hat distinguishes human beingsfrom the rest of the animal worldis our linguistic ability. No matterwhere we migrate, whatever the complexityof the language of the community we join,our children grow up happily mastering thelanguage they need. We rarely questiontheir ability to do so, or the essential valueof this competence. Yet despite theubiquitous and overwhelming evidence ofglobalisation in almost every aspect of ourdaily lives, the British blindly continue tounderestimate the advantages of learning asecond language, not to mention thebenefits of multilingualism. there is acomplacent consensus that languages are'hard' and we are 'not much good at them'. For readers of this journal, it is scarcelynecessary to warn that the current UK deficitin language skills represents a major sourceof vulnerability as we navigate the economicdownturn. this argument is made persuasivelyin the recent education and employerstaskforce publication, 'the economic Casefor Language Learning and the role ofemployer engagement' (2011), whichsuggests that UK plc loses £7.3 billion a yearin a 'tax on trade' due to a lack of languageskills. indeed, as the report highlights, aplethora of reports over the last decade haveunderlined the urgent need to reverse thedecline in language learning: Languages:The next generation and A New Landscapefor Languages (Nuffield, 2002, 2003), theNational Languages strategy in Highereducation (Dfes, 2005), Dearing's Languagesreview (2007), the British academy's'Language matters' and 'Language mattersmore and more' (2009, 2011). Yet clearly themessage has not been conveyed sufficientlywidely or persuasively to halt the trend.those of us lobbying for language educationfind ourselves preaching to the converted.evidence of the lack of public awarenesscontinues to accumulate. Figures released atthe end of January by UCas (the Universitiesand Colleges admissions service) indicatethat, among the general decline inRegular updates on the campaign for languagesPam Mooresexplores thechallenge of switching students onto languages in higher educationHigher ambitions8 TheLinguistAPRIL/MAYwww.iol.org.ukSPEAK TO THE FUTURE Dominic Luddylooksat the work ahead inour new feature onSpeak to the future Launched in 2011 and funded by the Britishacademy, speak to the future wants to see astep-change in attitude and policy towardslanguages in all phases of education. thecampaign has rallied more than 20organisations and dozens of leading figuresin the languages field. they share a vision,described by the campaign's five objectives(see right). among them is the aimfor every UK graduate to be qualified in asecond language -this year, applications to european languages courses fell by 11.2 percent and to non-european languagesby a staggering 21.5 percent. a working group has been formed for eachobjective, to collate evidence, identify gaps,engage supporters and lobby governmentand policymakers, helping to achieve ourambitious goals. Businesses are also beingrecruited to the cause, able to demonstratethe strong and growing demand forlanguages in many industries, and thefrustration that employers find whenrecruiting for UK-educated linguists. the campaign is building a collaborativeaction programme, but equally wants toinspire supporters to do their bit forlanguages, and promote existing projects thatcan make a difference. For higher education,we have backed the excellent Year abroadGraduate Project led by the British academy,the University Council for modern Languagesand thirdYearabroad.com, which isshowcasing the value of time spent overseas,and we have been delighted to seeuniversities running language festivals aroundmardi Gras for two years consecutively, insupport of speak to the future. We want toignite the debate beyond the community ofdedicated linguists, present our case and showthe sceptics - government, media, parentsand students alike - that languages need tobe taken much more seriously in the UK.On thecampaign trailW© Dreamstime

Vol/51 No/2 2012aPriL/maYTheLinguist9SPEAK TO THE FUTUREapplications for autumn 2012 (which was notunexpected in the context of the new feesregime), languages and related studies arethe subjects worst affected. applications tocourses in european languages have fallen by11.2 percent, and in non-europeanlanguages by 21.5 percent. Languagegraduates may have the highest averagesalary of all arts graduates three and a halfyears after graduation (Hefce, 2008), but suchfacts do not seem to be widely known. students' choices are influenced byparents, teachers and careers advisors, and reflect prevailing public perceptions.these clearly conflict with what informedsources tell us about the employability ofcandidates with language competence andinternational experience. the recent UCas press releases have, atleast, generated a spate of media attention.Will Hutton laments in The Observer: 'Wecontinue to harm and isolate ourselves byonly speaking english. self development andnational development will both be enhancedif we embrace foreign languages' (5/2/12).The Timesjoins in: 'We just don't get it. Howthe language barrier is killing the Britisheconomy' (7/2/12). rare and inspiringcoverage! a high-profile, national debate islong overdue.those in the know are certainly concerned.the Higher education Funding Council forengland (Hefce) classes language studies as'strategically important and vulnerable' (siV),and has invested in protecting and promotingthem (see, eg, www.ucml.ac.uk/shapingthefuture and www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk). Yet the challenges remain substantial: onethird of university language departmentsclosed between 2002 and 2009 ('Languagematters'), and modern foreign languageprovision is increasingly concentrated in theprestigious russell Group universities. thisreinforces the social selection that takes placeat secondary level, where state school pupilshave less opportunity for languagelearningthan those in the independent sector. a marked reduction in university provisionis evident from analysis of UCas degreeprogramme information. the number ofuniversities offering degrees in specificlanguages fell consistently between 2000 and2011. German degree programmes had beenon offer in 126 institutions at the turn of themillennium but this had decreased to 57 by2011, a reduction of 55 percent; for Frenchand italian the figure is 42 percent; forJapanese 55 percent; russian 60 percent andspanish 34 percent. this is not becausestudents are recognising the rising power ofgrowing economies and flocking to arabic ormandarin; rather they do not appear to ratethe value of learning about other cultures andlanguages in general. there are tentative explanations one mightoffer: changing qualifications and educationpolicies, the obsession with choice, the drivefor high performance in school league tables.all have militated against commitment torewarding but demanding subjects whichrequire sustained effort and progress alongwell-planned learning pathways. When itcomes to university choices, language degreesare usually four-year programmes with anintegrated year abroad, and in the context ofthe rise in fees, a three-year programme mustbe less financially daunting (although manyuniversities are subsidising the year abroad). risk aversion may also explain the muchbigger drop in non-european languages.Usually students learn these from scratch, thecultures are little known to them, and there isan unfamiliar writing system to master. it mayseem a safer bet to focus on our europeanneighbours. are we lowering our ambitions?For the older and wiser, this may seemshort-sighted. We know that english is notenough, that Great Britain is no longer agreat imperial power, that this country itself isincreasingly multicultural, and that the globaleconomy offers exciting new opportunities tothose who are equipped with the confidence,skills and knowledge to launch into theunknown. the speak to the future campaignfocuses on these challenges. CAN YOU HELP?CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVESFind out more about the campaign and how you can getinvolved at www.speaktothefuture.org. The Speak to thefuture campaign, which is hosted at Saxon House, is fullyendorsed by the CIOL, who have kindly donated an office. 1 Every language valued as an asset.this will encourage policy makers and citizens torecognise that the many languages used in the homes of UK citizens are a valuableresource for social cohesion and economic success.2 A coherent experience of languages for all children in primary school. this willintroduce the learning of other languages and cultures as well as develop a betterunderstanding of how the child's own languages work.  3 A basic working knowledge of at least two languages, including English, forevery child leaving secondary school.this will equip every school leaver to liveand work in a global society where confidence in learning and using otherlanguages is a major advantage.4 Every graduate qualified in a second language.this will prepare future leaders inbusiness, the professions, voluntary organisations, education and research to thrive andcommunicate confidently in complex global societies.5 An increase in the number of highly qualified linguists.this will fulfil the growingneed for language professionals, especially english-speaking interpreters andtranslators, and for teachers and researchers specialising in languages and cultures.© istoCKPHoto