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26 October 2001
A new project from Canterbury Christ Church University College will give international truck drivers and hauliers the language skills for their day to day work on the road. In conjunction with European partners in Belgium, Bulgaria, France, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK, the Centre for Enterprise and Business Development (CEBD) of the University College will provide a package of language learning materials which drivers can use, on the road or at home.
£180,000 has been allocated to the CEBD for the project, from the European Leonardo da Vinci programme, as part of the Languages for Special Purposes initiative.
Hauliers will able to obtain a certificate in languages, after using the audio-cassettes, web pages and ‘situational cards’, which are all part of the course. The cards will incorporate a combination of languages, including less common ones, to suit the needs of each participating country. Drivers and haulage companies will be consulted to establish their requirements.
The cards will provide an immediate translation and communication tool, especially, for example, at the scene of an accident. This applied language learning will make an immediate improvement to European-wide communications. It is often vital for drivers to communicate with officials and agencies such as Trading Standards, Immigration and the emergency services.
John Faulkner is Chairman of Inter City Trucks Ltd, of Lympne, and part of the Kent Transport Distribution Group. He is pleased to be a project partner and said:
“European industry, and consumers, depend upon road freight distribution to meet the demands of prompt and safe delivery of 85% of manufactured goods. In turn hauliers depend upon their drivers. So it’s no exaggeration to say that we all depend upon drivers.
How nice to recognise the fact that we can actually help drivers in a practical sense and support them in the different circumstances which they cope with daily.
This scheme will fill an important gap and will ease human contacts by providing important lines of communication.”
Article Taken from: http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/news/newsRelease.asp?newsPk=103 |
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