It’s time to rethink UK foreign language education

Let's be brutally honest - the English aren't exactly known for their multilingualism. This, of course, isn't really a matter of aptitude, but rather it reflects the remnants of English nationalism over the centuries, coupled with a deficient foreign language education system in secondary schools. And despite the foreign language curriculum being disproportionately focused on Spanish, French, and German, intercultural understanding remains weak even towards the country's closest geographical neighbours. It is reasonable to suspect that in a way, support towards Brexit developed under such circumstances - but what would Brexit entail for a country that is already linguistically incompetent?

Adopting an economic perspective, I argue why the need for foreign language learning is even more pressing in a post-Brexit era, and how the lack of diversity in language curriculums is dangerously insufficient for a growing Britain. Blocking out linguistic talent from the EU is a perilous move, costing the country up to billions of pounds annually. As I shall contend, burying every generation's noses in the comfortable, familiar bosom of western European languages does not strengthen the country's business competence either.

Learn about the challenges that await Britain's language industry in the coming years here (note that this article is one of my pieces from a different journalistic outlet).