Cactus Language Training Blog
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Executives can accent their skills with Cactus Language Training
- Sunday, 2nd October, 2011
Free “Taster” Class Offered to Professionals Working in New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Toronto and Vancouver
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – (October 2011) One of the world’s leading language training companies, with years of experience immersing travelers in more than 30 languages in 60 countries worldwide, Cactus Language Training also offers tailor-made programs for urban executives to complement their business acumen with a dose of linguistic skill and sophistication. Currently, Cactus invites professionals residing in or near New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Diego, Toronto and Vancouver to experience a complimentary language “taster” class which showcases the effectiveness and academic quality of Cactus’s teaching and course design in an informative hour-and-a-half session. Perfect for frequent flyers as well as in-office executives, the classes can take place via Skype or in-person.
Classes can be arranged both individually or in a group setting, and programs are customized to meet learners’ specific communication needs. Scheduling is flexible, with no charge for last-minute changes, and busy executives can even arrange sessions with their Cactus instructor via Skype. To schedule a complimentary individual or small-group session, call 1-888-577-8451; or contact Rich Ambler at 646-964-6746 or via email, .
Cactus Training for Business Executives
Global companies ranging from JP Morgan and Coca Cola to Burberry and Fidelity turn to Cactus to help their executives master foreign languages. All Cactus teachers are native speakers of the language they teach, a difference that is at the core of Cactus’s methodology. As such, teachers are able to quickly adapt and alter the course design to suit the objectives of the individual or group. From traditionally popular languages such as Spanish and French to more difficult languages such as Hebrew, Korean and Hindi, Cactus offers tailor-made courses for executives in 25 languages.
Emphasizing authenticity and affordability, Cactus is well-known for its immersive language programs taught in 60 countries and over 500 destinations worldwide. One of the keys to Cactus’s success is crafting culturally enriching vacation experiences that enhance the process of learning a new language. Cactus applies that same expertise to helping executives acquire the skills they need to succeed in business internationally. For more information, visit http://www.cactuslanguagetraining.com/tailormade/us/.
About Cactus Language Training and Language Vacations
Cactus is one of the world’s leading language training companies. Founded in 1998, with headquarters in New York and the UK, Cactus’s expert team delivers quality language training to individuals and businesses. Cactus helps more than 15,000 people every year learn more than 30 languages, in 60 countries and at 500 destinations worldwide. Programs include language vacations for both adults and children, comprised of classes mixed with tours and activities (such as dance, yoga, wine tasting, cooking, music, art, diving, surfing and photography); cultural awareness training; and full-immersion language holidays. For those unable to travel, evening and part-time group language courses are also offered. http://www.cactuslanguagetraining.com/us 1-888-577-8451.
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National Geographic - 15 September 2011
- Thursday, 15th September, 2011
While simply traveling abroad makes you a more enlightened global citizen, you can deepen the experience through language immersion programs that offer cultural excursions. These four provide a range of activities and stays with local host families. Note: Rates listed below are for a family of four.
France › At Coeur de France, families enjoy the rich medieval history of Sancerre, a village in France’s wine country, without even leaving the school. The 400-year-old La Thaumassière château houses both families and French classes. Parents take either group or individual classes, and children can have one-on-one instruction. In the afternoon, families spend the day in the French countryside, including visits to vineyards, farms to sample goat cheese, and the Loire River for fishing and kayaking. Back at the château, kids learn to make crêpes suzette during hands-on cooking classes. Two-week family packages from $6,385.
Costa Rica › Spanish Abroad‘s location in Tamarindo on the Pacific coast means that after morning language classes, the whole family can enjoy a range of beach activities—surfing lessons, swimming, volleyball, boat rides—in addition to birding and zip-lining tours in the rain forest and visiting the monkey park and aquarium. Families live with a host family or in two-story bungalows grouped around a swimming pool and within walking distance of both the school and the beach. Children should be seven years old to participate. A summer language camp is available for families with children ages five to 12. Two-week program with host family accommodations from $3,225.
China › Cactus Language teaches young adults (and families) Mandarin Chinese classes in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Xian. Along with morning classes, each school offers a range of afternoon activities, including dumpling-making and calligraphy (in Shanghai), and visits to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square (in Beijing). Weekend day trips include a visit to Qufu, the birthplace of Confucius, and the Great Wall of China. Two-week program in Beijing with host family accommodations from $4,140.
http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/15/family-speaking-in-tongues/
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English Language Awareness: why TEFL teachers still need help with grammar
- Thursday, 8th September, 2011
About twenty years ago I was being interviewed for an intensive four-week course in teaching English as a Foreign Language. It felt like a real make or break situation. I’d given up my day job and saved enough money to live on for a month. Then I was going to head to the first country with a language school that would take me. The Training Course Director asked what most worried me about taking the course? I had no doubts about the answer: “Teaching grammar”.
Years later, having taught EFL in many different countries, I also found myself interviewing and training would-be teachers for intensive TEFL courses. And, in most cases, people’s concerns still echoed my own: their lack of knowledge and confidence with grammar. Like me, they’d never had much formal education at school into how the English language works, so wondered how they would be able to teach it.
Three years ago, Cactus TEFL set about changing this situation by offering a grammar course either to help people before taking a TEFL course or for existing teachers who wanted to brush up their skills. Perhaps one reason why no one had really offered this kind of quality language awareness training before was because there had never been the opportunities suddenly provided by the internet and online training. In terms of course content, the online format allowed us to present aspects of language in conjunction with video extracts of how a teacher might present the language to students. We were also determined that – unlike many other online courses at the time – our course would have a ‘real’ tutor who could help participants with questions and queries as well as facilitate and moderate discussion in the forums.
Now, Cactus TEFL’s first ever online course is three years old. The course has evolved and grown over time which is what we’d hoped for. As a writer of courses both in book-form and online, the key advantage for me of online courses is that they are much more organic than a book-based course. Course participants can post feedback and suggest improvements which help with the process of writing and developing the course. Over time the Cactus course has expanded from being an introduction to the English language into also covering areas of methodology and classroom skills.
Having said all that, what surprises me most is that the basic format of the course remains more or less the same as it was three years ago. There are thirty lessons in each course and we use a combination of readings, video and audio to present language items. Then there are exercises which follow to help consolidate what has been learned. The tutor support has always been a key feature of the course and it’s the area which receives more regular praise.The best part about being involved with these Cactus courses is that you know so many of the people taking them will go on to take TEFL courses (such as CELTA or the Cert TESOL) and then go off to teach in every corner of the world. Raising your language awareness and then teaching English as a Foreign Language really will change your life. Take me, for example. When I completed my first TEFL course I expected to travel and teach for a few years and then do something else. Now, I find myself still heavily involved in TEFL - and as for my concerns about grammar? Well, my third grammar textbook for language learners comes out later this year, so at least I’ve finally laid that fear to rest!
Cactus TEFL is the only international admissions and jobs service for TEFL. It works with over 125 TEFL course providers in 35 different countries. Its English Language Awareness course has been nominated for a British Council Innovation Award.
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Palm Beach Post - 22 August 2011
- Monday, 22nd August, 2011
Seasoned travelers know that one of the best ways to get to know a country and its people is to learn the local language. In Europe many people are poly-lingual because it is so easy to cross borders from one country to the next. A trip, comparable to driving from Florida to New York, in Europe could cross a half dozen borders.
Most of us muddle along with high school and/or college language courses that are only good for speaking to the teacher and other students. Cactus Language Training offers the opportunity for immersion lessons that should give students a terrific grounding in speaking and understanding other languages.
There is the opportunity to learn Spanish in Columbia at a school on the banks of the Amazon River; study German in the low-key, untouristy town of Lindau in the shade of the magnificent Alps; or study Russian in Kiev.
The courses are amazingly affordable and begin at $123 per person, sans transportation and accommodations.
For information http://www.cactuslanguagetraining.com/us or call 1-888-577-8451.
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Meze Magazine - August 2011
- Monday, 1st August, 2011
This article in the business section of Meze magazine takes a look at virtual learning options for business people pushed for time. “If you do business in countries where English isn’t the first language, it pays to be able to do more than order beer and sausage - and being short of time isn’t an excuse. There’s no need to leave your desk or hotel room when you can lean a language in real time on Skype. You can speak to trainers freom all over the world and benefit from the extra motivation of having intense, face-to-face training. Cactus Language Training, whose past clients include big corporations like Goldman Sachs, Deloitte and Credit Suisse have a pool of international trainers available on Skpye for around £29 per house. ‘All you need is broadand, a headset and a web cam you are ready to log-in,’ says Cactus PR manager Lucy Brandt. “This executive product is for those who have no time to do a session in a training centre.” http://www.cactuslanguagetraining.com
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Star Telegram - August 2011
- Monday, 1st August, 2011
Learn the language Here’s a chance to take a vacation and learn a language at the same time: Cactus Language Training is offering special bonus pa… read entire article
Read more: http://pd.dfw.com/sp?skin=&keywords=Cactus+Language&aff=1100&submit=Search#ixzz1b7ewDvH5
