Friday 22 November 2013


UK's international education body highlights most important foreign languages to learn


British Council report calls on policymakers to introduce a broader range of languages into every child's education

Arabic is ranked as a more important language for children to learn in school than French in a report published by the British Council today. The study, Languages for the Future, also rates Mandarin as more vital than German to the UK over the next 20 years.  Spanish, though, is considered the most important language to learn.
The report calls on policymakers to introduce a broader range of languages into every child's education.
"The problem isn't that we're teaching the wrong languages because the most widely-taught languages like French, Spanish and German all feature in our top ten," said John Worne, director of strategy at the British Council, the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.
"But the UK needs more people to take up the opportunity to learn and, crucially, get using these languages - along with new ones like Arabic, Chinese and Japanese.
"If we don't act to tackle this shortfall, we'll lose out both economically and culturally.  Schools have their job to do but it's also a problem of complacency, confidence and culture - which policy makers, businesses, parents and everyone else in the UK can help to fix."
The British Council report compiled its top 10 of the most useful languages to learn by using a sophisticated ranking system - which gave weight for current export links with the countries concerned, UK government trade priorities, diplomatic and security priorities and holiday destinations.
It concluded the UK had an "alarming" shortage of people able to speak any of the 10 languages identified - with three-quarters of the population unable to speak any of the languages fluently enough to hold a conversation in them.
French was the only language where fluent speakers were in double figures (15 per cent).  It was followed by German (six per cent), Spanish (four per cent) Italian (two per cent) and Arabic, Mandarin, Russian and Japanese (all one per cent).  Fewer than one in 100 could speak Portuguese or Turkish, which made up the 10.





According to figures from the Joint Council for Qualification - the umbrella body representing exam boards, less than half of GCSE students (44 per cent) took a language exam this summer despite an improvement on recent years.
Even football chiefs joined in the condemnation of the UK's performance in languages with Martyn Heather, head of education at the Premier League, warning a lack of language skills would make it difficult for UK players to play or coach abroad.
"Language skills are just as important for a young aspiring footballer as they are for someone who wants to enter the world of international commerce," he added.
"Being able to speak another language opens up a world of opportunities to play and coach in football leagues across the globe."
On Arabic, the report said: "Six Arabic speaking countries appear among the UK's top 50 export market in goods with a combined value to the economy of over £12 billion - more than the value of UK exports to Spain, China or Italy  ..
"Arabic has emerged as one of the priority languages for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It is their intention to increase the number of diplomats trained in Arabic by 40 per cent."
On Mandarin, it adds: "Given its rapid growth and status as a major emerging power, the business opportunities and challenges in China are great."
A spokesman for the Department for Education said its reforms - making languages compulsory from the age of seven and included it as a compulsory subject for the English Baccalaureate league table ranking - "will ensure that hundreds and thousands more young people will study languages every year".

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/arabic-beats-french-mandarin-beats-german-and-spanish-is-best-uks-international-education-body-highlights-most-important-foreign-languages-to-learn-8949872.html




Mini Dictionary

sophisticated - a sophisticated machine, system, method etc is very well designed and very advanced, and often works in a complicated way
condemnation - an expression of very strong disapproval of someone or something, especially something you think is morally wrong






Thursday 7 November 2013


New Report Highlights Increasing Global Importance of the English Language


English is spoken at a useful level by one in four, or 1.75 billion, people worldwide and by 2020 it will be a language used by two billion people, according to a new report.

Non-native speakers of English far outnumber native speakers and speaking the language gives people a competitive edge in areas ranging from culture and media to business, commerce and power, says the report from the British Council, a charity established as the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.
‘It is the economically active, the thought leaders, the business decision makers, the young, the movers and shakers present and future who are learning and speaking English. They are talking to each other more and more and English is the operating system of that global conversation,’ said Mark Robson, director of English and Examinations at the British Council.





The report points out that the English language was forged by the UK’s unique history and now provides a major economic contribution to the UK’s prosperity. Thousands of students come to the UK to study English, contributing some £2 billion a year to local and regional economies across the country.
Many of these students carry on to further and higher education, continuing to contribute directly through tuition fees and by living in the UK. In the process, they form personal, professional and business relationships with people and organisations which will continue when they return to leadership positions in their own countries and the report suggests that much less of this would happen without the attraction of the English language.
The report also says that English adds value well beyond the UK economy. Research shows how a good command of English can not only enhance an individual’s economic prospects but also contribute to national growth and competitiveness.
English is becoming a core criterion in determining employability. Early adopter advantages are gradually fading and are being replaced by economic disadvantage for those who do not speak the language,’ explained Robson.
‘Those who are not online or cannot speak English are increasingly left behind. English makes a significant contribution to sustainable global development. It eases trade between countries that do not share a common language,’ he pointed out.




Mini Dictionary 

contribution - something that you give or do in order to help something be successful

sustainable - able to continue for a long time




Tuesday 15 October 2013

Introduction


Dear all,

LanguageLink London is delighted to welcome you on the blog!

This is what we will publish specially for you:
- Curiosities from the UK and from other European countries
- Foreign languages we teach and interesting facts about respective cultures
- London Places and events we recommend
- Reports from interesting events in London
- Student reports from trips to interesting places in the UK
- Latest News from the school and information about new courses
- What our students think about London
- Our students testimonials

And much more… :)



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