The Languages for the Future report, by the British Council, has identified the languages that will be vital to the UK over the next twenty years, alongside recommendations to improve the language competence of all UK citizens.
Spanish, Arabic, French, Mandarin Chinese and German were the top five ranking languages chosen based on economic, cultural, geopolitical, and educational factors.
The primary influences considered included the language needs of UK business, current export trade, UK overseas trade targets, emerging high growth markets, and prevalence on the internet.
Global awareness
The report also suggested that “three-quarters of the British public are unable to speak any of these languages well enough to have a conversation”, and that the UK needs to “develop citizen’s competence in a wider range of languages and far greater numbers” to reap the economic and cultural benefits in the future.
The conclusion of the report endorses a strategic approach by the UK in planning for effective development of language capacity. This includes enriched school language curriculums, governments and businesses working together, and improved international relations to support an increase in language competence throughout the UK.
School provision
Schools in the UK are said to be facing a language deficit with official figures from the Joint Council for Qualifications highlighting a 7.3 percent drop in the number of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland taking GCSE language exams in the past year – and a 1 percent drop at A Level.
The UK’s lack of language skills costs almost £50 billion a year in lost international trade and, with the ever growing interconnectedness generated by the internet, this could soon be higher unless languages become a national priority.
If the UK is to thrive in its post-Brexit form, it must act upon the findings of the British Council’s report, promoting the importance of languages at school level, and the wider population in general.
The translation and interpreting skills of the nation are also at stake. The better the UK is able to speak with the world, more enhanced relations with other nations can be developed and and an increase in trade achieved.
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