A major task facing government officials dealing with the Great East Japan Earthquake was how to transmit reports about the unprecedented damage to a worldwide audience. To seek out needed assistance and to restrain excessive rumors and false speculation required the relaying of timely and accurate information.

A country that wants others to respect it and understand its unique problems cannot expect the world to be sympathetic if it continues to send out untrained and unskilled people as its representatives. It is not only about language, but it starts from that most basic of skills – the ability to communicate.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of countries around the world through a variety of international programs based on the benefits of mutual understanding, educational and cultural exchange, and leadership development

AT the Oscars last month the gap between what interests Hollywood and what the rest of the world seems to be doing was sharp and clear. Of the five nominees for the best foreign-language film, all but one, among them the winner, “In a Better World,” from Denmark, dealt in some way with relationships between the West and Islam.

It is crucial Taiwan promotes its cultural relevance within the global community as a means of boosting the nation’s international visibility. As part of this push, the country is planning to engage in linguistic diplomacy through the Taiwan Academies initiative.

As oppressive Arab regimes totter and topple under the pressure of democratization movements, Israel needs to engage directly with the region’s increasingly politically empowered peoples. But can Israel implement an effective public diplomacy and harness “soft power” with the citizenry of its neighborhood? The answer must be yes; but Israeli public diplomacy strategy and analysis over the past decade provide little guidance for outreach to Arab publics.

Late last year, a senior official from the Confucius Institute headquarters in Beijing announced that there were now over 40 million foreign learners worldwide studying Chinese.

Teachers and learners of English can now access a new resource to help build vocabulary and improve language skills thanks to the British Council’s latest Facebook app. Pic-Your-Wits is an interactive English vocabulary game with pixelated pictures for learners to guess the words and beat the clock. It is available on Facebook today for free.