Practically Speaking

Fellowship Travel International
Box 15360
Richmond, VA 23227
Tel:  800-446-7767; fax:  804-262-6724
Moscow tel/fax:  011-7095-135-2029

The Washington-based Fund for Democracy and Development has the endorsement of Richard Nixon, Walter Mondale, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Alexander Haig, and Orrin Hatch.  The Fund "provides guidance, financial and logistics support for the transportation of food, medicines, medical supplies, and limited quantities of other goods...to the people of the Commonwealth of Independent States."  Between 24 February 1992, when the United Methodist Committee on Relief dispatched the first shipment, and mid-May 1993, the Fund delivered 2,088 containers with a retail value of over $100 million to 126 locations in eleven new states of the former Soviet Union.  To date, over 400 different United States, Canadian, and European communities, representing over 300 humanitarian and civic organizations, churches, and individuals have donated over 26,000 metric tons of mainly private source humanitarian aid.  The Fund projects summer 1993 shipments of 250 containers (mostly 40 feet long, some 20 feet) per month.  For guidelines and application forms contact:

Mr. Lewis Townsend, Executive Director
Fund for Democracy and Development
2033 M St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel:  202-296-5353; fax:  202-296-5433

Compassion in Action
In the summer of 1992, Bishop John C. Favalora of the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL, appealed to his parishes for foodstuffs for the needy of their namesake city, St. Petersburg, Russia. Church families who responded to the call packed boxes with 40 pounds of non-perishable items such as canned meat, tuna fish, flour, sugar, shortening, and candy for children. The 60 tons of food, which filled three of the Fund's 40-foot long containers, left Florida in September and arrived in Russia's second largest city in mid-November 1992. U.S.-born Father Januarius Izzo, a Franciscan priest assigned to St. Petersburg's only functioning Roman Catholic Church, and the Catholic relief agency Caritas distributed the food boxes without regard to religion, giving young children and nursing mothers priority.

Source: Call to Action, A Newsletter of the Fund for Democracy and Development, no. 6, 20 November 1992, 2-3.
 

Software in Cyrillic

Doug Smith, computer services manager for Slavic Gospel Association, Wheaton, IL, offers advice on computer technology

The Cyrillic alphabet used for Russian and other Slavic languages presents some unusual challenges in computer technology. MS-DOS-based machines dominate the Russian personal computer market. IBM and IBM compatibles account for 95 percent of the market.

In contrast to the standard, Roman alphabet keyboards in the West, no consensus exists for  the layout of Cyrillic character computer (or typewriter) keyboards. Imagine sitting down in front of a Russian computer knowing that the letters and numbers may be arranged in twenty different ways. In addition, IBM compatible programs do not guarantee that text files can be shared with other users, a further complication for computer users.

Most methods of processing Russian under MS-DOS necessitate Cyrillic support (or an add-on) for each program. For example, word processing requires only one Cyrillic add-on, but each database and each desktop publishing software must have a separate add-on. In addition, each Cyrillic program must be key layout compatible with others programs. Difficulties may arise when one converts a word processing document into a different software program. In particular, the text conversion process often sacrifices format codes (page numbers, footnotes, and line spacing) and text attributes (bold, italics, and fonts). However, some manufacturers advertise Cyrillic font software packages that avoid this conversion loss. (For further information, contact companies listed below.)

If computer users need just word processing, either IBM compatible or Macintosh will work fine. Some add-on packages work exclusively with certain printers, while others claim one add-on will support laser, ink jet, and dot matrix printers.  In addition, some add-on packages offer font sets which include Cyrillic characters for Belorussian, Macedonian, and Serbian (Bulgarian only needs the Russian set). Thus, computer users working with Slavic languages need to keep all these points in mind when choosing add-on packages.

Running Windows on IBM compatibles improves matters. The Cyrillic characters can be loaded into Windows and then can be made available to all Windows programs. However, MS-DOS programs will not work with this method. In addition, most IBM compatibles in the former Soviet Union are not powerful enough to run Windows.

Macintosh computers, on the other hand, install Cyrillic characters at the system level. Once installed, all Macintosh programs will easily work with Cyrillic. The data from these programs are interchangeable. Apple offers the Macintosh operating system in Russian (and many other languages), so the whole computer can run in Russian if desired. Many Macintosh software programs can take on additional Russian features, such as sorting in Russian alphabet order.

Non-English speaking persons find the Macintosh graphical interface far easier to use than IBM compatibles. Although Windows offers a graphical interface, much of the character interface must be dealt with. A variety of Macintosh add-on programs will work in Cyrillic, including automatic hyphenation, spell check, and conversion between files in various key layouts, even from MS-DOS computers.

Summary
Ministries needing Cyrillic fonts should seriously consider Macintosh hardware and software. IBM compatible users point out that Macintosh computers generally cost more. However, Mac users argue that time saved with Macintosh hardware and software easily pays for the difference in initial cost. Also, keep in mind that the runner-up IBM compatible program, Windows, requires a good deal of electrical power. Users can program IBM compatibles running only MS-DOS to accommodate Russian. On the other hand, if time matters, Macintosh may make the most sense. 

Resources:

Casady & Greene, Inc. (Cyrillic fonts for Macintosh and Windows)
22734 Portola Dr.
Salinas, CA 93908
Tel: 800-359-4920; 408-484-9228;
fax: 408-484-9218

Circle Noetic Services (Russian hyphenation and spell check software for Macintosh)
5 Pine Knoll Dr.
Mount Vernon, NH  03057
Tel: 603-672-6151; fax: 603-672-8025

Exceller Software Corp. (Cyrillic fonts for IBM compatible and Macintosh; fonts for WP Russian module)
2 Graham Rd., W
Ithaca, NY 14850-1055
Tel:  607-257-5634; fax: 607-257-1665

Font World, Inc. (many Cyrillic fonts for Macintosh and soon for Windows)
2021 Scottsville Rd.
Rochester, NY 14623
Tel: 716-235-6861; fax: 716-235-6950

Hooleon Corporation (high quality Cyrillic stick-on keyboard labels)
Box 230, Dept. CW91
Cornville, AZ 86325
Tel: 800-937-1337; 602-634-7515;
fax: 602-634-4620

Linguist's Software, Inc. (Cyrillic fonts for IBM compatible and Macintosh)
Box 580
Edmonds, WA 98020-0580
Tel: 206-775-1130; fax: 206-771-5911

Metro Software, Inc.
1870 W. Prince Rd., Suite 70
Tucson, AZ 85705
Tel:  602-292-0313; fax: 602-292-1563

Metro Software, Inc.
5A Greys Rd.
Henley-On-Thames
Oxon RG9 1S8 England
Tel: 444-91-579857; fax: 444-91-575046
(Russian word processing and module with spell check and hyphenator)

Russoft.wre (Russian-English word processor with translation aid; Russian conversion programs)
Box 44411
Madison, WI 53744
Tel:  608-274-6822; fax: 608-274-6823

Telephone Codes for Capitals and Cities of More Than One Million in East Central Europe and the Former USSR

(Soviet successor states use 7 as a country code unless otherwise noted. Capitals are in italics and former Communist names are in parentheses.)
 

All About English
Susan Griffith

Editor's note: excerpted with permission from Teaching English Abroad (1991): 172-73. Peterson's Guides, Dept. 2342, 202 Carnegie Center, Box 2123, Princeton, NJ 08543-2123. $13.95. Tel: 1-800-338-3282; Tel. in NJ and outside the U.S.: 609-243-9111. Fax: 609-243-9150. The "Eastern Europe" chapter (pp. 172-91) concentrates on Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Bulgaria.

English language teaching in the countries of Eastern Europe is in a state of flux....Political change has provoked a linguistic revolution. Countries which once taught Russian as the first foreign language have committed themselves in principle to a great expansion of English teaching, and there is a tremendous need for native English speakers. Demand is greatest in Hungary, Poland, and Czechoslovakia, though all the countries of Eastern Europe...have opportunities in both state schools and emerging private language schools.  Russian is out; English is in.

The local educational systems simply cannot produce enough local teachers of English for state schools. The best local teachers are very often drawn into private sector teaching where salaries are much greater, or go into banking or tourism. In all the countries of the region there are acute shortages of teachers, as training establishments cannot produce new teachers and retrain ex-Russian teachers to meet the demands of all their schools. Hence many state schools will welcome teachers, especially volunteers with little or no experience for conversation classes to supplement grammar taught by local school staff....

Those with qualifications and experience are obviously in the best position, though anyone with native-speaker status and the desire to experience life in this rapidly changing part of the world should find few problems....[See Counterpoint.] There is a burgeoning demand for volunteer teachers, including opportunities for shorter teaching stays of 1-3 months. Although the pay will be minimal, help with accommodation is usually given.

 Ministries of Education and national educational establishments in the countries of Eastern Europe are...trying to attract qualified and experienced teachers. The very low pay offered, however, makes these jobs only marginally better than volunteer work....While opportunities vary from place to place and while the future is uncertain due to the speed of change, it is true to say that there will be a great demand for native EFL [English as a Foreign Language] teachers for many years ahead. 

Counterpoint
No! No! And no! This is the biggest misconception in EFL. Just because one speaks English does not mean s/he can teach it. It is my opinion that anyone coming to teach English in Eastern Europe/CIS needs some training--minimum though it be.

Mrs. Bea Crane, TEFL Consultant for Eastern Europe
Greater Europe Mission
Kurimska 15
62100 Brno, Czech Republic
Tel/fax: (42) 5771535

English Language Teaching Opportunities
 

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© 1993 East-West Church and Ministry Report
ISSN 1069-5664