On July 11, Dr. Jun Liu participated in The International Research Foundation (TIRF) event titled “Different Contexts and Challenges for English in the Workforce,” and served as an expert panelist along with the British Ambassador to Brazil, Alan Charlton; the State Secretary of Education for Sao Paulo, Herman Jacobus Cornelis Voorwald; and Microsoft Brasil executive, Rodolfo Fülcher, among others. The two-hour event drew more than 200 attendees from local businesses and language schools.
Liu’s speech, “English Heat in China,” centered on English language learning and teaching in China, one of the key emerging BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) markets. Liu’s perspective on English language learning in China is timely, given Brazil’s intense preparations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. In preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Liu recalled, taxi drivers had to learn at least 30 English phrases in order to interact with the influx of non-Chinese speakers. “Drivers who [had] not fulfilled the requirement lost their licenses,” Liu said.
The following day, Liu joined fellow TIRF trustees Professor Kathleen Bailey and Professor David Nunan in giving a joint plenary, which was based on TIRF’s research, at the ABCI Conference (ABCI is the Brazilian Association of Cultura Inglesa). Liu serves as a TIRF trustee for the non-profit organization. For more information about TIRF, please visit http://www.tirfonline.org/.
On July 19, Liu was invited to give a motivational speech at the closing ceremony of the 13th BRAZ TESOL national convention in Rio de Janeiro. Liu’s inspiring words and future-oriented perspectives for the field energized the audience, as evidenced by the standing ovation he received. Liu’s attendance “at the BRAZ-TESOL closing ceremony was crucial for the culmination of so much emotion,” as commented by BRAZ TESOL President Vinicius Nobre.
