Bag's Rants

Speaking Foreign.

Last week I was talking to someone about learning a language. We in the UK are apparently the worst for learning other languages. Most other countries have a significant number of people that can speak other languages. Not us Brit. Of course being racist helps for a start so are we really surprised?

My view was that it depends on use. Who uses languages anyway? Certain people that travel the world on holidays. How many is that? Most resorts speak English. They need to speak to other offices in work. Again how many is that? What else is there? Better off learning first aid for all the fat splashes you get from flipping burgers and massage for relieving stress from standing all day. At least it will be used more than a foreign language. People get burnt every day and stress is growing exponentially as we realise how we are getting screwed daily.

Anyway, as another way to screw up our already suspect education system where a lot of people can't even speak or write English. We now are looking at setting targets for foreign languages. Read more here.

Now maybe it is me. You know I like to go on about things but I consider that schools are there to educate and prepare us for a working life. Why things like burger grills and standing around is not taught to prepare us for real work is beyond me. So looking at a target of 50% must mean that either our Government believes that half of us will be talking to the French or Germans as a matter of course or that it is just another arbitrary target for us to aim at.

Now, at first I did think it was an arbitrary target. Bliar and his cronies are masters of this and it seems like just another pointless move. Then I started to think a bit more, you know look at it from another angle. Then it hit home. It made perfect sense.

We need to get our young ones prepared for when Europe becomes a superpower and a force to be reckoned with in the World. For that we need to speak the language that will be used by it's leaders. We are not sure yet if it will be French or German so we need to prepare for both. Read here about a Franco-German Europe.

posted by Bag @ 3:59 pm