"ONLINE LANGUAGE SUPPORT (OLS) Newsletter" Newsletter Issues

September 2023 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

Community managers & forums (28/10/2022)

In one year, the number of members of the “learning community and resources” has more than doubled.

New features and content (28/10/2022)

Our new learning videos are a great new addition for beginner students working on basic conversation skills.

FL - BG (28/10/2022)

Bulgarian was the first Slavic language to appear in written form and uses the Cyrillic script, which was developed during the 9th century. Begin your language journey by watching the first of our two Bulgarian learning videos to learn how to use formal greetings and take your first steps in this language.

FL - ET (28/10/2022)

Estonian is most similar to Finnish and has been described as sounding “mesmerizingly melodic”. Written Estonian is governed by rules that are enforced by the Estonian Language Institute and Language Board. There are several Estonian dialects, the most prominent ones being võro and setu. Watch the first of our two Estonian learning videos for an easy lesson on how to make introductions.

FL - RO (28/10/2022)

Romanian is a romance language, along with French, Italian, and Spanish, and has many beautiful words that are not easily translatable into English, such as acasă, a place associated with family, memories and emotions. A person with nădejde is someone you can trust. Watch the first Romanian learning video and begin your journey to mastering the essential phrases to use when meeting someone.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

Help us keep mobility participants aware of new features and developments on the platform by downloading the communication materials for September.

Tips (28/10/2022)

Are your mobility participants receiving their daily digest? The digest is sent to OLS participants for each language they have signed up to learn.

August 2023 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

New features and content (28/10/2022)

The new courses are centred on topics we all face in our daily lives.

FL - module A1 socialising (28/10/2022)

Socialising is important in every language. The A1 module “I go to the movies every Tuesday” is a great place for beginners to learn the vocabulary to make friends. The module will get students talking about what leisure activities they do and when. They will discover the vocabulary for sports and hobbies and can test themselves with listening and sentence-building exercises.

FL - module A1 shopping (28/10/2022)

Going shopping in another country is a good opportunity to practise a language. The A1-level course “This is my neighbourhood” contains 4 modules. The first is called “Going to the supermarket” and will teach students how to find a place, and the names of shops and common places usually found in a neighbourhood. There’s a brief video and listening and a speaking exercise.

FL - module A1 meeting (28/10/2022)

Meeting others usually leads to discussions about our families. To develop confidence in this topic, A1 students could try the module “This is my brother”. It focuses on describing family members and other people we value, using numbers and saying how old we are. Lastly, there’s a test to see how well students understand family trees.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

Help us keep mobility participants aware of new features and developments on the platform, by downloading the communication materials for August below (toolbox).

Tips (28/10/2022)

The short course, Getting Started for OLS Learners, helps students use the Online Language Support.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

Help us keep mobility participants aware of new features and developments on the platform, by downloading the communication materials for July below (toolbox).

July 2023 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

New features and content (28/10/2022)

In the French B2 level course, mobility participants can find a topic that is particularly relevant in the European Year of Skills: the role of artisans in an age of mass production.

FL - Latvian (28/10/2022)

Latvian is spoken by approximately 1.5 million people worldwide and the earliest written records of this Baltic language date to the 16th century. In her blog post "The history behind the Latvian language" community manager Vita gives an overview of this rich and complex language. Watch our short discovery video about the Latvian language in the open area.

FL - Norwegian (28/10/2022)

Do you know what Bunads are? They are traditional Norwegian costumes crafted with love and attention to detail. The artisans that make them are considered national treasures. In her article "Traditional Norwegian dresses", community manager Rosa guides us through this treasured family tradition that embodies Norwegian culture and connects people to their roots. Watch a short discovery video of the Norwegian language in the open area.

FL - Hungarian (28/10/2022)

Have you ever wondered why the names of foreign cities are different in Hungarian? Take a look at the article "Why there isn't a single foreign city that is called by its original name in Hungary" by community manager Nora. The reasons can be traced back to the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, and, before that, to the language reforms that led to the replacement of Latin with Hungarian as the country’s official language in 1844. You can also see a short discovery video of the Hungarian language in the open area.

Tips (29/06/2023)

Students can do an exercise in preview or normal mode.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

Help us keep mobility participants aware of new features and developments on the platform, by downloading the communication materials for June below (toolbox).

FL - Icelandic (28/10/2022)

Do you know that there are about 350 000 Icelandic speakers worldwide, and they’re a close-knit community. When Icelanders need a new word, and to avoid Anglicisms creeping into the language, they create one with the help of the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies and special language committees. There is even a language committee for the terminology used in knitting.

New features and content (28/10/2022)

The new OLS is all about participating in communities of learners!

FL - Slovene (28/10/2022)

The Slovene proverb “Vsaka vas ima svoj glas” means “every village has its own voice”, a reference to the many Slovene dialects, about 50. On OLS, students will learn standard Slovene, which is used in education, media, official documents, and most formal settings. Standard Slovene is based on the Central Slovene dialect, which is spoken in the capital Ljubljana and surroundings and is understood by speakers of various dialects.

FL - Croatian (28/10/2022)

There are significant numbers of Croatian speakers in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and Austria. Croatian has 30 letters and is formed from the Štokavian, Kajkavian and Čakavian dialects. But don’t let that intimidate you. It’s a phonetic language, so there is almost complete correspondence between how it’s written and pronounced.

Tips (28/10/2022)

Have your mobility participants discovered the additional learning resources? These can be accessed on the “learning community and resources” page for each language, by scrolling to the bottom of the page.

June 2023 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

May 2023 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

Community managers & forums (28/10/2022)

OLS forums help students to immerse themselves in the history and culture of the language of their host country and make new friends.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

Help us keep mobility participants aware of new features and developments on the platform by downloading May’s communications’ materials below (toolbox).

FL - Turkey (28/10/2022)

Turkey’s location between western Asia and eastern Europe is reflected in its language, which has been shaped by Arabic, Farsi and French. English, in turn has been shaped by Turkish, the words yoghurt and kiosk are two examples. About 78 million people worldwide speak Turkish, 1.5 million of them in Germany.

FL - Portugese (28/10/2022)

In 2009, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries declared 5 May “Portuguese Language Day”. In 2019, UNESCO proclaimed the date “World Portuguese Language Day”. It’s the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere and considered among the world’s top10 fastest-growing languages, partly due to population growth in Brazil.

FL - Serbian (28/10/2022)

Serbian uses two writing systems – the Cyrillic and the Latin alphabets, the former for official documents and in schools, the latter for everything else. It has a few untranslatable words, including “merak”, the feeling of bliss and the sense of oneness with the universe that comes from the simplest of pleasures.

Tips (28/10/2022)

Please remind mobility participants that the OLS communities are there to allow them to share cultural experiences and support each other in learning a new language.

April 2023 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

Community managers & forums (28/10/2022)

The new OLS is all about participating in communities of learners!

FL - maltese (28/10/2022)

Each of the 29 languages on OLS now has 10 hours of content at the A2 level. Five hours of content at A1 level are now available for the first time for Norwegian, Serbian, Macedonian and Maltese. From Rossøya to Newwiela Point, OLS has your mobility participants’ language needs covered.

FL - english (28/10/2022)

The UN’s English language day is celebrated on April 23, the day we commemorated the 407th anniversary of the death of playwright William Shakespeare. He was arguably the most influential writer in the English language and is credited with coining hundreds of words we use, including generous, radiance, and sanctimonious.

FL - spanish (28/10/2022)

UN Spanish language day, or Día del Idioma Español, commemorates the death of Shakespeare’s contemporary, Miguel de Cervantes in 1616, and is intended to remind us of the wealth of Spanish culture and history. Cervantes is considered the greatest writer in the Spanish language, best known for his novel Don Quixote, which inspired the adjective quixotic.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

Help us keep mobility participants aware of new features and developments on the platform by downloading April’s communications’ materials below (toolbox). Prepared by the OLS team, the toolboxcontains posts and visuals to share on your social media networks, as well as an email to send to participants. Make use of both to reach as many participants as possible.

Tips (28/10/2022)

In the third episode of the Mobility & Intercultural podcast, mobility participants can hear about “learning shock” – the confusion and stress that results from changing to a higher education institution in another country, with its own rules and culture.

March 2023 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

FL - French (28/10/2022)

French language day, celebrated on March 20, is a reminder of the importance of multilingualism and cultural diversity. You can participate by learning the world’s fifth-most spoken language with OLS, which has 10 hours of each French level from A1 to B2.

FL - Romanian (28/10/2022)

At the A2 level, we have added 2.5 hours of content for each of the following 7 languages: Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Lithuanian, Latvian, and Romanian. Take your Romanian conversation skills to the next level and learn how to ask for directions, speak about your first day at university and talk about how you used to be in a rock band.

FL - OLS (28/10/2022)

A1-level content is now available for 9 languages: Danish (2.5 hours) and 1 hour each for Bulgarian, Croatian, Estonian, Greek, Macedonian, Romanian, Slovenian, and Turkish. Learn how to make basic introductions and get a conversation started.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

Help us keep mobility participants informed about new features and developments on the platform by downloading the communication materials for March below (toolbox).

Community managers & forums (28/10/2022)

The OLS Community Stories video contest is an opportunity for OLS community members to use their language skills and win an Interrail Global Pass.

Tips (28/10/2022)

There are two helpful episodes for students starting out on their mobility experience.

February 2023 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

Community managers & forums (28/10/2022)

In the coming weeks, Members of the OLS community will have the chance to demonstrate their language skills and win an Interrail Global Pass to explore Europe by participating in the OLS Community Stories video contest.

FL - Polish (28/10/2022)

More than 3 hours of content is available for Polish at the A1 and A2 levels. Learners can test themselves with the exercise Mam na imię Borys (My name is Boris).

FL - Danish (28/10/2022)

Danish levels A1 and A2 have new content. The A1 course lets participants learn how to introduce themselves to their new flatmates, and share on the WhatsApp group.

FL - languages (28/10/2022)

Content for the following languages is being added over the following weeks: Croatian, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovakian, Maltese, Macedonian, Norwegian and Turkish.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

Help us keep mobility participants informed about new features and developments on the platform.

Tips (28/10/2022)

Please remind mobility participants that the OLS communities are there to allow them to share cultural experiences and support each other in learning a new language.

January 2023 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

Community managers & forums (28/10/2022)

All OLS language communities now have forums where participants can help each other in their language learning. All forums have been active as of December 2022.

English, French, German, Italian and Spanish (28/10/2022)

New content is available for English, French, German, Italian and Spanish at the B1 and B2 levels. For French learners who are interested in environmental issues, the French B1 level has a module on environmentally friendly flat-sharing (Je voudrais une colocation plus écologique) and another on zero-waste living (Le mode de vie zéro déchet). Click on "more" to test one of these modules.

Czech, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese and Swedish (28/10/2022)

More content for the A1 and A2 levels in Czech, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese and Swedish is coming up. For Czech, new modules for the A1 and A2 levels have been uploaded. Click on "more" to discover the Czech learning community.

English, French, German, Italian and Spanish 2 (28/10/2022)

Boosts are available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish via the “Personalise my learning” link of the “How to learn with OLS” module. This should allow participants to deepen their vocabulary and understanding of a topic of interest to them. Click on "more" to test this feature in the English B2 course.

Tips (28/10/2022)

Along with the ability to ask for help from community managers in the language forums, participants can also consult these features.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

Help us keep mobility participants aware of new features and developments on the platform.

December 2022 (21/10/2022)

Dear Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps national agencies

New features and content (28/10/2022)

The OLS forums are great places for the Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps mobility participants to connect with each other and discuss their language learning experiences.

Communication toolbox (28/10/2022)

To motivate more mobility participants to make progress on their language learning journey, we need your help to promote new features and developments on OLS.

FL - Polish (28/10/2022)

Start with the basics in our A1 module and learn how to say “hi”, get around and obtain services in Polish – the European Union’s sixth most spoken language. Polish is used by more than 38 million people worldwide.

FL - German (28/10/2022)

During your exchange programme, you might be asked about your previous experiences. The German B1 module will help you speak about your past, express your opinion and share your interests in discussions with others.

FL - Portugal (28/10/2022)

Portuguese is the official language of nine countries worldwide. Mastering the language will open doors in Europe, South America and parts of Africa. The A1 course will teach the basics of starting a conversation.