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Why are the British so appalingly bad at foreign languages?
When it comes to foreign languages, the British are an absolute embarrassment. Not many British people can speak another language fluently.
Most people from Europe, Asia, etc can speak 2, 3, 4 or more languages fluently. We Brits are lazy bastards and appallingly bad at foreign languages. You hardly ever meet a British person who can speak anything other than English fluently (and to be honest, a lot of Brits can't even speak English fluently these days....)
So why is this? Britain is a very multi-cultural place these days, so I'd have thought it would be a no-brainer to be able to speak a few languages.
Also, why is it when Brits go abroad, they expect everyone there to speak English? You wouldn't like it if foreigners came here and expected you to speak their language....so why should people abroad be expected to speak English? It's also funny how when Brits move abroad, they STILL don't learn the language of the country they've moved to, despite having lived there for years!
Don't say 'everyone speaks English'. No they don't. English isn't as 'universal' as you make it out to be.
It's mainly down to schools teaching foreign languages in such a way that is boring for people, but it's also the British bad attitude that 'everyone speaks English' when they don't.
I think everyone should make the effort to speak at least one foreign language fluently. Me? I've learned a number of foreign languages....so why don't you? It's fun, good for your brain, and opens up more doors in life for you.
Most people from Europe, Asia, etc can speak 2, 3, 4 or more languages fluently. We Brits are lazy bastards and appallingly bad at foreign languages. You hardly ever meet a British person who can speak anything other than English fluently (and to be honest, a lot of Brits can't even speak English fluently these days....)
So why is this? Britain is a very multi-cultural place these days, so I'd have thought it would be a no-brainer to be able to speak a few languages.
Also, why is it when Brits go abroad, they expect everyone there to speak English? You wouldn't like it if foreigners came here and expected you to speak their language....so why should people abroad be expected to speak English? It's also funny how when Brits move abroad, they STILL don't learn the language of the country they've moved to, despite having lived there for years!
Don't say 'everyone speaks English'. No they don't. English isn't as 'universal' as you make it out to be.
It's mainly down to schools teaching foreign languages in such a way that is boring for people, but it's also the British bad attitude that 'everyone speaks English' when they don't.
I think everyone should make the effort to speak at least one foreign language fluently. Me? I've learned a number of foreign languages....so why don't you? It's fun, good for your brain, and opens up more doors in life for you.
(edited 12 years ago)
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because there lazy, they expect people to speak english. I heard a few people mention before, why do I have to learn there language, they should learn english. i don't like that way of thinking, its arrogrant. I even have a friend that says, whats the point of learning it if your not going to use it often. Thats true if your going just on holiday to that destination once, but at least make a effort and learn a few words. But the idiot go abroad every year to that country and has to deal with people on a day to day basic where he works.
It quite sad to hear many brits make fun of foreigners, who's first language is not english. when they can't speak another language themselves.
Yes, your right classes are quite dull and don't motivate people to learn.
It quite sad to hear many brits make fun of foreigners, who's first language is not english. when they can't speak another language themselves.
Yes, your right classes are quite dull and don't motivate people to learn.
Because England dominated the world for centuries and English is the language of trade. It's the language that unites India. It's learned as a first or second language by every other Commonwealth country. It's learned as a second language by every other EU country. And it's the language of popular culture because of British and American music and Hollywood films. The simple fact is we don't need to learn other people's languages.
(edited 12 years ago)
It entirely down to English being the Lingua Franca.
One thing I've noticed on my year abroad (France) is that people with good English, that is, Scandinavians/Germans etc, have the worst French. It's not that being British handicaps you, it's that speaking English handicaps you.
One thing I've noticed on my year abroad (France) is that people with good English, that is, Scandinavians/Germans etc, have the worst French. It's not that being British handicaps you, it's that speaking English handicaps you.
Well now you've made me feel bad. 
I've never been abroad, so haven't seen a reason to learn a language as of yet. I didn't learn a language at school because language lessons in my school were abysmal, I suspect a lot of language lessons in England are badly taught.
Edit: I've learnt programming languages because they are useful to me and I use them often, if I learnt a language like French I would never use it.
That being said I do want to pick up a new language but it has to be one I know I will use, I'm not the type who will pick up a new language just for fun.
I've never been abroad, so haven't seen a reason to learn a language as of yet. I didn't learn a language at school because language lessons in my school were abysmal, I suspect a lot of language lessons in England are badly taught.
Edit: I've learnt programming languages because they are useful to me and I use them often, if I learnt a language like French I would never use it.
That being said I do want to pick up a new language but it has to be one I know I will use, I'm not the type who will pick up a new language just for fun.
(edited 12 years ago)
Because English is the lingua franca. Also it is the main language of everywhere important. All other languages are either just spoken in the parent country or the parent country + some tinpot African/South American/Middle-Eastern dictatorships.
EDIT: Omg why is this negged? It is totally true. Name one exception I challenge you.
EDIT: Omg why is this negged? It is totally true. Name one exception I challenge you.
(edited 12 years ago)
Evidence has shown that you learn languages a lot faster if the environment allows it. In other countries where people are multilingual, either schools teach whole subjects in that language of specific regions have their own language as well as the official one. This is not to mention that everyone in that region speak more than one language.
In the UK this is simply not the case. Only English gets taught properly at schools and in nearly all regions are exclusively English speaking. Though the country is multicultural the only other languages spoken are by small concentrations on non-native english speakers.
Even if a british person decides to learn a foreign language they have to weigh several things up:
opportunity to practice it -
very hard to do outside of school since nearly everyone speaks exclusively in english. Most good tv shows are in english though you can watch foreign ones.
Future use -
If you won't use a foreign language at all in the future it is a waste of time since you will end up forgetting the language. People who learn english do so since either they want to use it for study / work so they will be in regular contact with english speaking people either now or in the future.
Most people in the UK don't actually have any intention of either living abroad or doing a job which requires use of another language. This coupled with the fact that the environment is exclusively english speaking ( for English native speakers ) is a reason why british people struggle with foreign languages.
In the UK this is simply not the case. Only English gets taught properly at schools and in nearly all regions are exclusively English speaking. Though the country is multicultural the only other languages spoken are by small concentrations on non-native english speakers.
Even if a british person decides to learn a foreign language they have to weigh several things up:
opportunity to practice it -
very hard to do outside of school since nearly everyone speaks exclusively in english. Most good tv shows are in english though you can watch foreign ones.
Future use -
If you won't use a foreign language at all in the future it is a waste of time since you will end up forgetting the language. People who learn english do so since either they want to use it for study / work so they will be in regular contact with english speaking people either now or in the future.
Most people in the UK don't actually have any intention of either living abroad or doing a job which requires use of another language. This coupled with the fact that the environment is exclusively english speaking ( for English native speakers ) is a reason why british people struggle with foreign languages.
Original post by super_dooper
When it comes to foreign languages, the British are an absolute embarrassment. Not many British people can speak another language fluently.
Most people from Europe, Asia, etc can speak 2, 3, 4 or more languages fluently. We Brits are lazy bastards and appallingly bad at foreign languages. You hardly ever meet a British person who can speak anything other than English fluently (and to be honest, a lot of Brits can't even speak English fluently these days....)
So why is this? Britain is a very multi-cultural place these days, so I'd have thought it would be a no-brainer to be able to speak a few languages.
Also, why is it when Brits go abroad, they expect everyone there to speak English? You wouldn't like it if foreigners came here and expected you to speak their language....so why should people abroad be expected to speak English? It's also funny how when Brits move abroad, they STILL don't learn the language of the country they've moved to, despite having lived there for years!
Don't say 'everyone speaks English'. No they don't. English isn't as 'universal' as you make it out to be.
It's mainly down to schools teaching foreign languages in such a way that is boring for people, but it's also the British bad attitude that 'everyone speaks English' when they don't.
I think everyone should make the effort to speak at least one foreign language fluently. Me? I've learned a number of foreign languages....so why don't you? It's fun, good for your brain, and opens up more doors in life for you.
Most people from Europe, Asia, etc can speak 2, 3, 4 or more languages fluently. We Brits are lazy bastards and appallingly bad at foreign languages. You hardly ever meet a British person who can speak anything other than English fluently (and to be honest, a lot of Brits can't even speak English fluently these days....)
So why is this? Britain is a very multi-cultural place these days, so I'd have thought it would be a no-brainer to be able to speak a few languages.
Also, why is it when Brits go abroad, they expect everyone there to speak English? You wouldn't like it if foreigners came here and expected you to speak their language....so why should people abroad be expected to speak English? It's also funny how when Brits move abroad, they STILL don't learn the language of the country they've moved to, despite having lived there for years!
Don't say 'everyone speaks English'. No they don't. English isn't as 'universal' as you make it out to be.
It's mainly down to schools teaching foreign languages in such a way that is boring for people, but it's also the British bad attitude that 'everyone speaks English' when they don't.
I think everyone should make the effort to speak at least one foreign language fluently. Me? I've learned a number of foreign languages....so why don't you? It's fun, good for your brain, and opens up more doors in life for you.
I agree although to be fair it is as close to a universal language as there is. One of the official UN languages, the dominant language in international business...
I agree that it is down to the teaching. But not that it is taught in a boring way, its just the lack of emphasis put on learning languages. In Europe children start learning English from a very young age and is an important part of their education. In fact if you look at some children in Europe who haven't done very well elsewhere in their studies or aren't that bright, they still speak fairly decent English.
I think it is also easier for people in Europe or Asia to learn English. There are so many English songs, TV shows that they watch. They are exposed to it a lot. We just aren't really exposed to any languages here in the same way.
(edited 12 years ago)
This is a stupid post. I don't speak fluently another language. Why? Because I don't need to. The other countries that learn other languages do so because they have to.
When I go to somewhere foreign I attempt to speak their language, poorly, but I try. I can't say I stay in that country longer than two weeks to justify learning their language fluently. English people that make often business trips to the same foreign country probably do speak that countries language fluently, or at least to some high standard.
TL;DR: we don't speak other languages fluently because we don't need to. We're not lazy, we're just not stupid.
When I go to somewhere foreign I attempt to speak their language, poorly, but I try. I can't say I stay in that country longer than two weeks to justify learning their language fluently. English people that make often business trips to the same foreign country probably do speak that countries language fluently, or at least to some high standard.
TL;DR: we don't speak other languages fluently because we don't need to. We're not lazy, we're just not stupid.
For the vast majority of people seeking the vast majority of jobs, a foreign language is of no use. English is the business language of the world. So why is it a surprise that the vast majority of people do not seek to learn a foreign language?
Its hard to learn languages being British I think because of the negative perceptions of it in Europe specifically, even if you try to speak French, Italian whatever they will quickly realise you are not a fluent/native speaker and switch to English for you.
That and the fact that language teachers are generally appallingly bad in Britain understanding their students and therefore being good teachers. The one decent French teacher I had, in Year 8, and the one who probably taught me the most was an ex-London pub land lord who primarily taught Spanish. There is also a real lack of other people who speak foreign languages to pick it up, parents and other teachers for example whilst in places like Europe there are.
Also I would not say its an entirely British thing, the Americans are the same even though Spanish is a very widely spoken language compared to other languages in Britain, with Canadians you have two options with languages really, Australians occasionally learn their parents mother tongue but even that is dying out (Language is not even on their curriculum in most places) leading to a reliance on English and I believe New Zealanders are very similar.
That and the fact that language teachers are generally appallingly bad in Britain understanding their students and therefore being good teachers. The one decent French teacher I had, in Year 8, and the one who probably taught me the most was an ex-London pub land lord who primarily taught Spanish. There is also a real lack of other people who speak foreign languages to pick it up, parents and other teachers for example whilst in places like Europe there are.
Also I would not say its an entirely British thing, the Americans are the same even though Spanish is a very widely spoken language compared to other languages in Britain, with Canadians you have two options with languages really, Australians occasionally learn their parents mother tongue but even that is dying out (Language is not even on their curriculum in most places) leading to a reliance on English and I believe New Zealanders are very similar.
Well, I'm not British, and English is my 3rd language, but it's still the one I like best and the one I'm most comfortable speaking, because English is THE EASIEST LANGUAGE.
It is literally the easiest language of all languages ever. My 2nd language is french, and tbfh if English is your first language, and you've been used to such an easy, straightforward language, you'll just be discouraged from learning French, or any other language, because of the complicated spelling + syntax + conjugation.
I think it's easy for someone like me to learn other languages, because my 1st language is Bulgarian, which is one of the most complicated languages with the hardest rules. So, once you've figured that one out, English is really just child's play. The other way around though would probably be torture.
It is literally the easiest language of all languages ever. My 2nd language is french, and tbfh if English is your first language, and you've been used to such an easy, straightforward language, you'll just be discouraged from learning French, or any other language, because of the complicated spelling + syntax + conjugation.
I think it's easy for someone like me to learn other languages, because my 1st language is Bulgarian, which is one of the most complicated languages with the hardest rules. So, once you've figured that one out, English is really just child's play. The other way around though would probably be torture.
Original post by super_dooper
I don't think its so much that Brits are lazy etc. but more that its not taught, properly, in primary schools. That's the biggest difference between here and abroad, there they study languages seriously from a young age. Yes, attitudes towards foreign languages will be a problem, but won't until about 14 and if they've had 8 years of language education they'll be more likely to stick with it (and it won't matter so much if they don't). People also often give up because they think its 'hard' - again, if they'd learnt from a young age they might do to a lesser extent.
I don't think its so simple as expecting others to speak English either. In touristey cities a lot of staff do speak English and I find this annoying. I try to speak the native language with them and before I even get a chance, they come at me with 'Do you want a menu?' Once someone just looked at me (not said anything) and knew I was English.
Original post by Marc707
Brits risk causing political and social isolation by their arrogance to refuse to learn other languages. English as a universal language is in decline and languages like mandarin and spanish may have more international influence in the future than they do now.
Just no. English will always be ahead of spanish
(edited 12 years ago)
I enjoy learning other languages. However French at school was torture. I used to mimick shooting my teacher at the back of the class. From the last 100 lessons we counted down to zero when we could drop it for GCSE.
I did 6 weeks of after school Spanish with the BBC. It was awesome! I guess it depends on how it is taught and whether you actually want to learn it.
Now I teach myself Russian. You just gotta find what interests you.
I did 6 weeks of after school Spanish with the BBC. It was awesome! I guess it depends on how it is taught and whether you actually want to learn it.
Now I teach myself Russian. You just gotta find what interests you.
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