The Cultural Problems Encountered in Teaching Basic English to Russian Jew Refugees as an Initial Step to Entering an English Speaking Society

The Organizzazione Rieducazione Tecnia in Rome, Italy offers English language instruction to Russian Jew refugees who for one reason or another wish to obtain visas to an English speaking country. The students are in a transitional phase in their lives; they have left their country of birth and haven\u27t yet been accepted into another country of their choice. This creates special needs in regard to language acquisition. They need survival skills to help them make this transition and they need to gain an appreciation of English speaking cultures. During the summer of 1977, I taught and observed classes at this school. This paper is an evaluation of the program. I observed there - of how it meets the needs of the students and prepares them for life in an English speaking country. The paper includes descriptions of and comments on both the linguistic and the cultural content of the English language program at ORT