By Phillip Souta
Logo of the 50-year anniversary of the Treaties of Rome in 23 EU languages [Photo: European Commission
A new report by the Education and Employers Taskforce estimates the cost to the UK economy of Britain’s lack of foreign language speakers at £17 billion a year.
The report says that the UK is losing its standing in the world because many Brits cannot communicate adequately outside their own language.
Roland Rudd, the chairman of Business for New Europe, one of the members of the BBN, wrote that the urgency of the crisis is not getting through to the young. In his foreword to the report, he wrote that the UK’s comparative lack of language skills is, “inhibiting our businesses, our national prosperity and even our international standing.”
He went on to say that ,“Quite simply, British businesses will not remain competitive unless we can communicate effectively and interact with customers and partners around the world.”
1 comment
Alan Fisk says:
Feb 8, 2012
It’s no use telling school pupils that they should study foreign languages, when state schools almost all use the “communicative method”, which consists almost entirely of boring repetitive drills and no grammar, so that pupils don’t know how to frame sentences on the topics that they want to talk about (as distinct from the topics prescribed by the examination boards). Until an element of grammar-translation is brought back, they will continue to be frustrated and will drop languages.