I Can't Speak French // Guest Post by Rena

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There is a very strange phenomenon in the teenage world, one which perplexes and distresses me on a daily basis – the mass hatred for learning another language. Yes, I am a French teacher and therefore must confess an insatiable desire to speak as many languages as possible so I find it very hard to comprehend why my pupils don't appreciate the chance to learn not one, but two languages.

I put myself in their shoes to see it from my pupils' perspective – I work in a deprived area and they don't even know there is a world outside of their local bus route, never mind a whole world that really do speak this random thing I am trying to teach them. But I find there is a pattern in all walks of life, even the privately educated darlings groan when they realise they have a language lesson next and make their feelings well known that French is the subject they hate the most.

Obviously I am generalising somewhat, as I have managed to convince some youngsters that learning a language is a passport to freedom, fun and a fulfilled life, but those who go on to enjoy learning a foreign language are few and far between. Universities are struggling to fill language degrees across the country so it is clear it is not just a problem with my teaching (that's a blog for another day!)

So what is it? Where does this dislike of being able to communicate with a whole other nationality come from?

Personally, I blame whoever first said “Everyone speaks English”. It is a phrase which has swept the nation and believes it's own propaganda. Yes, the vast majority of people in tourist areas and large cities do speak English. The bit that is forgotten is that these people have learnt English because it helps their business and earns them money. What good is the cafe owner in Benidorm who has never learnt what a Full English Breakfast means, or the bar owner in Paris who doesn't know what 'wine' means? The vast majority of others haven't bothered to learn English, and those that have will not entertain those who have not put the effort into learning theirs.

English youngsters find it hard to think about their own imminent future, and I think this plays a massive part in the problem. They have no real idea what they want to do in the future, or what they will need in order to succeed, so learning another language is way down the list of possible options compared to exciting things like Travel and Tourism and Business Studies – both of which practically double their value when combined with a language! They fail to see that speaking another language opens up so many possibilities that they never thought of – spending time at a foreign university while studying for any degree, being the one who is chosen to fly with the boss to that all important meeting in Paris to translate the new contract (or being the boss who can have a few drinks with the new clients after signing the new contract), making a fortune as the only one who can sell the product to Moscow and reaping the commission rewards.

Added to this is the inability to convey the pure joy of being able to speak another language to anyone who hasn't done it – it is hard work, it involves using your brain to work things out (a major inconvenience for most young people) and most people give up at the first sign of hard work and go back to the whole “Everyone speaks English” safety net and miss out on the euphoria of being understood in a foreign language.

So I leave you with no answer – if I had one I wouldn't be writing this – but rather a question, how would you convince a 14 year old that learning a language is possibly the best thing they could ever do?