Language Skills
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It has become a genuinely global language; so, when ‘everyone speaks English’, what’s the point of learning to chat with foreigners in their mother tongues? More than you might think!
WORDS:
It’s good to talk. Many scientists believe the development of languages is at the heart of all human societies. And, let’s face it, if you couldn’t talk to people, how far would you get in your everyday lives?
But if it’s innately human to talk, it’s also innately human to try and get away with the bare minimum of work. Which may be why fewer of us English-speakers are bothering to learn other languages, not least because more than 90% of European students learn English from the age of eight – in parts of Spain they begin at just three years old!
Yet there are good reasons to communicate with people in their mother tongue, not least because it’s rude to assume they should make all the effort! Also, despite what you might think and all the talk of everyone using English as an international language, less than 6% of the world’s population speak English fluently!
COURSES OF COURSE
Studying a modern language at Higher, HNC or HND levels is certainly a good way of gaining a very useful life skill; studying it at degree even more so, as this as much means discovering the culture, society and history behind the language. A popular option is to study a modern language – the most popular are French, Spanish, German, Italian or Russian – in a joint degree with a business, science or arts subject.
Perhaps the biggest perk of these courses is the option of studying abroad for a semester (or a year!). Completing an honours degree requires working for a year abroad with a range of jobs available: usually the most popular being an ‘au pair’. Nothing wrong with getting to live in Spain for a year with the sun and sand!
Those joint degrees underline an important fact, though; studying a language, even at degree level, isn’t just for those wanting to become a translator or interpreter. Top tennis player Roger Federer speaks four languages fluently, and can speak an additional three at a basic level – an invaluable additional skill for someone who spends much of his year travelling the world from one top tournament to the next. No matter where you end up, having modern language skills on your CV can give you quite the edge above people who don’t and make you a valuable addition to any business.
PROSPECTS
There are plenty of careers where having modern language skills are useful: in banks, insurance companies and accountancy firms which we all know operate on an international basis; in law; sales and marketing for British companies operating overseas; in transport, tourism and leisure sectors.
There are also opportunities in publishing – a big source of income for publishers these days comes from selling the rights to their books to foreign publishers. The public sector, too has opportunities, despite threatened cut-backs; not just the diplomatic services, but right down to your local council which, almost certainly, will be serving people now living in Scotland for whom English is not their native language.
And, of course, there are also the more ‘obvious’ language-related jobs: proof-reading, editing or translating. In many cases, these offer real opportunities to be your own boss – the big plus as a freelancer is that you can work to your own pace, and are not stuck to the nine-to-five. The downside? It’s up to you to find your own work, meaning that you can be as rich (or as poor!) as your time allows.
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE
Learning a new language takes time and effort, but is undoubtedly worth it in the long run. If you can, the best way to become fluent is to use the language as much as possible; even try to think in the foreign language if you can!
Delve into the culture: watch films (preferably without subtitles), listen to their music. Or get a ‘pen pal’ – which can usually be arranged through school, or even just online. One of my friends is Dutch – I ‘met’ her on a forum. Although my spoken Dutch is beyond atrocious, at least I understand very basic phrases when they’re spoken to me!
Most of all, learning a new language can really inspire your wanderlust; before you know it, you may well find yourself trotting across the globe, from one country to the next – chatting with the locals!
USEFUL WEBSITES
Vistawide: World Languages & Culture
Postcrossing – Postcards Travelling The World
BBC Languages
GETTING IN.
Entry requirements at Scottish universities range from BBBC to AAAB; surprisingly, none of those grades necessarily need to be in the language you wish to study! If you have no knowledge of your chosen language, first year simply becomes an intense crash course to get you up to at least Higher level, meaning you can then continue on to honours level. Of course, the use of the language is key to the degrees and all involve classes with native speakers.
REASONS TO LEARN A LANGUAGE
• Make your CV stand out
• Work abroad
• Discover a new culture
• Apply what you know
• Wide range of professions available
• Earn more money with experience
. . .
SHOW ME THE MONEY!
• Secondary Teacher: £20,000 – £35,000
• Translator: £17,000 – £35,000
• International Manager: £35,000 – £60,000 (depending on size and success of business)
• Interpreter: £28,000 – £50,000 (depending on fluency and experience)
. . .
LANGUAGE COURSES AT SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES
• The University of Aberdeen:
Single or Joint Honours available in French and German.
01224 272 000, www.abdn.ac.uk
• University of Dundee:
Joint Honours only in French, German and Spanish.
01382 383 000, www.dundee.ac.uk
• University of Edinburgh:
Single or Joint Honours available in Arabic, Celtic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Persian (Joint only), Russian, Swedish/Danish/Norwegian (Joint only) and Spanish.
0131 650 2252, www.ed.ac.uk
• University of Glasgow:
Single or Joint Honours available in French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Italian, Russian and Spanish.
0141 330 2000, www.gla.ac.uk
• Heriot-Watt University:
Joint only in French, German and Spanish. Actual Translating/Interpreting course available.
0131 449 5111, www.hw.ac.uk
• University of St Andrews:
Single or Joint Honours available in French, German, Greek, Italian, Russian and Spanish
01334 476 161, www.st-andrews.ac.uk
• University of Stirling:
Single or Joint Honours available in French & Spanish (with Latin American Studies).
01786 473 171, www.external.stir.ac.uk
• University of Strathclyde:
Single or Joint Honours available in French, Italian and Spanish.
0141 552 0775, www.strath.ac.uk
• University of the West of Scotland:
Single Honours only in French, Spanish and German (study two languages under one course name ‘Languages’ and get a BA in French/Spanish; German as a minor).
01292 886 000, www.uws.ac.uk
. . .
THINK LANGUAGES LEAST IMPORTANT SCHOOL SUBJECT?
You’re not alone; new research from YouGov found that, while almost 95% of British adults consider Maths and English to be important subjects at school – along with IT/computing (91%) and science (90%) – less than half (43%) felt the same about French and less than a third considered learning German or Spanish to be important.
And yet, language skills have a place in school; two years ago, a survey found that the most commonly spoken foreign language in Scottish schools was Polish, ahead of languages such as Punjabi and Urdu.
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