OLYMPIC GAMES
PREPARATIONS AT HELSINKI FOREIGN LANGUAGE EPIDEMIC "With the 1940 Olympic Games being staged in Helsinki, a foreign language epidemic lias swept Finland. There is hardly a Finn who is not engaged in learning at least tho minimum essentials of one or more foreign languages, besides the, two or three that had been compulsory study at school. Tho contagion has affected even tlio harassed schoolchildren, whoso unwonted eagerness must bo a source of wonder and perhaps outright awe to their language teachers. "Where tutors aro unavailable or too costly, tho gramophone supplies the instruction through linguaphono and allied courses. Such teachers may bo found in tho wildest backwoods of the country. Largo business houses have become special victims of tho epidemic, and as .such are sponsoring courses free of charge to their employees. English seems to be the most popular foreign language for the Finns at present. The employees of a famous co-operative firm have selected English instruction in twice tho numbers for the runnerup, German. Tho Finns, it would seem, want to carry hospitality to tho ultimate and welcome every visitor to the Olvmpic Games in his native idiom.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23381, 24 June 1939, Page 23
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191OLYMPIC GAMES New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23381, 24 June 1939, Page 23
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