Breaking Down the Language and Culture Barrier

Just Shout Louder

The hoary old chestnut that the British and Americans abroad just resort to shouting louder in English in order to communicate with the natives may no longer hold as much water as it used to. But the uncomfortable fact remains that of all the EU citizens who can converse in languages other than their mother tongue, the UK are at the bottom of the league! Only 19% of UK citizens can speak another language compared to 28% in Ireland, 40% in Italy, 41% in France, 49% in Germany, 82% in Sweden, 84% in Denmark and a staggering 91% in the Netherlands.

Companies are losing business directly because of language and culture barriers.

It’s no wonder that the recent Nuffield Languages Inquiry Final Report (which produced the statistics above) stated that “Our European and Asian competitors are producing people who are at least as well qualified technically and professionally (as young people in the UK) and speak good English alongside a range of other languages”. It also doesn’t help the situation that the number of pupils studying language ‘A’ levels in the UK has been falling over the past few years – especially in French and German – while even Spanish, which has become increasingly popular, suffered a setback in. In a DTI Language Study in 1999 about business communication across borders, 14% of companies surveyed had lost business as a direct result of language and/or cultural barriers.

Learning a Language is Rewarding

And there’s the rub. Learning a language shouldn’t be just about communicating with someone from another country; it should also embrace an interest in that country’s culture. Of course it’s good to be able to walk into a bar or restaurant and be able to order food and drink in the language of the country you are visiting. But think how much more rewarding it would be if you could actually carry on a proper conversation, rather than either relying on a limited vocabulary, sign language or hoping that someone will speak English?

The more you can talk to the people in the country you are visiting in their own tongue, the more they will respond with local information about the best sites, beaches, places to visit, restaurants, bars and, yes, insights into their culture and history. You’ll make new friends and also be more able to observe local customs. An enjoyable holiday will become even more enjoyable. And it might make all the difference to that business trip you so want to be successful!

No Excuses, Then…

The BBC started making language teaching programmes in 1924 with ‘French Talks’, in which Monsieur Stéphan of the Institute Française simply talked in French about an eclectic range of subjects, from funeral rites in Brittany to model dialogues with customs officers, peppered with warnings of the humiliation that visitors would suffer if they didn’t speak the language! And John Reith, founder of the BBC, wrote in the Radio Times that year, “The nexus of trade which binds all Europe … is so strong and so vital to our existence, that it would be suicidal to ignore the importance of having intimate relations with, and a closer understanding of, neighbouring peoples … To this end, it is practically essential that we be able to converse with foreigners in their own tongue”.

Even in 1924, the BBC saw that it was essential ‘to converse with foreigners in their own tongue’.

Reith advocated learning by ‘the conversational method’ rather than by grammatical rote, saying that the BBC’s programmes offered a useful adjunct to formal teaching. During World War Two, the BBC made language programmes for the forces and, as the Cold War got underway, produced the first Russian course on TV in 1959. The ‘Swinging Sixties’ saw a series of gripping studio dramas teaching French, Spanish, Italian and German, with cliff-hangers at the end of every episode that foreshadowed the popularity of the soaps today. And the more flexible production techniques of the 70s made it easier to record on location. Which is why, if you decide to learn a language with the BBC today, you’ll find the books and audio are always based around recordings of authentic dialogue, teaching you to speak your chosen language in the way it’s actually spoken.

And No Excuses, Now…

And it’s not all bad news about language learning in the UK either, despite the statistics quoted earlier on. There are approximately 1.5 million of us who are learning a language or have been learning one in the past two years. And market research commissioned by the BBC indicates that up to another 8 million of us have expressed a wish to learn a language but, for a variety of reasons, haven’t got round to doing so.

These reasons include cost, work-related time pressures; the perception that it’s more difficult to learn new things when getting older; negative experiences of learning languages at school; the belief that most people abroad speak English; negative perceptions of one’s own abilities and low confidence. Plus, the perception that language learning is just too difficult, or boring, to actually do anything about it!

The BBC Make it Easy!

Nothing could be further from the truth. These days you can choose from a wide range of language courses from the BBC – books, audio cassettes, CDs, videos, CD-ROMs, TV and online – for kids, for business or just for pleasure. The courses offer anything from simple words and phrases to help you get by to short courses that will enable you to speak and understand the language without having to invest too much of your valuable time. Multiple-media courses not only give you a thorough grounding of the spoken language and grammar, but also a fascinating insight into your destination’s customs and culture. So, as you can see, there’s no longer any reason why you can’t learn the language of your choice - at the level and a pace to suit your own needs. It’s a decision you’ll never regret!

language barrier, language learning, culture barrier, cross cultural communication