LUCERNE, Switzerland, March 24, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- EF Education First, the world leader in international education, has launched the latest version of its Efekta(TM) English learning system. The system, developed over the last three years, uses advanced speech recognition, online English teachers, and sleek videos to speed learning by up to 50% over traditional methods. It is only available at EF's 400 language schools (http://www.ef.com/) and as an online English course at EF Englishtown (http://www.englishtown.com/).

People learn faster when they are engaged and can control their own pace. So, we designed a system that makes learning English more personalized and flexible, says Dr. Enio Ohmaye, EF's Chief Technology Officer and former scientist at Apple. By combining expert English teaching with state-of-the-art technology, we can ensure that people learn exactly what they need- no more and no less. This is a complete breakthrough in learning English.

EF's proprietary method is the result of over USD 55 million in investment and extensive testing conducted by EF's research units in Shanghai, Zurich, and Cambridge University. Features include:

-- Cutting-edge speech recognition technology -- 24-hour access to online English teachers -- 500 Hollywood-style videos and 1,500 hours of interactive lessons -- Mobile pod-English video and study applications -- The world's largest online English community -- The EFCELT (EF Cambridge English Level Test) -- an exclusive proficiency test developed by Cambridge ESOL

Sign up for a free trial of this exciting new way to learn English at http://www.englishtown.com/ or find out more about an EF language school at http://www.ef.com/

About EF Education First:

EF, the world leader in international education, was established in 1965 with the mission to break down the barriers in language, culture, and geography. With 400 schools and over 15 million students, EF specializes in language training, academic degrees, educational travel, and cultural exchange. Originally conceived in collaboration with Apple, EF's Efekta(TM) System is the world's most advanced English learning method and is used to power EF's language schools and online English courses at Englishtown.com. In addition to helping 1,200 corporations with English training, EF was the Official Language Training Supplier to the Beijing Olympics and is helping Brazil prepare for the 2014 World Cup.

EF Study Abroad: http://www.ef.com/ Englishtown: http://www.englishtown.com/ Media inquiries: Anna Esaki-Smith Tel: +852-2111-2370 / +852-6290-4075 Email: anna.esaki-smith@ef.com

SOURCE: EF Education First

CONTACT: Anna Esaki-Smith, +852-2111-2370 or +852-6290-4075,anna.esaki-smith@ef.com