1. Why learn a foreign language?

2. Here are 20 reasons: Businesses need languages
A language broadens your choice of career
Languages develop your communication skills which are vital in daily life
Languages broaden your awareness of different cultures

3. Some say that knowing a foreign language is part of what it means to be educated
Knowing a foreign language gives you an advantage over others in a job interview
Learning another language improves your English language skills

4. Other countries don’t learn English for our benefit
Learning a second language helps protect the brain from the effects of ageing
Knowing a foreign language is a gift, it gives you the flexibility to go and work or live in a foreign speaking country

5. Language learning widens your knowledge of the world
Language learning helps to develop your memory
Language learning helps to develop your concentration and listening skills

6. Languages enable you to travel to other countries and feel part of the culture and respect the people living there by making an effort to communicate and not feel like a tourist

7. Languages set you free! If you look at a map, Britain is so small compared to the rest of the world. You can go out there when perhaps the person next to you is just going to be living and working here for the rest of their lives
It’s fun! You feel really good when you can speak another language

8. Britain lags behind in learning languages and we need to catch up
A language is rewarding. It helps us to understand our own language and the cultures of other countries
Language learning promotes tolerance and understanding

9. If you do a language degree you get to study and live abroad for one year. This shows that you have many good qualities including independence

10. How many foreign languages can you name?
Arabic
Chinese
Danish
Dutch
English
French
German
Greek
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Polish
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish

11. Which languages do these famous people speak?
Tony Blair
Orlando Bloom
Geri Halliwell
Gary Lineker
Davina McCall
Steve McManaman
Kylie Minogue
Jamie Oliver
Arsene Wenger

12. Tony Blair = French
Orlando Bloom = French
Geri Halliwell = Spanish
Gary Lineker = Japanese & Spanish
Davina McCall = French
Steve McManaman = Spanish
Kylie Minogue = French
Jamie Oliver = French
Arsene Wenger = French, German, Italian, Japanese & Spanish

13. David Beckham
'I haven't conquered Spanish yet. I'm learning and understand what's said during training. I'm progressing little by little. Spanish is very difficult for me, although I am getting used to it. I am making an effort. It's complicated. But if I can conquer Spanish, it will have been a great achievement.‘

14. Diane Modahl
'I know lots of people speak English, but being prepared to say something in someone else's language is a way of showing them that you care, that you're prepared to make the effort and you don't just expect them to speak your language. That's quite arrogant actually, isn't it?'

15. Gary Lineker
'My wife and I learnt Spanish and Japanese when I played at Barcelona and Nagoya. We spent hours and hours in tuition – yet we could have learnt either language at school. Modern languages prepare you for modern life.'