Learn a Language For Your Holiday
Whether you’re visiting warmer climes, or somewhere with arctic conditions, learning some of the local language might help enhance your holiday travel experience! Here we outline some of the perks of giving the local lingo a shot whilst you travel! Get ready to pick up that phrasebook and learn a language for your holiday!
Cultural Immersion
As you probably already know, part of the joy of going on holiday is the new cultures that you get to experience. Learning a new language is arguably the key to unlocking the heart of a culture. By learning a language for your holiday, you will be able to gain a greater understanding of the customs and traditions of those you meet. You may even be able to spark a friendship with some of those people and find some of the more traditional local spots to eat, drink, and spend the day.
Break Down Barriers
Tying into making friends with the locals – being able to converse a small amount in the local language may reduce travel frustrations and miscommunications. Imagine hopping on the bus abroad and being able to ask for your destination and the cost without any doubt about what’s going on – Eton Institute reports that “learning the basics of the local language will help you get around places and make travel so much easier.” Additionally, locals often respect you giving it a shot – even if you don’t get it right!
Making Memories
Through these factors combined, you may find that your holiday is a more relaxed experience than previous trips. Plus, by talking to the locals you may see a side of your destination that you didn’t see advertised before you arrived! Whether it’s a café that’s popular with the locals for having the best food, or a certain beach that is quieter than another – the perks of having had a conversation with someone local to the area means that you will gain priceless insider knowledge.
Overall, there are many positives to giving learning the language of your destination a go. Have you seen our other post on the more general benefits of learning a language? Read it here!
Why Learn A New Language?
Here at Web-Translations, we are all passionate language learners. The New York Times recently published an article describing how learning a foreign language improved a teenage boy’s mental health. This led to the questions: why learn a new language? What benefits does learning a foreign language bring?
If you search “benefits of learning a second language”, certain common points come up including improved focus and creativity. Additionally, it’s a widely accepted fact that a second language on your CV can bolster your career opportunities.
It will also allow you to connect with a wider international audience. However, did you know that in 2017, Alzheimer’s Research UK published an article describing research that showed that being bilingual could improve, and even delay, symptoms of Alzheimer’s and other dementias?
For younger people the benefits are just as prominent. The US Department of Education published a document describing the benefits of raising a child in a bilingual household. These benefits range from improved cognitive development to improved chances of long-term success.
Further Benefits
Whilst most of these articles discuss people that are well-versed in their second language, it is important to note that any level of language learning can be an exciting and fulfilling experience. You can definitely feel the benefits – regardless of whether you only reach a conversational level, or carry on to become someone who reads books in their second language.
Having a second language under your belt can expand your horizon. Moreover, speaking another language can allow you to access media and content that you previously couldn’t. It could even lead to some new friendships as you will be able to connect with more people around the world.
What’s more, the friends you make won’t even necessarily be from countries that speak the language you’re learning! Learning languages can unite people from all nationalities.
Currently, linguists have limited knowledge available showing the link between mental health and foreign language learning. We can’t wait to see how this area of research may grow in the coming years, and what other benefits researchers discover!
What inspires you to learn a foreign language? Get in touch with us on our LinkedIn or Twitter pages to tell us what you think!
If you’re a linguist and you’d like to work with us, click here for more information!
The importance of a phrasebook on holiday…
Recent reports have explained how a Polish man recently spent 18 days in São Paolo’s airport. Having arrived at the airport on a flight from London the 17th June, he finally left the airport on Tuesday 5th July. In a story reminiscent of the Tom Hanks film “The Terminal” (though without the appearance of Catherine Zeta Jones, as far as I’m aware), Robert Wladyslaw Parzelski arrived at the airport, on a mission to go to Brazil and then return to England with two telephones. Why he was undertaking this trip with this particular goal in mind is, as yet, unknown. (more…)
Britain under-represented in European Union Institutions
European Union institutions are currently under-represented by British natives, in part due to low-level language skills. Just 5% of positions in the European Parliament and Commission are filled by Britons, despite the United Kingdom comprising 12% of the total population of the European Union.
English is commonly used as a universal language in international situations and, as we commented in a previous post, the number of students of foreign languages in other European countries is high above the figure in the United Kingdom. What’s amazing to me is that some people still argue that there is no need for native English speakers to learn other languages, when in conducting international relationships with other EU countries, understanding another language, culture and country is paramount. As Michael Shackleton, Head of the London European Parliament Office, commented “The balance of the use of language has been in favour of English, but to understand what people are thinking about you also have to get a sense of them and how they see the world.” (more…)
Do the British mean what they say?
A Spanish friend recently sent me the link to an article published online. This “guide” explains to the rest of Europe what British people really mean when they say certain things, and what others understand by what has been said.
For example, according to this article, when a British person says “You must come to dinner”, the real meaning is “It’s not an invitation, I’m just being polite”, whilst the listener will think “I will get an invitation soon”. Obviously, this is an extreme generalisation, but I have to admit, it does ring some bells. If you accidentally bump into someone and they say “we must do lunch” or “we must get a coffee one day”, chances are you won’t set eyes on them again until you accidentally bump into them again… (more…)
Is the Government right to consider removing a foreign language from the curriculum?
As schools contemplate the removal of a second language from the national curriculum, the fast approaching Olympic Games should actually be reminding us of the importance of languages.
The government’s decision to include French as a core language at the Games demonstrates the significance of languages and communication in today’s society.
With every word spoken at the games repeated in French, Great Britain will seem diverse, cultured, and prepared for the international visitors who have arrived on our doorstep to watch the games. Can we say the same about our school pupils, however? (more…)
How many words are in your vocabulary?
I have to say, if asked, I would find it difficult to say how many Spanish or French words I know. An article on the BBC website reported that Fabio Capello recently claimed he uses just 100 English words to communicate with players. (more…)
Where to Find Free Foreign Language Lessons Online
If you are interested in learning a new language or improving your existing skills, there are many free online resources that can help. A number of schools, including MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Utah State University, have begun to offer free foreign language courses online. Free lessons can also be found through the BBC and the many foreign language learning networks that have cropped up on the web. This article provides a list of 15 places to find free foreign language lessons online:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology – The Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers over 60 courses in foreign languages and literature. Users can find courses in Spanish, Chinese, Spanish, German, and Japanese.
The Open University – The Open University’s modern language unit features courses for Spanish, German, English, and French. Courses are available for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level language learners.
Utah State University – Utah State University offers several free online courses in languages, philosophy, and speech communication. Two courses that are particularly popular are the Chinese I and Chinese II language courses.