Wouldn't It Be Wonderful to Speak Natively in a Country You Visit? Learn a Foreign Language

When I was at primary school back in the mid nineteen seventies, my class started to learn French in our final year. I wasn't too sure about this at the tender age of eleven. My interests were in science and "engineering".

Science at school was controlled, being in structured lessons. My "engineering" at home was less structured. It usually involved taking things apart with scant regard to putting them back together again. However, these skills came over the next few years. I studied physics and chemistry when I went to grammar school. I went to college after that and studied engineering.

Whilst at grammar school, the first year contained compulsory Latin, French, German and Greek lessons. After the first year, you could choose which one (or ones) you wanted to continue with. This determined which stream you entered for your second and successive years. I chose to retain Latin, French and German.

So for five years I studied these three languages all the way to formal examination.

At age eleven or so, my parents took my brother and I camping in Spain. My dad drove us all the way across France and Spain to the chosen campsite near Barcelona. This was a great adventure. Neither of my parents spoke anything but Northern English (though we now lived in The Home Counties).

When my parents needed to communicate with anyone in France, I seemed to be shuffled ahead of my parents in front of the person they were trying to communicate with. I felt like a translation device that often appeared in "Star Trek". If, indeed "Star Trek" was televised then (I think not).

With my very rudimentary French, we somehow muddled through. We got fuel in the car, we ate, we got directions (and sometimes a reminder for my dad to drive on the RIGHT!).

Then, of course, in Spain, the translation device (i.e. yours truly) failed. My parents didn't understand this at all.

Following holidays also involved going abroad camping. By this time I had started German and Latin as well as continuing French. By the time I was fourteen, we went to Italy for three weeks. I had no Italian but I did have Latin. To quite an advanced stage after three years. Sat by the pool at our campsite, I read through the Italian phrase book my parents had purchased. I got the hang of it, though of course, still somewhat rudimentary.

After my education, I went into the career world which took me to many lands but mostly Western Europe. I already had French and German so managed to communicate relatively well. I will point out that I am far from fluent.

Subsequent years saw me in Greece, Turkey and the Near East. Then I visited other parts of the world where any of the languages I had some knowledge of were completely useless. Many country's populations have English as a preferred secondary language. But then there's no fun in that.

I wanted to have an understanding of the country I found myself in and communicate natively (if badly - that can add to the amusement factor). School's long gone now. So what's the option for learning a new language? Evening classes? Perhaps but it means that you have to make the time available and attend. How about online and self-study?

Now that we have had the internet with us for many years, there's a vast amount of resource on learning languages. It's just trying to find out what is the best. It does make learning a new language easier than it ever has been. It still needs commitment though.

On a final note, my parents moved to Spain after retirement some four years ago. Do they speak Spanish natively? I'm trying my best to teach them because I still get shuffled in front of the shop keeper, bar tender and whenever my parents feel the need a translator is required - Beam me up, Scotty!

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