English First Supports Beijing 2008 Olympic Games And Helps China Talk to the World
March 26, Beijing – Upon being chosen as the Official Language Training Services Supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th Olympiad (BOCOG), English First (EF) kicks off its 2007-2008 Beijing Olympic Campaign today, to support BOCOG in the Olympic Games.
"Our commitment to support BOCOG by providing language training services is only part of our Beijing Olympic Campaign." said Bill Fisher, CEO of English First in China. "EF, as the world's leading education organization, was founded with the mission to tear down the geographic, language and cultural barriers that separate people, and shares the similar values with the Olympics. It's a natural extension of our brand and what we represent to become associated with the Beijing Olympics."
As the selected Official Language Training Services Supplier of the Beijing 2008 Games, EF will focus on assisting BOCOG to train local judges, translators and interpreters, BOCOG internal staffs with EF's first-class English training system, preparing them with adequate English skills to act more effective as Olympic hosts.
The training courses are built based on EF's advanced learning system, which has differentiated EF from other language training providers and has made EF the industry leader. By investing 40 million USD, EF has a dedicated Academic Research Team to develop and maintain the advanced EF learning system, which is comprised of computer scientists, linguists and professors. The combination of teacher-led classes online and face to face, iLAB sessions empowered by advanced technology, and real-life practice results in a synchronized system that gives students both the skills and the confidence to speak English.
"The BOCOG internal staff, judges, translators and interpreters will be trained by diversified courses, which are tailored to meet specific training purposes." Bill Fisher explained. The training course includes 3-months of full-time training camps, online training courses, English learning workshops, and other interactive activities such as speech competition and life club. The coursework and system have been extensively used and tested by Chinese learners, and includes not only state of the art computer technology, but also customized books and materials.
The main reason that BOCOG finally select EF as their supplier is because of EF's enthusiasm in committing itself to support Olympics, along with its advanced and flexible language training system. "The Olympic Games is not only a grand sporting event, but also a platform for global cultural exchange," says Ms. Yuan Bin, Director of the Marketing Department of BOCOG. "We appreciate EF's support, which will contribute to the Olympics' success, where we welcome guests from all over the globe to share in this great experience."
Operating in more than 50 countries worldwide, English First not only provides English training for adults, but is also a recognized English training provider for children and corporations, while also helping students study abroad. Currently, EF has over 80 schools across more than 50 Chinese cities.
About English First
Established in 1965, English First aims to "break the barriers in language, culture and geography". Upon its foundation, EF has been playing a leading role in the English training industry. As of today, EF has grown into the world's leading private education organization in the world, with over 15 million students in over 400 schools, covering more than 50 countries. EF has over 80 schools across more than 50 Chinese cities. For more information about EF, please visit www.ef.com.cn
