Learning the Language by Radio

Radio Record, 17 July 1936, Page 9

Learning the Language by Radio

German "ABC" Taught on Shortwave-Praise from World’s Listeners -Getting Ready for Big Olympic Broadcasts. ‘ LISTENERS to the German shortwave broadcasts will be aware that on April 1 the. station -inaugurated a series of German lessons. Twice a week for a quarter of an hour German is taught, with a view to enabling our hearers in a short time to follow more clearly the German announcements and the German items of the programme. ‘The lessons are always of a diverting and humorous nature. The method followed is a novel one, and has been adopted ‘after long consideration, and, judging from the thousands of letters received from all sides within quite a short time, seems to have won the complete approval of those who are following the course. The German shortwave station will do its best to keep these German lessons as entertaining as they seem so far to have proved. L®ARNING German over the German shortwave station, it is grtaifying to see, is being found not hard work but a pleasure. Many listeners, who have not joined in the course until after several lessons had already been given, have expressed the wish that it might be repeated. Those pupils who have been following the lessons from the outset will also not be averse from earing them once again, since that Will enable them to impress more deeply and extend still further the knowledge they have already acquired. The station authorities are happy to facilitate pupils’ study of the language by having had the vocabulary and a number of the sentences given in each lesson printed on the back of the official programme, Pre-Olympic OR some weeks past, the German shortwave station in its "Topical Talks" has been giving for rebroadeasting by stations overseas a series of pre-Olympic transmissions in Dnglish, Spanish and Portugese. In each of these transmissions, which begin and end with the Olympic’ "fanfare," listeners abroad will be told, in bright and vivid radio-play style, of all the things: that keen sportsmen will wish

to know as to what is being done in the busy preparation that is being made for the Games at Berlin.’ They will hear not only how they may obtain their ticket for the Games, get’ their accommodation fixed up,'and how’: the sports grounds have been laid out for the different events, but will learn ‘also of the many things there will be:for them to see and experience during their Olympic visit both at Berlin and in other parts of Germany, Olympic Transmission. ALU the particulars given will ‘be based. on information issued by the official departments responsible ‘for the arrangements; they will, however, not be imparted in the manner of ordinary matter-of-fact statement, but conveyed in thrilling radio commentaries and pictures that will take foreign guests right. into the very heart of the Olympiad, while those who are keen to learn something of the many interesting features of Berlin and Berlin life, and of the wider beauties of Germany: itself, will also be provided with the essential information they need. For these transmissions a novel and humourous form has been hit upon. that allows of broadcasting the topical talks very interestingly. In Hnglish there is a Mr. Jones,. in Spanish a certain Don Dnrique, and in Portuguese a Mr. Silva, who perambulate the whole series 'and are amusingly apostrophied, Girls and Visitors. [tz was two years ago that the German Girls’ League began first to prepare for the Olympic Games that are to be held this’ year in Germany, On July 26, five days before they open, this

busy activity reaches its climax, Everywhere the girls have been working to increase their knowledge of some foreign language. For they all are anxious to be able to speak with the foreigners who are coming, They want to ask the visitors all sorts of things about their native countries, and also are keen to tell in turn many things about their own fatherland, -Our microphone has been going about among the girls at their work of preparation and tell what it has seen: and heard, Holiday Trip. HOLIDAY trip with the "Kraft Durch Freude" Association is included in the transmission for July 24. In this transmission our listeners will be taken for a holiday trip with. the National-Socialist "Strength through Joy" Recreational Association, so that they, too, can share something of the joy in beautiful scenery that is now yearly being experienced by thousands of Germans when they go on leave. The new Germany has a care for all its citizens, and has especially taken up the-cause of the working population, who hitherto have been unable to enjoy: any but the most modest of holidays. Under this new national scheme throughout the year innumerable trains convey them to the Seaside and the mountains. 1