Euroasia: Language, Culture and Travel

Recently I wrote that Britons are missing out on jobs at home and abroad because of their inability to speak languages other than English. 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. In previous articles, I’ve explored the reasons why people need to learn a second language.

In recessionary times, it’s even more important to keep improving and to consider learning a second language. Now is the time to be upskilling to future proof yourself. The ability to speak a second language puts your business or your job prospects one step ahead of the competition. You are also demonstrating to future employers that you have what it takes to stick to something. Employers realise that people who embark on language learning have some key characteristics that are highly valued in such times: commitment and dedication being some key ones.

The reasons people give for not learning a language include lack of time, the cost involved and the difficulty of the subject area. Part of what makes knowing a language a great skill to have is simply because it’s not that easy for someone to acquire fluency. If it was, it would quickly lose it’s value and won’t be treasured as much.

Let’s think about it this way. What if you manage to land a big business deal in Asia or Europe, or secure a great job, because you speak a second language? What if you get yourself out of a sticky situation in a foreign country because you speak the local language?  What if you find the love of your life as a result of your language learning journey?  At Euroasia, we’ve seen these things happen, and we certainly deem it a privelege for us to play a small role in ensuring the success of our clients.

The economy may be going through recessionary times, but your personal life shouldn’t. This is the time to be preparing yourself for the next boom.

There is one final opportunity to enrol for a language course in 2008. Euroasia has an intake starting 10 Nov.

French is the second most popular language at Euroasia, after Spanish. Here are some reasons why you should consider learning French:

• Together with English and Spanish, French is one of the most international of European languages, spoken in all the continents of the world.
• French was for centuries the international language of diplomacy and culture; it’s still important in those fields.
• The French-speaking world has contributed an enormous number of great artists, writers, philosophers and scientists.
• France has a large economy with a huge international presence.
• Young Kiwis can go and work in France, Belgium or Canada for one year under a working holiday scheme.  A knowledge of French would obviously make a huge difference to anyone’s job prospects.
• France itself has an incredible variety of scenery, from the rugged Atlantic coast, to the beautiful central valleys, to the Alps, to the Mediterranean landscapes of the south.  It offers great opportunities for outdoor activities.
• French cities are active, busy places, where there is always a lot going on.  They have a unique café culture, and there are great opportunities for cinema, theatre, eating out and clubbing.
• French cuisine is world-renowned, and French is still the international language of cooking, so at least a smattering of the French language is useful for chefs and food enthusiasts.
• If France seems a long way off, New Caledonia and French Polynesia are more accessible holiday destinations.  And they are very French!  Even a limited knowledge of the French language can enrich and enliven your tropical holiday.
• Much like speakers of English, French speakers tend not to be very enthusiastic about speaking other languages, so in France, for example, there is no guarantee you will find someone prepared to speak to you in English!

Find out more about learning French with Euroasia.  Or to enrol for a French course, check out the French timetable!

Courses start week of 13 October.

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.

Data has just come out of the UK showing a drop in the number of people taking foreign languages at GCSE level (roughly NCEA Level 1). In analysing why this is the case, a major newspaper interviewed various academics and bureaucrats.

Greg Watson, the chief executive of the Oxford and Cambridge and Royal Society of Art exam board, blamed the fall on “signals from the outside world”. He said: “Young people are particularly sensitive to the force that qualifications have. I think you hear loudly and clearly from the jobs market it would be good to have maths and good to have some science. I don’t think they hear a very loud signal from employers that a language is required … It is pretty hard to see any reflection of that in job adverts.”

Throughout the article, the reporter did not bother interviewing anyone from industry, and the headline read: “Business blamed for slump in foreign language entries”

It’s highly unfair to blame businesses for the current predicament. The reality is learning a language is hard work, and given a choice, students would far prefer easier subjects. This doesn’t mean that businesses do not value language, and far more importantly, cross-cultural skills.

I scanned through the letters to the editor subsequent to the publication of the article, and found a response by Susan Anderson, Director of Education and Skills, Confederation of British Industry, London:

“Languages are growing in importance to UK firms, as they operate in an increasingly global marketplace. Three out of four employers value their staff having conversational ability in another language. Firms don’t necessarily want employees to be able to negotiate the finer points of contracts in a foreign language, but they do value the ability to strike up a rapport with a potential customer that might help a contract being drawn up in the first place”

“Young people should therefore be confident that language skills are wanted by employers”

Why didn’t the media bother asking businesses for their opinion?

My colleagues and I are often asked the question “Which language should I learn?”

This is perhaps one of the hardest questions to answer. So much depends on purpose, interests, prior experience and even mundane things like course availability and teacher-student rapport.

The correct answer is this one:

Many people will have a particular reason for learning a certain language. If you just have a desire to experience foreign language learning, it doesn’t really matter which one you choose. Which country or culture interests you?

BUT that’s not the answer that people want to hear. So the marketer in me often tries to understand in more subtle ways which language the potential client already has in mind. Often people already have an idea but are uncertain of whether their choice makes sense.

I often tell the story of how I figured out what people want from a language course. One day I fielded an enquiry from a young lady interested in learning French. We got talking about why she wanted to learn French. The more we talked, the more realised that she wasn’t there simply because she wanted a language course. She told me how she wished to be fluent enough in order to watch Amélie without subtitles.

It dawned on me for the first time 3 or so years ago that the real reason many people wish to learn a language like French is because of the romance associated with it. This is sometimes subconscious, and often other more apparent and easy-to-explain reasons (like desire to travel, personal interest) come to mind.

In any case, for the benefit of readers who want to know the “logical reasons” why one should learn a particular language, feel free to visit our dedicated pages on this topic:

Why learn Spanish?

Why learn French?

Why learn German?

Why learn Italian?

Why learn Chinese?

Why learn Japanese?

Why learn Korean?

So in future If you’re asked at a social function why you’re learning a certain language, just say that you’ve decided that you’ll do one thing this year that pushes you outside your comfort zone. It’s OK. You’re not the only one in that category. People may laugh at you, but secretly they admire your tenacity and resolve. Or just say that you feel it’s the romantic thing to do. Girls love that.