How many languages do you know?
I was reading recently about a company that wouldn't hire a manager unless they knew more than one language, with the reasoning being that in this globalised age it was essential to know a few languages.
I'm ashamed to say that my knowledge of non-English languages is pretty patchy.
How many languages do you know?
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Guessing not many :D
English and a smattering of French....that's about my limit but hoping to do Spanish and Italian once I have finished my Psychology Degree
English doesn't count Sam :P
English, and a bit of French and Spanish. Plus a tiny bit of Mandarin.
Which company was this, Mike?
Paul
It was a German company Paul. The name escapes me at this exact moment, but they were doing a lot of their business overseas so demanded their management were multi-lingual.
Did you learn those languages at school or later on in life?
Lol Mike, why not English is a language.
I've just finished a french course with Open Uni. Hoping to do Italian and Spanish at a local college.
French, German and Russian (very rusty) - not necessarily the most useful for business today. Also minimal holiday Italian and Spanish. While we're on the subject, will you allow me to get on my soapbox about:
1. fewer primary schools teaching foreign languages
2. the decline of language teaching in secondary and higher education generally.
1. seems ridiculous when research has shown that our primary language learning ability declines around age 11-12, just when many of us start a foreign language
2. doesn't sit well with the high degree of globalisation in business and society.
It isn't just about speaking a language, but about gaining an awareness of and respect for cultural differences - understanding that other nations live and think in different ways...I don't say we necessarily need to stick with the traditional French and German I did at school, how about more Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic etc. etc.
By the way, perhaps I should confess that I did start my working life as a language teacher!
I don't know enough. A bit of French and Italian but nothing fluent. Interesting that the government are thinking about making the studying of a foreign language compulsory.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12243936
When asked whether he was "leaving the door open" to making modern foreign languages compulsory at GCSE, Mr Gove responded with an emphatic "yes".
Hi,
I am french working in the UK, so I have an unfair advantage. But let me give you hope, because 10 years ago I would have been unable to order a fish and chips... (maybe a bit of exaggeration but you see my point.)
The best way if you are really motivated is to watch TV in original language with english subtitle, listen to the radio and get a method... This will bring you to a very decent level. And then nothing will replace the real-life experience of speaking with a native. And for that university and their myriad of foreign people are an excellent place to look at. Nobody will refuse a beer to speak his own language!
So my languages are french, english and German, with a little spanish.
Best of luck!
Good tip Jeremie. I'm going to try and learn Czech as my better half is from there. Just need to find some Czech tv now :)
I agree with your methods Jeremie. I have worked for a German/Swiss organization for the past 8 years, I started learning German basics using CD's in my car to and from work each day. No matter how much of this I did, I only really started to improve by communicating in German (both orally and by e-mails). On my travels, I tried to speak German whenever I could and also watched German TV in my hotels.
I studied French at school, most of which I forgot as time passed. Now I have a lot of it back again via a fantastic CD program by Michel Thomas!!
I am originally South African and speak Afrikaans fluently which means I can also get by in Dutch.
Hi all
Working in Dubai is a real example of cultural mix and the need to speak (or at least have some understanding) of more than one language. (More than 90% of the local labour market in Dubai is expatriate from all around the globe) Even though the English is the business language, however Arabic language can add value especially working with the government sector.
Being a Lebanese I speak Arabic, French( as Arabic is the official langauge and French is widley spoken) as well as English and fairly I understand Tagalog, Hindi, and Urdu (because of the interaction with the growing Asian workforce in Dubai).
Knowing more than one language actually helped me in my career, fluency in Arabic and English (sure with the expertise and knowledge needed) can give any expat working in Dubai the competitive edge needed.
Must say I've never heard of Tagalog Gilbert. Where is that from?
Hi Wayne
Tagalog is the official language in Philippines. Actually I never heard about this language until I worked in Dubai
Ah, well there y'go. My new thing learnt for the day. Do you find it's easy to learn new languages once you have a few under your belt?
It depends on the language and the similarities, for example its easier or let’s say it’s less difficult to learn Italian if you know French (because of the similarities) and its easier to learn Tagalog if you know Spanish (many words comes from Spanish dialect ). Yes you can say to the extent if you know more languages you can develop the capabilities to absorb new languages (or at least absorb the basic needed to interact), the most important thing is the interactions with the native speakers (and this is what you can find in Dubai, people from all around the world living in one city) because if you just learn the language and you don’t practice it you will forget it. However, watching the news or episodes in the language you want to learn is very helpful. For example and to improve my English I used to watch EastEnders, sky news , BBC , and listen to BBC radio, and it was really very helpful especially in developing a better accent and develop a quick reaction to a conversation if the native speakers are English.
Quite an impressive list Gilbert although I am a tad worried about you learning English from Eastenders d'yer know wha' I mean init?
:)
Yes I know Peter, watching EastEnders is not a good advice for anyone wants to learn English :) But it helped me in different way. In the beginning It was not easy for me to understand even the BBC English, so I said if I watch episodes in (let’s say Cockney English) my brain will get used to it (especially when they speak fast, for example: where 'ave yew been yesterday?, innit.) and it really helped me. :)
Excellent! Well it's certainly not done you any harm Gilbert - and I'm sure it is very good advice for anyone wnting to learn another language.
It helps if you enjoy languages for sure. I learnt Latin and French at School. I learnt Nepalese later and a few years ago learnt a reasonable amount of Arabic - without doubt my favourite. My experience is that even speaking a few words opens doors.
Interesting to read today that being bi-lingual has health benefits, with it believed to offset the chances of Alzheimers striking later in life.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/feb/18/bilingual-alzheimers-brain...
It helps if you enjoy languages for sure. I learnt Latin and French at School. I learnt Nepalese later and a few years ago learnt a reasonable amount of Arabic - without doubt my favourite. My experience is that even speaking a few words opens doors.
Yes indeed,really helps to know much about culture,and tradition associated with any non native langugae.I am also in the process of teaching myself Japanese,still have a list of languages I would like to pick up in my lifetime.
I am a fluent German speaker having studied it at degree level and about to return to UK after having lived here since Oct 08. That brings my total time spent living abroad to just short of six years.
What got me hooked on German was starting young - a relative lived in Germany when I was growing up in UK and he introduced me to the basics when I was a kid. This led to great success at secondary school as I wasn't afraid of the language. I made use of all opportunities to travel to Germany (twin town association study trip, school exchanges, self-organised holiday) which undoubtedly contributed to top grades at GCSE and A Level. After an ERASMUS year in Germany I decided to change to German Studies (from Zoology of all things) and although my overall grade was dragged down by the non-language part of the degree (literature mainly) I graduated with a Distinction in Spoken German as well as receiving two other language related academic prizes.
I also took French at GCSE, for one year as an 'extra' during A Levels and later took a refresher early on in my studies. I must admit however that it is rusty. I also learnt the basics of Italian from friends at uni.
My advice: Don't be afraid of opening your mouth for want of making a mistake. make every opportunity to mingle with an international crowd and force yourself to not scoialise purely with an English-native crowd when abroad - get out of that comfort zone! Also: iPods - buy yourself a language course, burn it to your laptop and upload it to your iPod. listen to the language course a few times while playing your favourite game so that you get used to the sound of the language - then open the book it came with, not the other way round.
Some great tips Chris.
Point 1 is certainly one which I have struggled with. I think that as our Eurpoean neighbours always seem more adept at talking English it always takes a lot of courage to speak to them in their native tounge. The other experience I've had is when you do actually take the plunge they reply to you English!
I speak holiday French and am learning German as my other half is over there in the RAF so travel there each month. It helps to be able to hear the language in context rather than on a CD etc. I'm getting better and hope to be fluent (that's the plan!) by the time he is posted again. Fingers crossed.
Oh and I have a fluent grasp of Saxon English when I'm frustrated (!!!!).
Peter I certainly know what you mean, but I think having made the effort to speak to them in their language counts. Thankfully there are the French who have a reputation for not wanting to speak English and on official levels refuse to (air traffic control being a great example). However, here in Munich I have multiple French friends who speak German and English - though they did choose to move abroad I guess. I normally refuse to speak English unless I have to - I speak German perfectly fine.
And Linda, I completely agree that living in a country is the best way to immerse yourself in a language and increase fluency - whether it be a two week school exchange, one month intensive language course or a longer stay. In complete absence of socialising with friends who are native speakers, a language course CD is the best option. The important thing in my suggestion was to almost ignore the language course the first few listens and do something else, then get down to opening the book and focusing. This is something I haven't found any language course suggest.
Languages are fun and can open so many doors - we just need to not get so hung up when we make a mistake and keep on going.
My next language goals: brush up my French, learn more Italian and learn Czech. Maybe I should plan a long commute for my next job...
[The other experience I've had is when you do actually take the plunge they reply to you English!]
I also experience this problem when I try to practise my Spanish, German or Chinese with my friends. It makes it difficult to pracise, so I'd tried finding people to do language exchange on Skype but they just keep speaking English to you too. I'm considering going on holidays abroad and pretending I'm from somewhere in Eastern Europe and can't speak any English, so they have to speak the native language with me!