Voices Magazine

Scientists have found that smiling creates a happiness feedback loop in our brains (image courtesy Mat Wright)

Date: 02 April 2014 - 16:23

What's the science behind a smile?

Ding Li, he winner of FameLab in Hong Kong, explains her winning presentation on the science of smiling.

Universities and policy makers in the sector consider internationalisation to be one of the most significant aspects of an institutional strategy. Photo: Mat Wright

Date: 01 April 2014 - 16:24

Why universities want to internationalise; what stops them

Universities worldwide are increasingly opening their doors to peer institutions in other countries. But the enthusiasm for internationalisation is also accompanied by reservations.

Tags: Universities and higher education

Warsaw (pictured) is one of the cities on the European continent where higher education institutions offer courses taught in English. Photo by Arian Zwegers / Creative Commons.

Date: 31 March 2014 - 14:53

Should non-English-speaking countries teach in English?

Anne Wiseman and Adrian Odell look at some of the questions raised for lecturers and their students by teaching courses using English as the medium (or language) of instruction.

Tags: Universities and higher education

Myeong-dong in Seoul today, where penniless Korean poets used to meet after the war. Image (c) Doug Sun Beams, licensed under CC BY 2.0 and adapted from the original.

Date: 27 March 2014 - 17:05

How to understand Korean poetry

If you’re curious about Korean poetry, understanding the country’s rich and turbulent history is a great place to start.

Tags: Arts, Literature

'Many teachers of English as a foreign language feel intimidated by the prospect of teaching business English.'

Date: 26 March 2014 - 09:44

Five tips for teaching business English

How is teaching business English different from teaching general English? Teacher and trainer Gabrielle Jones tells us how to succeed in the business English classroom.

Tags: English language, Teaching

There is still much to be done for language learning in English schools. Graphics: Shutterstock

Date: 24 March 2014 - 16:59

Four issues with language learning in England

Teresa Tinsley and Kathryn Board provide insights into the state of language teaching and learning in English schools.

Tags: Schools

Dubai, where a number of UK universities offer courses and qualifications to local students. Photo by Fabio Achilli under Creative Commons licence.

Date: 20 March 2014 - 14:33

How does transnational education affect host countries?

More and more students access UK higher education without entering the UK, but what is the impact on the countries hosting UK higher education?

Tags: Universities and higher education

'The very simple Hangeul alphabet was invented in the 15th century.'

Date: 18 March 2014 - 10:51

A brief history of Korean literature

Scholar and translator Brother Anthony of Taizé (An Sonjae) explains why Korea’s recent history has played such an important part in shaping its literature.

Tags: Arts, Literature

Not everyone speaks English. In fact, only a quarter of the world does. Photo by Dhammika Heenpella under Creative Commons licence.

Date: 17 March 2014 - 16:04

Why UK schools need foreign languages now

Good intentions alone will not help us introduce languages such as Chinese and Arabic into the curriculum. If we want to thrive in a global society, we need to take firm action now.

Tags: Schools

Corpora can help us find out how words are used in language

Date: 12 March 2014 - 16:18

Corpora in English language teaching

What verb does ‘negotiation’ go with? Do you ‘make’ or ‘conduct’ a negotiation? Adam Kilgarriff, Director of Lexical Computing, explains how ‘corpora’ can help us answer such questions.

Tags: Teaching, English language

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