tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post6067769727759323640..comments2023-11-04T20:42:11.524+00:00Comments on HR Case Studies: If the foreigners don't understand, just speak louderGraham Salisburyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-82973199520187193632009-08-29T10:29:47.991+01:002009-08-29T10:29:47.991+01:00Bill/Stephen:
Thanks for your very helpful and th...Bill/Stephen:<br /><br />Thanks for your very helpful and thought-provoking comments. Interestingly enough, I was at a meeting for Chinese students commencing their year abroad at my local university last night. Their English-speaking skills were alarmingly and embarrassingly good!Graham Salisburyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05029948174384225988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-43551621370358009292009-08-28T18:05:33.688+01:002009-08-28T18:05:33.688+01:00'You will always be able to buy in English, bu...'You will always be able to buy in English, but you will only SELL in German.' So said a German Ambassador many years ago when a young 'everyone speaks English' exec. told him he didn't need to learn German because he travelled all round Germany buying for his company and had no problem using English. <br /><br />Introducing an 'entitlement' to learn 'a foreign language' in primary school wont be any more successful now than it was in the 60s and 70s when it was tried before; do it badly and it puts pupils off, do it well and continuity in the secondary schools is a problem.<br /><br />But Bill Chapman has identified a real issue - while it is clear that we need linguists, it is not clear where to start, unless, of course, Esperanto, already proven to have great value as a language learning tool, is given a fair chance.Stephen Thompsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9220045813820945869.post-2652649690064784752009-08-28T17:32:08.166+01:002009-08-28T17:32:08.166+01:00The little-mentioned problem is which language to ...The little-mentioned problem is which language to offer to learners. Learn French, and you're lost in Hungary.Learn German,and you can't ask for a glass of water in Portugal.<br /><br />I suggest that it would be useful and practical to introduce Esperanto as a starter language. Your readers may have the idea that Esperanto is something historical or experimental. In fact this planned second language is spoken by a growing population of people across the world. Take a look at http://www.esperanto.net<br /><br />Maybe this idea is just too sensible!Bill Chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12810992711601197508noreply@blogger.com