Ben has made all the partitions ready to paint

here in rooms 4 and 5, the smallest rooms.

Michael has painted some of the partitions

here in rooms 1 and 2, the biggest rooms.

Mark has finished the kitchen

which is now ready to use.

Tim has boxed a lot of the electricity and sound cables and fitted many sockets

which takes a lot of consultation with Vicky.

This is starting to look like the loveliest language school in the world!

The post Some of the finishing work at unit 7 appeared first on Modern Language School.

Tim, Mark and Ben are working hard this week to get premises ready for the Modern Language School.

Mark has been fitting the sink and the cupboards for the kitchen area.

Ben is finishing some of the partitions in a classroom.

The post Our artisans are hard at work appeared first on Modern Language School.

Have you ever fancied learning some German?  Do you already know some and would like to improve? Why not sign up for one of our German courses at our New school in Honley.  Enrol before 10th August to get a great discount!

The post Out Now! German Timetable starting w/c 10th September 2018 appeared first on Modern Language School.

The MLS move is getting closer: The new school is taking shape as work on our new premises is going apace.
The 3 larger classrooms are partitioned and the 2 smaller ones partly so. Partitions built by Ben and his team at Full Circle Ceilings & Interiors.
Tim, the electrician from J.T. Repairs & Maintenance, and Vicky are discussing cables for the projectors and speakers in the smaller rooms.

The post The MLS move appeared first on Modern Language School.

We took a leap of faith in 2012 with renting at Meltham Mills, but we’ve had 6 wonderful years here. Also, we have been very proud to offer a space dedicated to language learning to over 300 students in the region.

However, as the numbers of our students is growing and we have introduced another 3 languages, our original 3 rooms has seriously been restricting our scope. We even lost potential Japanese students because we simply had no room available at 7pm. Some of our classes are quite “cosy” in the smallest room.

Finally, after an extensive search, we have found the new premises we were looking for: Unit 7, at Queen’s Square Business Park, Honley, will house 5 classrooms, a kitchenette and a breakout area. Without stairs!

At present, the unit is a vast space with 2 toilet and shower cubicles. Extensive work is starting this week to be ready by the September term and will include:

• partition walls creating 5 classrooms
• suspended ceilings for better acoustics and heat retention
• overhauling the electric circuits and lighting
• bringing in a gas supply
• installing a central heating system
• installing ventilation
• fitting new flooring throughout
• fitting a kitchenette and creating a breakout area.

Our team really believe in the school and love our work with our fantastic students.

We are convinced the new premises will transform the Modern Language School from a great place to learn to the great place to learn in the region.

We will keep you posted with progress reports of the renovations and look forward to welcoming you all to the new school in September.

The post Up and up without stairs at our new premises! appeared first on Modern Language School.

When you are learning a language at the Modern Language School, you find out more and more about the country’s culture and traditions. A delicious way of discovering these is to sample the savours of the country and even have a go at cooking some specialities yourself. At the Modern Language School, we have been running some pleasurable cookery events of which the Italian evenings seem the most popular – there is an Italian cookery event planned for Friday the 7^th of October – but just don’t wait for our special dates and try your hand at our selection of recipes from Japan, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal and France.

Beer glazed Bratwurst and Sauerkraut

Germany is renowned for both its beer and its sausages. So what could be more characteristically German than a dish that combines those two things? This recipe will bring the taste of the German beer garden right into your kitchen and makes for a hearty lunch or can be padded out with mashed potato for a British ‘bangers and mash’ twist on this a delicious Bavarian meal.

Ingredients

1/8 teaspoon celery seeds

1/8 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 pound fresh bratwurst sausages (vegetarian sausages also work with this recipe)

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lager beer

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 teaspoons dry mustard powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 pound sauerkraut (preferably barrel-aged), drained

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 35 mins

Method

1. Crush celery seeds and caraway seeds in a mortar and pestle until ground; set aside.

2. Place bratwursts (or veggie sausages) into a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Mix beer, brown sugar,
   dry mustard, onion powder, black pepper, dill weed, and crushed celery and caraway seeds in a bowl, stirring to dissolve brown sugar; pour over the brats. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Uncover and raise heat to medium; boil the sauce until it reduces to a thick, syrupy liquid, about 20 minutes. Tilt frying pan to roll brats in the sticky sauce until thoroughly coated. Transfer sausage to a platter and keep warm. Cook and stir sauerkraut in the same frying pan to mix in any leftover sauce, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer sauerkraut to a serving platter and top with cooked bratwurst/veggie sausages

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/228406/beer-glazed-brats-and-sauerkraut/?internalSource=hn_carousel%2001_Beer-Glazed%20Brats%20and%20Sauerkraut&referringId=722&referringContentType=recipe%20hub&referringPosition=carousel%2001

The post Savours of languages – Germany appeared first on Modern Language School.

Choose an absolutely free language class from the list above and contact us to enrol.

The post Free language classes appeared first on Modern Language School.

The Black Forest is the home of the cuckoo clock. In Schonach, you can visit the Rombach and Haas shop and talk to the clockmakers. They create cuckoo clocks entirely by hand, maintaining a tradition from the 18th century and are happy to talk to holidaymakers about their craft.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/germany/black-forest/introduction

Watch out for our next tip on European travel: Italy.

The post Language adventures – part 1 appeared first on Modern Language School.

The brains of bilingual people actually work in a different way to the brains of single language speakers. There are several cognitive advantages that these differences offer, many of which are only obvious in people who regularly speak a number of different languages. People who have not spoken a foreign language since school will not be operating at this level, however people who start to learn new languages as adults can become as fluent as young leaners and gain the same mental benefits, too.

Here are some of the advantages (both cognitive and social) of speaking more than one language:

1. You become cleverer

By speaking a foreign language you are challenging your brain’s ability to recognise and negotiate meaning, then to use the information to communicate. This boosts your ability to problem-solve in general. Foreign language students tend to achieve higher scores in maths, reading and vocabulary tests.

2. You get better at multitasking

People who speak multiple languages, children in particular, are adept at switching between two forms of speech, writing and grammatical structure. One study conducted by Pennsylvania State University found that this juggling of languages means that they are less affected by distractions when completing tasks that require a high level of concentration.

3. You delay the possibility of degenerative neurological conditions such as dementia

Several studies that take into account many lifestyle factors have consistently shown that adults who speak two or more languages tend to stave off dementia. The first signs of dementia present themselves at a later stage (75.5 years on average) in those who speak other languages than those who don’t (first affected, on average, at the age of 71.4).

4. You can remember more

The brain is like a muscle and consequently its functions and faculties improve with exercise. It follows then that learning a language where rules and vocabulary must be memorised helps to promote the fitness of the mental ‘muscle.’ Overall memory is improved and in general multiple language speakers are better are remembering lists or sequences. Studies confirm that cognitive activities like remembering shopping lists, directions and names all come more easily to polyglots.

5. Your powers of perception improve

According to a study conducted in Spain, multilingual people are better at observing their surroundings. They are more skilled at drilling down to relevant information, spotting red herrings and discarding useless facts.

6. Your get better at making decisions

A University of Chicago study revealed that bilingual people have a greater capacity for rational decision making, as they are more resistant to the subtle implications built into any language that can influence judgment. Bilinguals have two languages in which to consider their options and can see whether their initial ideas make sense in their second language before drawing a conclusion.

7. You improve your English

Learning a foreign language means you can’t help but think about grammar, conjugations and sentence structure. Your awareness of language and the ways in which it can be manipulated becomes more acute. Your communication skills develop, you listen more intently, as through learning a new language you are being trained in seeking out meaning in what you hear. People who are studying multiple languages tend to choose words more carefully in their own native language as a result. Over time they become more articulate, their usage of the language expands and their vocabulary becomes more sophisticated.

8. Your thinking becomes more flexible

By having a working knowledge of more than one language, many people find that they become more reflective and considerate of different ways of thinking and interpreting the world around them. As a speaker of two or more languages, you can appreciate countries and cultures in the way they are intended to be understood, removing boundaries and making friendships in the process.

At The Modern Language School, we offer fun, friendly and affordable language classes and a variety of sociable language activities, from cinema sessions to wine tasting. Get in touch to arrange your first lesson and discover what learning a second language can do for you. Additionally please browse around our website which provides information about courses that we provide, click here for more details.

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