Why learn a foreign language?

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

(Nelson Mandela)

What are the advantages of learning a foreign language? Discuss.

Did you get all of the following?

• Shows you can tackle a challenge• Broaden your horizons• Understand other cultures fully• Meet new people• Travel• Study/work abroad• Gives you a sense of achievement, and shows

others that you are intelligent, determined, committed and hardworking.

• It is easier to learn a language when you are young• Breaking the stereotype of the English tourist

abroad• Understand your own language better• Recognising links between English and other

languages• Study literature, music, film in a foreign language

“Those who know nothing of foreign languages, knows nothing of their own.”

(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), German writer and polymath)

• Learning a foreign language improves your brain function and helps to makes you more employable.(American Academy of Neurology, 2013)

Can you think of any examples or specific skills that are developed through learning a foreign language?

• Speaking a second language has also been proved to delay the onset of dementia.

“The researchers suggested that bilingual switching between different sounds, words, concepts, grammatical structures and social norms constituted a form of natural brain training, which was likely to be more effective than any artificial brain training programme.” (American Academy of Neurology, 2013)

Quick quiz

Answer = 6%

• The percentage of the world’s population that speaks English as a first language is:

6%26%56%86%

Answer = 75%

• What percentage of the world’s population speaks no English at all?

15%25%50%75%

Answer = Mandarin(Spanish is second, English third)

• The most widely-spoken language in the world is:

ArabicEnglishMandarinSpanish

Some other facts & figures• Over 60% of British trade is with non-English

speaking countries• Students who learn a second language

perform better generally in tests• UK graduates of Modern Languages have one

of the lowest graduate unemployment rates.

“A different language is a different vision of life.”(Federico Fellini (1920 - 1993), Italian film director)

Give yourself the edge… they did!Match the names on the left to the degrees on the right:J. K. RowlingAuthor (Harry Potter)

Paula RadcliffeAthlete

Lucy LiuFilm star

Jonathan RossTV and Radio PresenterRory Bremner Comedian

Fiona BruceNewsreader

Chris MartinMusician (Coldplay)

Nigella LawsonTV Chef

Chinese Language and Culture(1990)European Studies(1982)

French and German(1983)

Modern European Studies(1996)

Greek and Latin(1999)

French and Classics(1987)

Medieval and Modern Languages(1983)French and Italian(1986)

J. K. RowlingAuthor (Harry Potter)

French and Classics(1987)

Paula RadcliffeAthlete

Modern European Studies(1996)

Lucy Liu Film star (Kill Bill, Charlie’s Angels)

Chinese Language and Culture(1990)

Jonathan RossTV and Radio Presenter

European Studies(1982)

Rory Bremner Comedian

French and German(1983)

Fiona BruceNewsreader

French and Italian(1986)

Chris MartinMusician (Coldplay)

Greek and Latin(1999)

Nigella LawsonTV Chef

Medieval and Modern Languages(1983)

A few more…• Kate Beckinsale (actress) – French and Russian• Kate Adie (broadcaster) – Scandinavian studies• Mayim Bialik (actress, big bang theory) – Hebrew,

Jewish studies & Neuroscience• Ashley Judd (Actress, Divergent, Heat) – French• Jo Whiley (DJ, BBC) – Applied Languages• David Macklovitch (musician, 22 jump street) –

French literature• Brooke Shields (model, actress) – French literature

Competition – what am I up against?• Most businesses and universities want you to

have studied a foreign language.• Large competition in the job market – free

movement in EU, many students from other countries learn one or two foreign languages to a high level.

• We live in a globalised world – much easier to communicate now, distance is less of an issue.

• Modern and classical languages are facilitating subjects – subjects favoured by Russell Group Universities.

• Many top international and independent schools in the UK offer the International Baccalaureate qualification (equivalent of A-Levels). The study of a foreign language is compulsory!

Businesses say that:

• Business is global today• English is important, but not enough• You need to get noticed overseas• Cultural awareness pays off• Networking is easier in the local language• Relationships make a difference• Foreign languages are vital

LLAS (Languages Linguistics Area Studies)

Which languages do businesses value the most in the UK?

(CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Survey 2014)

1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

French

GermanSpanishMandarinArabic

• “Young people considering their future subject choices should be made more aware of the benefits to their careers that can come from studying a foreign language.” (Katja Hall, 2014, CBI Deputy Director-General)CBI = The Confederation of British Industry

Do you know anyone who speaks a foreign language?

• Bradley Wiggins French interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZk2LL1HBKc&list=PLVr9N3u5ytEfrIva-LFk02zkAyAYVtN5o

• Bradley Cooper interview in French:http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-20h/2011/bradley-cooper-la-coqueluche-de-hollywood-sur-le-plateau-de-tf1-6510828.html ORhttp://www.popsugar.com.au/celebrity/Video-Hot-Bradley-Cooper-Speaking-Fluent-French-Interview-17581819

• Sandra Bullock acceptance speech German: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s10x38SMb-g

• Gary Lineker Spanish football intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uHuoWHbGNE

• Jodie Foster (Silence of the lambs, Inside man, Elysium) interview in French:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNGgAvkC02I

• Gwyneth Paltrow Spanish interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLTXYP27b-I

• Kobe Bryant Italian interview:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L6nVq2jspU

• Boris Johnson French interview:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OzSvvuCgJ4

• More at:

http://www.thirdyearabroad.com/advice-and-tips/celebrity-linguists.html

• Videos on the video server – Go to MFL, L2 at work, Gary, Trevtalk, Ben, Chef, Iona, Katarina, Sam.