The latest from the languages world6 TheLinguistAUGUST/SEPTEMBERwww.iol.org.ukNEWS & EDITORIAL Fewer learners in England continue withlanguages at 14 than in any other Europeancountry covered by a recentstudy. Managedby the British Council, the Language RichEurope survey reveals England's manyadvantages, including innovative teaching and'linguistic capital' in the form of more than amillion school children who speak a languageother than English. Yet this potential is under-exploited because other languages are notconsidered 'essential'. Most drop languagesat 16, with private and selective schoolsaccounting for the majority of languages A-levels, according to the EuropeanCommission funded report, launched at theLondon School of Economics on 28 June. In a separate European Commission study, also published in June, young peoplein England were found to have the worstlanguage skills in Europe, with less than 10 percent of 14- to 15-year-olds able tocommunicate their interests and experiencesin a foreign language, compared to aEuropean average of 42 percent. Thiscontrasts sharply with the situation inSweden, the Netherlands and Malta, whichhad the best results in the SurveyLang studyof 16 EU member states.For details see www.language-rich.eu andwww.surveylang.org.Languages to be compulsory forchildren aged 7-11 within two yearsPrimary concernMichael Gove, the Secretary of State forEducation, announced on 12 June thatlanguage learning is to become a compulsorysubject in the primary curriculum in Englandfor the first time. This change, due to beimplemented in 2014, will provide students asyoung as seven with the opportunity to learnfrom a range of languages, including German,French, Mandarin and Latin. Not only will thishelp children to understand the world morefully from an earlier age, but it will also helpthem to develop a strong base in languagelearning to support study in Key Stage 3. The Government had previously mademoves to improve the take-up of languagesin secondary education with the introductionof the English Baccalaureate but, until now,the issue of language learning in Key Stage 2had not been fully addressed. The reversal ofa commitment, made by the previousgovernment, to make languages part of theprimary curriculum this year would have leftEngland at a disadvantage. A new CfBT Education Trust researchreport, 'Lessons from Abroad: Internationalreview of primary languages', compareslanguage learning systems in primary curriculaacross the world. Its findings challenge theassumption that English speakers do notneed to learn other languages, not only oneconomic grounds but also because of thecontribution language learning can make tothe wider aims of education. The reportreveals that English-speaking countriesgenerally provide fewer resources andencouragement for language learning thanother high-performing education systems.'Lessons from Abroad' is broken down intotwo parts. The first covers internationalresearch and developments in early languagelearning. It provides evidence of the benefitsof introducing languages in primary schools orearlier, as well as current policy developmentsin other nations. The second focuses on theissues that are common to all educationsystems and need to be addressed if primarylanguage teaching is to be a success. The report is available to download for freefrom www.cfbt.com.Claire PendletonTeen languages:could do betterNew inquiry isLost for WordsAn investigation into the public sector'spresent and future language requirementshas been launched by the British Academy.The inquiry will focus on public policy in theUK and assess the needs of Government,NGOs, business and the public sector,including the Armed Forces. Overseen by a Steering Group chaired byDr Robin Niblett, 'Lost for Words' will reporton the state of languages provision in the UKcompared with overseas, and makerecommendations to Government andHigher Education providers.For details email . © ISTOCKPHOTO

Vol/51 No/4 2012AUGUST/SEPTEMBERTheLinguist7The importance of multilingualism in businessand the lessons that could be learned toimprove UK exporters' trade in non-English-speaking markets, were the topics ofdiscussion at the meeting of the All-PartyParliamentary Group (APPG) on ModernLanguages in May. Baroness Coussins, Chairof the APPG, introduced Professor StephenHagen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity of Wales, Newport, who spoke onthe impact of languages on small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). He also discussedglobalisation and the importance ofimplementing strategies for growing globalcommunication demands, especially incountries that rely heavily on English. According to Prof Hagen: 'English iscurrently a major interface in the businesstrade, with 25 percent of the world'spopulation being familiar with it in one formor another.' However, although English stilldominates communication in global business,the multicultural nature of trade is increasing,especially due to the strength of emergingmarkets. As a result, English is beginning tobe used less. This is particularly evident onthe internet. While internet usage increasedby 40 percent in the USA in 2006, there was a200 percent increase in Brazil, 300 percent inIndia and more than 500 percent in China. The APPG noted that half of the world'spopulation now speaks one or more of 12languages, including Hindi, Spanish, Russian,Mandarin and Japanese. While this maycome as a relief to some internationalorganisations, Prof Hagen warned: 'English isa double-edged sword because theavailability of skilled linguists within the UKable to cope with the demand continues todecline.' This is putting the UK at adisadvantage compared to countries withexpansive multilingual workforces, he added. This decline is evident in the number ofdegree programmes offered in the sixprincipal languages, which has fallen by 46 percent since 2003, and the decreasinguptake at A-level. Even so, London is themost multilingual city in the world. ProfHagen noted: 'There has been a major drivefor multilingualism within the workplace,which had been observed in regards toapproaches to training and recruitment.' Proactive organisations, or 'enablers', asnamed by the British Chambers of Commercelanguage survey, consciously select markets toconduct business with, and adapt theirproducts, services and literature to meet theneeds of these markets. As a result, they focuson ensuring that staff have foreign languageskills. Exports from organisations within thisgroup were increasing by around ?360,000 ayear. In contrast, exporters known as'opportunists' -a reactive market segmentthat places the least value on language skills -saw an average decline of ?75,000 a year. Prof Hagen added that in England andWales at least a quarter of export companiesregularly lost business due to language orcultural deficiencies. One estimate suggestedalack of language skills cost the UK up to1.2 percent of GDP or £7.3 billion a year.The 2006 'ELAN: Effects on the EuropeanEconomy of Shortages of Foreign LanguageSkills in Enterprise' study showed that 'one inten SMEs had lost contracts due to a lack ofskills in foreign languages or expertise; 37 ofwhich valued the loss of business to equateto between ?8-13.5 million.' Among a range of communications andlanguage management strategies, ProfHagen discussed the employment of staffwith existing language skills and nationalpersonnel; a language management strategyincluding the planned adoption of a range oftechniques to facilitate effectivecommunication with clients and suppliersabroad; the use of professional translators;and the implementation of a multilingualand localised website.He added that companies placing animportance on the use of languages inbusiness, and an awareness of the culturaland religious differences in the marketswhere they conduct business, demonstrateto their clients their long-term commitmentto conducting business with them. 'If youdon't really understand the cultural aspectsof a country, you can't really understand thecountry - this means it is more than just ahandshake,' he said. Prof Hagen concluded that ensuring thatstaff have appropriate language skills and anunderstanding of each market's culture willincrease the flow of market intelligence andprovide better opportunities for customerfeedback and analysis, ultimately improvingbusiness and revenue. He commented thatwhile 'cultural awareness is more nebulous,intercultural competence is vital for asuccessful business'.Toattend the next APPG meeting, pleasecontact & EDITORIALClaire Pendleton on the recent activities of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern LanguagesInside parliamentClaire Pendleton is ContentManager, CfBT Education Trust.TLPARLIAMENTARYCOPYRIGHTIMAGESAREREPRODUCEDWITHTHEPERMISSIONOFPARLIAMENT