Euroasia: Language, Culture and Travel

Britons are missing out on jobs at home and abroad because of their inability to speak languages other than English, the European Union commissioner for languages has warned. I came across an interesting article that is perhaps informative for us here in New Zealand.

Leonard Orban, the EU commissioner for multilingualism, says that small- to medium-sized companies in the UK are increasingly turning to foreign nationals to fill jobs that call for more than one language.

His comments came as it emerged that the European Commission is facing such a severe shortage of native English-speaking interpreters that meetings are being cancelled. The commission also warns that it may have to cut the number of documents it translates because of the dwindling number of British students with degrees in French and German.

Since 2002, member states have been committed to a policy of working towards all citizens speaking their mother tongue plus two other languages. A league table to be in place by 2010 will show the competence of students in different EU countries at the end of compulsory schooling. It is widely accepted that Britain will be near the bottom.

If British graduates are missing out on jobs because they are on the whole monolingual, then surely this is true, if not more so, for New Zealand graduates as well. The tragedy is that we live in ignorance of this fact. I have yet to see any local publication talk about this issue.

Does this mean we should force everyone to start learning a second language? No. Not everyone is into language learning, in the same way that not everyone is into algebra. However, students who are keen to explore language learning should be given the opportunities and encouragement to do so.

Increasingly, knowledge of a second language is not just something that’s nice to have, but an economic imperative.

Yes, it must be election time again. And once again it’s time to pick on the Asians.

Why is it that it’s always Asians and Arabs that get picked on? How come no one’s calling for Pacific Islanders to be sent home? Is it because they are bigger and hence more likely to win a fist-fight?

I expect comments like those made by New Zealand First Deputy Leader Peter Brown to increase in frequency as the general election approaches.  Of course migrants need to integrate. It goes without saying. Why else would they come to this faraway land and leave their friends and family behind if they had no desire whatsoever to integrate? In any case, effective settlement does not depend on immigrants adopting a new set of values and behaviours and ditching their own.

It must be a 2-way process. Most migrants are not interested in building “Asian mini-societies”. I think those who do have no choice, having been rejected by the host community. Browsing through the Herald reader responses to Peter Brown’s comments, I think I can safely say that the sad fact is a significant number of locals believe Asian migrants should drop everything they believe in and adopt “Kiwi” ways of life – whatever that means. I have come to the conclusion that when locals say you have to “be Kiwi”, in reality the message is “be like me”. One respondent said “with the influx of immigrants from different ethnic groups, our culture and values are changing. It seems, so as to not offend these newcomers, our public Christmas celebrations have been watered down!” Another: “Silly that we let so many people into this country that can speak little if any English at all”.

The fact is most migrants can speak English, and can speak it well, some even better than locals. If we measure the desire to integrate on the basis of language ability, my guess is 90% of migrants speak good enough English for most jobs. However, 90% of born-and-bred Kiwis speak only one language well, ie English. So who’s not really wanting to integrate here? Of course you would argue that this is an English-speaking country, but doesn’t the fact that most Kiwis can’t speak any other language and have little desire to do so a sad indictment?

I feel a little uncomfortable writing this, seeing I have many good friends who are of New Zealand European or Maori descent, and I can’t say that they have ever told me to be more Kiwi in a derogatory way. OK maybe sometimes, when I express my dislike for vegemite or weetbix.  It would be most unfair for me to tar all Kiwis with the same brush, in the same way that those people who have responded on the Herald website have concluded about Asian migrants.

Many Asian migrants are sick and tired of all this rubbish. They don’t want to be treated in this manner anymore. Especially not in the new New Zealand, where 1 in 4 residents was born overseas.

This could explain why Asians and other immigrants are swinging to National in this election at twice the rate of any other group, according to a Herald survey. Of 38 “Asians and others” asked, 21 said they voted Labour last time, and only 8 are staying with the party this year. Whether this is fair, I don’t know.

But I’ll be Kiwi now and just call it like I see it.

Spanish is the most popular language offered by Euroasia. We are often asked why is this language so popular. Here are some reasons.

• Spanish is unquestionably one of the world’s most important languages, spoken not only in Spain but also in most of the Americas, from California to Cape Horn!

• The Spanish-speaking countries are exciting places: the cities offer a round-the-clock buzz, while the great outdoors has huge potential for adventurous outdoor activities.

• Within the Spanish-speaking world, there is an enormous range of exciting places to visit: in Mexico and Central America, the cities of the Maya and the Aztecs, and resorts such as Acapulco and Cancún; in South America, the cities of the Aztecs (including Machu Picchu), the colourful Andean cultures of Peru and Bolivia, the strikingly varied landscapes of Chile and Argentina, and the cosmopolitan excitement of Buenos Aires.  Although some English is spoken, getting around is much easier with a little Spanish.

• Spain itself is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, famous not only for its Mediterranean beaches, but also for its stylish cities, its well-preserved small towns, and, in the south, its unique Moorish heritage.  Not to mention Ibiza, with the hottest nightclub scene in Europe, if not the world!

• The Spanish language has been the vehicle of great writers, from both Spain and Latin America.  Both areas have also been the home of world-renowned artists and, more recently, film-makers.

• New Zealand is increasingly looking to South America for trade links, especially Chile, the most prosperous of the South American states, and the one closest to New Zealand.  Spanish speakers will be in demand in the future (in fact right now we have Kiwi businesspeople doing business in South America coming to us).

• Young Kiwis can go and work in Argentina, Chile or Uruguay for one year under a working holiday scheme.  A knowledge of the Spanish language would obviously make a huge difference to anyone’s job prospects.

Click here to find out more about learning Spanish with Euroasia.  Or to enrol for a Spanish course, check out the Spanish timetable!

Courses start week of 13 October so you can still fit in a course before Christmas.

Recent government research published in the UK showed that two thirds of teenagers intend to work abroad in Europe or Asia when they leave school even though most of them speak no foreign language.

This from Times Online:

More than half (58 per cent) of 11-18 year olds say they have no foreign language skills whatsoever, yet 66 per cent are planning to work for up to two years in Italy, Spain, France or China.

The research is further evidence that most young people assume they can get by in a foreign country by speaking English, and comes just weeks after official GCSE data showed the number of children taking formal exams in foreign languages has fallen yet again.

I think the figures would be similar in New Zealand. Practically every New Zealand kid wants to do the overseas experience (OE).  My colleague Peter wrote an excellent article in May 08 about why learning a little bit of language is better than nothing.

Even Air New Zealand is now giving preference to people who can speak other languages. This from their flight attendant recruitment website:

Languages
Special attention is given to the cultural and language needs especially relating to the Airline’s key markets such as Asia, Japan and Europe. A second language is preferred and priority will be given to applicants who are fluent in Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, German, French and the languages of the South Pacific.

I bet you didn’t know that…