Why do you want to learn a language?
06/04/2010
French class
A recent survey at Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning not only reveals an increase in the uptake of part-time language courses but also the reasons why students want to learn a language. The ten most popular reasons being:
- Increases job opportunities
- Ability to talk to people overseas
- Understand more about other cultures
- Meet different people
- Good for your CV
- Impressive to speak more than one language
- Learning new things is fun
- Trains new areas of your brain
- Broadens horizons and helps with travel
- Improves communication skills with other nations
The survey primarily shows that Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning bucks trends as more and more adult learners enrol on part-time modern foreign language courses.
Over the years trends have been showing a decline in the uptake of modern languages across all age groups in the UK. Language classes in schools have been steadily declining since 2004 when a governmental decision was made to make languages non-compulsory at GCSE level. The BBC has even reported that the UK’s lack of language skills could hold the country back from coming out of recession. Research from Cardiff University’s Business School takes this point further by suggesting that the UK misses out on £9 billion a year through its lack of investment in language learning.
More importantly the survey of students at the Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning shows that they want to be part of a multilingual, multicultural and multinational world by broadening their language skills and continuing to do so year after year.
William Walker, a former Chinese language student at the Centre said: “I would not be where I am today if I had not studied Chinese at the Centre. I am currently teaching English at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Wuhan, China, one of the fastest developing countries in the world. The courses at the Centre for Lifelong Learning have certainly helped me get here. The courses gave me ample preparation and an advantage on arrival in a strange and distinctly foreign environment. They have put me on a good footing for the road to fluency.”
As well as the usual programme of courses from Stage A to H that runs throughout the year, the Centre runs a popular Summer intensive Language programme that starts in June. It consists of short informal conversational classes aimed at those who primarily want to learn the lingo for when they go on their holidays.
Although career and economic prospects as well as learning a language for your holidays are set at number one and two of the ten most popular reasons for learning a language, the survey indicates that students at the Centre choose to learn a language for many other different reasons. The Centre offers the widest choice of languages and levels of ability in Cardiff and can meet all of these demands no matter how big or small. For example, Paul and Patricia Vanner were able to take the retirement they always dreamt of after taking French classes at the Centre. Paul said: “We attended French courses at the Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning - French for Beginners/Improvers. The tutors’ enthusiasm for France and the French way of life was instrumental in us taking early retirement and buying a small village house in Aubais in the Gard and following several months of commuting we eventually moved here permanently”.
For information on all of the language classes held at the Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning please visit the website www.cardiff.ac.uk/learn/languages or contact the Centre on 029 2087 0000.