Politics isn’t the only world in which fake news exists. There are many myths and fake news items surrounding language; how we learn it, who can learn it, when we should learn it etc.
Today, we’re going to provide you with 5 pieces of information that will help you navigate through the fake to the fact!
Pronunciation is the ‘cherry on the top’ of language training.
No! Pronunciation should not be considered the final hurdle when it comes to language learning. Pronunciation should be a part of every single language lesson you ever have, from your very first to your very last. This isn’t to say that your pronunciation needs to be flawless, at all! But it needs to be included at every stage of learning and it’s basically impossible to ignore it!
“Who needs to learn a language? We’ll all be using translation technology soon!”
Wrong! Yes, translation technology may well develop impressive new features, but the fact remains: they can’t detect sarcasm, nuance, cultural references, etiquette, body language etc. In Erin Meyer’s book, ‘The Culture Map’, she argues that English is “the lowest context language in the world” this means that very little cultural reference is needed to understand a message. To assume this is the case with languages from everywhere else in the world is short-sighted and inaccurate. Communication is not always a simple exchange, it involves so many factors which definitely couldn’t be picked up by a piece of technology. The repercussions from a badly translated utterance are at best embarrassing and at worst dangerous.
Want to learn a new language? Get yourself this latest app!
Sure, but if that’s as far as your efforts go, your language learning journey will be a turbulent one. Apps are great for supplementing your language lessons; they are the modern-day workbook or grammar reference book to use for self-study, which admittedly, is a huge improvement from the dusty old books from the days of yore! However, if you rely on them completely for your language learning, you’ll find yourself falling short of your linguistic goals.
Everyone speaks English anyway...
Not true! Only one quarter does! That means there’s a huge number of humans on the planet that don’t speak English – around 5.4 billion to be precise. Why assume that everywhere you go, you’ll be able to speak English and more to the point, why cut the number of people or experiences you’re able to have just because you rely on English?
“Nepali won’t help me get a job”, “learning Swedish is a waste of time” etc.
This is a total myth! Learning a language that few people in your country or industry can speak will stand you out from you the crowd. It’s likely to open up new doors which would never have been ajar for your non-Norwegian-speaking counterparts! On top of that, there’s the added kudos that learning a language provides – it proves your dedication, motivation and perseverance; all extremely attractive traits in an employee.
So, there you have it – 5 of the biggest language learning myths busted! We’re clearly fans of language training and do our best to promote it, not just because that’s our business, but also because the benefits are so easily defined and proven.
Professional Language Solutions has been providing language training to UK businesses since 1991 and since then we have grown to be one of the UK’s largest suppliers of language training to central government and international companies. Get in touch to find out how we can help with your language training needs.