The Importance of Languages

• How many languages are spoken throughout the world?

• 100• 200• 300• More than 500

Just over 6,500

•In London alone, more than 300 languages are spoken.

•The proportion of the world which does not speak English as its first language is:-

• 1%• 25%• 74%• 94%

94%

What proportion of the world speaks no English at

all?• 75%• 60%• 50%• 25%

75%

How many UK companies are losing business because of language

barriers?• 1 out of every 100• 1 out of every 50• 1 out of every 5

1 out of every 5

English is not enough!

How will studying languages help you?

• It will increase your job opportunities

• With the growth of the European Union, there is a much greater need for people who have a foreign language.

• 60% of all UK trade is with non English-speaking countries

It will boost your brain power

• Researchers from University College London studied the brains of 105 people – 80 of whom spoke a foreign language.

• They found that learning another language improved the brain in the same way that exercise builds muscle

It will give you more money• Learning a language can boost an

average worker’s earnings by up to 20%

• For a person earning the average national salary, that would mean an extra £200,000 over a working life.

It can even improve your love life!

• A survey of 270 dating agencies found that people who speak a foreign language are more attractive to the opposite sex!

Why French? • According to employers, the

languages which most companies want are:-

• 1st French• 2nd German

French is spoken as a native language in:-

• France Luxembourg Monaco• Switzerland Canada ( Quebec)• Guadeloupe Martinique Benin• Guinea Mali Ivory Coast• Niger Senegal Togo• French Guiana Central African Republic• Burkina Faso Congo Gabon• La Réunion New Caledonia Haiti• French Polynesia Saint Pierre Mayotte

French is the only language other than English which is

spoken on 5 continents • French is the second most

frequently used language on the internet

• French is ranked the second most influential language in the world

French, along with English, is the official working

language of:-• The United Nations• The International Olympic Committee• The International Red Cross• The Council of Europe• The European Court of Justice

France is visited by more tourists than any other

country in the world

•The Eiffel Tower is the most visited tourist attraction in the world

•The following people have one thing in common …

•They all speak French !

Johnny Depp

Orlando Bloom

Jarvis Cocker

Ellen Macarthur

Robin Williams

Mick Jagger

Uma Thurman

John Travolta

Tina Turner

Elton John

Sol Campbell

Davina McCall

Jamie Oliver

Madonna

Matthew Perry

Lisa Kudrow

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Kylie Minogue

Which other celebrities speak

foreign languages?

Jonathan RossRussian

Lucy LiuJapanese and Chinese

Mandarin

Gary LinekerSpanish and Japanese

Gwyneth PaltrowSpanish and Italian

J K RowlingFrench, Spanish and Portugese

Arsene WengerEnglish German Italian Japanese

Spanish

Christopher LeeFrench, German, Italian, Spanish,

Russian, Greek and Swedish