If the government had an opportunity to provide a treasured skill to the public, one that encourages economic growth and prompts cultural exchange, you would think they would take it, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case for language learning in the United Kingdom. Rather than invest in this valuable area, the UK not only fails to encourage the provision of language learning but, on balance, has actively depleted the field to shocking results.
The ‘Why Bother?’ Stance
Staggeringly, a third of state sixth-forms in England do not have a single pupil studying French, Spanish, or German. Whilst this is egregious, the already dismal state of language learning worsens at degree level. Only 6.5 per cent of undergraduates (1 in 16) study a language at any point during their degree, often as a relatively small part. Strikingly, this data could even include a repeat of GCSE-level content during the course of the degree, meaning that there might not be any real ‘learning’ going on.
Some do not see Britain’s lacklustre language performance as an issue. Instead, they believe that the ubiquity of the English language means that British students, and British people generally, can leisurely bathe in the ocean of their ignorance, whilst other nations subject themselves to the supposed torture of language learning for the sake of economic self-interest. But in Britain, there is no need for a national emphasis on language learning as in Germany, for example, where 86 per cent of 15-year-olds report that they speak two or more languages — a fact that underpins Germany’s strong presence in the international market.
There is arguably a grotesque misconception of the benefits of language learning in the UK. Rather than being seen as a luxury, language learning ought to be urgently pushed by the government as an essential skill that contributes to national prosperity. One study found that every £1 spent on extra language provision could return about £2 for the UK economy, demonstrating a clear-cut economic net benefit. Furthermore, 62 per cent of British non-exporting companies looking for international opportunities regarded languages as a barrier to doing so, indicating that monolingualism is holding Britain back. Therefore, the idea that Britain does not need languages and shouldn’t bother with them is simply false.
A Market for Language Learning
Despite certain stereotypes of Brits perfecting the art of finger-pointing on holiday, poor language skills are not the result of a cultural hostility to languages. The public broadly treasures languages. Sixty-eight per cent of parents in England think that learning another language should be mandatory in school, for a range of reasons. As well as this, language self-learning is fairly popular in the UK. Duolingo had a total of 13 million downloads in 2020. This all points to language skills being treasured by the public at large. Surely, the merging of public and private demand ought to be sufficient to push the government to emphasise language learning? Apparently not.
Beyond economic and public demand, the prospects and subsequent benefits of cultural exchange are radically undermined by poor language skills. Opportunities for language learning are said to be poorer in the Turing Scheme than Erasmus +, meaning that British students fail to properly integrate with their home communities and instead remain relatively parochial compared to their European counterparts, undermining the very point of an exchange.
The term ‘farcical’ can only describe this great jumble of terrible outcomes. Current policy manages to fail the economy, go against the public’s wishes, and undermine prospects for mutually beneficial cultural exchanges. Admittedly, this is impressive in a sense.
Blair’s Legacy
The primary cause of Britain’s linguistic troubles began in 2004 when, on the basis that the curriculum needed greater flexibility, the Blair government removed the requirement for all students to take a language GCSE. Subsequently, language studies took a sudden drop.
In 2003, 73 per cent of GCSE students in the UK sat at least one language exam. In 2015, it was 48 per cent. Yes, there are issues with shortages of language teachers and funding, but the crux remains this decision, which made it easier for students to avoid taking difficult subjects — even if it’s in their economic, cultural, and personal long-term interests. Understandably, given the chance, the majority of young people prefer to spend time on more frivolous pursuits than learning French grammar.
With this in mind, the UK simply cannot afford to ignore the growing elephant in the room. It’s high time that the 2004 decision was reversed and language learning allowed to thrive once more.
As the Italians say, ‘chi dorme non piglia pesci’ — he who sleeps catches no fish. It’s time for the country to wake up and smell the aroma of foreign dialects.
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