English for business rather than pleasure

Why is it important that British people should be able to speak other languages? Doesn’t the rest of the world speak English? You don’t need to go as far as China to get a clear answer to that. Anyone who has had a car break down as they drove out of Calais will be able to confirm that this is a myth. The professional elites in many areas do have good English, but they speak it for business rather than for pleasure. If you want to build relationships you need to show that you respect their culture, and their language.

Languages help Penelope Cruz

Pedro Almadóvar’s recent film, Los abrazos rotos (Broken Embraces), is shot almost entirely in Spanish. But there is a particularly surprising language moment for the beautiful but ill-fated heroine, played by Penelope Cruz. Having run away with her lover to Lanzarote, she eventually looks for work in a hotel. When asked whether she has any experience, she mentions that she has worked as a secretary, and then breaks into fluent English to demonstrate that she can speak the language well. The hotel owners are suitably impressed. Of course, this does not save her from her fate, but it does show that with the advantage of her language skills she has options and a chance to live independently.