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The joys of being bilingualLearning another language has many benefits apart from aiding research

RUSS THORNE THURSDAY 08 NOVEMBER 0!

John Morgan is in the first year of a PhD on environmental history. He faces the challenges

confronting most postgraduate students, from managing time to getting the research done. But

theres an added difficulty. German historians are currently pulishing lots on natural

disasters and the environment in early modern !urope," he says. #m $een to engage %ith

this literature, ut the vast ma&ority is in German."

'ot a German(spea$er himself, Morgan, %ho studies at )ar%ic$ *niversity, is follo%ing a

course at the institutions language centre to help his research and get his language s$ills up to

speed. #ts tough going, ut # thin$ #m getting some%here. Because #m a total novice, #m

not yet ale to read German fluently. But that is my goal. # thin$ its %orth%hile."

Hes not alone in this amition. +ome universities report increasing numers of students

loo$ing to learn etra language s$ills, and classes are offered %ith postgraduate programmes

at institutions up and do%n the country, often in espo$e language centres. People learn

differently- some %ant to e at home, some in a dedicated language learning space," eplains

Paul Barnes, of the university of Bournemouth. +tudents can study on site at the universitys

language centre, ut there is also a virtual learning environment for remote study as %ell as

audio and video programmes. ur staff can advise on programmes to follo%, or students can

devise their o%n," he says.

/ather than offering academic 0ualifications, these courses are aimed at non(specialist

language learners %ho %ant to pic$ up s$ills in addition to their studies," says Barnes.

+tudying a language is open to all students. #ts not part of their degree, ut is recognised y

us as eing an important part of the university eperience."

Depending on the university, courses may simply re%ard students %ith improved s$ills, %hile

others offer some $ind of formal recognition. 1t )ar%ic$ or 2+!, for eample, students

follo% 2ifelong 2anguage 2earning or Modern 3oreign 2anguage 4ertificate 4ourse

programmes respectively, %ith graduates receiving certificates for completing a set numer of

hours of study. 5he cost depends on the institution. +ome of the courses are free6 others cost

several hundred pounds.

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1s %ell as on(campus courses, students can choose online schools, 4Dased lessons or

podcasts to help them learn. 7ou can learn effectively y almost any means, as long as you

use the right method," says +yl$e /iester, director for !urope at the language learning

provider /osetta +tone. 1 complete immersion approach %ith a strong emphasis on

developing communicative s$ills is the most effective method."

3itting language learning into a demanding postgraduate study schedule can e hard, ut

Barnes elieves that Masters students are %ell placed to rise to the challenge. # thin$ they

have a etter understanding of the importance of it 8than undergraduates9 and perhaps a more

mature attitude to independent study generally," he says.

3or those %ho ma$e the effort, there are many enefits to learning a language. ne of them,

says 'ic$ Byrne of the 2+!, %here aout :;; postgraduate students ta$e language as an etra

study option annually, is the oost to their academic output. 5heyre ale to access far more

resources than &ust articles %ritten in !nglish, and can also connect etter %ith academics in

other countries.

5here are also all the transferale s$ills you pic$ up %hen studying a language," he

continues. 4ommunication, intercultural a%areness< its far more than &ust language in

itself."

5he learning process can improve students ailities in other areas, too. 2earning a language

is actually more a cognitive prolem(solving activity than a linguistic activity," says /iester.

5he process of learning a language activates the rain in %ays that enefit us in learning

many other things."

#n practice that might mean ecoming a etter communicator in !nglish, for eample6 it can

also help %ith the formal side of academia. 2earning a foreign language can improve

students a%areness of register, formality and so on," says Barnes. #ts useful for academic

%riting."

1nd according to !van +te%art, director of )ar%ic$ universitys language centre, as %ell as

enhancing your mental fleiility, creativity and higher(order thin$ing s$ills, those etra

language s$ills can enefit your career prospects. f course, its more valuale in some

%or$places and environments than it is in others, ut it clearly represents to prospective

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employers that you are someone %ho %ill actively see$ out challenges and also that you have

an aptitude for pic$ing up ne% s$ills."

He adds that 4B# figures =from >;?? !ducation and +$ills surveys@ suggest that, for some

employers, competence in a second language is hugely eneficial in the intervie% process

regardless of %hether it is a re0uirement of the position. /iester agrees. #ts not aout eing

fluent in a language- three out of four of employers say that they are interested in asic

Aconversational aility. #n competitive times, graduates and professionals ali$e must see$ to

improve their career prospects y ac0uiring ne% s$ills and refining eisting ones to stand out

in the application process."

1nd in an increasingly gloal %or$place, the cultural understanding that comes from learning

languages can e &ust as useful as a nifty turn of phrase %ith the language itself. 5he ma&ority

of young people in a Masters programme today can epect either to %or$ aroad or to come

into contact %ith non(!nglish(spea$ing clients or usiness partners," says /iester.

3inally, apart from the academic and professional enefits, learning another language can e

intellectually satisfying in itself. Many simply en&oy the eperience," says +te%art.

2anguage can open doors into areas of interest that perhaps %ould other%ise remain

undiscovered, and can prove reinvigorating as a different challenge to the main ody of %or$

that a student is completing."

John Morgan certainly elieves that his language classes %ill lead to a etter thesis, ut he

also en&oys the variety they ring to his academic life. #ts totally different from my PhD

%or$. 5here are classes and home%or$, %hich can e instantly re%arding," he says. #t

eercises parts of my rain #d forgotten # had, and it certainly %ont hinder my career

prospects"

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