Why study languages?
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Why study languages?
Introduction
Introduction
In this course, you will explore how learning languages and finding out about other countries can be both useful and fun. You do not need any knowledge of foreign languages in order to begin.
There are ten sections. You can choose which ones you want to study and you can work through them in any order.
Section 1: Careers in languages – some ways you can use the ability to speak other languages in a job or a career.
Section 2: Languages and the work environment – an exercise in doing business in a foreign country and a foreign language.
Section 3: Studying languages – what it would be like to continue to study languages after compulsory education.
Section 4: Language study skills – how to improve your writing and speaking language skills.
Section 5: Language and culture – ideas for three short plays or sketches.
Section 6: International Christmas – an exploration of the many and different Christmas traditions around the world, as an example of the connections between language and culture.
Find out more about studying with The Open University by visiting our online prospectus.
Learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
give examples of how language is related to culture in local, national and global contexts
describe some traditions related to different cultures, using words from the relevant languages
explain the importance of learning languages and being aware of cultural differences
develop strategies for improving foreign language writing and speaking skills
identify the opportunities for studying languages at school and post-compulsory education.
1 Careers in languages
1.1 Careers advice
This section will help to make you aware of career opportunities within a variety employment sectors, and highlight the importance of learning languages for your career.
Activity 1 Quotation
‘The best careers advice is: "Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it.”’
Write down what you think this quotation is trying to say. Make some notes on how you think this might apply to languages and language learning.
Discussion
Most people would agree that being paid to do something you love is a good thing. However, you need to be thinking about whether this is good careers advice.
Those who think that this is good careers advice would argue that being paid to do something you love means that your life and work won't be an obligation, but a joy. It would be better to have a good life than just earn lots of money.
Others may disagree, believing that this is unrealistic. They may be of the opinion that we have to do things we don't like to be able to pay the bills. If you are always looking for someone to pay you for what you love, you'll end up unemployed too often.
Others would think the statement is too vague. They may agree about finding something you love to do, but may disagree that it is the best career advice because it doesn't give any clear direction as to how you would go about achieving it.
Activity 2 Variety of possibilities
Learning languages opens up many more career options than being a language teacher. Opportunities exist in translation and interpretation, in addition to careers abroad. A knowledge of languages is beneficial in many other sectors.
Write down four careers that you think may involve the use of a foreign language.
Discussion
Some possibilities you may have thought of:
business services
contact centres
financial services
media
travel and tourism
central government
engineering
marketing
technology
voluntary and charitable sector.
Activity 3 Translation mishaps
Have a look at the notices below and see if you can work out what each one is trying to say. As a native speaker, you may find them amusing because of the incorrect grammar.
‘It is forbitten to steal hotel towels please. If you are not person to do such thing is please not to read notis.’
‘Please to bathe inside the tub.’
‘To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each one should press a number of wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically in national order.’
‘For your convenience, we recommend courteous, efficient self-service.’
‘It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man.’
‘Specialist in women and other diseases.’
‘Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.’
‘Ladies may have a fit upstairs.’
‘It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose.’
‘Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.’
‘Stop: Drive Sideways’
Discussion
In doing this activity, you will have seen that even though you may be laughed at, and even with bad grammar, you will generally be understood in context.
Activity 4 English nuances
How would you explain the following phrases to someone who is not British, but does speak English?
‘Taking the mick’
‘Cheeky’
Discussion
There are many different ways of explaining these phrases. You may have explained that ‘taking the mick’ means to tease or mock someone. You may have described ‘cheeky’ in terms of a person who is rude or disrespectful, or someone who is just being a bit playful.
Activity 5 Lost in translation
There are many online translators and dictionaries available to help you to translate words and phrases from one language to another. However, many companies still need fluent speakers to help convey the intended meaning. This is particularly important in the context of cultural understanding behind phrases or idioms that may seem a bit odd.
Have a look at the poem extract below, which has been literally translated from the Persian language. Try to think of reasons why the translation may not work.
‘If that Turk from Shiraz
were to capture my heart
I would give away Samarkand and Bokhara
for her Hindu mole.’
Discussion
These lines come from a much longer poem, written by a 14th century poet. In its original language, Persian, it comes across as very exotic, lyrical, musical and evocative. We may look at the lines from a Western perspective and try to understand it in terms of our own culture and experience. As we have seen in the previous activity, knowledge of a culture can help you to understand the hidden meanings of certain phrases. We may not have understood the significance of the image of the Turk, or the relevance of the place names. Again, in the Persian, a mole may be considered a thing of beauty, which may not be the case in Western cultures.
This is an alternative translation, which attempts to convey the sentiment and meaning of the poem a bit more accurately, using Western place names and terms.
‘It that American in Venice
Were to coo "I love you too …"
I would barter Babylon and Rome
for her Japanese tattoo.‘
Activity 6 Create career connections
From what you have learnt so far in this course, try to write down three ways in which speaking more than one language could benefit your career.
Discussion
People are most comfortable communicating in their native tongue.
Even if you think ‘the whole world is learning English’, most would prefer to do business in their first language.
If you speak the same language, you have a connection on which to base your professional relationship.
You are more likely to understand your customers if you can communicate in both languages.
1.2 Be a knight in shining armour
In your own country or abroad, being bilingual puts you in the position to be an ad-hoc translator. Even people who speak English are often not saying what they mean to say because of translation errors. It's generally fun to be able to help others. Not only does someone else benefit, but most speakers appreciate that their linguistic knowledge is being put to good use.
1.3 Function among locals
There are often situations where not being able to speak a language can hold some people back from taking a job transfer abroad. If you have language skills, you will be a lot more confident about day-to-day tasks, if you are living abroad. Even if your job does only require you to know English, you will adjust a lot easier if you do know the local language. It can help with shopping, buying a house, or sending your children to school. It can also help you to make friends.
Activity 7 Where do you want to go?
Think about your own career or careers that you are considering for the future. Do any of these involve languages? Write your thoughts down and include as many details as you can about your aspirations for the future.
Then think about how languages can help you get there. Regardless of the profession you've chosen, try to think of ways in which knowledge of languages may be able to help.
Discussion
This activity will have helped you to think about your career objectives, and to realise how versatile language skills can be.
1.4 Sample professions
Listed below is a small selection of possible careers in which languages could come into play. Have a think about whether these would be areas you would enjoy working in.
Localiser: Someone who takes a product, like software, and adapts it to a specific locale, target market or language group.
Voice-over: The language professional's voice adds a re-voicing that is a type of narration, commentary or dialogue.
Assistant Volunteer Coordinator: This person would report to the volunteer coordinator, responsible for further developing, managing and evaluating the volunteer program, both domestic and international.
Activity 8 Case studies
Have a look at the case studies below. These present professions that you may be interested in yourself. In both cases, the professionals didn't know what they wanted to do while they were still in education. They had an interest in languages, which they pursued. Then, once they acquired the skills, they did a bit of travelling, taught English and figured out what they actually wanted to do with the skills and knowledge that they had acquired.
Having looked at the case studies, and reflecting on what you've learnt in this section, try think of a few more possible professions that would be enhanced by knowing of a language.
2 Languages and the work environment
This section aims to work further on investigating career possibilities open to people with knowledge of modern languages.
These are headlines of news stories that stress the importance of language.
‘Japanese pharma giant chooses UK for European hub.’ Esai – Japan's fourth largest pharmaceutical company – has chosen Hertfordshire as the home of their pioneering European base.
‘Companies to prioritise international markets in search for growth.’ A major new survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit finds that businesses will focus on international over domestic markets in the next three years.
‘To understand overseas customers better, get local, new report tells multinational’
‘Executives within multinational firms agree their organisations would perform better if they gave more control to local managers in overseas markets’, finds a new Economist Intelligence Unit survey and report commissioned by UK Trade & Investment.
Activity 9 Business partners
You are a representative from a British company visiting a possible business partner abroad for the first time. The aim of your visit is to set up an import / export project. This means that the project is aiming to bring products from abroad into the UK (import) and sell products made in the UK to other countries (export). You will need to learn about the country and its products. In addition, you will need to learn a few basic sentences to communicate with your business colleagues abroad in their own language.
Have a look at the BBC languages website. Choose one language from the menu on the left, preferably one you have never studied before. Explore the different dialogues, sentences and situations and write down five to seven sentences that you can use with your business colleagues.
Decide on a country that uses the language you have chosen. Then do some research on the internet to find out some information about that country. Look for information in the following areas:
local products available in the country
people and customs
food
weather
any other important features.
Now think about the phrase ‘English is not enough’. What do you think this means?
Discussion
The phrase highlights the importance of learning languages.
75% of the world's population does not speak English.
60% of Britain's trade is with non-English speaking countries.
65% of people in Britain speak only their own language – every other country in Europe has a wider knowledge of languages.
3 Studying languages
This section will encourage you to think about language courses that lead to recognised qualifications.
Activity 10 Quotation
‘The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.’
Write down what you think this quotation is trying to say. Make some notes on how you think this might apply to languages and language learning.
Discussion
This phrase could be paraphrased, ‘In order to remain clueless about the world, be happy with what you already know and think’. Do you think that anyone would want to follow this recipe? Think about what the speaker is actually trying to encourage.
Activity 11 Finding language courses
You may be thinking about studying for a language qualification. It's worth looking at the different courses and levels of study available to you. This takes some research, as there are a number of factors to take into account. These include the following:
the language you want to study
how much time you have to study
how you want to study – in a class, or private study
the level you want to study – short course, GCSE, A Level, university course
the cost of the course
the location of the course and how far you are willing to travel.
Bearing these considerations in mind, have a look on the internet for language courses that may be interest to you, taking note of their cost and location. Look at local or national maps and calculate how long it would take to travel. If you can get hold of prospectuses, have a look through those too.
4 Language study skills
This section will help you to improve your writing and speaking skills.
Activity 12 Mind mapping ideas
Have a look at the Skills for OU Study website for information on mind mapping.
Read through the information on the website, which will explain what mind maps are, and how to create them. Mind mapping is a tool that is used in all areas of study, not only languages.
Put together a mind map focusing on useful vocabulary related to a main central topic.
The first thing you need to consider is the language you want to work with. Then choose one of the topics from the list below:
accommodation
house and home
self
careers
free time
food and drink
health
shopping
school
transport
holidays.
Imagine that you need to put together some information for a presentation on useful vocabulary in the topic you've chosen. Use language books, dictionaries or online information to gather your information. Put your ideas together for your chosen topic in a mind map. This will help you to learn how to structure the information you find in the most effective way.
5 Language and culture
This section aims to help you reflect on the importance of cultural awareness, and to make you aware of the cultural differences associated with different cultures and societies. It will also encourage you to reflect on your own culture and the perceptions others may have of your society.
Activity 13 Writing a play
For this activity, you are going to be writing a short play, based on one of three scenarios. Pick a language you are happy using, and use any resources that you think might be useful – websites, dictionaries, books, friends and family. The important thing is that you research the topic as well as you can.
Choose from one of the three following scenarios. Notes and guidance on what to include in your play are included in each document.
Play 1: Introductory level
Play 2: Intermediate level
Play 3: Advanced level
The beginning of your play could be ‘introductions’, although you may want to choose a different way of starting. It is up to you to use your own initiative.
Try to give the ending of your play a ‘positive conclusion’.
It is important that you adopt names for your characters, taking into account where they are from.
6 International Christmas
This section aims to raise your intercultural awareness, by exposing you to the many and different Christmas traditions around the world. It will encourage you to discover the connections between language and culture and engage you with online communications and research. You will also be given the opportunity to use your own creativity as a learning tool.
Please note that Christmas has been chosen as an example of a festival which is celebrated in different ways in different countries. The activities form a useful starting point from which to explore cultural variation. This is equally true of other religious festivals.
Activity 14 British Christmas traditions
Think about British Christmases and try to answer the following questions.
Which day do you think is the most important day at Christmas?
What do people do on that day?
When do British people exchange presents?
What food is normally eaten at Christmas?
How do people in Britain decorate their houses at Christmas?
Discussion
The most important day is Christmas Day, which falls on 25 December.
This is a public holiday. For many families, this is a time to get together for a Christmas meal or celebration. If people are religious, they will normally attend church during the Christmas period.
Christmas presents are exchanged on Christmas Day.
A traditional Christmas meal could consist of a light starter, followed by turkey or goose, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, sprouts, chestnuts, red cabbage, vegetables, gravy, stuffing, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, party sausages wrapped in bacon, Christmas pudding or cake, mince pies with brandy butter, Yule log, cheese and biscuits.
The main decoration is a Christmas tree, often decorated flowers, lights, tinsel, baubles, etc. The house may be decorated with internal and external fairy lights and other decorations. Christmas cards are also put on display around the house.
Activity 15 ‘Merry Christmas’ in different languages
In the list below, you will see ‘Merry Christmas‘ written in a range of languages. Do you recognise any of the them?
Do you know in which countries these languages are spoken?
| Kala Christouyenna! | |
| Buone Feste Natalizie | |
| Linksmu Kaledu | |
| Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie | |
| Feliz Natal | |
| Sarbotori vesele | |
| Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom | |
| Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat | |
| Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou |
The following websites may help you, and provide some interesting additional information:
http://www.santas.net/howmerrychristmasissaid.htm
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0877712.html
http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/christmas.htm
Answer
Answers
| Kala Christouyenna! | Greek |
| Buone Feste Natalizie | Italian |
| Linksmu Kaledu | Lithuanian |
| Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie | Polish |
| Feliz Natal | Portuguese |
| Sarbotori vesele | Rumanian |
| Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom | Russian |
| Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat | Breton |
| Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou | Catalan |
Activity 16 International Christmases
Look at the list of languages below:
Greek
Italian
Lithuanian
Polish
Portuguese
Rumanian
Russian
Breton
Catalan.
Pick a country where one of these languages is spoken. Now try to find out as much as you can about Christmas in that country. Use reference books and/or the internet.
You may find the following websites helpful and interesting. They provide information on what Christmas is like in different countries.
Italy: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/christmas/index.shtml
France http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/christmas/index.shtml
Germany: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/german/christmas/index.shtml
Spain http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/christmas/index.shtml
Christmas traditions around the world: http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm
The Christmas Archives http://www.christmasarchives.com/index.html
Christmas ideas for modern languages: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/mfle/creativeteaching/christmasideas/index.asp
Information and Christmas recipes from Denmark, Mexico, Sweden and Switzerland: http://www.thecookinginn.com/tcirecipes/xmasworld.html
TES resources: http://www.tes.co.uk/resourcehub.aspx?navcode=70
Ask yourself the following questions:
How do people celebrate Christmas Day in your chosen country? Do they also celebrate on any other day during the Christmas period?
Do they exchange presents as we do in the UK?
Are there special foods people eat in that country at Christmas? How is it prepared?
Do people decorate their houses at Christmas? What kind of decorations do they have?
Choose one decoration and describe it (you might even want to try and make it yourself). Use a drawing to illustrate what it looks like.
Identify five words in the foreign language which are related to Christmas.
Conclusion
This free course provided an introduction to studying Languages. It took you through a series of exercises designed to develop your approach to study and learning at a distance, and helped to improve your confidence as an independent learner.
Acknowledgements
Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this course:
Course image: Japanexperterna.se in Flickr made available under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Licence.
The Open University extends its gratitude to Aimhigher Kent and Medway Office for its support in the development of these materials.
Unless otherwise stated (or as permitted under UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988) third party content sourced and credited within this course is not available under Creative Commons Licence. See Terms and Conditions.
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