Following the campaign launched by the British Council,  MLV is encouraging you to Learn a Language as a goal this Summer.

After having read the latest news that Ireland has stopped it’s funding for the foreign languages programme for primary schools and having ranted in my previous blog about the lack of enthusiasm towards learning a language in schools… perhaps the new way forward is for adults to make a goal or an aspiration a reality. Learning a language shouldn’t be a hardship and from what is seen on social media and hearsay, it would appear that many of us long to have gift of multilingualism.

So how can we do it? Of course, learning a language does not happen over night BUT it can be a fun and brain stimulating exercise that doesn’t have to mean ploughing your way through exercise books and dictionaries. Why not listen to the radio in the background or even listen to songs in your chosen language? Perhaps swapping Classic FM for Radio France isn’t such a bad idea anyway! Or what about pen pal?  This can encourage you to learn phrases and vocabulary quicker, which is of course,  essential. The best way to learn a new language though… immerse yourself! Visit the country, go on holiday and don’t be afraid to make a fool out of yourself! So while on your long-awaited summer holiday, why not impress the locals with your guns of steel and also your new found lingo?!

There’s many reasons why this should be your goal for 2016 but of course starting with the fact that languages can be beneficial for many aspects of your life, not just career-wise but also socially, and academically. An article from the BBCrevealed that the consequences can involve an improvement in intelligence and slows ‘brain ageing’. Not forgetting that you can meet some extraordinary people when it comes to new cultures and languages, some of them could be your friends for life. Finally, of course, it goes without saying that bilingual and multilingual candidates are very sought after when it comes to employment, so  a mere, fun part-time hobby could actually result in you having a bigger wage packet. However, if you need more inspiration and more convincing when it comes to the benefits of learning a language, you can always check out all the latest job vacancies on our website at multilingualvacancies.com.

No matter what your goals are for 2016, we, at MLV, would like to wish you luck with your endeavours!

I suppose the last question is… what language will you learn?