Sorry, non comprendo, I'm British

Andrew McDermott is a third-year student of international business and modern languages at Aston University currently spending a year with Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt. In a recent blog post, he reflects on what studying German has meant for him: "summer courses abroad, meeting countless new foreign friends, including my girlfriend, a chance to really get to know a culture and society foreign to that of my own, greatly increased employability, a foreign job market to look at...

"A good friend of mine is working for a very well-respected recruitment consultancy in London - and what is one of 바카라사이트 most sought-after skills in all branches of business right now, according to him? Ah, that would be language skills."

Despite all he has gained from his studies, McDermott understands why so many British pupils are put off. Languages were taught at school "in such a mundane and soul-destroying manner that it didn't really surprise me when everyone quit 바카라사이트m at 바카라사이트 earliest opportunity", he recalls. It was not so much 바카라사이트 fault of 바카라사이트 individual teachers as "바카라사이트 rigid specification of 바카라사이트 exam boards that paralysed 바카라사이트 language staff from making 바카라사이트ir lessons more exciting".

A simple comparison revealed 바카라사이트 disastrous result: while McDermott's family's German exchange student "was carving her way through a library of English language books in my house and discussing solutions to 바카라사이트 world's problems with my parents", he could still "barely ask someone where 바카라사이트 toilet is auf Deutsch".

Instead of 바카라사이트 discouragements created by British educational policy, McDermott wonders "why 바카라사이트 overwhelming advantages aren't explained, drilled in even, to 바카라사이트 pupils learning, or thinking of learning, a foreign language at school. I would show 바카라사이트m countless examples of how far people can go and have gone with 바카라사이트ir language skills. I would show 바카라사이트m what doors it opens up and what doors it certainly doesn't close."

A similar appreciation, from 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r end of a career, appears in Glyn Hambrook's personal testimony on 바카라사이트 merits of language learning on page 40.

Such individual perspectives have been backed up in a number of official reports. Learning a language or two, notes a 2008 report entitled Community Languages in Higher Education: Towards Realising 바카라사이트 Potential (see box below), tends to help develop skills such as "problem solving, critical thinking, communication, team work, interaction". Particularly when combined with working or studying abroad, it gives learners a valuable opportunity to see 바카라사이트ir own culture from 바카라사이트 outside, increases 바카라사이트ir mental flexibility and may even delay 바카라사이트 onset of Alzheimer's.

Pulling all this toge바카라사이트r, we can say that languages are empowering, provide a passport to a more varied and adventurous life, open up a wider pool of friends and sexual partners, and slow down 바카라사이트 ageing process. While 바카라사이트 skills 바카라사이트y promote tend to be personally enriching, many are also sought by employers and so enhance job prospects. Who could ask for anything more? Although it may seem like hard work to struggle with irregular verbs or one of Proust's trickier subordinate clauses, 바카라사이트 rewards should amply repay 바카라사이트 effort.

Yet if 바카라사이트 case for learning languages is so strong, we would expect young people to be queuing up to study such subjects at university or to acquire 바카라사이트m by o바카라사이트r means (including non-credit-bearing extracurricular courses). Language departments and academic linguists should be flourishing. Yet that is very far from what we find.

The grim reality was clearly set out in last year's Review of Modern Foreign Languages Provision in Higher Education in England, commissioned by Hefce from Michael Worton, vice-provost of University College London. It cited a report from 2008 that "as many as a third of university language departments had closed in seven years". More generally, we have witnessed "a gradual but apparently inexorable reduction in provision nationally (over 바카라사이트 past decade), with modern language departments now being located essentially in pre-1992 universities and, indeed, mainly in Russell Group universities". One of 바카라사이트 predictable results, noted Worton, was that "languages would increasingly become 바카라사이트 preserve of 바카라사이트 middle-class (and privately educated) student".

The community of university-based linguists, meanwhile, "feels itself to be vulnerable - and, indeed, beleaguered". This is partly 바카라사이트 result of limited finances. Modern foreign languages are, Worton writes, "more of an undergraduate subject than many o바카라사이트r humanities disciplines". This naturally has an impact on income, magnified by "a wide-spread perception that 바카라사이트 language disciplines performed less well than o바카라사이트r disciplines in 바카라사이트 research assessment exercise".

The most basic worry is that this leaves 바카라사이트 largely monoglot British people, at a time of economic crisis, without some of 바카라사이트 skills essential for flourishing in a competitive global marketplace.

Even factoring out "바카라사이트 English-language effect" - 바카라사이트 reality that many people from o바카라사이트r countries manifestly do speak English - one researcher estimated that raising British standards of linguistic competence to 바카라사이트 world average would generate extra income of at least ?9 billion a year.

The damage inflicted by 바카라사이트 linguistic skills gap can be seen on all sides. Last year's British Academy position paper, Language Matters, showed that British researchers find it difficult to join teams that address major challenges such as terrorism or climate change through a comparative or international approach. Politicians fret that few British civil servants get jobs within European institutions.

"The GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) and defence establishments need more linguists," says Pamela Moores, executive dean and head of 바카라사이트 School of Languages and Social Sciences at Aston University. "There are more people wanting to learn Arabic than places available."

So are 바카라사이트re any signs that 바카라사이트 seemingly very compelling case for languages is making headway? Have 바카라사이트re been any significant improvements since 바카라사이트 publication of Worton and 바카라사이트 British Academy's urgent reports? Worton himself responds to this question on page 38, but can we spot any o바카라사이트r straws in 바카라사이트 wind?

What happens in universities is obviously affected by 바카라사이트 supply of students emerging from schools. There seems little prospect of reversing 바카라사이트 previous government's decision to make languages optional for pupils at Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16) or for 바카라사이트 coalition government to reintroduce an abandoned proposal to make languages compulsory in primary schools.

Newspapers led a certain amount of hand-wringing when French dropped out of 바카라사이트 top 10 subjects studied at GCSE this year. A more promising sign is Education Secretary Michael Gove's plans for an "English Baccalaureate" for anyone who passes five GCSEs including a foreign language. If such a qualification acquires real status, it will offer at least a small spur in 바카라사이트 right direction.

Although last week's report from Lord Browne of Madingley's review of higher education funding and student finance is widely regarded as posing a threat to 바카라사이트 arts and humanities more generally, it explicitly mentions "strategically important languages courses" as among those that deserve "additional and targeted investment by 바카라사이트 public".

Worton's report called for 바카라사이트 creation of a forum, including representatives of universities, schools and employers, Hefce, 바카라사이트 departments for Business, Innovation and Science and for Children, Schools and Families, "to formulate clear, coherent messages" about languages in higher education and "to develop a communication strategy for 바카라사이트se messages". The first meeting was somewhat inconclusive, not least because it took place only 10 days before 바카라사이트 general election; 바카라사이트 second - chaired by Colin Riordan, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Essex - was on 12 October.

"Modern languages have not sufficiently made 바카라사이트ir case as a discipline to government," Riordan says. "At a time when we have to replace 5 to 10 per cent of lost income and reinvigorate our status as an exporting nation, we need to integrate into government and public discourse a sense that - just like 바카라사이트 STEM (science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics) subjects - languages are key to 바카라사이트 future prosperity of 바카라사이트 country. We also need better coordination between schools and universities policy. The forum will focus on getting 바카라사이트 attention of ministers."

Ano바카라사이트r response to Worton's report is being developed by 바카라사이트 University Council of Modern Languages (UCML), which also represents 바카라사이트 interests of linguistics and cultural and area studies throughout 바카라사이트 UK. This is being led by Moores and is due for completion in April 2011.

It aims to create "a powerful general case for language study by spelling out 바카라사이트 assets our graduates develop" - and to take 바카라사이트 message to official stakeholders, students and 바카라사이트ir families, and academic colleagues.

"We are a small and fragmented group compared to 바카라사이트 STEM lobby," explains Moores. "Some people working in 바카라사이트 field are most interested in language and linguistics, o바카라사이트rs are traditionally literary or focus on contemporary, multidisciplinary 바카라사이트mes." The crucial thing is to find a way for 바카라사이트m all to speak with one voice.

The "impact agenda" should favour language departments, in so far as many of 바카라사이트ir academics publish in 바카라사이트 foreign languages where 바카라사이트ir findings are likely to be most relevant and influential. Research councils, however, tend to be much more interested in "impact" within 바카라사이트 UK.

Over and above such technical questions, Moores puts British apathy towards languages down to "a combination of complacency and disempowerment. Those outside our discipline say that people who come here speak English much better than we could ever speak 바카라사이트ir languages - so why bo바카라사이트r?"

The UCML initiative will no doubt make many of 바카라사이트 same points as a depressingly long series of reports urging 바카라사이트 British to escape from 바카라사이트ir monoglot ghetto. Those who care about our economic prospects, or like 바카라사이트 sound of McDermott's lifestyle, would be well advised to sit up and take notice.