Reply To: [unofficial weekender] Sleepytime!

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@crazyredcoat – I agree about languages. Here in the UK they’re seen (by most students) as “unnecessary”. Some schools still teach latin (I did two years of it early in high school, then moved to Wales and an entirely different education system) but mostly languages are “optional” (I didn’t do any foreign languages from age 13 onwards).

I only “taught myself” French (using the excellent Michel Thomas CDs) when I decided I wanted to learn – in all my time at school it was never impressed on us why we should want or need to learn another language (which seems completely at odds to most other countries who actively encourage it).

I always found programming in different languages relatively easy – the act of changing syntax is quite simple. But spoken language isn’t just about conveying instructions, it’s about expressing ideas and that’s much more sophisticated. I can make myself understood, speaking French for example, but the exact nuance of meaning doesn’t always come across.

I’m often sorry I didn’t learn other languages at an early age. I had the choice. But was never given a reason why it was important, so chose not to. Sadly, many people here in the UK wear their ignorance as a badge of honour!