Posted by
Susanna Zaraysky on Saturday, August 28th 2010
I’ve read several articles from the UK criticizing the Labor government’s move in 2004 to not make it obligatory for schools to teach foreign languages to 14-16 year olds. I can’t believe a government in this day and age thinks foreign languages are not of supreme importance.
This BBC piece by Will Smale, Should British pupils give up studying French?, shows that learning French helps Brits when traveling abroad and doing international business and that language education needs to change and be more conversation based and fun. Language ability equals cultural exploration, financial opportunities and the ability to communicate worldwide. Why wouldn’t anyone want this for their country?
Below are some of the main points of the article.
Languages = Passport to international business
Russell Lawson, public affairs manager at the Federation of Small Businesses, says giving school children a solid grasp of French has always helped them go on and learn other languages.
He adds: “English may be the world’s predominant business language, but if you can speak just some of another language, it can be a great help. It’s a cultural acknowledgement that you are at least trying to engage with the customer on their terms, and that can reap business rewards.”
There is a lot at stake for the UK economy, he adds. “If you go to the City [of London] you will find that many top ranking bankers are French – UK firms always resort to foreigners when dealing with the outside world.”
–Michel Monsauret, attache for education at the French Embassy in London
Make languages fun!!!
“You have got to make French classes more enjoyable,” he says. “French needn’t be hard to learn if taught correctly, it can even be fun.
“Start by teaching children how to converse in French in any given situation, help them better express themselves in French, and it becomes a lot more enjoyable.”
–Michel Monsauret, attaché for education at the French Embassy in London
I fully agree with the French attaché’s comments about the financial benefits of learning French and the need to make it more interactive and fun. I emphasize making languages a part of one’s life and enjoying the learning process in my book, Language is Music.
