Topic 5 (+ audio)

The role of a knowledge of foreign languages in the modern world

It is extremely hard to overestimate the importance of a knowledge of foreign languages in the modern world. I think that every cultured person should learn at least one foreign language. They say that the more languages a person knows the more deeply he or she can understand the reality. The act of learning a foreign language reflects ability to work hard, outstanding communication skills and good organizational skills. It also shows intelligence and good learning qualities.

Different people learn foreign languages for different reasons. Some people take foreign languages out of snobbery. People of this type are snobs by nature and the very knowledge of a foreign language makes them feel superior to other people. Such people learn languages because it is fashionable.

Other people learn foreign languages because they are fond of the culture, history or geography of this or that country. A knowledge of the language gives them a better understanding of the nation. Such people find language learning extremely enjoyable. Competence in a foreign language helps you to communicate adequately with people in their countries and to help them when they come to yours. It also helps to meet people and make friends. Language learning goes hand in hand with the study of other subjects like history, geography and politics. Learning a language means that you can read foreign press and watch foreign television. It can give you a different viewpoint on world events.

There are people who learn foreign languages out of necessity. For instance, some people need a knowledge of foreign languages in the course of their work. They have to work with documents in foreign languages. They read literature in foreign languages to keep up with their professional reading. They want to be in the know of all the latest developments in the field they work in. They want to be up-to-date. Learning languages are helpful to people’s career goals. Languages mean that you can do practically any job you want anywhere in the world. Universities respect applicants with foreign languages. At present, most companies in Russia place a premium on a knowledge of foreign languages by their staff. The employees should know a foreign language (in most cases it’s English) and be PC-users.

Effective use of technology needs linguistic skills, too. These skills can help to use new technologies to the full. The wide spread of computers makes a knowledge of foreign languages, especially English, indispensable. Over the past few years the number of Internet users has increased sharply. The Internet has become an integral part of everyday life across the world. At present you can get practically any information on the World Wide Web.

To make the most of the ‘Net people should know the English language, because most information on the Internet is posted in English.

The attitude to foreign languages varies from nation to nation, though. In Russia, for example, lots of people seem to be keen on learning foreign languages. In contrast, in America, most people don’t bother to learn foreign languages. “Why should we learn any foreign languages while the whole world speaks English?” they say.

For me, learning English is both a hobby and necessity. On the one hand, I enjoy English. I learn it for reasons of personal satisfaction, such as enjoyment, fun, interest and challenge. On the other hand, I hope that the English language will become an indispensable part of my future profession. My ambition is to have a native speaker’s command of English. To that end I work hard at the language. I read a lot of books in English. It helps me enrich my vocabulary. I learn a lot of words and phrases which will come in handy in the future. Besides, I’ve made it a point to listen to the BBC. It helps me hone my listening skills. I have also tried to watch films in English. Unfortunately, I managed to understand far from everything. I hope that my hard work at the language will make it possible for me to be more proficient in the language.

Topic 6 (+ audio)