This is not to downplay my abilities, but my language skills are not what you would call “perfect”. Why, then, am I receiving praise for my relatively average German? Is it because Brits have such a poor reputation for learning languages that when someone does show any competence in another language, it stands out because the bar is so low for us?
These reflections relate to the wider state of language learning in the UK, and specifically Scotland. Why do we have such low levels of language learning in high schools, and then an even smaller number who go on to university? What can be done, and by whom, to change this? Is policy change enough, or is our distaste for language learning also a product of an intolerant culture?
According to the Scottish Qualifications Authority’s (SQA) 2024 course reports, 550 people in the entirety of Scotland sat the Higher German qualification. Higher French saw 2298 people sit the qualification. Compared to Higher Mathematics which saw 18,517 pupils take the course, the number of students studying languages is staggeringly low.
Since 2015, French, Spanish and German Advanced Higher candidates have fallen by 11%. Anecdotally my Advanced Higher German class consisted of myself and one other pupil; we did not have our own timetabled class – we shared it with both the Higher German and National 5 German pupils since there were so few of us taking the subject. This is an increasing reality for many language learners in Scotland, with around ⅔ of secondary schools running language classes with many levels at one time.
It is important to understand cultural factors which could have contributed to these low rates of language learning. At a time where right-wing rhetoric and anti-multiculturalism are ever present in our politics, there is little encouragement from our own government to explore and respect other cultures and languages.
In May, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that “If you want to live in the UK, you should speak English. That is common sense”. By implying that it is “common sense” to speak English, it also implies that it is nonsensical to speak other languages. Increasingly the UK is witnessing popularity for Reform UK who have extremely anti-immigrant and xenophobic views and policies.
This creates a climate of nationalism and increased xenophobia where other cultures and therefore other languages are demonised and classed as other, worthless, and inferior. In such a political and cultural environment, especially when our top political figures are spouting these ideas, it is no wonder that young people feel discouraged from learning languages because there is currently such contempt for anyone or anything viewed un-British. There is already a harmful and completely untrue idea among many English speakers that everyone speaks English, leading to little incentive among us to learn a second language. The most common argument supporting this is that people went on holiday abroad and everyone there could speak some English, however people fail to recognise that they often were in destinations kept alive by British tourism.
In a time of toxic and xenophobic culture, how do we change language learning to encourage more people to learn? First of all, languages need to be introduced in schools at a younger stage, which has happened in recent years in Scotland due to SNP policy. This is good progress, but alone is not enough. There also needs to be more contact hours of languages being taught if children are to see progress in their abilities.
Any less than an hour of language teaching a week will not result in much progress by the learner. Additionally, languages could be made mandatory in secondary schools for longer. For around 1 in 3 schools, it is not mandatory to study languages past S2. There also needs to be more funding for language specialist teachers in primary schools.
Currently, the vast majority of language learning in primary schools is taught by teachers with no formal qualifications in the language. Despite teachers’ best intentions, this can result in problems with learning a language if it is not taught properly. If a child learns a language incorrectly, then goes to secondary school, gets a qualified teacher and finds out they’ve been learning incorrectly for years, they may lack motivation to essentially start learning again from scratch. Children deserve to learn languages in a way that is not a chore, but an experience and a skill that is valuable and useful.
These are just some ideas which could help the situation of languages in Scotland. However, solely focusing on policy will not solve everything. Right now there is a divisive, hateful culture in Britain against all things “foreign”. That includes languages. This is a situation where both things will help the other – a culture more tolerant of diversity will see an increase of children interested in other cultures and wanting to learn other languages, and when people learn languages they engage in another culture which will increase their tolerance and open their minds – symbiosis. The UK needs a culture shift to celebrate language learning for the rewarding, incredible experience that it can be.
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