Maybe we should spell it fútbol
THIS might be football’s first African World Cup, but we can’t help noticing that it’s also a very Spanish-speaking affair. South America has always been well represented at the Mundial, of course, and we’re not just talking about Portuguese-speaking Brazil.
The difference this time is the way the so-called lesser teams from Latin America have so thoroughly outperformed the European ‘powers’ such as England, France and Italy. Oh, and Spain actually have a good chance of finally winning the World Cup for the first time to add to their European championship.
Paraguay and Uruguay – whose population combined is only slightly bigger than London’s – have both surprised the experts in reaching the quarter-finals alongside Spain and Argentina. Mexico and Chile did well too, and no doubt consider themselves unfortunate to have been paired with favourites Argentina and Brazil at the first knock-out stage.
Young European Entrepreneur Programme
The Young European Entrepreneur Programme is a work experience programme for graduates that encourages professional mobility and assists with the learning of other languages as stated in the policies of the European Commission. The duration of the programme is six months.
The work experience is full time, in line with the companies’ own office hours. A variety of UK companies in different sectors take part every year including banks, publishers, consultancies, import/export, solicitors and real estate. These companies provide a job description in advance that is then referred to when allocating suitable candidates.
It is imperative that these descriptions give as much information as possible so that the participants can be prepared for the interviews during the first week of the programme and also so that they can be assigned to places where any existing skills will be relevant to their work.
Alongside the actual work experience the participants undertake 2-hour Business English classes held two evenings per week and ten 2-hour International Business Workshops held fortnightly in the afternoon. The language-based Business English classes have a total of 96 hours and are specially designed for this programme.
At the end of the course an exam is taken to achieve a University of Cambridge qualification (Cambridge Business English Certificate or BEC). The ten workshops cover a range of topics relating to the development of business in the UK.
Download the complete description and application forms here:
- Description of the Programme
- Application form for participants
- Terms and conditions for participants
Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain http://www.spanishchamber.co.uk
Celtas Cortos in London
Celtas Cortos, Spanish most respected and beloved folk rock band will be playing Scala London as part of Rock Sin Subtítulo’s end of season club night.
Spanning 20 years of successful albums and number one classic hits, the eight piece band from Valladolid, Spain, will perform live at Scala in their first ever UK appearance with a “one night only” show in London.
After them, the busiest, coolest and most popular Spanish club night this side of river Thames, our Mega Spanish Mayhem Party will take over, continuing the fun till 6am in the morning, by bringing you the best in Spanish music and vibe. If you wanna rock, let’s rock on the Spanish way!
A fiesta to remember
AFTER weeks of preparation, the big day finally arrived and students, friends and other guests descended on the Instituto Cervantes London for El Día del Español last Saturday, June 19. And what a party it turned out to be, as we enjoyed sensational sounds from Latin America, fantastic food from Ibérica restaurant and essential refreshments courtesy of Wines from Spain.
With the kind permission of Grosvenor Estate, we turned a section of the beautiful Eaton Square Gardens into the Plaza del Español, with a marquee hosting the music, food and wine, while the giant board was set out on the lawn for the final of the Juego del Español.
Thousands of people worldwide have been playing the online version of this word game, inspired by Scrabble and crosswords and developed by the Instituto Cervantes. Here in London, classmates Shamalee Vanderpoorten and Michael Cummins reached the final of the liga for Instituto Cervantes students.
Have a Spanish staycation
The multicultural, cosmopolitan nature of London is one of the city’s greatest strengths, and it has to be said that Spanish speakers are better represented than most.
Sunday provided the perfect illustration as Spaniards took over Regent Street for the annual spectacular that is A Taste of Spain.
It seemed that virtually all the country’s regions were represented with marquees offering tourist information and local food products.
And it was pleasing to see Spain celebrating its sporting success at the very same time as the brilliant Rafa Nadal was winning yet another French Open championship.
Young people should know about history
CHILDREN’s eyes record images that adults can’t see, enriching our understanding of history. Herminio Martínez was one of the young Basque children who in 1937 arrived in England after fleeing from the Spanish civil war. Their eyes saw everything. Now Herminio has recalled the story of his childhood, a story shared by many others who left Spain and came to Britain in search of a home.
“I live near Highgate cemetery. Do you know where it is? And do you know who is buried there?” This was how Herminio gave me directions when we arranged our interview, and his cosy flat is indeed just a stone’s throw from where Karl Marx lies.
Herminio was one of the 4,000 children who on May 21 1937 boarded a ship to set sail for Southampton. “It was a terrible crossing. We were 4,000 children in a ship for 400 passengers. I was seven and my brother 11. We slept on the floor. We ran into a storm in the Bay of Biscay and that was a horrifying situation, rolling on the floor, throwing up, and many kids crying out to go back to Bilbao with their parents…”
The curious lives of Shakespeare and Cervantes
A witty and energetic romp through the lives of two of history’s greatest writers, who died on the same date. We race through the lives of both these great historic figures, raking through their dirty laundry, failed marriages, brawls and successes, as they recite pieces from their own works and bring alive incidents from their personal stories through dance and song, comedy and drama, with the occasional piece of slapstick.
El Día del Español (El Día E) – Spanish Language Day – Saturday 19 June 2010
COME and join in the worldwide celebration of Spanish Language Day on Saturday June 19 as more than 70 Instituto Cervantes centres in 40 countries put on a host of special activities and entertainment.
Spanish is the official language of no fewer than 21 countries, so here in London we’re busy organising with ACALASP a programme that includes activities, exhibitions, demonstrations and music from several Latin American nations.
We’re also looking forward to the authentic flavours of Spain with gourmet tastings and workshops provided by Ibérica, one of London’s finest Spanish restaurants, and, of course, Wines From Spain. Pre-registration is ESSENTIAL for these tastings and workshops, which take place in the Eaton Square gardens between noon and 4pm. For full details see the Instituto Cervantes website.
But the main point of the day is the Spanish language, so we’ll be launching a ‘word shower’ to open the event at 10am, and offering activities including the Spanish Game, a crossword-type contest designed to test your Spanish skills.
And here’s the best bit … we’re offering all current Instituto Cervantes London students the chance to win a luxury tour of Andalucía, visiting all the major sights and staying in some of the region’s finest hotels.
A Starring role for Instituto Cervantes Students
TV crews are like buses, it would seem. After ages without a visit from any of the major broadcasters, we’ve had no fewer than three groups filming at the Instituto Cervantes London in the space of 48 hours.
First up was a news team from La Sexta Noticias in Spain as some of our students made headlines on Thursday discussing the British elections in Spanish.
At about the same time our head of culture Olvido Salazar was with a crew from the BBC, helping them make a forthcoming programme that is due to be broadcast as part of the coverage of the London 2012 Olympics.
Read more… (LondonSpanish)
Blood wedding
Tower Theatre
The Groom has proposed. The gifts are exchanged. The Bride longs for the wedding night. But what of the Horseman who loved her first? Lorca wrote his classic romantic tragedy in 1932, after fellow artist Salvador Dali completed his dripping watches landscape. Harsh, surreal, the play conjures cameos from the Moon and Death. The soundtrack : the percussion of the blood. A sultry night, a crescent in the sky. In the end, who will claim the Bride?
Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca, in a new version by Tanya Ronder
Directed by Lara Muth
Evenings at 7.45 p.m.
Tuesday March 16th – Saturday March 20th
Matinée at 3 p.m.
Saturday March 20th
Ticket Prices : £11 standard tickets
(£9 concessions/members)
[Click here for details of the venue]
Spanish Courses Winter 2023
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