Past Blog Posts

July 5th, 2010 by Emily

Did you know that there are around 500 million Spanish speakers around the world? Spanish is one of the most important languages today and in fact there are nearly as many speakers of Spanish as a first language in the United States are there are speakers of English as a first language.

This means that Spanish has an important role to play in most of our lives. We may do business with speakers of the language - whether they're based in Spain or across the pond in Latin America. Spanish speakers therefore have great career opportunities.

Outside of work, it's likely that many of us encounter Spanish during our holidays. Most people in the UK have visited Spain, and with good reason. It's great country with something for everyone, whether it's the olde worlde charm of Granada, the bohemian vibe of Barcelona or the famous sunny beaches along the Costa del Sol.

If you don't speak ... Read More »

Learn to love a language again

April 14th, 2010 by Emily

The English traditionally have a reputation for speaking one language very well - their own! It's a common joke amongst our European cousins that those in the UK don't bother to learn foreign languages. By contrast, many Europeans speak perfect English.

Obviously, this is a great shame, especially if you're one of the many people who learned a language at school and then promptly forgot it the minute you stopped having tuition in that subject. A language is like a muscle. You have to keep on exercising it (i.e. speaking) it to keep it healthy. When you don't have the opportunity to practice your language, you soon become rusty in it. It's not uncommon for those who have achieved, say, A-Level French to have forgotten most of the language they could once speak so well in a matter of a few years.

If you learnt a language at school and wish that you could still speak it, then why not hire a ... Read More »

Natural disadvantage?

September 11th, 2009 by Emily

When the SAT results were announced recently they showed that levels of attainment in English were lagging well behind those in Science and Maths. What could be the reason behind this?

English is an almost intuitive subject, something those of us born in the UK are exposed to from our very first minute on earth. Most children can speak and understand English to an almost fluent level before education even begins. However, it may be that in learning to speak informally, children also pick up the colloquialisms and 'bad habits' of their parents. When they come to learn grammar the mistakes have to be unpicked and re-taught. Also, this method of natural acquisition only really applies to ... Read More »

Language tuition could add £21bn to the UK economy

September 10th, 2009 by Emily

The National Centre for Languages (Cilt) has spoken out to urge the government to put language tuition at the top of the agenda.

According to Cilt, French, German and other foreign languages need to be treated as strategically significant subjects. Cilt chief executive Kathryn Board told the BBC News today: "English is one of the great global languages but it will only take us so far. Our engagement with the non-English speaking world will remain superficial and one-sided unless we develop our capacity in other languages."

Recent research from Cardiff Business School seems to support Cilt's view. According to CBS, prioritising langu... Read More »

Should we be ditching French for Mandarin?

August 5th, 2009 by Emily

For years French has been the most popular foreign language taught in schools. French tutors have also proved exceptionally popular, and not just amongst the school-age population. Older people looking to work or retire abroad are also keen to employ a tutor.

France is our nearest truly foreign neighbour and in times past the two countries' languages were heavily intertwined. However, in terms of global usage, French is well below Mandarin Chinese, English and Hindustani. So does it deserve its pole position in the language curriculum?

As the world battles with recession, China is one of ... Read More »

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