Opens Tokyo School
English Vitamin will hold a public English lesson to celebrate the opening of its first school in Tokyo. English Vitamin has been teaching English in Silicon Valley in California for many years but this is its first move into Tokyo.

Visit: English Vitamin
September 18, 2008

Eikyo Web Site Supports Kids English Teachers
Nihon Eigo Kyoiku Kyokai (Eikyo) has launched a new website for elementary English teachers called “Eisapo”. Resources include sample lesson plans for 1-2 grade classes at elementary school. According to a survey conducted by the organization, the biggest source of uneasiness for elementary English teachers are “lesson plans and curricula”, ”teaching materials”, and “teachers’ English abilities”.

Visit: Eisapo
September 17, 2008

ALC and GABA Launch Blended Learning Course
ALC and GABA have partnered to offer English conversation lessons tied into ALC’s correspondence courses. The GABA/ALC Course provides students with 12 school lessons. The courses last 3 months and costs 129,045 yen.

Visit: Press Release
September 16, 2008

Online Language School Cafetalk Reopens
Bilingual Partners Co., Ltd. has renewed its online language study service “Cafetalk”. The service is a one-to-one language school using Skype .Teachers from around the world construct their own lessons individually tailored for each student.

The service has no enrollment, registration or monthly fee and a 50-minute lesson costs 1,995 yen. Free trial lessons are also available.

Visit: Cafetalk
September 12, 2008

GABA Releases Business English Learning Course
English conversation school GABA will release “Gaba Business Advantage” on October 1st. GABA claims that even beginners can learn high-level business English using the course. Levels 1~3 of 10 levels will be released shortly.

Each level costs 18,900 yen and will be sold to students at GABA.

Download: GABA PDF
September 11, 2008

Cosplish to Use Greencafe Reservation System
Cosplish, an English school where teachers dress up in a "cosplay" manner and conduct karaoke lessons, has partnered with Greencafe (another conversation school) to use the latter's online reservation system. The system has a number of sophisticated functions such as the provision of real-time information on the number of class vacancies and students waiting for cancellations. The system is being offered free to language education services such as English schools that require reservation services.

Visit: Press release
Visit: Cosplish
Visit: Greencafe
September 10, 2008

English Education Forum from Matsuka Phonics
Matsuka Phonics Institute will hold a forum on English education in 4 cities: Tokyo(September 28th),Osaka(October 19th), Fukuoka(November 3rd),and Nagoya(November 16th).The president of the institute, Mrs.Yoko Matsuka will outline her proposals for the compulsory elementary English syllabus that starts in 2011. The forums are aimed at teachers of infants to high school students, those in charge of English education at elementary and junior high schools, english education board officers,and those who are interested in English education. Download: Event Details( Japanese PDF)
September 08, 2008

Summer Holiday
ELT News will be on a break for its summer holiday throughout August. Back at the beginning of September.
August 20, 2008

Yohan Goes Bankrupt
Yohan, Japan's largest importer and distributor of foreign books and magazines has gone bankrupt owing tens of millions of dollars.

Terrie Lloyd has an informative article on the situation here.
August 04, 2008

Nunan Talks!
World-renowned linguist David Nunan talks with Russell Willis about his best-selling book "Go For It!", his work at Anaheim University, whether starting to learn English as young child makes a difference and about his involvement in the new Magical Lab project from Malaysia.

Visit: David Nunan Interview
July 24, 2008

JALT Announces Candidates
This just in from the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT):

Candidates for the 2008 JALT National election:

Candidate for the Office of NPO JALT President
- Caroline Lloyd
- Peter Wanner

Candidate for the Office of NPO JALT Vice-President
- Cynthia Keith

Candidate for the Office of NPO JALT Auditor
- Tadashi Ishida

Candidate for the Office of NPO JALT Director of Membership
- Nathan Furuya
- Nicolas Gromik

Candidate for the Office of NPO JALT Director of Program
- Philip McCasland

Candidate for the Office of NPO JALT Director of Public Relations
- Emi Itoi
- Rieko Matsuoka

Candidate for the Office of NPO JALT Director of Records
- Aleda Krause

Candidate for the Office of NPO JALT Director of Treasury
- Kevin Cleary

Full candidate statements as well as the election ballot will be available in the August TLT. Best of luck to all candidates in the upcoming election. Timothy Gutierrez 2008 JALT National Election Committee Chair

Visit: JALT
July 22, 2008

Kenny Hong
Kenny Hong, a well-known figure in the ELT community in Japan, was found dead at his home late last week. Kenny was 33 and is survived by his wife Ikumi whom he married in 2006.

Kenny lived in Japan for about 10 years and was involved in the ELT industry for much of that time. He began his career with eigoTown.com as a consultant and then worked on the development of the eigoTown.com website. He later became Multimedia/Web Developer and Project Manager at TCI which later became Solid Networks. During that time, Kenny developed and managed various industry websites, including the suite of local OUP Japan sites, one of which, OUP Readers, was award winning. Kenny joined Oxford University Press full time in January 2008.

Paul Riley, managing director of OUP Japan said "Kenny was a great colleague and a good friend to all that knew him. We will miss Kenny very much and I encourage you to spare a few thoughts and prayers for him and his family."
July 17, 2008

English Learners Still Uneasy Over NOVA Collapse
An informal poll by eigoTown.com of its users suggests that nearly half feel uneasy about studying at English conversations schools due to the collapse of NOVA.

The poll, conducted during June reveals that 28% of respondents felt that they "are uneasy" about studying at "eikaiwa" and 20% have decided to "study by themselves". 48% of respondents felt that "nothing has changed". Comments by users who felt uneasy about eikaiwa included "I will choose a school that charges me each month”, and “I am too shocked by the collapse to go to an English school”.

Visit: eigoTown.com Poll(in Japanese).
July 13, 2008

Mingoville Launches English Education Site for Kids
Mingoville Corporation has launched a new online English education site for Japanese children called ”Mingoville”. The site is free and aimed at 6 to 13-year-old children. The program originated in Denmark and has over 100 questions and exercises with which which members can learn English whilst studying everyday themes.

Mingoville is used by 30% of elementary schools in Denmark and has 120,000 users in over 100 countries.

Read:Press Release (in Japanese)

Visit: Mingoville
July 09, 2008

Professional English Corpus Released by PERC
The Professional English Research Consortium (PERC) has made available online its corpus of professional English along with a set of analytical tools for teachers and researchers.

The PERC Corpus consists of 17,000,000 words from 22 professional fields including medicine, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, electronics and computer engineering.

The corpus is open to the public for free until the end of June 2009. It can be accessed in both English and Japanese.

Read: Press Release (in Japanese)

Visit: The PERC Corpus
July 07, 2008

Yano Releases English Industry Market Report
Yano Research Institute has released the latest edition of its market report on the English industry in Japan. The report is entitled “Gogaku Business Tettei Chosa” and includes an overview of market trends and more detailed information on key companies in the industry. The report is intended managers and marketers involved in the English-business and related industries. The report costs 115,000 yen, is in Japanese and can only be bought directly from Yano's Web site.

Visit: Yano Research Institute
July 03, 2008

Young Learners Course from Longman, Anaheim
Pearson Longman and Anaheim University are to hold a "One Day Workshop in Teaching English to Young Learners" on July 12th at Anaheim's Tokyo campus. Attendees will be given a certificate of completion from Anaheim University. Yurio Kuno, Keiko Abe-Ford, Takao Ogawa and Junko Shimura will be giving presentations on a variety of topics related to teaching English to young learners. The presentations will be given in Japanese.

Visit: Longman's Website

Contact: Anaheim University
June 30, 2008

A Guide to Shinjuku's 2-Chome in English
Studio Pot, the company that produced the English guide to Akihabara has release a new book in English about Shinjuku's gay area. The company describes the book as "the story of the world's largest gay area, Shinjuku 2-chome, with facts and figures that even Japanese aren't aware of." The book retails for 1,680 yen.

Visit:Studio Pot
June 25, 2008

Ex-NOVA Boss Quizzed on Embezzlement
Former NOVA boss and founder Nozumu Sahashi is being investigated by police on suspicion of embezzling over 320 million yen (about 3 million US dollars). The Japan Times carries the story today.
June 23, 2008

"Self-Enlightenment" Motive for TOEIC Test Takers
According to a survey by ALC,45% of Japanese people want to get a 900 score in the TOEIC test. But why? Surprisingly, the most popular reason is “for self-enlightenment"(24%). This is bigger than “to change occupations” or “to find employment"(6%). So the main reason that people take the TOEIC test is "self-enlightenment", or self-development rather than to improve their career opportunities. Or, at least that's what they say.

Visit: Press Release (Japanese)


June 19, 2008

English for Fat People?
One diet salon is exploiting the current concerns about metabolic syndrome with the perennial need for English. The diet salon, Toranomon Metabo-Care Center, has started an English school with "custom-made lessons". People can learn English and take measure to prevent "metabo".

The school touts the fact that it has a teacher with experience of living in the US who can understand the weak points of Japanese... No mention is made of whether TPR is a method of choice, or whether they use particularly heavy textbooks.

Visit: Press Release

Visit: Toranomon Metabo-Care Center website
June 17, 2008

Scholastic Tie-Up With RIC for Movie Readers
RIC have announced that they have been awarded exclusive distribution rights for Scholastics new series of film and TV graded readers. John Moore, president of RIC Japan said: "The wide range of titles reflect a world that your teenage students will instantly recognize. Indiana Jones, Lost and Mr Bean sit alongside coming-of-age classics such as Billy Elliot and Angelas Ashes. Real teenage issues such as bullying and relationships are tackled in original fiction titles."

The readers also include magazine-style "Fact Files" at the back of each reader and include star interviews and behind-the-scenes features. The reading experience, according to Scholastic, is underpinned by a carefully graded syllabus and word list at each level and self-study activities for progress assessment. An audio CD and online teacher's resource sheets complete the package.

Contact: RIC Publications (E-mail)

Visit: Scholastic Readers Page
June 16, 2008

Pearson to Acquire 2 Language School Chains in China
Pearson Education is to take controlling stakes in Learning Education Centre (LEC) and Dell English in China. Pearson will source curriculum materials from its Penguin and Longman divisions. LEC has 20 schools, principally in Beijing.
June 12, 2008

Low Expectations for Elementary School English
According to a survey by the the Japan Parent Teachers Association, 40% of parents have low expectations for the compulsory introduction of English into elementary schools.

Parent surveyed considered the most effective way to improve English was to ”hire professional English teachers"."Hiring native teachers” came second.

Visit: Nihon PTA Zenkoku Kyogikai (in Japanese)
June 10, 2008

Government Panel Wants English From 3rd Grade or Earlier
A government panel on English education has come down in favor of English education in elementary schools. The panel's draft report recommends that elementary schools start English education by the third grade at the latest. The panel also discussed setting target scores for English proficiency using test such as Eiken or TOEIC at various levels in elementary,junior high,high school,and universities.

Visit:Nikkei Net

Visit: Panel's Website
June 04, 2008

David Nunan to Give Free Lecture in Tokyo
World-renowned linguist and Anaheim University Dean of the School of Education Dr. David Nunan will be speaking at Anaheim University's Tokyo Learning Center in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo near Omotesando Station on Saturday, June 14th, 2008 at 1:30 pm. The title of the lecture is "Motivating Young Learners". It is open to the public at no charge, however reservations are required. To reserve, call Anaheim University at 03-3498-1005 or send an e-mail to Anaheim..
June 03, 2008

University Students Boost Number of TOEIC Tests Taken in 2007
The number of TOEIC tests taken in 2007 increased by 7% on the previous year to 1,635,000. A significant factor in the increase was the jump in university students who took the test -- up by 10%.

The increase was partly due to the introduction of the use of TOEIC by all national universities in Japan and an increase in the number of private universities making use of the test.

Visit:TOEIC Press Release (Japanese)

Visit: TOEIC Official Homepage


June 02, 2008

eigoTown.com Launches Interview Sensei DVD
eigoTown.com has launched a special "Interview Sensei" DVD set. The 35-minute DVD is designed to take non-native speakers through the interview process and includes 20 chapters, 10 where the interviewee acts and answers correctly and 10 where the interviewee acts and answers incorrectly. As well as these scenes their is detailed guidance on what interviewers are looking for and what makes the difference between a good and a bad interview. The CD is in English and Japanese. Russell Willis, eigoTown.com president commented: "This DVD can make the difference between success and failure, the difference between getting the job of your dreams or settling for second best. It is ideal for any Japanese student of English who is faced with an English interview." The DVD set retails for 9,980 yen and includes the "Interview Sensei Master Guide" a special workbook and a title from the McGraw Hill Professional Education Series.

Visit: Interview Sensei DVD (in Japanese)
May 28, 2008

Sony Offers NHK English on Mobile Portal
Sony Digital Entertainment has started a new English channel on its popular "Hitokoto" mobile portal site designed for young office ladies. The channel ties in with content from the radio English program "Kiso Eigo 1".

The new channel contains the words and example phrases used in the radio program and in the near future will deliver voice messages by native speakers.

Visit: Sony Press Release (PDF)


May 26, 2008

Shane and Thane Show Their True Colours / Colors
Shane English School has released a new book about the differences between British and American English. The book features Briton Shane Lipscombe, the president of the Shane English School chain and TV celebrity Thane Camus, an American. The title of the book in Japanese is "Thane vs Shane, America to Igirisu, Eigo mo Bunka mo Konnani Chigau!"

According to Shane English School:"Shane and Thane explain the differences between America and Britain in an amusing way. They outline not only linguistic differences such as grammar and idiomatic expressions but also what is regarded in each country as common sense about food, clothing, shelter, education, politics and crime. The book also provides examples of misunderstandings based on stereotypes misunderstandings and prejudices."

The book which includes an audio CD is priced at 1,260yen.

Download: School Press Release (PDF in Japanese)
May 23, 2008

Foreign Elementary School Teachers Hired Full Time
In what is said to be a first in Japan, Akita's elementary schools will hire foreigners as full-time teachers from next April. The move is designed as a response to English lessons becoming a compulsory part of the elementary school curriculum.

Visit: Asahi.com
May 21, 2008

Language Schools Target Elderly
With over a fifth of Japan's population over the age of 65--a whopping 27 million--and an even larger number over 50, language schools are courting those retired and taking early retirement to fill empty classrooms. Traditionally supported by men and women in their 20s and 30s the schools believe that this new elderly,affluent, demographic is a big part of their future.

Japan Today reports that GABA has set up a course titled "Senior 50 Plus" whilst Berlitz has been running daytime courses for the middle-aged since 2004. Daytime is ideal as many middle-aged people feel uncomfortable keeping up with younger students.

Conversation schools have been looking for ways to invigorate the market since the demise of NOVA. Language schools across the board have suffered as NOVA's collapse has eroded confidence in the industry amongst consumers.

Visit: Japan Today

eigoTown Launches Soap Opera on iTunes
eigoTown.com has launched the first season of its popular "Akiko and Tina" podcast series as an audio book on Apple's iTunes site. The audio book collects together the 12 episodes that comprised the first season of the drama series that ran in eigoTown's "Eigo No Hint" podcast series, a series whose cumulative downloads ran into the millions and went to no.2 in the national charts on iTunes.

eigoTown president Russell Willis commented: "The drama centers around Akiko and Tina's experience in a foreign firm in Tokyo and how they deal with the various cultural problems-and opportunities-that arise. Akiko and Tina is amazingly popular with both men and women in their 20s and early 30s. We're pleased to be able to release this deluxe version that allows people to listen to the series in one go."

The audio book costs 900 yen and lasts 50 minutes. It is designed for university students and above.

Visit: eigoTown's Akiko and Tina page (in Japanese)

Visit: iTunes
May 14, 2008

Oxford Relaunches Bookworms
Oxford University Press' global relaunch of its 200-plus title Bookworms Library kicks of this month. The series has been rejacketed and updated with the picture size on the front now filling the whole cover. The new editions also includes many pictures of film stars in order to increase student appeal.

This new edition also sees the launch of the World Stories series. This series features stories from around the world illustrated by local artists. The books are written in different "world Englishes".
May 12, 2008

Ritsumeikan University Students Publish Kyoto Guidebook in English
Policy Science students at Ritsumeikan University have published an English guide book entitled Kiyamachi Walker designed for foreign visitors. The books is part of the university’s “Decoding Kyoto” program which -- recognizing that Kyoto is an international city -- aims to help break down language barriers. For the book, students collected information about local shops and services, researched the history of the town and interviewed foreign residents. The guidebook examines the history of the Kiyamachi.

The university’s publications are available at local shops and tourist information centers. Their website is also open to the public.

Visit: Kiyamachi Walker


May 10, 2008

TOEIC to Revise Certificate and Scoring Comments for LPI
The Institute for International Business Communication has announced that the official comments on the score certificate are to be revised.

In the revised edition scores for fluency, consistency, connection and length of sentences, vocabulary, grammar, intonation, and listening have been added to provide a more exact analysis of an examinees’ speaking abilities. In addition, vocabulary, grammar, intonation and pronunciation mistakes from the interview are listed and corrections given. There are also comments and advice provided by the interviewer. The revision will be take effect from June 2009.

The Language Proficiency Interview (LPI) is an oral test for advanced students of English conducted by IIBC. Exams are held every month in Tokyo and Osaka.

Visit: The TOEIC Official Website


May 09, 2008

SNS iKnow Starts New Learning Service for Finance and Accounting English
Cerego Japan has launched a new channel on its iKnow service targeting key finance and accounting terms. The channel ties in with the book “Pro no Eigo” published by Nikkei BP

iKnow is a participative English learning service which everyone can use for free. In March 2008 the service claimed to have over 100,000 users. This new release is the third version of its Professional English Series and there are many new words and expressions related to finance and accounting which are used in real business situations. iKnow has 74 learning courses in all.

Visit: Press Release Visit: Nikkei BP

OUP and CUP Under Attack
Oxford University Press and Cambridge University press have come under attack for, allegedly, taking unfair advantage of their charitable status.

CUP and OUP generate large tax-exempt profits, much of which come from ELT publishing. These profits can be reinvested in publications that compete with commercial publishers. The managing director of Pickering and Chatto is quoted in the Bookseller as saying "I just want a level playing field...they look very much like a commercial business and certainly the US office is more commercial than anything." An OUP spokesperson, again quoted in the Bookseller said: "OUP as a university press and a department of the University of Oxford, furthers the university's objective of excellence in research, scholarship and education by publishing worldwide. The university, of which OUP is a part, has charitable status in the UK."
May 08, 2008

News from Eigo Kyoiku News
Our sister site, Eigo Kyoiku News has run the following headlines recently. For news about the English teaching profession and industry in Japanese, visit Eigo Kyoiku News.

* "Akibanana" Website Opens for International Otaku

* Itochu Launches Audio Books Overseas

* Montana University Co-Develops Online English Learning System

* Australia-based Pre-School Chain Enters Japan

* Aoyama Gakuin Releases English Text Books for Years 1-12


March 17, 2008

Longman Pulls Out of JALT Conference
Informed sources are reporting that Longman (part of Pearson Education, the world's largest educational publishers) will not participate in JALT Conference this year, or the Expos organized by ETJ. JALT Conference has for nearly 20 years been seen as the premier event for teachers and publishers in Japan.
February 13, 2008

ELTBOOKS.com Offers 20% Off Selected Titles
ELTBOOKS.com has started offering 20% discounts on selected titles to ETJ members. Best-sellers Let's Go, Passport, Headway and Finding Out are included in the selection. The discounts are for a limited period only but apply to orders of any size.

ETJ membership is free and customers of ELTBOOKS.com can join when they order.


February 08, 2008

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