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.
