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world language, which is also one of the de-facto international working
languages of the EU: a disincentive to foreign language learning for the
generality of the UK adult population. You make a good point about the
importance of motivation.
On the other hand, there is plenty of evidence that Brits, given the right
motivation and training, can hold their own linguistically with the best of
other nationalities. Our diplomats have little difficulty in acquiring a
fluent and accurate command of other languages on an intensive course
lasting several months. I've occasionally been invited to interpret in
French or German at a local police station, only to find when I get there
that the arrested foreigner has a British lawyer who is extremely fluent in
his client's mother tongue. I was once summoned to my local hospital to
interpret for an injured French sailor, but discovered that the English
doctor attending him already spoke French very well. The teachers in my
school's modern languages department decided a while ago to introduce
Spanish, although none of them had studied the language; they subsequently
on their own initiative attended evening classes and passed the exams in
their own time. There is nothing to stop a motivated adult Brit from
reaching the top in foreign language learning.
David Wilson
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