19th April 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
I have always thought of myself as being relatively linguistic having studied German at GCSE, French at A level and continuing to read Classics and English at university. Not the highest-ranking of linguists I admit, but still I like to dabble in those languages I have been drilled in for so many years, as well as recently deciding to start learning Spanish.
However, looking back on it, I wish I had begun to learn Spanish earlier, while I was still at school and had the energy and discipline to make the lessons worth my while. I am about to embark on a trip to South America with a relatively small grasp of the Spanish language. Not only this decision, but my later career prospects will be somewhat affected by my inability to speak any of the languages I have learned to a high enough degree.
It cannot be denied that an ability to converse fluently in another language other than your mother tongue, helps with your job prospects, broadens your horizons and provides you with insights into your own native language. In almost every job you will apply to, you are very likely to be asked what other languages you can speak. This helps, even at an elementary level, if you happen to be living, working or selling abroad. Even an ability to say ‘Hello’, ‘How are you?’ and ‘Please may I have the bill’, could help you to settle in and appear less like an obtuse tourist.
Since I left school, I have realised the huge benefit provided to those who are bi-, tri- or even quadrilingual. Their employability rockets sky-high and they have the option to apply all over the world for jobs, free to go to several countries of their choosing. The more international the world becomes, the more important it becomes for those entering the job market to have taken that decision at school to study languages for GCSE and A level.