7/23/2019 The Joys of Being Bilingual
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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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