The English curse: how having such a mother tongue can hindrance your professional chances

  I knew it was going to happen, but I didn't know when "They" would see the light!

To be fair, people from England are at a disadvantage: unlike us on the mailand, nobody drums from the first day of secondary school ( probably in primary schools nowadays) that if they don't speak foreign languages, they will not get on in life. And I'm not talking about high flying jobs: even the most menial job in admin requires a certain level of competency in at least one foreign language if not two.

For the English-speaking population, knowing that you were going to be understood where ever you'd choose to go prevented most of  them to acquire a minimum of fluency in a foreign idiom.

I suspected that things were changing when my local paper started publishing articles about the importance of languages and yesterday it was the BBC complaining that the lack of linguistic knowledge prevent the Brits to get the top EU jobs. See below. However apart frow getting you the top EU jobs, learning languages at a young age will bring even more benefits.
But it's never too late for those who are determined.

9 May 2011 Last updated at 06:04

Poor language skills 'leave Britons out of EU jobs'

By Gillian Hargreaves Education correspondent, BBC News

 

The proportion of UK students studying foreign languages has dropped over the past decade

Continue reading the main story

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Poor foreign language skills among the British workforce are leaving the UK under-represented in European Union institutions, an official has said.

The head of the European Parliament's London information office has warned of a "serious problem".
Only 5% of the jobs in the European Parliament and Commission are taken by British workers - although the UK contains 12% of the EU's population.
The government is aiming to reverse a decline in language study in schools.
On Monday, for the first time, the European Parliament and European Union are holding an open day for UK school leavers and graduates encouraging them to think of a career in Brussels or Strasbourg.
Michael Shackleton, who runs the European Parliament's communications operation in the UK, said: "People like me are coming to retirement and its very clear there are not enough people to take our places.
"I think it matters at all levels of the institutions not just at the highest levels - having people from British backgrounds adds to the mix, it's really important if you want to influence what is going on."
"The balance of the use of language has been in favour of English, but to understand what people are thinking about you also have to get a sense of them and how they see the world," he added.
'Renaissance' Since the last government made learning foreign languages optional in England from the age of 14 there has been a decline in the numbers of students studying them to GCSE level.
The proportion of students taking language GCSEs has fallen from 61% in 2005 to 44% in 2010.
In 2001, about 347,000 pupils sat GCSE French, but this has fallen by nearly half to fewer than 178,000 in 2010.
There is a similar pattern for German language studies, with more than 135,000 sitting the exam in 2001, but only about 70,000 in 2010.
However, the coalition government has introduced the English Baccalaureate, which will be awarded to students gaining good GCSE passes in English, maths, two science qualifications, a foreign or ancient language, and history or geography.
The number of pupils gaining the EBacc will be included in schools' league tables data, and demand for language teachers has increased, as institutions have moved to boost baccalaureate subjects.
At Hendon School, in north London, a specialist language school which is also a mixed ability comprehensive drawing children from a wide range of different communities, every child has to study French, Spanish or German - and Japanese is offered at GCSE and A-level.
Deputy head teacher Rebecca Poole said she expected to see "a renaissance" in language learning and language teaching.
"In my opinion that can only be an excellent thing," she said. "I think there will be a lot of jobs advertised out there."
However, in January, the education watchdog Ofsted warned that language lessons were "weak" in too many secondary schools in England.
And concerns about the decline are also shared in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where foreign language learning to the age of 16 is also not compulsory - although all pupils in Wales must study Welsh to that age.

Beating the language barrier in South West London

Very interesting article listing a few good reason why it's important to learn languages
From the Wimbledon Guardian March 2011 Article

Beating the language barrier

March 21, 2001 10:05: Mastering a foreign tongue is no pushover, but in the European Year of Languages CLARE KENNEDY finds out that learning to be understood abroad could be your passport to a new world.Going abroad has never been easier;learning a language remains as difficult as ever.
In an instant your quick and cheap getaway can turn into one big misunderstanding on discovering you cannot tell your potage from your poulet on the menu.
Its an all too familiar case of: Pardonnay mon French, do you speak English?
When it comes to foreign language proficiency, Britains reputation lags behind our continental counterparts.
Judging from the decline in students choosing to study Italian, German, French and Spanish post-16, it doesnt look as if things will improve much.
According to figures compiled by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the number of students taking A-level French dropped by 32 per cent in 1999.
This year is the European Year of Languages and its aim is to encourage more people to learn a second language.
We want to break away from the idea British people are bad at learning languages, said Rebecca Loader of Central Information for Language Teachers.
She is helping to co-ordinate the year with the Council of Europe and the European Commission and is adamant about the benefits of learning another language.
Miss Loader said if you travel and speak at least a little bit of the language, you will enjoy your holiday more.
Also, learning a language can increase peoples awareness of other cultures and help stamp out xenophobia.
Despite the European Year of Languages laudable aims, the reality of learning vocabulary by heart, conjugating verbs and struggling with an English accent that wont go away can be daunting.
Its easy to think Why bother? Everybody speaks English anyway.
This is an attitude language teachers try their hardest to quash.
People think there is no point learning another language. There is an inherent laziness among the English, said Ann Griffiths, Esher Colleges head of languages.
It might be the year of languages but the sad fact is fewer people are speaking them.
Mrs Griffiths blames the enormous gap between the A-level and GCSE syllabus as one reason fewer students take languages.
She said: The syllabus was simplified at GCSE, it is made for the tourist but little else.
Unlike other college language departments, some of which have closed according to Mrs Griffiths, Esher Colleges department is still attracting plenty of language students.
With all the technological wizardry in the world, Mrs Griffiths admits mastering a language comes down to old-fashioned learning and having a good memory.
You have to be like a sponge; watch foreign television, listen to the radio, but there is nothing like going to the country itself. You cannot succeed if you are not willing to learn vocabulary, tenses and verbs.
Barry Carty, head of languages at Brooklands College, Weybridge, said: You lose out if you do not learn another language.
Even if your schooldays are over, there is plenty of chance to learn another language on your own with the help of books, cassettes and videos.
Or you can take up an evening class which requires plenty of time and dedication.
Emma Wallis, 25, a radio producer from south London, is learning Italian at City Lit in Covent Garden.
She admits finding the time to attend her three hour weekly lesson and complete all her homework is difficult.
She said: I love communicating and after studying French at university I always wanted to learn Italian.
According to John Ellis, managing director of Le Club Francais, it is easier for children to learn languages than adults because they are more receptive to the way words sound.
Mr Ellis runs classes in south London and Surrey. The classes teach French in a fun environment to children aged three to 11.
We play games, sing songs and have role plays. At that age children are not inhibited and will mimic the sounds.
Its the same way we learn English. You learn to speak first, reading and writing comes second, he said.
Learning a language can also improve your career prospects according to careers advisor, Naomi Kennedy, who works at Prospects Careers in Wimbledon. She said the need for people with second languages is increasing due to the closer integration of the European Union.
While those who study languages can become interpreters, translators and teachers, there are many other jobs where languages can be an asset, she said
Learning a language is not easy. But if the European Year of Languages encourages you to take the plunge and start learning another language, it could improve your holiday, widen your job prospects and even broaden your horizons.

Local South West London Paper Prizes Brussels!!! and it's about languages!

Could not resist....
http://www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/archive/2011/04/30/yournews_schools/9002063.Thank_you_Brussels/

 

Thank you Brussels

There has recently been a decline in the study of languages at school, especially French. English speakers are notoriously, rather embarrassingly, bad at learning languages – many argue that we have become lazy as English is spoken so commonly – which is unfortunate as it has been said that speaking another language can increase the average worker’s salary over their lifetime by a significant amount, and simply having a foreign language a-level generally makes someone more employable.
It’s lucky, therefore, that Streatham and Clapham High school has always prided itself on its passion for foreign languages.
This was demonstrated by the ravings with which seven A-level French students recently returned from a stimulating week in Belgium, where they had stayed to do work experience in order to benefit their French speaking skills for their AS examinations in May. Despite most being painfully nervous as they approached the Brussels, wondering why on earth they had agreed to something so beyond them, it turned out to be an incredibly rewarding experience. One girl said “I loved the intensity of being completely immersed in a different language – the disappointment when I couldn’t understand what was being said combined with the pride after having sustained a conversation in French.” They were also moved by the kindness and understanding that people they encountered showed.
Overall the trip’s powerful impression convinced these girls that English being a universal language should not prevent them from being able to share in the enriching experiences of learning and using a foreign language.

Why children should start learning a foreign language at an early age:

• It will give your child a valuable educational, social and cultural experience. 
• It will improve listening skills and develop powers of concentration. 
• An early start gives the children the time to learn the sound and spelling of the vocabulary thoroughly. 
• It allows them to acquire a good pronunciation and gives them the opportunity to become bilingual. 
• Early foreign language learning helps children to consolidate many basic concepts in their mother tongue.

The method used should be fun, dynamic and interactive; the emphasis of the course based heavily on trying to get the children to feel confident and relaxed.

The sessions should include activities such as dancing, singing, games, crafts, story telling, drama and various other interactive activities that make the language learning easier and more understandable. The method should focus on participation by all the children.