Figures released last week showed that there was a decline in the number of students taking languages at GCSE level. A BBC article suggests that languages are 'at a point of no return'. But with more and more people emigrating to non-English speaking countries, this trend has serious implications.
It is extremely difficult to integrate into a new society if you do not speak the language. It makes filling out a form for a drivers license much more challenging, let alone socialising with the locals. Yet some Brits do not see language learning as an essential part of moving abroad.
What is behind this pattern? Do Brits think that everyone else will speak English? Do people intend to but then find it too hard? The government is trying to encourage more language learning at school, but what is the best way to teach adults who are considering emigrating?
The article also suggests that some feel that the current focus on French is too narrow and could be widened to include Mandarin and Portuguese. With greater numbers of Brits moving to Bulgaria, should this language also be offered at school?
What do these figures really show? That kids are less interested in studying languages at GCSE or that those who move abroad don't speak the language of their host country?
As a Brit who lives in Madrid and speaks fluent Spanish despite having no qualifications in Spanish, I take issue with these assumptions. There are many people here who like me did not have the option to take GCSE Spanish, yet speak it far better than most who did. Surely it would be a more credible to consider the number of Brits taking evening classes in languages, using their holidays to take language immersion courses or simply moving to a new country and teaching themselves.
Of course this is not to say that GCSEs in languages aren’t important, they are, but surely we should bear in mind that of those who live abroad hardly any rely on the language studies they undertook at 14.
Posted by: Katie | September 25, 2006 at 09:30 AM