6.2 Other skills
Week 7 will introduce you to more language-related skills developed by learners of French, such as translation and intercultural communication skills. However, through your studies you will also learn a range of skills that are not specifically related to languages.
Linguists are highly skilled individuals and professionals, whether or not they use their language skills in their daily life or work. This course so far has stressed that learning a language involves much more than just learning new words. By progressively getting used to different sounds, different structures, and different cultural references, linguists develop problem-solving skills, agile thinking, flexibility, openness, and many more attributes which are highly sought after by employers. They also develop academic skills (e.g. citing sources), digital skills (e.g. using online forums or digital dictionaries) and general communication skills which make them well-rounded learners.
At The Open University, for example, language courses incorporate the development of a broad range of skills, represented visually by Figure 10.
To hear about some personal examples of transferable skills developed by language learners, watch the video below in which languages graduates talk about acquiring these skills and how they’ve benefited their careers, which span many different fields.
