8 out of 10 Catalan companies state that they must carry out training programs in foreign languages to fill the gaps in the educational system. These are the latest data published by the Observatori dels Idiomes, a project promoted by the business foundation FemCAT.
The entity maintains that the knowledge of foreign languages is increasingly a transversal need due to globalization. However, the data indicates that there is still a long way to go in our country. In its latest report, the Observatory has revealed that four out of ten companies surveyed say that proficiency in English is the technical skill that is most lacking among candidates.
Knowing a language and having the ability to communicate with it can be a direct benefit in the workplace. "More and more companies realize that offering English classes to employees is a corporate benefit that has a great impact on the business, allowing them to explore foreign markets or attract talent from other countries," explains Sylvia Johnson, director of Methodology from Preply, a language learning app.
“In the case of multinational companies where the official language is English, knowing it brings employees closer to the company's culture and increases their sense of belonging. Knowing the language can also make it easier for us to travel to other countries and even choose to live a digital nomad experience, so fashionable since the rise of teleworking”, adds Johnson.
Beyond the professional, learning a language offers us a multitude of benefits related to personal development. “Learning a new language in adulthood can be quite a challenge but it also has many benefits, such as improving our memory and cognitive functions. For example, there are studies that show that studying a second language delays the aging of the brain”, shares the director of Methodology at Preply.
Despite being aware of the benefits, we are still at the bottom of Europe in English level: according to the Education First report, Spain remains in 33rd position on the list of countries analyzed with 545 points. What is going wrong? What are the difficulties we find in learning English?
“Often the problem is motivation. Adults who want to learn a foreign language are discouraged because they believe that they cannot acquire it as easily as children, that the train has already departed, but this is not true”, explains Sylvia Johnson.
In fact, adults have a number of advantages that are often overlooked. “Adults have the experiential ability to understand their own thought processes and know how to use language to get things done, and this is an advantage,” shares Johnson.
Despite the abilities of adults, there is a problem that is often repeated in the learning process: the fear of making mistakes and being judged. “Many English learners experience feelings of shame, especially when it comes to speaking. They are afraid of making a mistake, being judged or misunderstood, or self-conscious about their accent," Johnson explains.
In this sense, it is very important to break this barrier. "Students need to feel comfortable with their teacher or tutor, the class must be a safe area where mistakes can be made, since mistakes are an essential part of the learning process," he says.
It is never too late to learn English. There are many training courses designed to teach the language, such as the General English Course, the TOEFL Preparation English Course or the English Course with live teachers; all delivered by EF Smash Live.
For those who already have a certain level and want to gain expert knowledge, there are courses such as the Advanced C2 English Proficiency Course, taught by Inesem Business School, or the C1 Advanced Intensive English Course from the YaEstudio center.
