MEDIA RELEASE PR37088
EF Education First to be Official Language Training Provider for 2014 World Cup in Brazil
SAO PAULO, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-Asia-AsiaNet/ --
EF's Englishtown, an innovative online learning technology, to train 80,000 Brazilians a year in the run up to
soccer competition
Soccer is considered the world's most beautiful game. And EF Education First (EF), the world leader in
international education, will make sure that to the ears of soccer fans headed to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup,
English will be the world's most beautiful language.
EF ( http://www.ef.com ) has been selected as the World Cup's Official Language Training Provider by Ola,
Turista!, a partnership between Brazil's Ministry of Tourism and Fundacao Roberto Marinho that is responsible
for preparing the country's host cities for the World Cup. Using EF's advanced online learning technology,
Englishtown, the South American country's waitresses and taxi drivers will learn how to welcome and guide
the million tourists projected to descend upon Brazil.
"We are honored to be working with Brazil on this important project," says Peter Burman, President of EF
Corporate Language Training. "We will leverage our experience as the Official Language Training Supplier to
the Beijing Olympics to provide Brazil with the best training."
A pilot started in August, and the massive project - up to 80,000 Brazilians will study under EF each year
until 2014 - will officially be launched in January 2010. The course includes 15 levels of online language
lessons, which include innovative videos, interactive multi-media games, pronunciation lab work that teaches
English and Spanish. EF's Englishtown courses can be accessed at any time so learning is a 24-hour-a-day
experience.
"EF has presented us with a highly-structured tool, with a consistent methodology," says Roberto Marinho
Foundation's General Manager of Tele-education, Nelson Santonieri. "We will focus on the student so that
they complete the course successfully."
The impact of EF's massive effort to educate such a broad swath of Brazil's hospitality workers will linger far
beyond the World Cup. Helping total beginners to introduce themselves in English, as well as instructing more
advanced speakers to describe historic attractions, will undoubtedly boost the tourism industry infrastructure.
"In Brazil, we don't have a so-called 'second language,'" says Rogerio Meireles of EF Sao Paulo. "This is the
beginning of creating a new structure to cater to tourists here."
Media inquiries contact:
Anna Esaki-Smith
Tel: +852-2111-2370 / +852-6343-7952
Email: press@ef.com
SOURCE: EF Education First (EF)
Translations:
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