Net regulator ICANN has switched on a system that allows full web addresses that contain no Latin characters. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the first countries to have so-called “country codes” written in Arabic scripts.

The move is the first step to allow web addresses in many scripts including Chinese, Thai and Tamil.

Read  more about the first Arabic domain names in Arabic script>>

We were obviously concerned about this, but hadn’t known anything about it.  We searched the web to find that most of their websites had been taken down and no-one was answering their phones.  Further Google searches this week have lead us to find this very sad message on the web:

“Thank you for writing to Champs-Elysées Inc, publisher since 1983 of audiomagazines in French, Spanish, German, and Italian. Champs-Elysées Inc. must, after 26 years, suspend daily operations. We’re grateful to our customers for many years of support, and we’re sorry that current circumstances have forced this decision.

Champs-Elysées Inc and its current directors have been sued for several million dollars in a case regarding company ownership. These lawsuits are unresolved since 2005. Champs-Elysées Inc has prevailed time and again on applicable law, yet appeals and new variations on old suits persist. In the end, we find ourselves nearly 4½ years later seemingly no closer to resolution than when litigation began. One of our directors died March 10 in court personally defending himself.

Our next court date is 7 May 2010. There is a possibility legal issues might conclude in our favor that day. If so, we might then find a way to resume operations. For now, we lack the resources to fulfill your subscriptions and defend ongoing litigation.

I’d like to thank you all for your support over the years. Despite the adversity, your repeated enthusiasm for the quality of our programming kept us going for far longer than I thought possible under the circumstances. I think we’ve made a contribution to language learning and cultural understanding.

This message will be updated the week of 10 May 2010.

Yours,

Art Fourier

President and Publisher”

We will take down their audiomagazines from www.languageadvantage.com for the time being and hope that they can begin trading again as soon as possible.

We have been an affiliate of Champs-Elysees for many years and wish them well.

UPDATE>>

We have yet to hear officially from anyone at Champs-Elysées but we have today (21 May 2010) found this from Art Fourier on a forum in the web:

“Due to extensive flooding in Nashville, our court date of 7 May 2010 was pushed back to 14 May 2010.  On 13 May 2010, the presiding judge recused herself from the case.  A new judge has not yet been assigned to the case.  We do not know when to expect the next date of any action.  While there is a possibility legal issues might conclude in our favor that day, the increasing delays seem to make company prospects dimmer.  For now, we lack the resources to fulfill  your subscriptions and defend ongoing litigation.“

Some users on the forum have suggested that back issues are being sent out as a replacement for unfulfilled subscriptions … We’ve sent an email to Champs-Elysées and are awaiting their response.

We’ll keep you updated – as soon as we have any more information, we’ll let you know.

If you know anything else, please do contact us>>

The Plaid Cymru is obviously in Welsh and English.  The Scottish National Party Manifesto is in … wait for it … English only!

Don’t suppose there is much point of looking at the BNP website, right?

To help you we have a special offer from Transparent Languages to purchase one of their language learning software courses:

Save 15% on any order. Use LANGUAGE15 at checkout. Expires 05/31/2010

For those of you in the UK:

Save 15% on any order at the Transparent Language UK Store – use UKLANG15 at checkout. Expires 05/31/2010

Transparent Language is a leading provider of best-practice language learning software for consumers, government agencies, educational institutions, and businesses. Since 1991, Transparent Language has helped millions of individuals learn new languages quickly, easily, and effectively. More than 12,000 schools and universities, as well as top government language schools, such as the Foreign Service Institute and the Defense Language Institute, use our products. Working with distinguished language acquisition experts and thousands of native speakers around the world, Transparent Language is committed to producing language learning solutions of the highest quality at reasonable prices.

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican culture, food, music, drink – Mexican beer is often drunk!   Several cities in the US hold parades and concerts during the week leading up to the 5th May. It is said that the festivities in the States are now more prolific than anything seen in Mexico itself.

Find out how to learn to speak Spanish with language courses, books, films, music and language courses abroad from languageadvantage.com>>

Find out more about the Mexican culture>>

Sarah Carroll, the Founder of Language Advantage, is speaking at UK Trade & Investment’s Internationalising your Website Workshop in London on Tuesday 25 May 2010.

The workshop will explore practical steps you can take to boost your international business performance online.  You will receive the latest web knowledge and tips so you can grasp the international opportunity that web 2.0 presents:

- choose an international strategy that is best for your business

- utilise free tools and applications

- avoid costly trial and error approaches.

The workshop will show you:

- how to develop credibility

- ways to ensure customer satisfaction

- ways to get more traffic

- ways to convert more customers and move them up the ladder of engagement.

This workshop will include an introductory presentation about the UK Trade & Investment Website Export Communications Review (ECR) service, by Sarah Carroll, a registered export communications consultant and will show you how to get your website ready for international business.

To find out more, please contact Sarah Carroll>>

Tessa Padden, a television presenter and BSL translator currently involved with the BSL:UPTAKE project at Heriot-Watt University,believes this leaves many deaf people excluded from the democratic process.

Read more about British Sign Language and the election>>

Scaringly the Doctor finds that Prisoner Zero can broadcast its messages through a live feed to all the people on Earth – in all their native languages.

Prisoner Zero is one of an interdimensional multi-form species, who, having created a psychic link to a living but dormant creature, can then copy the appearance of that creature or of anything they dream about. Coma patients provide the perfect live feed: Prisoner Zero hides in the dreams of the living dead.

We are glad Doctor Who’s aliens are multilingual and have clearly got the Language Advantage!

Find out more about Doctor Who on the BBC>>

• Ajami from Israel
• A Prophet (Un Prophète) from France
• The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada) from Peru
• The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band) from Germany

These are definitely all films to go and see in 2010 if you are passionate about foreign language movies.

To find our recommended foreign language films, visit our World Film section>>

To buy a foreign language film, browse our Language Advantage World Film shop [UK]

To buy a foreign language movie, visit our Language Advantage World Film store [USA]