Conocimiento Es Estar En El Poder (Knowledge Is Power)
InSITE reporter Sam Berrow asks why are British teenagers so reluctant to learn foreign languages?
I find it astonishing that in 2006; only 5% of students took foreign languages either while at school, or for A-level in the UK. John Dunford, General Secretary for the Association of Schools and Colleges said, “entries are in free-fall. Schools are now shedding modern foreign language teachers, and I fear we have passed the point of no return for languages in secondary schools.”
I think that many pupils find foreign language lessons boring and don’t really see the point of them. The quality of teachers also varies quiet a lot. It is because of these reasons that teenagers don’t take up foreign languages.
Many young people also think that people in foreign countries all speak English anyway, so think ‘why do we need to learn their language anyway?’ According to figures based on 2005 research for EU countries, only 30% of Britons speak a second language, whilst 99% of people from Luxembourg, 91% of Dutch, 88% of Danish and 45% of French people have all learnt a second language.
Young people in Europe speak many more languages than we do in Britain. One of the main reasons why other countries are so far ahead of us could be that children in schools in the UK start learning a foreign language at the age of 11, whilst in Norway and Sweden, they begin learning another language at seven. A common reason given by teachers and young people alike for not learning a foreign language either at GCSE or at A-level is that it is a hard subject, and you are more likely to get good grades if you do an easier less traditional subject such as psychology or film studies. I think in fact that if you get a good grade at A-level in a foreign language, you are far more employable than if you have a good grade in an easier subject i.e. one that is not considered to be as academically challenging.
I spoke to students at Sixth Form College who gave various reasons for not learning a foreign language ranging from “What’s the point?” to “It’s all memorising vocabulary and grammar and it’s very boring”.
In my experience it is extremely rewarding to have knowledge of another language other than your own and it seems to me that in today’s ever growing global multi-cultural society we all need knowledge of other languages and cultures to survive. With the growing amount of dealings in global affairs that Britain is involved in; knowing how to speak another language can only better our position on the world stage. London alone is made up of more than 270 nationalities and more than 250 languages are spoken in the city, making our capital the most linguistically diverse city in the world.
The idea that we can get by because other people speak our language is I’m sure you’ll agree ludicrous. We are among the worst nations in Europe for our young people speaking foreign languages. This should serve as a serious wake up call. We need as a country and as individuals, to learn to be more linguistically flexible and embrace other cultures and the delights that they hold.
I went out on to the streets of Hereford to find out what some young people think about learning foreign languages:
Name: Millie
Age: 16
From: Herefordshire
Do you think that learning a foreign language is important? No because when we go abroad they all speak English.
Are you currently learning a foreign language, or have you ever learnt one? I did French at school, but only because I had to.
Name: Becky
Age: 14
From: Wormelow, Herefordshire
Do you think that learning a foreign language is important? I think it is important to learn a foreign language.
Are you currently learning a foreign language, or have you ever learnt one? I am currently learning German and French but I prefer German because it’s easier.
Name: Felicity
Age: 17
From: Herefordshire
Do you think that learning a foreign language is important? I think it is important to learn a foreign language because it enables you to interact with other people.
Are you currently learning a foreign language, or have you ever learnt one? I did French at school and German for a bit, but I didn’t carry German on to GCSE because I didn’t like it and I didn’t carry French on at A-level because it is too hard.
Name: Lucy
Age: 14
From:
Herefordshire
Do you think that learning a foreign language is important? Yes because you can communicate with other people in the world and it can be useful for your career.
Are you currently learning a foreign language, or have you ever learnt one? Yes, French. It’s very confusing and I find it hard to learn but it’s useful.
