Language barrier?

When it comes to learning a language in Britain, a lot of people assume that most other countries speak our mother tongue – making it not a priority for Brits when it comes to learning a second language.

New research, by Top Language Jobs, has polled people about how they feel about learning a second language and whether it would affect their abilities when applying for jobs here and abroad.

Across the nation, more than four out of five people admit that it is beneficial to learn a second language, especially with the uncertainty of the current climate and Brexit. Four out of five people also felt that we as a nation are lazy when it comes to learning a second language.

When asked about studying a language at school, out of the 65% of respondents who learnt a second language, French was the most popular with 81% in total. As a result, French is the language that Brits feel most familiar with. In fact, 71% can count to 10 and 43% are fluent enough to ask for the bill in French.

While French is the most familiar language amongst Brits, the most popular European language that they would add to their skillset if they had the opportunity is Spanish (38%). German came in very popular with the under 55 year olds, with 42% of them being able to count to 10 and 21% able to ask for the bill.

Are some Craigie readers bilingual, we wonder?