Questionnaire to 30 “language” graduates from

between 1998 and 2005

Graham Webb

Head of Languages

Leeds Metropolitan University

Have you used your languages at all since graduating?

No4%

Yes96%

Have you had any jobs where languages have been essential?

No46%

Yes54%

Do you use languages at work now?

Sometimes36%

Never29%

All the time18%

Often18%

Have your languages been useful at all since you graduated?

Yes100%

No0%

Have you ever been paid more because of your language skills?

No54%

Yes46%

Do you specifically want a job where you use your language skills?

No39%

Yes61%

Have you travelled abroad with any of your jobs so far?

No36%

Yes64%

Have you learned any other languages since graduating?

Yes21%

No79%

Are you glad you studied languages at university?

Yes100%

No0%

Questionnaire to 91 businesses across West Yorkshire that import or export – or both.

Graham Webb

Head of Languages

Leeds Metropolitan University

How many employees has your company?

501+ 4%151-500

21%

51-150 22%

1-50 53%

Does your company specifically employ people with language skills?

Yes38%

No62%

Are you ever likely to employ people specifically with language skills?

Yes62%

No38%

Does your company ever need or use any of the following?

  Yes No

Written translations from English to a foreign language?  68% 32% 

Written translations from a foreign language to English  66% 34% 

Interpreting between English and a foreign language?  93% 7% 

Use of foreign languages on the telephone? 66%  34% 

Use of foreign languages on overseas trips?  69% 31% 

Reading documents/brochures/websites in a foreign language?  61% 39% 

Reading business letters/e-mails in a foreign language?  59% 41% 

Professional translation agencies?  39% 61% 

Professional interpreters?  25% 75% 

If you employed a language graduate would you expect them to be able to..?

  Yes No

Undertake translations from English into the foreign language?  92% 8% 

Undertake translations from the foreign language into English?  92% 8% 

Interpret between English and the foreign language?  92% 8% 

Undertake general correspondence in the foreign language?  92% 8% 

Write formal documents or reports in the foreign language?  73% 27% 

Use the foreign language on the telephone?  96% 4% 

Learn new foreign languages as required?  42% 58% 

What do you think about the value of foreign languages to your business

currently?

Irrelevant21%

Vital25%

Useful54%

What do you think about the value of foreign languages to your business in

the future?

More41%

Less1%

The same58%

If you employed a language graduate how much would you expect them to know

about the business world of the country whose language they studied?

Nothing7%

A little47%

A lot11%

Quite a lot35%

Graham Webb

Head of Languages

Leeds Metropolitan University

g.webb@leedsmet.ac.uk