Linguists' Club a Boon to Refugees

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23269, 11 February 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

Linguists' Club a Boon to Refugees

Sydney Forms Overseas Contacts 'J'HE present influx of Germans and Austrians into Sydney has set the Linguists' Club a new job—that of providing lessons in English and in Australian geography for the foreigners, says an Australian correspondent. They have called in numbers at the club, asking to go back to school and to be given lectures and lessons on Australia —its politics, its industries, its commerce, its natural features, its people —so that in as short a time as possible they may become true Australians with a sound knowledge of their adopted country.

At present those newcomers are find'nS a S rea t deal to help them in the cluh's ime library—the onlv one in Australia in which books in "six different languages are stocked. Each language is bound in a separate colour, and there are dictionaries and magazines, too, in French, English,* German, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch. Recently the Linguists' Club in London (with a membership of 6000) invited the Sydney club to become affiliated, which means that the local club has also joined up with the famous Polyglot Federation of France, Germany, and Italy. When visitors go to England or on the Continent the Linguists' Club there will welcome them, arrange their itinerary, and give all the advice and help they can. Visitors will also bo able to join in the usual club activities, such as tennis, rambling, riding, skating, acting, golf, and so on. The Sydney Linguists' Club will naturally reciprocate with oversea visitors to Australia.

The club in Sydney has become such a popular rendezvous that the membership has outgrown the size of the room, and the club will be moving into new rooms soon. Here they are having a snack bar made so that "the members may meet one another socially and conversationally, and so carry on the idea of international friendship which is one of tho club's aims.