Very interesting text about the English language in our country. Check it out...

Robert McLarty, from Oxford University Press, discusses the language challenges facing Brazil with the upcoming World Cup and Olympics in 2014 and 2016.

From the minute I arrived at passport control at Guarulhos airport in Sao Paulo earlier this year I acted rather like the stereotypical British tourist assuming that everyone speaks English and if they don’t, then all I have to do is say the words slowly or loudly and they will get my drift. It doesn’t work.

At my hotel I was shown to my room but language problems began as soon as the explanation for the air-conditioning started. When the chambermaid wanted to clean my room I resorted to hand gestures to make myself understood (I will leave in 10 minutes!). In the supermarket the check-out assistant pointed out that my three pack of yoghurt was a broken six-pack and wondered whether I wanted the other three. This particularly difficult conversation held the queue up for a good five minutes but no one got impatient as they might just have done in Oxford if my equivalent (zero beginner Portuguese) had been holding up the line at Tesco. Ironically the worst breakdown came in McDonalds where I pointed to a McChicken, and said “McChicken”. Unfortunately the McWorker was so overcome by the sight of a gringo in her restaurant that she lost it completely and started to giggle. When I took a taxi to the airport the next day to fly to Belo Horizonte, the driver was extremely polite and friendly but even “forty reais” was beyond his active vocabulary.

All of the above will be repeated a million times over by other tourists with both the World Cup and the Olympics to be hosted by Brazil in 2014 and 2016. So how can a country of over 190 million people improve the English language ability of this key segment of employees particularly when so many of them do not have high school education and are probably not our typical language learner? What kind of training do they need? How will they respond to a direct or a communicative method? How important will translation be? How much can they cope with in one lesson? These are important questions which must be answered and acted upon – soon.

Our new series, Welcome to Brazil, tries to address some of these issues. With teachers in Brazil we have talked about the need for very small doses of new language, the need for continual revision and recycling, the need for drills and constant controlled practice, the anxiety students will feel if the lesson is too difficult and the very real question of how long it will take them to get to a respectable level of English where they can ask and answer simple questions, give little bits of information, explain basic procedures and essentially add a little zest of the English language to their innate sociability and charm.

In many ways Brazil is in a fabulous position. They are the major country in South America, have a growing economy, are among the world leaders in aviation, beverages, coffee, oil and gas, are innovators in recycling and ecofuels and have enormous growth potential as a tourist destination. To be totally successful, however, they will need to find the solution to their English language conundrum.

NAMEPLATE X TRAFFIC SIGN X ROAD SIGN
adapted from the original texts found in: thefreedictionary)

A nameplate identifies and displays a person or product's name. Name plates are usually shaped as rectanglesbut are also seen in other shapes, sometimes taking on the shape of someone’s name. The primary use of name plates is for informative (as in an office environment, where name plates are mounted on doors or walls in order to identify employees) and commercial purposes (as in a retail environment, where name plates are mounted on products to identify the brand). Whereas name tags tend to be worn on uniforms or clothing, name plates tend to be mounted onto an object (e.g., cars, amplification devices) or physical space (e.g.,doors, walls, or desktops). Nameplates are also distinct from name plaques. Plaques are items of larger dimensions that are designed to communicate more information than a name and title.

Office nameplates generally are made out of plastic or wood and usually contain one or two lines of text. The standard format for an office nameplate is to display a person’s name on the first line and a person’s job title on the second line. It is common for organizations to request nameplates that exclude the job title. The primary reasons for excluding job titles are to extend the longevity of a name plate and to promote a culture of meritocracy, where the strength of one’s thoughts are not connected to one’s job title. Name plates without job titles have longer lives because someone can reuse the same name plate after changing job titles. It is rare for an office name plate to contain three or more lines of text. Although office name plates range in size, the most popular name plate size is 2 inches x 8 inches (5.08 cm x 20.32 cm). Office name plates typically are made out of plastic. This is because plastic is an inexpensive material relative to wood and metal. More expensive name plates can be manufactured out of bronze. To promote consistency, organizations tend to use the same style name plate for all employees. This helps to achieve a standard look. Office name plates are not restricted to for-profit enterprises. Many non-profit and governmental agencies have a need for name plates. For plastic and wooden name plates, the names are etched into the material through a number of processes, including mechanical engraving or laser engraving.
Personal name plates
Name plates are also popular for personal reasons. Parents often like to adorn the doors of their children’s rooms with name plates. These name plates are conventionally crafted out of wood, not plastic or metal. Because the name plates are meant for children, these personal name plates tend to come in fun shapes. Examples of fun shapes include teddy bears, bluebirds, dogs, and the child’s name. These name plates also tend to be more colorful than office name plates. Mounting options are either by nail or by adhesive. Wooden name plates are not normally glued onto doors, as the glue may leave a messy residue and make it harder to remove the name plate. Larger personal name plates also include graphics or artwork, such as a horse or a baseball bat, that match the interests of the identified person. The graphics or artwork reinforce the individuality and personalization established by the name plate.

Now compare the one above with these : Traffic sign / Road sign

Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of roads to provide information to road users. With traffic volumes increasing over the last eight decades, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to facilitate international travel where language differences would create barriers, and in general to help enhance traffic safety. Such pictorial signs use symbols (often silhouettes) in place of words and are usually based on international protocols. Such signs were first developed in Europe, and have been adopted by most countries to varying degrees.

for pictures on the topic see : http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/traffic%20sign
and http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Name+plate