Heavy Metal Encourages Language Learning

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Euro London

There are a number of different reasons why one person may learn a new language; travelling, career opportunities, to converse with family and friends who live abroad, the list goes on. But I bet for many of us we wouldn’t consider learning a new language because our favourite music genre encourages us to. Or would we…?

Well those that are into heavy metal have been encouraged to do that exact thing. One language learner in particular Mr Brown, an American international relations major at the University of Washington aimed for a life in foreign services. However it was not only his ambition to work in foreign services but also his love for heavy metal which swayed his decision to learn Finnish. He further claimed that Finnish bands performances are something unique and with the poetic nature of the Finnish tongue it truly adds depth to the music which also makes language learning interesting.

Mr. Brown isn’t the only one to channel a love for the metal genre into the pursuit of learning an obscure tongue. It’s quite a well-known phenomenon that students in Italy study Norwegian because they’re interested in metal. Further to this a bass player for a band in Finland, named Sami Hinkka, expressed his love for metal music along with languages saying that, growing up, he read the lyrics of Iron Maiden and Metallica and used a dictionary to help translate the words. His love and dedication for learning languages and heavy metal music continues to grow every time he hears that his bands music also inspires them to learn something new.

Whatever the reason behind learning a language whether it is conventional or something unique like the above methods language learning should be encouraged 100%. What caused you to learn a new language? We’d love to hear any bizarre stories here.

And remember – ‘Rock on with languages!’
[1] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323855804578511381869336080.html

The Mysterious Disappearance Of German Speakers…

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Euro London

German is spoken by an estimated 126 million people, suggesting that the German language is popular across the globe. According to recent articles the growth in students studying German as a foreign language has increased. Figures revealed by an Italian newspaper say that in 2012 learners of German increased by 18% in Italy; 62% in Portugal, 38% in Spain, and in Greece a rise of 30% was witnessed. So why has this trend taken place?

A number of learners revealed that it was in their plan to study German in order to be able to study abroad, as well as increase their opportunities to find a job where German speakers are required whether it is abroad or in Germany itself. In recent years the need for German speakers within businesses has soared, this is due to the buzzing economy in Germany. As a result it currently has one of the most stable markets in Europe. Consequently there are a number of countries not only across Europe, but the world, investing in German markets and therefore in dire need of German speakers.

Euro London Appointments recently conducted our own hiring trends report and results revealed that German was one of the most sought out languages across Europe including the UK, France and of course Germany. But found that even though native and fluent German speakers are in demand there seems to be a serious lack of German speakers available. One of the main reasons for this seems due to the uncertainty across a number of countries, particularly within the Euro zone many native German speakers are reluctant to move from their current positions.

Do you know any native German speakers looking for positions to utilise their knowledge and language skills across sectors including sales and marketing, call centre, IT and many more? If so get in touch today – we look forward to hearing from you!

The Future Of Language Studies…

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Euro London

Language courses are studied around the world in higher education from England to France and China. However, in France a new law introduced by the lower house parliament is fighting to be approved in order to teach courses in English. This is currently against the law and many of the French locals strongly disapprove of the new motion – but why?

Parliamentarian Pouria Amirshahi who represents 150,000 French citizens who live in the North and West of Africa, believes that if France begins to teach in English it will slowly but surely become a second rate copy cat country compared to England and America. [1] Other critics believe that the French language and its vocabulary could cease to evolve if the English language is used throughout educational systems. Many argue that even now the youth of France are already beginning to adopt more English words into their everyday lives, which could lead to the French cultural heritage being at stake. French protestors against the new law insist that instead of focusing on introducing courses being taught in English, France should focus on attracting the Francophone students.

On the other hand there are a number of those in favour of the new proposal as it is believed that it can be beneficial to France and its population. By introducing lessons in other languages it will hopefully increase the number of foreign students at universities from 12 per cent of the total to 15 per cent by 2020. [2] It will also help improve the language skills of those looking to further their language skills of the second most worldwide spoken languages. This will consequently help locals’ grasp English as France slides into recession and many look to work abroad.

While France faces the difficult decision of whether or not to introduce English taught courses universities, England face some tough language course decisions too. Funding for specialist language courses were reduced in the UK by an astonishing half at the beginning of 2012’s academic year and is only set to decrease for the forthcoming academic year. Universities including Leeds have felt the cuts as the university plans to reduce the number of classes teaching students how to speak Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Greek, Portuguese and Polish. [3]

We believe it is important to embrace all language elements throughout life. If conducted in the correct manner France can help evolve their countries English language skills alongside keeping their native language alive. Do you agree with some of the arguments made for and against the new way of teaching in French universities?

[1] http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest-news/top-stories/leeds-metropolitan-university-plans-to-cut-foreign-languages-1-5687192
[2] http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/22/france-debates-teaching-more-courses-in-english-at-universities/
[3]http://www.npr.org/2013/05/25/186540645/war-of-words-france-debates-teaching-courses-in-english

Australia Fights To Save Languages

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Euro London

Australia has more to offer than just beautiful beaches and amazing weather the idyllic country has a number of stunning languages which are sadly dying out. With generations changing and leaving the heritage of Australia in the past, an astonishing 93 per cent of Australia’s indigenous languages have become inexistent. However Australia’s schools will now be provided with guidance when it comes to teaching indigenous languages under a new curriculum document released for public consultation. Other communities in the South of Australia are also doing their part as they are determined that these languages will flourish in generations to come.

Linguist Ghil’ad Zuckermann professor of endangered languages at the University of Adelaide in Australia is on a mission to revive the forgotten languages of the country. With the help of the older generations that still speak the language as well as a 170 year old dictionary; the professor will be strenuously trying to revive the language for future generations. However in order to update the indigenous languages new words will be created to keep up with new inventions since some of these languages had been lost. Words include ‘internet’ and ‘computer’.

It can be argued that when you reclaim a language, you feel empowered. Vincent “Jack”‘ Buckskin stated “It is about self-identity and cultural identity”.[1] Therefore learning a language that has existed for hundreds of years can give you a new found cultural autonomy as you are not only reclaiming a language but also the history of your country and the heritage that it offers.

An example of an indigenous language that has been updated is the Kaurna language which was spoken by the original inhabitants of Adelaide. The language began to disappear from daily use in South Australia as early as the 1860s.

Traditional words

Niinamarni – to say hello to one person; also means are you good
Niinamarnitidli – means good day
Purrunarninthi – means coming alive

Newly-created words

Panpapanpalya – means conference
Warraityi – means phone (literally the voice-sending thing)
Mukarntu – means computer (literally lightening brain) [2]

Does a country you come from have a language that is slowly dying out? If so why not try to preserve it by teaching younger generations.

[1][2]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20066624

Does Bilingualism Cause Language Delay?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Euro London

Parents that are bilingual tend to want to pass the gift of a second language onto their new born child. With so many benefits of languages in the 21st century and the growing demand for them only expanding, why wouldn’t you want to share this wisdom with your offspring? Well in reality some parents actually worry that teaching or even speaking to a new born child in two different languages can cause confusion and consequently lead to language delay.

It has been known in the Western world that speech specialists and even doctors have advised parents who are bilingual, that they should deter from speaking two languages in front of their child/children. But why you ask? Well according to a percentage of the population, speaking more than one language in front of children that are learning to talk is confusing and will put a dent in their development. As a result many parents have been reluctant to try and converse with their babies in more than one language. The language that is less commonly used in cultural surroundings is suggested to be dropped from teaching.

However if we flash back to reality for a second – this does not need to be acted upon. The assumption that bilingualism causes communication disorders such as language delay is one that is incorrect as research shows that bilingual children begin to speak in exactly the same time frame as monolingual children. The only difference between the two is that bilingual children have the advantage of a second language – not bad for a beginner! Colin Baker, a researcher in childhood bilingualism states that raising children bilingually is sometimes believed to cause language delay, though evidence does not support this. [1] Raising children bilingually neither increases nor does it reduce the chance of language disorder or delay.

The most common difficulty a child who is learning two languages at once faces is the minor confusion between which language to choose from in speech. However, this is extremely common and can even carry on throughout life – but even this (speaking two languages at once) can be seen as a stroke of genius. It is also important to remember that regardless of how many languages a child may be learning to speak, each and every learning ability is different for each individual.

Have you ever faced any language difficulties when teaching an offspring a foreign language?

[1] http://www.multilingualliving.com/2010/05/31/does-bilingualism-multilingualism-cause-language-delay/

Two Languages, One Brain.

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Euro London

Learning a new language can be an extremely long process in order to become fluent – even if you are a native speaker. From the day we were born we are on a mission to speak, the curiosity of language to a child is clear to see as they strenuously try to communicate with us via babbles and gurgles. It’s a fascinating memory when a child says their first word, but even more fascinating when they can speak two languages. Some people accomplish learning languages two or three times over making them bilingual, trilingual or more. In fact it’s incredible the way any brain can function between two languages – so how is it actually done?

Scientists are only beginning to look closer at the mind of a polyglot in order to understand learning influences, behaviour and the brain structure itself when a second, third or fourth language is acquired.

Humans have been known to be simple linguists even inside the womb, before birth. This is because brain mechanisms are fully developed from 30 weeks onwards and therefore are able to hear what their mothers say and absorb elements of the language. Elisabeth Cros, a speech therapist with the Ecole Internationale de New York states that “Before 9 months of age, a baby produces a babble made up of hundreds of phonemes from hundreds of languages.” [1]

Learning two languages whilst a child is young is generally easier as they aren’t fully aware of what they are doing. But how do we choose which language to speak in, with more than one language to choose how does our brain function and not constantly mix between languages? The truth behind this is that the brain, regardless of age, does in fact get confused when juggling more than one language. Ellen Bialystok of Toronto’s York University calls it the dog-chien dilemma. [2] This is when a person who speaks two or more languages toggles between two words in order to describe something.

However there have been numerous studies which identity the benefits of knowing more than one language within education, work and even health. For example studies conducted on both monolinguals and bilinguals showed different results when it came to cognitive decisions. Even though both groups performed tasks accurately it was clear to see that bilinguals performed faster as well as more metabolically economical in executing the cognitive mission, using less energy in the frontal cortex than the monolinguals.

The brain is the most complex organ of our bodies with its function to control the other organs of the body, a vital organ that without it we would cease to exist. As previous studies have proved knowing a second language keeps the brain sharper later on in life. [3] Preliminary imaging work suggests that language behaviour can be visible in the brain. Some studies, for example, have shown a thickening of the cortex in two brain regions but most importantly the left inferior parietal. This part of the brain helps code language and gesturing.

Bialystok has also found differences for bilinguals which suggests denser signalling and complexity of functions due to fatty sheathing that insulates nerves and improves ability to communicate – this may account for the decision making when choosing between which language to use during communication.

Do you face any challenges in communication because you speak more than one language?

[1] [2[http://healthland.time.com/2013/04/23/bilingualism/
[3] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/keeping-your-brain-in-shape/

How To Get Ahead In The Global Market

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Euro London

So, how do you get ahead in the global market? In one word – languages. The world is becoming smaller (hypothetically speaking of course) therefore it is becoming increasingly costly, in a number of ways, to remain monolingual. Learning languages is now vastly becoming an obligation in today’s business markets.

It is thought that those who grow up learning multiple languages have a distinct advantage over only English speakers. This follows the census that shows 22.1 per cent of Londoners (roughly 1.7 million) have another language besides English as their main language. London is increasingly a city of polyglots, where some households speak more than three languages. There has also been a large shift on focus in the last few years on getting England to become a more multilingual country. This focus has been on schools in particular as learning a foreign language has not been compulsory in British schools since 2004 but the Government is consulting on reinstating them from primary age.

So just how much can learning a foreign language assist you in overcoming the challenges we face today?

- Languages allow you to expand your view of the world which encourages reflection on the relationship between language and culture. This is something that can be crucial in a global business market.

- Further to this, language also allows you to develop your intellect, memory, and learning habits.

- Knowing and understanding a different language can expose you to modes of thought and viewpoints that are available only in the foreign language and its culture.

- Language can teach and encourage respect for other ethnic groups.

- Not only this but they can contribute to the achievement of national goals, such as economic development or national security

All of the above can all be advantageous in the global markets and they are all beneficial due to languages.

Dr Sharma senior lecturer in linguistics at Queen Mary, University of London said: “Multilingualism is excellent for job prospects. These London kids who are bilingually proficient could find a great advantage the more Britain looks to these regions for business partnerships. At the moment the situation is quite dire in Britain in terms of foreign language learning.” So what is the delay in language learning? Help your future or the younger generations future and encourage language learning today! [1]

[1] http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/multilingual-children-are-best-equipped-for-global-jobs-market-8529012.html

It’s Time To Get Lingual With Languages!

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Euro London

Children and most adolescents sometimes don’t understand the importance and advantages that having a second or third language can bring to your life. The realisation of not learning a language can come too late in life when you finally realise it could possibly be tougher than you thought as it has been proven to be harder to learn a language. We asked a number of people what they think should be done in order to rectify this problem and they suggested that action should be taken from a young age in primary schools – something Scotland has realised as the country noticed a rapid reduction in languages and language learning.

Scotland plan to revamp their foreign language teaching in a bid to get children more active in learning languages. By exposing children to languages early it is more likely that fluency will be accumulated. Therefore the Scottish Government has proposed strategies in order to increase the lack of languages.

The main strategic plan was adopted from mainland Europe which includes teaching at least one foreign language starting in the first year of primary school and learning a second foreign language later. This plan is otherwise known as the one-plus-two strategy. A strategy such as this requires teachers to be efficiently qualified and therefore this will be checked upon.

Scotland is considered to be extremely behind in the language learning department, especially when compared to the rest of Europe who have a one plus two route, this consists of countries continuously learning English. The Scottish Government states: “There is no reason why Scotland should not offer children the same opportunities as children in other European countries and many other countries worldwide.” [1]

Could it be argued that English speaking countries, such as Scotland fall far behind in the languages department because other countries are keener to learn English due to its worldwide known status?

[1] http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/city-experts-want-shake-up-to-help-teach-kids-languages-113669n.20004092

Famous Bilingual Families

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Euro London

Now you’ve heard from our previous blogs (such as ‘Bilingual children are better at problem solving’ and ‘Think you’re smarter than a baby…think again’, just to name a few) what the positive affects of being bilingual can have on a person throughout their life. Positive affects include improving cognitive skills and delaying dementia such as Alzheimer’s later on in life. [1] Other more recreational advantages include being more culturally respective whilst travelling.

There is a world of people out there that raise their families bilingual – we thought we would share some well know celebrity bilingual families.

Shakira – Famous Columbian ‘hips don’t lie’ singer Shakira announced in September 2012 that she was expecting her first child with fellow famous footballer boyfriend Girard Pique. Shakira speaks English fluently, however her mother tongue is Spanish and had therefore said that she will be raising her child bilingual in both Spanish and English.

Gwyneth Paltrow – Oscar award winning Gwyneth is not only a great actress but is also fluent in Spanish. She recently showcased both talents of a role she played in the hit American TV series Glee. Ms Paltrow studied abroad when she was just a teen and therefore picked up the language, she is now currently trying to add French to her list of skills. Gwyneth revealed that she only allows her children to watch cartoons in French or Spanish as she raises them bilingual.

Salma Hayek – Mexican born actress Salma Hayek is fluent is both Spanish and English with her husband being fluent in French. The couple’s daughter is trilingual in all three languages and has even taken in upon herself to teach her mother French. Amazing!

Johnny Depp – The multitalented actor Johnny Depp starred in the remake of the French film Chocolat, which allowed him plenty of time to polish up on his French language skills. Alongside his French film role Johnny Depp also lived in France for a number of years where he raised his two little girls speaking both French and English – both of which are apparently better than him!

Heidi Klum – Although Heidi Klum may be a household name in America, her roots are German. Heidi therefore carried on her heritage by teaching her children German as she believes it is important to speak more than one language.

Colin Firth – We might stereotype Mr Firth as a somewhat typical ‘posh’ Brit – particularly based on the film roles he is usually cast in, but he is bilingual. Just like in his role from ‘Love Actually’ Colin learnt to speak Italian before he married his Italian wife. The couple decided later to raise their two children bilingual in both English and Italian.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt – One of the most famous couples in the globe, Brad and Angelina have been exposed to a number of languages in their lifetime. However, French and English is commonly used in the household as the power couples estate is located in the South of France which is why they also have decided to raise their children learning French as a second language.

Are you familiar with any other famous bilingual families?

[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/feb/18/bilingual-alzheimers-brain-power-multitasking

Using Music As A Key When Learning A Language

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Euro London

Learning to play a musical instrument can change your brain. Music training can lead to improved skills such as; listening, learning, memory, attention and literacy skills, speech and foreign language skills. Over the last twenty years researchers have made advances in the theory of language acquisition and its positive links with music.

According to research the neurological links between language and music are enormous but the key thing to remember is that music activates more parts of the brain than language does, on both the right and left sides of the brain. [1] It is considered to be more likely that those learning a new language will remember words or phrases when it is accompanied in a tune like form rather than if it is just heard or spoken.

State Opera of South Australia chief executive Timothy Sexton said that “You have to be able to hear a language; you need have that music education to tune the ear to the pitch and subtleties of a foreign language.” [2] Many people are unaware of the connection between language learning and music and therefore not actively made the connection with it but it is a critical advantage.

It is concluded that there should be an investment into music training perhaps in schools as particularly early music education had been shown to have wide-ranging benefits. So perhaps if you are learning a new language and are finding it slightly too rigid and dull, why not make it fun again to reach your goal.

Have you used music as an advantage whilst learning a language?

[1] http://www.everydaylanguagelearner.com/2012/01/30/language-learning-tip-use-music-learn-foreign-language/

[2] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/music/music-the-key-to-learning-language/story-fn9d2mxu-1226507858819

Invest in Your Future Career By Using A CV Clinic

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Euro London

Do you realise 53.7% of CVs are tossed straight into the bin without more than a 30 second glance from recruiters? Your CV should be your marketing tool that showcases your relevant skills, abilities, and accomplishments, expressing your credentials in a way that allows employers to truly notice you. The professional job market is highly competitive hence why you should refrain from using CV templates as it’s unlikely to help you in your application. Some may argue that CV templates are a good idea but why you would want to have a document that looks exactly like everyone else’s is beyond us.

The negatives of using a CV template can include:
Your CV will not be unique enough as hundreds of people have access to the same template. A unique and individuality needs to be expressed via your CV as it is the first impression an employer will receive of you.

By using a template it simply communicates to a potential employer that you are unable to format a document yourself which in many cases will not work in your favour as it may imply that you have a poor work ethic.

There are a few websites that offer help when it comes to writing up a CV that offer their own qualifications. For example if you are a bilingual speaker they rate the level of your language. Now when you hear this you may think ‘What a brilliant idea’ however this is not the case as employers do not know the marking criteria or what each level even truly means which can be off putting and time wasting.

However it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to CV templates, they do offer the absolute basics when it comes to writing a CV – something which might be a lot of help to people. On the other hand we highly suggest CV clinics are used. CV clinics can indeed be the better option when it comes to your CV. Not only are clinics better than a generic template but they offer a personal touch, an opportunity that allows the clinic to see the type of person you really are when it comes to the working world and are able to put this across via your CV.

Euro London Appointments is attending the language live show from the 19^th October until the 21^st October [1] where we will be holding our very own CV clinic for language candidates. So why not come and join us – it’s free!

[1] http://www.languageshowconnect.co.uk/Content/Welcome-LS-LIVE-Homepage

Keeping Your Brain In Shape

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Euro London

Every year at some point or another, we are all are concerned about our physical appearance – the way our hair looks, the way our skin looks or our weight. This concern is dealt with by going to the hairdressers, purchasing the latest skin care products or taking up a new exercise regime. The battle is constant for us to feel at our best, but when was the last time you were worried or even just thought about the strength of your brain?

The brain is the most complex organ of our bodies with its function to control the other organs of the body, a vital organ that without it we would cease to exist. As previous studies have proved knowing a second language keeps the brain sharper later on in life. As the brain plays such an important part on our body and lives it can make us wonder why are we not taking a bigger interest in trying to keep our brain at its best?

In a recent study in Sweden, Scientists studied young recruits at the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy who learned a new language at a vast pace. Participants involved went from having no knowledge of a language such as Arabic, Russian or Dari to speaking it fluently simply by learning the language over the short space of 13 months. [1]

Whilst observing what happens to the brain when a language is learnt in a short space of time, scientists did indeed detect some change in the brain. MRI scans were taken before and after the intense language courses were undertaken and show particular developments in the parts of the brain (both hippocampus and the areas of the cerebral cortex) that are associated with learning new information. The precise development of the brain was determined by the amount or lack of effort that was put into learning and studying the languages. Therefore those that took a greater interest and effort in learning these languages over the course of 13 months found that their brain had developed far more than those that did not.

Consequently “there is a lot to suggest that learning languages is a good way to keep the brain in shape” as said by psychology researcher at Lund University Martensson.

Do you personally feel sharper during or after learning a new language?

[1] http://www.businessinsider.com/language-learning-makes-for-bigger-brains-2012-10

Why A Recruitment Consultancy Is Better Than Flying Solo.

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Euro London

Technology VS Human Interaction.

Technology, what would we do without it? The vast development of technology has enabled businesses to accomplish what was once considered unthinkable. With travelling being more accessible than it’s ever been, to the invention of the internet; the rise in global technology is allowing businesses to connect at an easier rate than ever. Nevertheless, the power of technology can be lost in value almost instantly in virtual space if you aren’t articulating human interaction alongside it.

As a multilingual recruitment consultancy we liaise with candidates and clients across the world so technology is something we value greatly. However, in saying this it does not detract our attention from having real human interaction. Whether communication is over the telephone, via email or face to face meetings with clients or candidates we as a consultancy can provide it.

There are further downfalls with the rise of technology which is automated services; having to speak to a robot like voice rather than a real person. Recent research from our candidate’s shows that they believe the ‘human touch’ is a necessity in today’s job market rather than CV’s collecting dust virtually online. If recruitment consultancies articulate the balance of technology and human interaction everyone (businesses and applicants) can benefit. Further to this consultancies can (particularly in the on going economic crisis) be a great asset to companies and candidates looking for the right person to hire. In August 2012 Eurostat estimates that 25.466 million men and women in the EU-27, of whom 18.196 million in the euro area (EA-17), were unemployed. [1] With the current economic crisis employment rates are at their highest in Europe making it very difficult to find a job. It could be argued that with the help of consultancies unemployment rates could drop as recruiters can filter the right candidates with the skills and attributes needed for job positions while the business hiring can focus on the interview process.

Top tips when working with a recruitment consultancy; be truthful about your experiences, credentials, income, career goals and reasons for leaving your prior employment.

[1] http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics

Dreaming In A Foreign Language

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Euro London

Dreaming, from day dreaming to dreaming in our sleep including nightmares, we all do it whether they last a few seconds or as long as twenty minutes. Dreams are considered to be a series of thoughts, images and sensations occurring in a persons mind during their sleep. Usually connected to the unconscious mind the events of dreams are generally outside the control of the dreamer.

As dreams are produced via our unconsciousness we are generally inclined to dream of situations and events that we believe have no existence in our mind. However because we see a number of untold images and events (whether it be in real life or in a film for example) we in fact are just projecting this. Our dreams can also be a projection of emotions that we are feeling.

There are certain dreams in particular which seem to dumbfound many people and those are ones that involve people speaking fluently, or at least being able to understand another language. The reason for the confusion is when they either do not know how to speak the language at all or they haven’t spoken the language in over a significant amount of time.
Sigmund Freud suggests that dreams are manifestations of our deepest desires and anxieties, often relating to repressed childhood memories or obsessions. [1] This could be a viable explanation for those that dream in a language that they have not spoken in a while (perhaps since childhood), the languages may have just been suppressed into the subconscious mind and is surfacing through dreaming.

Other dream investigations suggest that to hear or speak a foreign language in your dream indicates a message from your subconscious that you do not yet understand. Alternatively, you may not be making yourself clear to others. Further to this to dreams where you are studying a foreign language suggests that you are having difficulties expressing your thoughts. You are confronted with some unfamiliar problem that you do not know how to approach and resolve in your waking life.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream#cite_note-0

Survival Of The Fittest Language

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Euro London

According to researchers one language dies every two weeks, washed away like writing in the sand – a somewhat disturbing revelation. Now, as we are all aware (from our own back ground) a single language holds depth such as history and culture which helps us understand where we came from and consequently shapes our future. What could this mean for the future of languages and the population of the world?

With there being 7,000 languages that exist today and languages dying every two weeks it’s hard to determine which languages will conquer. Could languages face what evolution faced with a battle of survival of the fittest? If this is the case at present, the English language is leading the race, particularly in the world of business.

At present the English language is considered to be symbolic of modernity, work, higher education, business, economics and science and technology. Historically speaking, it has also always been a language that is the most successful as it is spoken on every continent around the world.

However this may not always be the case particularly due to the rapid loss of languages. It is easy to say that English as a language will not completely disappear, yet it may not be the predominant language of the future. Languages such as German could be in the running for the future language as Germany is a leading power for technology, medicine and science. Mandarin is also in the limelight as the Chinese are becoming a major economic power and growing more each and every day. Other possible contenders for language of the future include Spanish, Hindi-Urdu of India and Arabic could be among the most popular languages of the future.

Top 10 disappearing languages:

10. Chamicuro (Chamekolo, Chamicolo, Chamicura)

9. Dumi (Dumi Bo’o, Dumi Bro, Lsi Rai, Ro’do Bo’, Sotmali)

8. Ongota/Birale

7. Liki (Moar)

6. Tanema (Tanima, Tetawo)

5. Njerep

4. Chemehuevi

3. Lemerig (Pak, Bek, Sasar, Leon, Lem)

2. Kaixana (Caixana)

1. Taushiro (Pinche/Pinchi)

What do you think the language of the future could be and why?

Reunion With A Long Lost Language

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Euro London

The world is our oyster; a statement vastly becoming truer than ever. Travelling is more accessible now more than ever and migration to other countries happening more often there are a lot more multilingual speakers floating about, perhaps even more than we think. A number of people that have been able to speak more than one language in the past believe that they are can’t anymore simply because they have been out of practice for a while – something that is not so true.

Research was conducted by French scientific researcher, Christophe Pallier in order to determine whether languages learnt and used fluently at childhood can really and truly vanish as an adult. Participants included adults who had been born in Korea yet had been adopted by French families in their early childhood. All of the participants claimed that they had completely forgotten their native Korean language and they now only spoke fluent French and no other language.

As part of the research they were asked to do three tasks: a language identification task, a word recognition task and a fragment detection task. [1] At the end of all tasks participants could not distinguish sentences, fragments or words from the Korean language which suggests that the memory of Korean language had in fact vanished. However, further studies suggest that although languages learnt in childhood may be somewhat lost, this does not necessarily mean that they have been forgotten completely. The conclusion of further research offered a lifeline to those that wanted to reunite with a lost childhood language; was that phonetic knowledge might be able to be recovered if re-exposure to the first language took place.

Languages can be learnt at a more rapid rate by those that once spoke it. Even though the language is rusty or you think you’ve forgotten there are leftover traces of the early exposure indented in our brains. All it takes is a little bit of remembering so why not try and recapture a language you think you may have lost?

Here are some tips for when you’re trying to remember a lost language:

Smartphone apps: If you find that you have a lack of time to attend language lessons at the end of a busy day of work or education why not download a language app if you own a smartphone? Language apps are brilliant for those that are always on the move because you can use the app at your own desire as and when you please.

Flash cards or Phrasebook: If you prefer a less technical approach you could always use flash cards or a good old fashioned phrasebook – both portable as well easy to read when you’re on your way to work.

Films with subtitles: Why not watch a film with subtitles so you can get a feel for the language again, it’ll help you recognise what you understand and what you need to spend time working on.

Practice translating: Perhaps get a copy of your favourite poem, song lyrics or even a transcript from a movie and start translating it; this will help with your writing abilities and grammar. You can also look back on copies and see for yourself how you’ve improved over time.

Language buddy: Invest some time in getting a language buddy, it can be someone you know or someone you could meet online. Try out language learning forums or Skype is a good way to get in contact with native speakers who are looking to sharpen up their own language abilities, you could both help each other and a bonus is that it’s free!

[1] http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual/201207/can-first-language-be-totally-forgotten

Think You’re Smarter Than A Baby… Think Again

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Euro London

Knowing different languages offers untold opportunities and has the ability to banish narrow mindedness in life. There are countless benefits of knowing different languages including improving cognitive behaviour, having an advantage edge in global communication and economy (therefore valuable when applying to a job), and simply having cultural superiority when you’re travelling. The use and understanding of another language will always help to prevail in life. So why not start learning a new language before its too late?

According to previous researchers hypotheses there is a time frame in which second language acquisition skills are at their peak; usually at the age of 6-7 years old. This contradicts what Oscar Wilde famously said ‘with age comes wisdom’ suggesting that the older we get the wiser we become. However this is not always the case, according to recent research babies as young as three months were capable of out performing adults in reference to the skills it takes when learning a new language.

The research was conducted by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig with an outcome that would not be assumed by many [1]. The findings showed how children manage to learn language at a faster rate during the early stages of development as well as a strong link between very basic auditory skills and sophisticated rule learning abilities. Perhaps it is therefore time to get the future generations learning and continue evolving our planet.

How old were you when you first started learning a language?

Do you think those that learn language from a younger age have a greater advantage over those that learnt at an older age?

[1] http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/09/11/116-Babies-better-at-detecting-and-learning-complex-languages-than-adults.html

How Many Words Do Eskimo’s Have For Snow?

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Euro London

Have you ever heard that Eskimo’s have 32 words for snow? Well you’ve been tricked by an old urban legend. They have no more words for snow than in English or any other languages. However, what they do have is 32 demonstrative pronouns to indicate which entity the speaker is referring to and distinguishing it from others.

In English there are only four modern demonstrative pronouns which are “this”, “that”, “these” and “those” as well the as archaic additions of “yon” and “yonder” which rarely play a part in the English language these days. Many languages like English make only a two way distinguishment, ‘this’ would indicate something close to the reader and ‘that’ would indicate something further away from the reader. Other languages such as Portuguese make a three way distinction; distinguishing between proximity or the first person – objects near to the reader, medial or second person – objects close to the addressee and a distant third person distinction – objects far from both the reader and the addressee i.e. “this book”, “that book” (near you), “that book” (away from both of us).

In many languages grammatical gender options may also play a role; Spanish and Portuguese have kept their gender demonstratives, masculine, feminine and neuter.

The Eskimo-Aleut language doesn’t have any official relation to a language family at this time and is generally thought of as a language isolate (a language which has no demonstrable genetic relationship to another languages) although it does bare similarities to languages native to Eurasia. Eskimo-Aleut has 32 words for demonstrative pronouns including “that one high up there”, “this one that we can’t see” and “that one in there” – i.e. in a house.

There are only a few individual examples where another language comes close to having so many demonstrative pronouns in their vocabulary. With 7000 languages alive in the world today, the Eskimo-Aleut language is almost unique.

What Are The Top Ten Most Useful Languages To Learn?

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Euro London

A report in the Daily Telegraph last week listed what it thinks are the top ten most useful languages to study in the UK [1]. Although the list is based on those who study languages within the UK (the list gets shorter every year unfortunately [2]) it’s also relatable on a global scale.

German
French
Spanish
Mandarin
Polish
Arabic
Cantonese
Russian
Japanese
Portuguese

The fact that Germany remains the second largest export market for the UK is fundamental to its position at the top of the list. Germany’s continued strength within the Euro Zone and position as the largest economy in the EU means the German language is in demand around the world.

49% of employers within the UK list the French language as useful. Around the world French is still a well regarded and influential language to know.

The Spanish economy may be wavering but the Spanish language is still an integral part of the EU community. The continued growth of Spanish in the USA and the growth of South American economies, where Spanish is widely spoken, show the importance of the Spanish language.

Mandarin, the official language of China, is becoming increasingly important to learn. The economy of China has continued to grow throughout the global recession with China investing in infrastructure projects and transport systems. The Chinese economy and the Mandarin language behind it still hold the opportunity for many fortunes to be made.

Almost 20% of Managers surveyed in the UK said they found the addition of the Polish language to their workforce as useful! The Polish economy has come out of the global recession with relative ease and is showing promising signs of continued growth.

Buildings all over the world are being funded by money from the Middle East, therefore it’s highly predictable that Arabic would be a very useful language to know.

Cantonese has 70 million speakers worldwide! Although not as influential in China as Mandarin, its use in financial districts like Hong Kong where it is the official language, shows its global importance.

As one of the four BRIC languages Russian is by no means a surprise with its inclusion. For the UK it is one of its fastest growing export partners and for other parts of the world, Russia’s natural resources and infrastructure means it’s a force to make friends with.

Japan may have been surpassed by China in recent years as the world’s second largest economy, but the Japanese language is still as important to the world economy as it has been over the last century.

We’re surprised Portuguese isn’t higher up on the list! As the official language of not only Portugal but also Brazil, whose economy recently overtook the UK’s economy to become the 6^th largest in the world and continues to grow, the Portuguese language will be an influential language for years to come.

What do you think about the listed languages, do you think there should be another language included on this list? We think Hindi might make a good addition as it’s the only language of the BRIC nations that wasn’t included. Let us know your thoughts.

[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/9487434/Graduate-jobs-Best-languages-to-study.html?frame=2314799

[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/aug/16/alevel-foreign-languages-decline

Languages Making A Come Back Around The World

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Euro London

Last week languages made the news in the UK for the wrong reasons, yet again the number of students studying a language at A-level has fallen. The news came as no surprise to most and marks another consecutive year in which those studying languages fell. Just 43% of students studied a language at GCSE level (16 years old) and even less at A-Level (18 years old) with only 12,500 students studying French and less than 5000 studying German at A-level [1]. Many have attributed this to the previous government’s decision to make studying a language after the age of 14 voluntary, as well as technological breakthroughs in the translation sector causing many students to question the need to learn a second language.

But have the winds now changed in the Anglophone world where many assume that “everyone speaks English anyway”; reports over the last few weeks certainly seem to show positive signs.

In June it was announced by British education minister that all children going through the education system will start learning a second language from seven years old, a great victory for those of us who support the use of languages from an early age [2]. It’s also been announced that the UK will see the opening of its first bilingual primary school in Brighton in September which will teach the national curriculum in both English and Spanish [3].

In America too languages are showing signs of better health, budgets which cut their investment in foreign languages early in the new millennium are now finding funds to invest in their language classes [4].

In a rapidly developing world where traditional economic powerhouses are being confronted by the emergence of the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) as well as other countries, English is being challenged around the globe by other languages. This shows in the UK’s A-level statistics where Arabic, Mandarin and Russian all displayed marked increases in students studying them.

It’s not only the English speaking world that has shown that learning a language is important. The Prime Minister of Belgium announced this week that he was now competent in Dutch adding to his fluency in French, Italian and English thus demonstrating that you are never too old to learn a new language at the age of 61.

The rise of the BRIC nations may not be the only reason that languages are on the up. There is a growing consensus that a second language can help you personally, privately and professionally – would you like to see a greater emphasis on languages?

[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/aug/16/alevel-foreign-languages-decline?newsfeed=true

[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18384536

[3] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-19294317

[4] http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x2103325228/Foreign-language-making-comeback

In Languages Space And Time Is Relative

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Euro London

Languages may have different sounds, symbols and words that separate them but more often than not human interaction is a fairly similar concept. When you say “take the next right” to someone in Spanish it’s “tome la próxima a la derecha”, in French it’s “Prenez la prochaine à droite” and in Italian it’s “Prenda la prossima a destra”, there are transferable aspects to most languages; however there are languages which are exceptions to this rule.

Most human languages and cultures use relative directions for reference; however the Australian Aboriginal members of the Guugu Yimithirr people have no words denoting these kinds of directions in their language. The example given at the beginning of this blog has no translatable alternative as this language has no words for left and right. Instead they refer to cardinal directions (North, East, South and West) to describe an activity, even on a small scale. If they wanted someone to move over in a certain direction they might say “move a bit to the east”, when directing someone to an object in a house they might tell them to “go to the southern edge of the western table.” This has been shown to be true of certain languages around the world from Mexico to Polynesia, Namibia to Bali; these languages make use of cardinal directions where speakers typically use the words South, North, East and West instead of front, back, left and right.

The Aymaran language, spoken by people in Bolivia, Peru and Chile, has a very rare understanding of time. It is one of very few languages where speakers represent the “past” as something that is yet to happen and the “future” as something that already has. This seems strange to those of us who use the term “the past” to denote something that has already happened and “the future” to denote something that has not yet occurred. The Aymara people say that the logic behind the decision is based on the “conceptual metaphor”. In most languages the individual is moving forward into the future with the individuals back to the past; in contrast, Aymaran seems to encode the past in front of individuals.

Languages around the world are separated by differences, however most have similarities that are transferable. Do you know of any language where it goes against the norm?

Language Spies In Canada

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Euro London

Canada’s airline industry faces a tense few weeks with the announcement of a language audit taking place throughout Canada’s airports that receive at least one million passengers a year. These linguistic spies probably won’t turn up in a trilby and wearing a trench coat but they will be keeping an eye on eight of Canada’s largest airports, reporting their findings back to the language commissioner.

Although the language commissioner doesn’t have the power to punish an airline or service provider (Security checks provided by third party companies and duty free shops etc.) the office will produce a report outlining its findings and providing recommendations on how to better serve the public.

Languages are an integral issue in Canada’s aviation industry where both English and French are widely spoken. The official language act states that Air Canada must offer services in both English and French whilst aboard a flight. The airline, which is Canada’s largest, went to court last year when a Canadian couple complained that they weren’t served in French during their flight between Ottawa and the United States. The court found in favour of the couple and ordered Air Canada to pay $12,000 in compensation and apologize to the couple for not serving them in French. A 2011 audit of the airline found that in almost every case where there was lack of service in an official language (English or French), French was the language involved.

Five years ago a similar survey of the airline industry returned disappointing results. Vancouver airport received a score mark of 30 out of a possible 100 with Toronto, Halifax and Ottawa fairing only marginally better scoring 39, 42 and 56 respectively.

Not all employees of businesses at airports have to be bilingual under law but a bilingual person must always be present in case someone needs to be served in French or English.

The exercise is due to cost $90,000 out of Canada’s public purse and in a time when households are really watching their budgets, many Canadians feel there are better things the money could be spent on. What are your thoughts? Is it important to make sure that bilingual capabilities are up to scratch or are there more important issues at hand?

Bilingual Children ‘Better At Problem Solving’

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Euro London

Historically it was thought that learning a second language when young could lead to ‘language confusion’ and be detrimental to a child’s academic growth. However recent studies have been proving this stigma wrong time and again in recent years. Studies have shown that it can increase a child’s communication and social interaction abilities above those who can’t speak a second language [1]. There are also medical benefits with studies of later life adults who know a second language showing that it can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by several years [2].

Previous research has been backed up this weekend when a study into primary school pupils aged 9 was published in the International Journal of Bilingualism. 121 children, 62 of which were bilingual, were involved in the study from both Scotland and Sardinia. Those children who were not bilingual knew either English or Italian alone. Those who were bilingual knew either English and Gaelic or Italian and Sardinian.

The study showed that bilingual children outperform children who only speak one language in creative thinking and problem solving skills. Dr Fraser Lauchlan, a lecturer at Strathclyde University, who conducted the test along with their Sardinian colleagues at the University of Cagliari said, “Bilingualism is now largely seen as being beneficial to children, but there remains a view that it can be confusing, and so potentially detrimental to them.” Adding “ our study has found that it can have demonstrable benefits, not only in language but in arithmetic, problem solving and enabling children to think creatively.”

The study not only found that both English-Gaelic and Italian-Sardinian speakers outperformed their monolingual counter parts, it also showed that those English-Gaelic speakers out performed those who spoke Italian and Sardinian. The study concluded that the differences could be attributed due to Gaelic speakers having formal teaching lessons in the language and extensive literature compared to Sardinian which is not widely taught in schools, surviving by oral tradition, meaning there is no current standardised form of the language.

The study is another great success story adding to the growing call for children to learn languages.

[1] http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/bilingualism-is-good-for-learning/

[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/feb/18/bilingual-alzheimers-brain-power-multitasking

Don’t Let Your Language Skills Go Rusty

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Euro London

The use of languages here at Euro London Appointments is essential. Every day we test languages from around the world with varying levels of fluency for our jobs which require multilingual candidates who are experts in their field. But when you’re away from home and in another country, how can you stop your language skills going rusty? We’ve put on our thinking hats and asked around our offices to see how our consultants stay on top of their second, third and sometimes fourth languages.

Talk to friends and family – probably one of the most enjoyable ways to practice your language skills is to talk with your friends and family. General conversation can come naturally and comfortably with people you know and if you struggle on a word friends can prompt you with the word you’re looking for without the need to feel embarrassed; perhaps also ask them to point out any mistakes you might have made at the end of the conversation.

Enjoy entertainment in other languages – watching films from around the world is a great way to immerse yourself in not only the language of another country but also the culture, but if you fancy watching a Hollywood blockbuster then why not change the language settings of the film at the title menu. If you don’t want to do that either, perhaps consider turning the subtitles on in your chosen language to keep your written skills up to date. Books are also a great way to do this, your written skills are just as important as your spoken skills in a second language and reading books is a great way to make sure these don’t go rusty. Music can also be a great way to keep your language skills up to date, allowing repetition through the chorus and learning through your subconscious.

Use technology to your advantage – We’re lucky to live in an age where languages from around the world are just a click away. You can blog, tweet, online chat and video call friends, family and people you’ve just met from all around the world with a click of a button. This is a fantastic way to brush up on your language skills as it can be done in a relaxed environment, in your own time and for your own enjoyment.

In a globalised world where industrialised economies and developing economies are interacting more than ever, languages are playing an important role in breaking down the trade barriers, an excellent reason to keep your second, third and fourth languages alive and healthy.

Is Technology Transforming Languages?

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Euro London

Many things distinguish human beings from the animal kingdom whether it’s opposable thumbs or our ability to think rationally, humans have led the evolutionary cycle. One of the greatest attributes of human beings is our ability to communicate clearly, understandably and cohesively through the use of language. Linguistics have changed our human ancestors from hunter gatherers to educated individuals; allowing us to research, invent and build objects and machines that are changing the way we lead our life, conduct our business and interact with our friends. But are these machines now changing our languages?

Many state ‘text speak’ is the main aggravator of our evolving languages; mobile phones are now one of the most ubiquitous items of technology found on the planet with an estimated 5.6 billion handsets in 2012. To cope with surging demand in the 90’s and early 2000’s, networks that carried the phones signal only allowed a certain amount of characters to be used per text, limiting each text to around 160 characters. In an effort to get as much information into a text, it became common practice to simplify communications and shorten words to abbreviations, numbers or simply removing parts of words altogether, messages like “see you tomorrow, laugh out loud” simply became “C U 2mrw, LOL”. Many dictionaries realised that words like ‘LOL’ weren’t just a cultural fad but were becoming a social norm and so started to include words formed through text speak into their most recent publications.

The World Wide Web is now a critical part of our daily lives, it’s almost unthinkable of a world without the internet, but could it be changing our languages too? Instant Messaging, Social networking and information consuming have all developed from a concept created less than 20 years ago creating some of the most recognisable and wealthy brands on the planet; Google, Facebook and MSN have all fuelled human desire to interact. This too has strengthened ‘Text speak’, people communicating quickly and sporadically whilst juggling an ever increasing amount of open tabs has caused some to accuse the internet of developing a less coherent tone to our languages.

Languages will always evolve, sociologists and anthropologists note the difference in the formation our languages from even a few centuries ago and technology may be just facilitating another evolution in linguistics. What do you think? Is it important to preserve the language of today or is it necessary to move with the times?

Google Glasses – An Evolution In Linguistics?

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Euro London

In early April Google announced one of their most ambitious projects to date, the Google Glasses. These glasses are designed to change the way we live our daily lives by augmenting our reality and giving us the opportunity to access information which could include receiving turn-by-turn directions, view up to date weather reports and access to communications such as emails; on the go and in real time. Current functionality of the glasses at the moment is hypothetical as Google has not said what the glasses could be used for or what features they may contain, instead using the context of the glasses as a conversation starter.

However a video that has appeared this week from independent inventor Will Powell could hold some of the answers. The video shows Will talking with his sister whilst playing a game of chess; however Will is talking in English whilst his sister talks in Spanish. Will’s Sister’s conversation is translated through a processor and displayed on the lenses of Will’s custom made glasses in English, showing only a minor delay through the use of Microsoft’s real-time translation service connected to Will’s glasses.

Translation programs are widely used by businesses and individuals around the world, however moving a display from a computer to directly in front of your eyes may be an important step in the world of linguistics. It may allow the wearer to understand the alternate language whilst simultaneously reading the body language and gestures of the person speaking it, which experts predict that 60% of human communication is contained in.

In previous blogs we’ve looked at our current technical ability to translate one language to another including Microsoft’s present ability to read the text of one language, translate it and speak it in separate language [1].

Will Powell’s demonstration of his current ability to translate languages and read them through his glasses has shown that technology is changing our languages, could Google Glasses present another technological leap in linguistics?

Watch the video through the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vw6dJDMmnlw

[1] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/is-technology-the-future-of-language/

The Endangered Languages Project

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Euro London

The Endangered Languages Project was launched last month as an online resource to record over 3000 threatened languages in the world today allowing future generations to access, share and research endangered languages later on in life.

The project, which is helped by Google, hopes to document these languages allowing these languages to be recorded and documented, strengthening their resistance to language extinction. Currently there are around 7000 languages in the world; by 2100 AD this number is estimated to be around 3500, meaning around 50% of the all languages spoken in the world today could be extinct in just 90 years time, on average this means one language disappears from existence every 14 days.

Although it may not be practical or necessary to keep these languages ‘alive’ in the 21^st century, documenting them allows us to build a picture of our past culture, as well as documenting any untranslated information contained in these endangered languages which may include scientific insights of cultures gone by.

On the site you can read comprehensive information about the endangered languages listed, listen to brilliant recordings and read historic documents written in the endangered language. You can also see how endangered languages are documented and transcribed with a do it yourself resource, allowing you or people you know to record your own language for future generations.

The announcement of the project along with the website is not only a great resource for Language learners and teachers alike, but will also benefit many through social studies, scientific research and cultural knowledge.

As it says on the website, “If we lose languages, we lose testimony to centuries of life.”

http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/

10 French Loanwords Used In The English Language

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Euro London

The English language has been influenced by many languages over time from German [1] and Celtic to Spanish and Dutch, languages have “lent” their words to English throughout history due to war, trade and politics. It could be said that English has been influenced most by the French language with estimates putting the amount of French words used in the English language at around 30% of a standard English dictionary. These include standalone French words that have been incorporated into the English language as well as French words combined with English influence and English words with French influence. Much of the French language that now appears in the English language has been imported over the centuries following the Norman invasion in 1066, where William the Conqueror took to the Throne of England and the Norman language began to be used for administration purposes and by the ruling elite. Over time Norman French was incorporated into Old English and formed the building blocks of the modern English spoken today. Some of these French loanwords are still noticeable in the English language today so we thought we’d take a look at 10 French loanwords that are used in English on a daily basis.

Ambulances have been a well know concept in military terms since the 15^th century, but it wasn’t until the 19^th century that ambulances were used to treat civilian populations; the word is of French origins and means “walking hospitals”.

Chauffers may be drivers to the Rich and Famous but the word can find it’s origins in 19^th century France when cars were steam powered, much like the rail roads, meaning the driver would literally have to stoke the fire of the car as he drove; giving the French meaning of “stoker”.

Dossiers have become somewhat derogatory terms for reports with bad news contained with in them or a file from a whistle blower the government might not have wanted seen, but this French word means nothing more than a “bundle of documents”.

An Entrepreneur is a French loanword for an individual who obtains money through risk and initiative, launching new businesses and accepting full responsibility for the outcome.

Faux Pas are violations of socially acceptable and cultural norms; the term finds it’s origins in French translations of “misstep” or “false step”.

Some words join the English language simply by being named after a place or location. Mayonnaise for example can trace its origins to Mahon in Majorca, Spain, becoming known as “maonesa” in Catalan and then Mayonnaise after it was popularized by the French.

To obtain a mortgage is one of many legal terms lent to English from French and is used by many people to by their own property. The term literally means “death contract” meaning the contract ends when the person dies or when the contract is fulfilled.

The Renaissance was a cultural movement between the 14^th and 17^th century that has given us some of the finest artwork and architecture in history. The word which literally means “to be reborn” wasn’t coined until the 16^th century, halfway through the Renaissance period.

You may have picked up or brought a souvenir whilst on holiday or visit to another country which could have included items such as a t-shirt’s, spoons and magnates; but the literal meaning to a souvenir is “memory” and that usually lasts longer than any object you buy.

Something that is unique is something that is one of a kind and that’s exactly how it translates from French origins, translating literally as “single”.

The rich French language has lent many words to English over time enhancing the language’s diverse origins immeasurably.

[1] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/10-german-loanwords-used-in-everyday-english/

Disappearing Languages – Is It Necessary To Save Them?

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Euro London

There are around 7000 languages spoken in the world today; however, this number is due to fall by as much as 50% at the turn of the century. This means that on average one language will disappear from existence every 14 days, a startling statistic! With seven billion people around the world and 7,000 languages it would be nice if there were one million speakers per language; unfortunately life doesn’t work like that. Amazingly around 80% of the world’s population speak just 85 languages and a quarter of the world’s population natively speak just 4 of the world’s languages which are Mandarin, English, Spanish and Hindi.

What’s becoming clear in the modern world is that due to globalisation families strive to teach their young the most relevant language which can bring them success in life and who can blame them? Parents in towns, villages and cities across the world often teach their children the skills they will need for the future, not the past; knowledge of a ubiquitous language will help the child thrive in education, business and hopefully happiness.

Languages originating from Asia or Africa may be at most risk, with 33% of the worlds current languages originating from Asia and 30% from Africa compared to just 3% from Europe. In our blog last week we examined how Indonesia currently has 146 languages listed on UNESCO’s endangered list, only 88 languages fewer than the whole of Europe.

As languages see a decline in the number of their speakers, will knowledge perhaps not yet translated be lost with the language too? Unfortunately the decline of languages may be a natural occurrence within the modern world we live in today, but the knowledge contained in these endangered languages should be examined before it’s too late and the details of the written word and spoken language recorded. One thing is for sure; the last speaker of a dying language lives in almost unspeakable isolation.

When writing this blog yesterday I was unaware Google would be launching a philanthropic effort to save these languages today. You can explore Google’s strategy to monitor and record endangered languages here http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/.

The British Relationship With Foreign Languages

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Euro London

This week Michael Gove, the British Education Minister, announced that children will have to learn a second language from the age of seven. These include traditional modern languages such as French, German and Spanish as well as emerging languages including Mandarin, Hindi and Russian.

The move is part of broader reforms within the British schooling system but the debate over whether British children should or need to learn another language from the age of seven has been the main headline.

It may surprise some of you from outside the UK that British schools currently only require students to learn a language from 11-14, at which age students in the UK pick which subjects they’d like to continue studying . Unfortunately a foreign language is often not picked. Government ministers hope that the decision to make learning a language compulsory at a young age will see a higher continuation of language learning when students pick which subjects they are going to study further, leaving them better equipped to compete in the global economy.

There have been two schools of thought emerging when debating the subject of teaching children a second language (I think you may be able to guess which side we fall into).

One side argues that teaching children English needs to come first, an argument I’m sure that resonates around Europe with each country and their own language, but this leaves me wondering how some countries equip their students with a second, third and even fourth language whilst the UK seems to focus on only one? This argument also usually comes with the assumption of “we don’t need to learn a second language as most people speak English anyway”; a statement that isn’t actually that true now and with the emergence of the BRIC countries will see it become less and less true in the future.

We support the school of thought that learning a second language as a child can give you the best possible opportunity starting in life and that in a difficult jobs market can differentiate you from the crowd. As we’ve highlighted before [1], languages are not just extremely useful in the workplace, but also in your personal and private life and to learn a language as a child will give you a great head start in life.

Here in the UK, around one in ten primary schools offer no language classes at all with a further 20% only offering them to specific year groups, so one thing is for sure; Michael Gove will have a lot of work on his hands with these reforms.

[1] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/12-reasons-to-be-proud-of-knowing-a-second-language/

Mind Your Language

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Euro London

There were clashes between protesters and police last Tuesday as a controversial bill passed through first reading in the Ukrainian parliament, or Rada. The draft law allows languages spoken by “minorities” of more than 10% the right to be considered a regional language and would allow children to be taught in the language spoken by their parents as well as reducing the need for knowledge of Ukrainian in certain professions.

The debate is a contentious one in Ukraine and when the government tried to pass the bill last month, the opposition formed a human chain around the speaker to obstruct the process. These actions provoked a violent response by opposing members of parliament and several politicians were taken away by ambulance after a clash within the Rada. This month it was the current governing party’s turn to form a human chain around the speaker so the proceedings could not be disrupted and the first reading of the bill was passed by a margin of 234 votes for the bill out of 450 seats. This led to protests outside parliament to turn hostile as eggs and bottles were thrown during clashes with the police. Language is a contentious issue in Ukraine, where languages such as Russian are spoken widely in certain parts of the country due to Ukraine’s history within the USSR. However it’s not just Russian that would benefit; 17 other languages including, Bulgarian, Yiddish, German, Polish and Hungarian would also be advantaged.

Ukrainian is the mother language to just over half of Ukraine’s native population, primarily located in the West of Ukraine. One of the current government’s election promises was to grant Russian speakers greater language rights, however, opposition have voiced their outrage to the plan saying that it is only being done as an attempt to fulfil an election pledge to win back voters with an increasingly unpopular government in a tough economic climate.

Activists have announced the protests will continue until the bill is dropped and with Euro2012 starting this weekend in Poland and Ukraine, there could be some disruption.

What are your thoughts, do our native languages need to be protected in law or should practicality of a globalised world take precedent?

Lego Hot Jobs

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Euro London

This summer we’re working with the giant toy manufacturer Lego to fill various positions during the summer months and on the run up to the Christmas period.

Lego began business in 1932 producing wooden toys before expanding their toy base and starting production of their world famous interlocking plastic bricks in 1949. Today, Lego entertains families in over 130 countries worldwide.

We’re working closely with Lego to recruit 72 candidates to fill fixed term contracts over the Christmas period, starting as early as July until January the 31^st – with various start dates during July, August, September and October. Prospective candidates need to be able to speak Native level German, Native level Dutch or be Trilingual in Italian or French to fill this contract. There will also be some Nordic language roles available.

The location based in Slough offers excellent access opportunities to Central London, without paying London prices; (20 minutes from Paddington station). This is a great opportunity for candidates to gain experience in a market where current employers are looking to fill their roles with experienced candidates.

Job description:

Shift Hours: 7.5 hours per day, 5 days per week. Some weeks will include a weekend day (those weeks you can choose to take a day off the following week or receive additional pay). Your shift will be scheduled sometime between the hours of 7am – 8pm GMT.

Salary: £18 000 p. annum, paid monthly / 9.23 per hour.

Benefits: Staff discount, free on-site gym, free shuttle to bus station, pension scheme (5% company contribution), social events calendar, subsidised staff restaurant, and more.

Tasks: The Lego Consumer Service Advisors are the first point of contact for consumers right the way across Europe. We are an inbound call centre, which means we only speak to our consumers when they contact us. Consumers mainly contact us in two ways – by phone (50%) or by email/letter (50%).

Comprehensive training will be provided by Lego for this opportunity!

How to apply: Please send your CV with a cover letter to lego@eurolondon.com

Multilingual Celebrities

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Euro London

We don’t just love languages because they can be used in the workplace; we love languages because they can be used throughout life. Last week we were surprised to find a number of multilingual football managers and Footballers, so this week we thought we’d take a look at celebrities and we were surprised to find that a growing number of Actors, Actresses and other Celebrities can speak a variety of languages.

1. Mila Kunis is famous for starring in the Black Swan and Forgetting Sarah Marshall but is well less known for her ability with languages. Brought up in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic before moving to the United States; she first learnt Russian, then English once in the USA.

2. Bradley Cooper star of The Hangover and Limitless took it upon himself to learn another language whilst he was at university. He started to learn French whilst studying English at Georgetown University, perfecting it on an exchange program spending 6 months France.

3. Malin Åkerman may not have starred as the lead in many films but the Swedish born actress has been in some big blockbusters including Watchmen, The Proposal and the summer release Rock of Ages. Åkerman can speak English and Swedish after moving from Sweden to Canada in her childhood as well as speaking some French and Spanish.

4. Johnny Depp has not only had an amazing career as an actor starring in Edward Sissorhands, Donnie Brasco, Blow and the Pirates of the Caribbean saga, he Can speak French as well. The actor has split much of his time living between Los Angeles and France over the last 10 years where he lives with his wife and kids.

5. Sandra Bullock who has starred in Speed and Miss Congeniality, as well as appearing alongside Malin Åkerman in The Proposal, can speak fluent German which she picked up whilst living in Germany for 12 years as a child.

6. Viggo Mortensen most famously known for playing Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as playing parts in Eastern Promises and a History of Violence grew up in Venezuela, Argentina and Denmark in his youth obtaining dual American-Danish Citizenship. Today he can fluently speak English, Danish and Spanish as well as having conversational Italian and French.

7. Christopher Lee famous for starring in both Lord of the Rings and Star Wars as well as playing to many lead roles in his illustrious 64 year acting career can speak fluent English, Italian, French, Spanish and German, and is moderately proficient in Swedish, Russian and Greek. Rumour has it that he has done his own dubbing for some of his films international versions.

8. Natalie Portman holds dual Israeli-American citizenship due to having an American mother and Israeli father and can speak both Hebrew and English. The actress who broke through playing Mathilda in the film Léon has also appeared in V for Vendetta and co starred alongside Mila Kunis in Black Swan.

9. Joseph Gordon-Levitt star of hit indie film 500 days of Summer and Inception has impressed fans with his ability to speak fluent French as well as English.

10. Last but not least is Will Smith – possibly the coolest man in the world. He can act, sing, dance and can add speaking languages to his list with his proficiency of the Spanish language. The actor who broke through with the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air has been playing the lead in TV and film ever since the late1980’s.

Do you have a favourite actor with a multilingual capability?

Multilingual Football Managers

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Euro London

International management is a major factor of corporate business in the globalised world we live in today and one of the best examples of global management is a football club. It can be owned by a an investor from one side of the world, managed by a tactician from the other side of the world and made up of players from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities; not to mention the training staff and support team. So when Roy Hodgson was appointed to be the manager of the England national team we were surprised to find out that he spoke other languages, seven to be precise. Aside from speaking English, Roy Hodgson speaks fluent Norwegian, Swedish, German and Italian as well as some Danish, French and Finnish [1]. We wondered to ourselves why we’d only just heard about his multilingual capacity and set about looking for other European managers and Footballers who can speak several languages.

Arsène Wenger has not only had a successful career managing Arsenal football club, he’s also fluent in French, German and English as well as having a grasp of Italian, Spanish and Japanese. If that’s not enough, he also holds a masters degree from the University of Strasbourg, which he completed whilst continuing his professional football career before moving into management.

The self professed “special one”, José Mourinho, is not only a master tactician; he’s also a master linguist. José can speak 5 languages fluently which include Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French and English as well as knowing some Catalonian; sounds like he’s practically perfect in every way.

Alex Ferguson is reported to have picked up intermediate use of some languages during his highly successful time managing Manchester United including French and Portuguese which he learnt from his French and Brazilian players.

It’s not only managers who are great linguists; several footballers not only know how to play the beautiful game but also to speak some beautiful languages too.

Ask Thierry Henry what’s French for “Va Va Voom” and he’ll be able to tell you the answer in 5 different languages including French, English, Italian and Spanish as well as a Creole language, (a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages [2]).

Clarence Seedorf has not only won the Champions League title 4 times with three different clubs, he also has a lively ability with languages. Not only can the Dutch international speak Dutch, he can also speak English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

Aside from being one of the best players ever, Zinadine Zidane can also speak 6 languages. His language knowledge includes Berber, Algerian, Arabic, French, English and Italian. Zidane may unfortunately be remembered for his actions during the 2010 world cup instead of his footballing prowess or his knowledge of languages though.

Do you know any Football managers or players who can speak several languages? Let us know.

[1] http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/roy-hodgson-inside-the-mind-of-englands-814842

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_language

Lost For Words

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Euro London

There are 6500 languages spoken in the world today; this number has been predicted to shrink rapidly over the coming decades to just 600 languages by the beginning of the 22^nd century. This was the startling calculation made in 1992 by the prominent US linguist Michael E. Krauss who predicted that 90% of the languages spoken in the world today will be extinct by 2100 AD, but how likely is it to become true?

India, one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, is home to around 900 living languages. However, in 1961 there were more than 1600 languages spoken throughout the regions of India, highlighting the unfortunate trend that like elsewhere around the globe, India is losing languages at an extraordinary rate [1].

Even UNESCO’s own estimates predict that at least half of the world languages alive today will be extinct by 2100. This is highlighted by having 473 languages already listed as nearly extinct; a further 2000 languages are spoken by less than 1000 people and 133 languages spoken by less than 10 people.

Is it too late to save some languages? We think not.

Hebrew is a language that can show us it is never too late to resurrect a dying language. Hebrew has been around since the 10^th century BC, but by the 19^th century Hebrew was a “dead language” says Claude Hagege ; Used predominantly in scholarly reading, Hebrew had no way to say “pass the salt” and “I love you” [2]. However the language was revived in the late 1800’s and now has over 11 million speakers. Other examples of languages being brought back to life include the Welsh language and Maori.

Languages may also be saved by technology. Our Recent Blog on the future of languages researched the current software available to us [3]. Could this be used to record and analyse endangered languages help us preserve them for future generations in an audio library?

Languages are the explanation of our culture and the building blocks of our civilization; what we lose each time we lose a language is a part of our human history and ancestry that we will never be able to get back.

[1] http://web1.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/india/indias-languages-dying

[2] http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8311000/8311069.stm

[3] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/is-technology-the-future-of-language/

12 Inspirational Quotes On Languages

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Euro London

Over our 22 years in the multilingual recruitment sector we’ve seen some great quotes on the advantages of knowing a second language. We thought we’d put together our 12 favourite quotes we’ve found from our personal reading and group discussions to highlight the advantages of knowing a second language.

1. If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart – Nelson Mandela

2. Language is the roadmap of a culture. It tells you where its people are from and where they are going – Rita Mae Brown

3. To have another language is to possess a second soul – The Emperor Charlemagne

4. Whereas one language now often makes a wall, two can make a gate – Walter V Kaulfers

5. Those who know nothing of foreign languages, know nothing of their own – Goethe

6. A different language is a different version of life – Federico Fellini

7. The limits of my language are the limits of my universe – Ludwig Wittgenstein

8. You can never understand one language until you understand at least two – Geoffrey Willans

9. The sum of human wisdom is not contained in any one language – Ezra Pound

10. Thought is the blossom, language the bud and action the fruit behind it – Ralph Waldo Emerson

11. Change your language and change your thoughts – Karl Albrecht

12. The quality of our thought is boarded on all sides by the quality of our language – J Michael Straczynski

What’s your favourite one? Do you have a better quote about languages?

Why Don’t We Learn Hindi?

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Euro London

The credit crunch of 2008 and the sovereign debt crisis that affected the Euro Zone last year has had an impact on the global economy not seen since the great depression of the 1930’s. However, one group of countries seem to be weathering the storm, they have seen continued economic growth even when many of the world’s countries economies have shrunk. The BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China have emerged as some of the world’s strongest economies.

Many of us are well aware of the BRIC’s and the effects that they will have on the economy of tomorrow, we are therefore highly encouraged to learn Mandarin, Portuguese and maybe Russian, but very rarely do we see articles on the need to learn Hindi, this got us thinking; why not?
After all, there are 1.2 billion people in India only 100 million less than China. (Ok, I know that 100 million people is a lot of people, but in the context of the combined population of both countries being 2.5 billion people, it’s but a drop in the ocean).

It could perhaps be argued that because Hindi is only spoken by 500 million people around the world that we are less willing to learn the language, but mandarin is only spoken by 800 million people, 2/3rds of China’s population and only 240 million people speak Portuguese.

Perhaps then it’s because the Indian economy is only the 11^th largest in the world compared to china being the 2^nd, Brazil, 6^th and Russia 9^thlargest economies. However, India is forecast to have the world’s 3^rd largest economy by 2035 only behind China and the USA.

So why we do we not hear about the importance of learning Hindi? What are your thoughts?

Wouldn’t It Be Easier If We Spoke The Same Language?

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Euro London

In our last blog we discussed technology’s affect on the future of languages [1]. While technology will undoubtedly have an impact on the use of languages, there is another option, “complete Lingua Franca”; one language spoken by everyone throughout the world.

Since the times of the Romans there have been notable Lingua franca’s used around the world, however none have managed to stop people speaking their own native languages. Latin, French and Spanish all took their turns to make an impact on world culture and be the leading language in commerce; then came along today’s Lingua Franca, English. The use of English in science, business and computing around the world is notable; 27% of the internet’s current users speak English as a first language and a 2002 survey found that 56% of the internets content was written in English. But with the emergence of the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) along with other developing nations, will English stay the dominant language of the developed world?

With over 6500 languages spoken in the world today by over 7 billion people we are unlikely to see any one language make the 6499 languages irrelevant or extinct any time soon. [2].But could one language be spoken by every one in the distant future? What language would it be? In our recent poll on Facebook we asked you what you thought the language of the future would be: 44% thought it would be Mandarin, 29% Spanish, only 21% thought English would continue as the predominant language and 6% thought Portuguese would lead the way [3].

With globalisation set to increase in the coming years and the BRICs hitting the developed world, how long will these endangered languages last with people increasingly learning relevant second languages and maybe not regional ones? Will we continue to speak languages that may have very little relevance to our daily lives?

Here at Euro London we do all we can to encourage learning languages; we believe it not only enhances your career, but life opportunities as well [4]. A world with only one language would be a less colourful place. Do you see a future where we all speak the same language? If not will English stay the Lingua Franca or will another language take its place?

[1] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/is-technology-the-future-of-language/

[2] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/15-amazing-language-facts/

[3] https://www.facebook.com/333683589864/posts/10150624395169865

[4] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/12-reasons-to-be-proud-of-knowing-a-second-language/

Is Technology The Future Of Language?

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Euro London

Over the last 20 years the internet has provided us with a communication device equal to none within human history. It has changed the way we socialise, the way we shop and the way we think; psychology studies are showing that our brains are changing to become more adept at finding information rather than storing it [1]. With these massive technological advancements global projects have been set up by businesses that are beginning to break down language barriers. Google translate has collected words and translations from all over the web, enabling you to translate text based communication pretty accurately within seconds of typing the words, (although it is by no means perfect yet).

In March this year Microsoft showed off advance stage software that can learn the sound of your voice and then use it to speak a language that you don’t. Microsoft demonstrated the ability of the software showing it reading written text from one language and then speaking aloud in another language synthesized to the presenter’s voice [2]. Microsoft have announced plans for this current software to be researched further, which they hope one day enable you to speak into a device in one language and that device will translate what you said into another language.

Technology is already helping some people learn languages with software from companies such as Rosetta Stone. But will Technology become so advanced that it makes the demands of learning a language obsolete? We certainly hope not. Languages offer so much more than the ability to simply speak another language [3]). But with technology like this already being developed at an intermediate stage, where will the technology end up?

Technology like this may have seemed unbelievable 10 years ago, but today it is a very real possibility that this may be with us in the near future. After all, Microsoft’s technology is based on text input being converted to language output and we already have voice enabled mobile phones which convert your voice into information shown on your phone i.e. Apple’s Siri.

Whatever the advancement in technology, in our opinion there will always be a demand for language in the work place. In the coming year’s, technology may be able to translate your words, even using your voice to do so; but will it be able to convey the emotion in your voice and the specific semantics in your speech? We think not. What do you think? Will technology ever replace the need for languages?

[1] http://mashable.com/2012/04/10/brain-internet-infographic/

[2] http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39885/

[3] http://www.eurolondon.com/blog/en/12-reasons-to-be-proud-of-knowing-a-second-language/

5 Words That Aren’t Translatable Into English

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Euro London

Since the beginning of time humans have strived to interact with each other. Primitively this was done with gestures and sounds, which then evolved into language and the written word. We couldn’t function in modern day society without the written word and the spoken language, so how do some languages have words that other languages don’t? Here are some words from languages around the world that describe situations and feelings that have no words to describe them in English.

Do you leave things to the last minute to find a solution? Then in the Portuguese language you’d be considered a bit of a “Desenrascanço”. The word which loosely means “to disentangle” describes a situation where you have a last minute solution to solve a problem.

Hopefully you’re not a “backpfeifengesicht” from the German language which roughly means a face that needs a slap. Whether it’s a political figure, a celebrity or even a friend I suspect you may be able to think of one or two of these backpfeifengesichts.

“Nunchi” is the art of not being a backpfeifengesicht! If you are in a social situation and someone is telling joke after joke without getting a reaction, the Koreans would say that they lack nunchi, the ability that lets you sense what would be the wrong thing to say.

“Retrouvailles” from the French language is the happiness you get when meeting someone again after a long time. A basic concept that is familiar to most of us due to our busy life styles and commuter relationships. Surprising then that the English language doesn’t have a word to represent this feeling that most of us feel, after all it’s becoming increasingly handy for our busy life styles.

Have you ever felt “koi no yokan”? This is the Japanese word for the feeling upon meeting someone for the first time that the two of you are going to fall in love. It’s not quite love at first sight as koi no yokan implies that you have a sense of imminent love, without feeling it yet.

Languages are always evolving and although English borrows many words from other languages it may have missed a few words that should perhaps have a place in the English language to describe feelings and situations.

Do you know any words from languages that don’t have an English translatable equivalent?

15 Amazing Language Facts

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Euro London

1. Human speech organs are capable of producing over 800 sounds when we are born. In infancy a child learns which sounds are important to his or her native language and to disregard the rest. The older we get, the harder it becomes to learn the sounds that are part of a different language causing an accent to form.

2. There are around 6500 languages spoken in the world today, however about 2000 of these languages have less than 1000 speakers, with around 500 of those languages almost extinct.

3. Mandarin has the most native speakers of any language with approximately 1200 million, followed by Spanish (approximately 400 million). Only 5% of the world population natively speak English (approximately 350 million), however English has approximately 1500 million speakers including those who know it as a second languages and as EFL.

4. There are only about 225 native languages of Europe about 3% of the worlds total amount of languages.

5. Most languages can trace their language family tree through languages with a common ancestor. There are 8 language families for Europe’s 225 languages to be split into. Including the families of Romance language (Italian, French and Spanish) Germanic language (English, German and Scandinavian) and Slavic language (Russian, Polish and many other eastern European countries). However some languages have no known language family such as Basque, these are called Language Isolate.

6. The most common languages used in Europe that are not of indigenous decent are Arabic, Chinese and Hindi; each one with their own writing system.

7. There are around 300 languages actively spoken in the London alone.

8. Although gestures shown by body language can change meaning depending on the culture and country, there are gestures that are universal which include expressions to show happiness, sadness, boredom, fear, anger, surprise and disgust.

9. Many languages have more than 50,000 words however we use just a fraction of these in everyday conversation.

10. German has the most native speakers in Europe being an official language in Austria, Switzerland and Lichtenstein as well as Germany.

11. After Latin, the Spanish language is most heavily influenced by the Arabic language due to Spain’s naval trading history.

12. One of the greatest playwrights of the English language, William Shakespeare, invented the words obscene and puking. He also reputedly came up with the word “eyeball” as there is no known use of the word before its appearance in “A Mid Summer Night’s Dream” as well as the name “Jessica” where the name is first referenced in “The Merchant of Venice”.

13. French is an official language of Luxembourg, Haiti and more than 20 other African countries. The second largest French speaking city in the world isn’t in France, it’s Kinshasa the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

14. Although Latin is still used much in Law and science, Vatican City is the only country that has Latin as an official language.

15. Languages evolve all the time. The internet has not only added new words to dictionaries such as “lol” it has also added new meanings to old words; an internet “troll” is now commonly used to describe someone who uses inflammatory language or goes off topic in discussion.

Easy Answers To Tough Questions

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Euro London

Interviews vary from sector to sector, department to department in companies, however some questions keep being asked. At face value these open ended questions seem easily answered however sometimes they can catch you out. So how do you answer them?

“Tell me about yourself?” This is one of the most open ended questions you can be asked. You may think the question includes subjects such as your favourite film, your favourite sport, previous relationships and whether or not you play the lottery; but does the interviewer want to know most of that? Not really. Not only is it usually irrelevant but it’s also pretty mundane, they’re not going to employ you because you love line dancing on a Saturday night, they’re going to employ you because you’re the right person for the job. Make sure when you are telling the interviewer about yourself that you keep your answers relevant and in context.

“What are your weaknesses?” Why they ever started asking this in the first place confuses me, luckily it is becoming less common to ask this question. If you do get this question, be careful not to state a weakness that you cannot make a comment on what you are doing to improve.

There are several ways to answer this question. You can say a false negative, i.e. “I strive for perfection, which can lead me to focus too much”, it may seem bad but actually it’s good. Alternately you could answer with a weakness you know you have (after all no one is perfect) but making sure that you include that you are actively working on it and adapting to change i.e. “I tend to pay a lot of attention to detail and this can lead me to focus too much on a specific detail, however I am working on this and by taking a different approach am enabling myself to see the bigger picture”.

Some interviews now include questions that require you to think outside the box. Questions such as; “How many people are on Facebook in San Francisco on Friday at 2.30pm?” Asked by Google and; “If you were a Microsoft program, which one would you be?”, Asked by Summit Racing Equipment, are increasingly being used in the design and technology sectors [1]. The object of these questions isn’t for you to give a definitive answer but to compose an answer using your creative and reasoning skills. As long as you can back up your answers with reason, you won’t/can’t be proved wrong. Take your time; think about not only your answer but also your reasoning behind your answer.

[1] http://mashable.com/2011/12/27/glassdoor-interview-questions-2011/

Take The Plunge For Your New Career

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Euro London

Are you craving a new challenge? Perhaps you’ve been working at the same company for 10 years or in the same sector for what seems like an eternity. You wonder to yourself what happened to those childhood dreams? Ok, being an astronaut was a big ask, but what about the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day and the knowledge that when you’ve finished for the week, you won’t be dreading going back to work on Monday. Sound like you? Only you can change it.

Starting out in a new career can be daunting; there is no hiding from that fact. New people, new responsibilities, new work schedule, new work culture but aside from being daunting it can also be exhilarating and thrilling. So how can you take control of all these emotions and take control of your job hunt. We’ve put some tips together to help you find that new job.

Firstly decide whether on not to swap: It may seem like an obvious option but moving job or starting a new career can be a big step. It’s not something we’d recommend you do half heartedly; It’s therefore highly advisable that you think through your options, your financial stability and your social mobility etc. (i.e. can you move to a new area easily).

Analyze market trends: How is your job sector performing in the current climate? Are the jobs moving abroad? If your career sector is on the up it may be easier to find a new job than if the jobs are disappearing. I say “may” as it is currently a very tough climate for jobs across nearly all sectors in much of the world; however we are seeing a small recovery in the economy in 2012 so if you have decided to swap jobs, now maybe the perfect time.

Find a career; consider a niche: Once you’ve decided on a new job or career path, analyze what your strengths are and use them to your advantage. A niche is a great advantage if you’re an expert in a particular field, it usually comes with more autonomy and responsibilities in a role; however, once you have started working within a niche role it can be very hard to change career paths later on, something definitely worth remembering.

Find a way in: Once you know what kind of job you’d like to move into you need to find a way to get yourself there. You may not even have to change organisations. If you currently work for a large company and you’d like to change departments why not have a word with your HR department about job availabilities. Use social media as well to keep an eye on current vacancies through sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter.

You can use recruitment agencies such as Euro London Appointments to find current jobs, quickly. Not only will we keep you up to date with the latest roles, we can also give you access to a wide array of roles and some tips on interviewing and etiquette.

Changing your job is never easy, changing your career can be a whole new experience with a totally new role to aspect of business to learn quickly, but if you feel you’d like a new experience and challenge, get in contact today.

Need A Great Reason To Work In Germany?

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Euro London

Have you ever thought about living and working in Germany? Well you’ve picked an excellent country to live in. Not only is Germany riding the economic wave with a stable economy and a rigid job market (our offices in Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf can vouch for that) but there is also the emerging story of an enormous act of selflessness.

The mention of the town of Braunschweig wouldn’t mean much to many people, it’s a medium size town located 145 miles west of Berlin in lower Saxony and has a population of just under a quarter of a million. However recently it has gained the attention of much of the world’s media as residents are being left perplexed by a spate of altruism.

Around the town people are finding white envelopes full of cash hidden in the most unusual places including behind the hymn books of the local church, under the doormats of houses or organisations and anonymously hand delivered to the local newspapers; however there is always one constant, no one ever knows who has donated the money. Residents of the town don’t know if the philanthropist is an individual or a group of people and they aren’t sure on the reason for such generosity. Some think that the gifts are being left by a wealthy resident who may not have family to pass the money on to, others think it is being left by a Robin Hood figure who redistributes the money from the rich to the poor, there are also theories on a person who has just won the lottery and is trying to help good causes.

Although the identity of this generous individual or group is a secret, the amount left so far is staggering, €190,000 has already been found and due to the unusual places where the money is often hidden, that figure may yet go up! So far donations have included churches, nurseries/kindergartens and hospices as well as the family of a 14 year old boy who became disabled after a swimming accident.

What ever the reason for giving such vast amounts of money away, there is no denying the individual or group is doing a lot of good for their town and community. Would you like to live and work in Germany? If so, why not get in contact with one of our regional offices located in Munich, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.

Using Your Languages In The Workplace

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Euro London

Here at Euro London Appointments we specialise in multilingual and international recruitment, therefore the vast majority of our roles require knowledge of at least one other language.

There is however a common misconception that if you can speak more than one language there are only two careers you can go into; teaching and translating. I can assure you this is not true, the success of Euro London Appointments over the last 22 years can vouch for that.

There are a range of opportunities in the jobs market where knowing a language will be a distinct advantage, if not a necessity for your career.

Over the last 22 years we’ve not only opened offices around Europe, but also new departments to deal with the demand in multilingual job opportunities as well. We currently have ten departments covering different work sectors around Europe and other parts of the world.

Whether you’d like to work in the public or private sector, being multilingual will certainly open doors.

Knowledge of a second language in the public sector offers you opportunities to gain employment in Government departments, Diplomatic positions and working directly within the European Union itself.

In the private sector there are a much wider range of job opportunities involving languages; multinational companies are embracing the use of languages to help improve their business forward through increased communication. Nowadays a car may be made from parts from one side of the world and those parts built from raw materials sourced from another side of the world; businesses need communication to survive, function and thrive in this ever globalised world we live in, something that multilingualism plays a vital role in.

You will find roles for all types of jobs through our various departments whether you’re looking for work in Banking and Finance, Sales and Marketing, Engineering, Human Resources, Accountancy and Law, Betting and iGaming, IT and Telecoms, Call Centre and Customer Service, Secretarial and Support, Interim and Executive Management.

The knowledge of a second, third or fourth language will unlock a wealth of opportunity for you and your career.

The Evolution Of Language

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Euro London

There are over 7000 languages still spoken in the world today, an extraordinary feat in the evolution of humanity.

Languages come to prominence for differing reasons; English for example is widely spoken as a testament to history and industry, the British Empire which has long since disbanded left an undeniable mark on the world through the English language.

However as with languages spoken by the many, there are also languages spoken by the few. It’s estimated that 50% of the 7000 living languages at the moment are spoken by 3000 people or less and some of these face the possibility of dying out by 2100. But what can be done to stop a language vanishing from the pages of history? Well for the first time in our history we now have the technology to harvest information, store it and play it back to you with the click of a button. That’s exactly what’s being done, with headlines this week around the globe stating that Facebook, YouTube and even texts are being scoured and stored to build up a library of words, grammar and speech; archiving what soon may become extinct. But is it actually necessary to do so? If history has taught us anything, it’s that nothing lasts for ever; evolution is natural and it hasn’t stopped. Even today we’re still seeing animals evolve to meet the practicalities of some of the 21^st century’s least admirable traits; such as elephants starting to be born without tusks as those with tusks are unfortunately poached. Humans too are still adapting! The development of technology over the last decade has seen the rise of what’s called text talk, “you” becomes “U” and “are” becomes “R”, some are calling this lazy and I certainly don’t see it becoming used in business anytime soon, but this new type of social language has evolved and adapted to become widely understood and used in informal settings. So is it actually worth keeping languages that are dying out? Why should we save a language spoken by 100 people instead of learning languages relevant to us today in business, life and society?

Time and Transition

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Euro London

Time is continuous not incremental, sometimes you don’t notice how much things have changed until you look back and remember how things used to be.

Look at technology! 10 years ago Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook didn’t exist, the latter of which has been discussing an IPO (initial public offering) this week which sees the company valued around $100 billion. Dial up internet was the norm (remember the dial up ringtone! It still gives me shivers), any sniff of wireless or 3G was considered futuristic and too far off to contemplate. Mobile phones only had the game “Snake” available rather than a huge variety of apps you can get now. Smart phones can browse the internet, hold your music library, take pictures and record videos; the list goes on and on.

Unlike time, transition happens in stages. The two are however inextricably linked by the fact you will always be affected by time, but transition is something you chose to do. You can choose to upgrade your mobile, you can choose to move house and can choose to make the transition from one job to another. Whether you choose to is up to you, yet time will always keep moving! Perhaps you feel that the economy is too unstable to consider change, perhaps you are hesitant to the idea of change itself, it is only natural. However what we are seeing now is a slow rebound in the economy, there are jobs out there, you just have to stand out from the crowd! If you have the skills, the experience and are considering a change of jobs, being multilingual is a great way to differentiate yourself from the crowd. Are you considering a move? Have you got the skills and experience for a new job? Don’t let time pass you by!

BRIC Breaker

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Euro London

The BRIC’s is a popular term coined to describe the big four emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China, in the new Millennium. Its use in culture has become symbolic of the shift in economic power away from the traditional G7 countries, including the well-known economic powerhouses of the USA, Japan and in Europe, Germany. At the moment it is predicted that the BRIC countries will overtake the G7 countries by 2027 in terms of economic power.

So will this change the world as we know it?

Will English still be considered the international Lingua Franca, which it so often is thought to be? Perhaps, but when there are almost as many native language Mandarin speakers in the world as compared with the overall amount of English speakers, is English actually the international language brand of the world it professes to be?

Are these new emerging markets something to fear or embrace? Will the rise of Brazil, Russia, India and China even happen as expected? After all these predictions were made before a global recession that has left no economy untouched.

There are lots of questions to consider!

One for thing is for sure; if the transition of economic power over the next few years does occur, my advice would be to embrace the situation. Learn the languages of these countries; Spanish, Russian, Hindi and Mandarin etc. It may be harder than learning a European language because of the effects of the differing alphabets in the Russian, Hindi and Mandarin languages, but you will be better suited to the new professional opportunities. Embrace and discover the differences within the etiquettes of these cultures; find out how they do business and act around their friends. Worldwide development is continuous not incremental, change happens throughout time and history without us even noticing until it has occurred. Globalisation and the internet have only sped this effect up! Will you flourish in the ever growing economies of the emerging markets and become a BRIC Breaker?

There’s no such thing as a multilingual President

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Euro London

This week saw the race to be the Republican presidential candidate hit the headlines around the globe for all the wrong reasons!

The reason wasn’t any pending legal issues or personal life discrepancies; the reason was much more worrying than that!

This week the Republican candidates, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, were targeted through ad campaigns because they are multilingual! Mitt Romney was discredited for being able to speak French, whilst Jon Huntsman viewed with suspicion because he speaks Mandarin. I’m not an expert on the manifestos of each of the individual candidates, but I think it’s beyond belief that a perspective leader of any country would face suspicion due to the fact they are multilingual, let alone the campaign to be the president of the United States of America.

English is spoken by many people around the globe and is considered the lingua franca of the modern world. However the percentage of the global population able to speak English as either a first or second language is about 25%; far less than what is usually thought and almost equalled by the percentage of mandarin speakers. The perception that everyone speaks English is an old wives tale that was never really true in the first place.

Knowing a language can lend you much in life! First and foremost, it makes you much more employable; although evidentially not for Presidential elections.

Corporate institutions are focusing their efforts all over the world, requiring communication and integration between staff; the problem with this is often the language barrier. This is one of the main reasons that corporate industry is hiring more and more multilingual corporate staff; it’s nice to have staff with different life experiences as well.

Then there’s the effect on your intelligence! Whether you learn a language as a child or later on in life, there is an increasing amount of evidence that being multilingual provides an added advantage in communication, cognition and social interaction than those who can’t speak a second language [1]. There is also research that shows that the ability to speak more than one language may reduce the susceptibility to mental illnesses such as Alzheimer’s [2].

You might use your languages on holidays and travelling, maybe you like connecting with new people all over the world, or perhaps you learnt your second language just to understand your native language better.

What ever the reason, there has never been a better time to be multilingual for your career and for your personal life!

[1] http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/bilingualism-is-good-for-learning/

[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/feb/18/bilingual-alzheimers-brain-power-multitasking

A New Year, A New Website!

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Euro London

Over the last month we’ve celebrated Christmas and welcomed in the New Year, now here at Euro London, we have one more reason to celebrate – our new and improved website.

We first joined the World Wide Web 1996 with the initial Euro London website, a big deal in those days and a testament to our commitment to advancing technology (well we think anyway). Armed with a “Teach yourself HTML” manual, a dial-up modem and an impossibly long URL, we reckon we were one of the first recruitment consultancies in the UK to have their own website – and a quick check on the http://wayback.archive.org shows we were “crawled” prior to the first major jobboard to be launched in the UK.

The site underwent 5 updates following 1996, until our last update in 2006. Gone are the days of “Frames” and “Non-Frames” sites, and UK only domains. We now have a slick interface centered on our international jobs database and a strong presence in Germany, France, Switzerland and Luxembourg along with the UK.

Our improved website offers new features such as the job map; enabling you to view our current roles and where they are located through Google maps. It will provide you with our latest jobs via RSS feeds or emails, and you can view our latest social media updates so you can engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Xing and YouTube, you can also read some of our fantastic testimonials from candidates and clients alike.

Our old interface has been completely redesigned, without hindering our basic principle of functionality. The help and advice that could be found on our old website, including our latest CV advice and interview techniques, is still here for you to use, as is the ability to search our current jobs by their relevant sector and location. “Hot Jobs” are featured on the homepage, making it easier for jobseekers to search, apply and get the great job you want!

Some of you may have already seen and even used the new website, so what do you think?

If you haven’t had the chance, follow the link at the bottom to go to the new website, it’s pretty good, even if we do say so ourselves!
http://www.eurolondon.com/

Happy New Year

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Euro London

Last week we celebrated Christmas, now it’s time to conclude the festive season! After eating all the food, opening all the presents and drinking all the champagne, it’s now time to welcome the New Year!

So let’s celebrate what we’ve accomplished and plan for what we want to achieve. The New Year is synonymous with doing something new. Resolutions; be it joining the gym, giving up a bad habit or taking up something new, are made around the world.

What do you want to achieve? Perhaps one of the options above, perhaps you’d like to shed a few kilos or perhaps you’d like to start a new job or career path and if you do, we’re here for you.

Wherever you are in the world on New Years Eve, have fun celebrating the start of the 2012!

These are some spectacular scenes from around the world last New Year! Where is the best place you have spent new years?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2WNK0_mbCc&w=560&h=315]

It’s The Season To Be Jolly

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Euro London

It’s that time of year again!

The time of year when you wake up hoping today’s the day, the time of the year that it’s socially acceptable to wear the jumper your auntie got you four years ago, the time of year when the airwaves are filled with those songs that get everyone singing along and evoke the memories of your childhood.

That’s right, as the great Noddy Holder would say; “It’s Christmas!”

So hang up your stockings, write your Christmas cards and enjoy the Christmas markets. The last two months of planning and preparations have come together for this day! This one day; where the family get together, Christmas crackers are pulled and the Christmas dinner is carved. So enjoy it! For this day comes but once a year. So from Euro London Appointments Joyeux Noel, Fröhliche Weihnachten, Feliz Navidad and Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

We’ll be asking what your new year’s resolutions are going to be next week. So put your thinking camps on and ponder what you’re going to change next year! Whether it’s losing a few kilos or finding a new job we want to know what you’re going to do differently.

Merry Christmas!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG4BPNvayWo&w=420&h=315]

What Impact Is Social Media Having On Your Job Hunt?

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Euro London

If you look back at the last few years, there has been a growing buzzword used by businesses, organisations and individuals situated all over the world. This word is Social Media! The amalgamation of two very different words, social media was born out of the World Wide Web.

It has the ability to report the news to you, live and uncensored, the ability to bring down governments and the ability to get you a job!

In a recent survey of employers, 90% would check a social media network before or during a candidate’s interview process. These include Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, so if you’re on any of these networks, which statistically you probably will be; you’ve been warned!

Tweets on Twitter, Photos uploaded on Facebook and updates posted on LinkedIn may not be as private as you think and could unfortunately damage your job hunting opportunities and career prospects.

However, if you manage your social media networks right, far from being damaging, they can enhance your job hunting opportunities and it’s not as if it’s hard to do, you do it on a daily basis after all.

Check your privacy settings and what groups or pages you may like! More often than not you may have set your photos to private, but not any groups you may be a part of and these can show up on your flashcard page. If you don’t want recruiters/employers to see this, either leave the group or look to change your privacy settings.

Be careful what you say and to whom, Twitter is a prime suspect for this point. Twitter can turn from a friendly micro-blogging device into a disaster for your career opportunities very quickly, with one rash tweet.

Apart from taking care of your social media in a reactive role, you can also take a proactive position! Joining professional networks to interact with possible contacts, making sure you keep up to date with latest industry news and developments within your field can really show your commitment to any potential employer to your ambition and commitment to any career.

Social media is the new kid on the block and it’s got lots of friends in high places, be aware that recruiters no longer rely on just the interview to hire someone anymore.

First Impressions Are Lasting Impressions

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Euro London

Whether you are going to an interview or starting your first day at work, it’s important to make a great first impression! Of course, you’ve heard it all before, but how can you be sure your first impression is a positive one? Studies show that a lasting impression will be formed of you within 30 seconds to ten minutes of meeting you, and this impression will last!

So what are the tricks, tips and all the good bits that can be shown off about your personality in these ten minuets to make a great lasting first impression?

Firstly let’s get rid of the clichés in this scenario! The strong handshake and not arriving late are the bear basics of the first impression and hopefully you know them already!

Your body language is the most important part to the art of a good impression! Studies show that 70 % of what you say is conveyed by your body language and a further 10% by the tone of your voice. This means that 80% of what you’re actually saying isn’t the words you are speaking at all. Standing tall, not slouching and making good eye contact is a great place to start when meeting someone new, as this will convey confidence and ability. If you are sitting down, don’t fold your arms or create what is called a unconscious barrier to you. Sit with your hands out and have an open, welcoming posture; smile and listen – we were given one mouth and two ears for a reason! This will lead you onto the second part to help develop a great first impression.

Making good conversation! You may have already accounted for 80% of a conversation, but you’ve still got 20% to fill. This is a virtuous circle, the more conversation you make, the better you get at it and the more you will converse, so everyone is a winner, but remember that there’s a difference between good conversation and small talk! It’s very easy to spot small talk, it’s irrelevant and forgettable, an engaging conversation will leave a positive lasting impression.

Whether it’s a job you are going for or your first day; Research the company! Know what they do, how big they are, where they have offices etc, you don’t want to be left looking dumbfounded if someone asks you a question about the company. It takes 10 minutes to look into a company’s profile and shows that you are committed to the company from an early stage.

No matter how advanced our technology may be getting, it will always be important to make a personable good first impression! So make sure you’re prepared for your first interview and your first day.

Cover yourself with your Cover Letter

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Euro London

Over the last few months we’ve given you some of our best advice on how to land that dream job of yours. We’ve given you great advice (well we think anyway) on how to write a CV, but what was missing from that advice is the obligatory Cover letter you need to send in with that brilliant CV of yours.

Cover letters are short articles, no more than one A4 piece of paper long, you write about yourself to send in with your CV. They don’t need to be long, they don’t have to be fancy, but they do have to explain why you are perfectly suited to the job. This means tailoring each and every cover letter to the job you are applying for. Whilst the jobs you apply for may not be that different to each other and you may not feel the need to change your cover letter, every hiring manager; no matter how similar the role, will have a different idea, a different set of attributes they will be looking for. It will therefore be up to you to demonstrate these indirectly through your actions written out in both your CV and your cover letter. Do your research on who they are looking for.

You may have heard the famous John Kennedy quote: “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”, the same can be said about going through the interview stages of an organisation. Incorporate the research you have done for the position into this covering letter and emphasis what you can do for the company.

Often if you are emailing or sending a CV to a recruiter the covering letter will be the first information they see about you, it’s so important to make a good first impression! Like previously stated in our blog on how to write a great CV, check for spelling and punctuation mistakes, make sure what you are sending out is literally perfect.

Overall cover letters should complement not duplicate your CV, if you find you’ve repeated the same points on both your CV and your cover letter, have a second look at what you’ve written.

Relocation, Relocation, Relocation

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Euro London

The UK jobs market has seen one of the biggest squeezes in recent times with the decline in the availability of jobs, which is being matched around Europe. Even Germany, seen as the steady ship of Europe, is seeing a contraction in the number of jobs available and a rise in the number of people who are unemployed.

Being a multilingual recruitment agency, we often place people of various nationalities from around Europe into another country in Europe for a role, most are happy to relocate.

But it seems that in the UK, this option is extremely limited by the lack of ability to learn or even try and learn another language. A report out last week [1] states that two in three Brits can’t speak a single foreign word! We think that the report may be over exaggerated, but we know that other points were re-iterating what we have always known; that the majority of the British public’s attitude to want to learn a language is abysmal.

Without the possibility of relocating abroad to work, apart from the obvious British tourist hot spots, there is a very slim chance of finding work in a non English speaking country, vastly narrowing the number of job opportunities.

We often find that many of the companies we are working with to place staff, here and elsewhere around Europe, desire English speakers. But native English speakers more often than not, are not able to speak another language.

It’s not only the lack of experience and language ability that can hold someone’s job search back, but the lack of will to relocate or commute to any job that is not located on their back door.

It’s a global world; it’s time we all started thinking global.

Have a nice day! Goodbye! Au revoir! Auf Wiedersehen! Arrivederci! ¡Adiós! Ok, you get the point.

[1] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2062982/Two-Britons-speak-SINGLE-foreign-word.html

Equality – Is it just a word?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Euro London

It’s been decades since most states within the European Union developed legislation that protect men and women from discrimination in the workplace on matters such as pay and promotion. However, this week new statistics out have showed a worrying trend. All three of the top stock exchanges of Europe; London’s FTSE, Frankfurt’s DAX and Paris’s CAC, have Less than 20% of the seats on the board of directors occupied by women[1]. This week, Theresa May, the United Kingdom’s home secretary, stated that she thinks the UK alone is missing out on £21 billion a year in growth in the markets through a lack of female leaders and a further £42 billion a year would be produced if there were as many female entrepreneurs ran businesses as men [2].

So why is there still the fabled “glass ceiling” for so many women, when not only is there legislation to prevent discrimination, but also groups set up to help, such as the 30% club on the FTSE which hopes to see 30% of the number of the seats on boards taken by females. (I’m not sure why it’s not 50% to be honest, if you’re going to aim to make a difference, why not aim for equality?). There is also a general consensus that female board members are greatly beneficial, bringing a type of process and calculation to situations where a man’s pride may have taken over in a male dominated environment.

So is it a lack of ambition? Perhaps; But the world has turned into the most equal it has ever been! Where before the norm would have been for a daughter to cook and clean, to be the doting wife to the husband who would go out to work, nowadays a daughter is just as encouraged and supported as a son to go out and aspire to be all they can be.

Perhaps then women don’t want to fall into the stereotypes of a leading woman “conniving…ice queens…single…a token…a cheerleader”, but are these stereotypes still relevant today? Were they ever truly relevant at all…apart from in the films? The female leaders of some of the worlds biggest companies, such as Indra Nooyi, the chief executive of PepsiCo, has never lived up to any of the previously stated stereotypes.

So why do you believe there is still a disproportionate amount of men in positions of leadership? Especially in industry, the lucrative banking and petroleum companies etc. When do you think we will be equal? Will we ever?

[1]http://www.corpgov.deloitte.com/binary/com.epicentric.contentmanagement.servlet.ContentDeliveryServlet/USEng/Documents/Nominating-Corporate%20Governance%20Committee/Board%20Composition%20and%20Recruitment/Women%20in%20the%20Boardroom_Deloitte_012011.pdf

[2] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2057723/Theresa-May-Female-talent-boost-economy-60bn.html

How Much Trouble Is Europe In?

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Euro London

This week has seen a culmination of the troubles that have been brewing for months within the economy of Europe. All current decisions made now, are being made to avert what would only be described as financial recession; it seems that the future of Europe is hanging on a knife edge.

There have been some quite considerable changes within EU member states; Italy and Greece have both appointed new leaders to try and stem the flow of ever growing worries within their economies, whilst Spain appears to be heading for a change of leadership.

Interest charged on government backed bonds is hitting unprecedented levels; these rates indicate the risk perceived on the ability of the country to pay it back, the higher the interest, the higher the risk. Earlier this week Greece was faced with having to pay back 22% on top of what it initially borrows over the course of 10 years, and there is a very high fear that Greece won’t be able to meet its commitments and that is worrying the financial markets. To put that 22% in perspective, Germany’s interest on a 10 year bond is just over 2%.

However, positive news can be found in the consolation that the economy of the 17-nation Euro Zone grew by 0.2%, between July and September, not much but at least it has grown, kept buoyant primarily by the German and French economies after several other countries including Greece’s economy shrunk.

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the ongoing Euro Zone situation as the continents toughest hour since World War Two, a highly charged use of words that was sure to grab the headlines across Europe and highlight how serious the predicament we are faced with.

What are your views on the current situation around Europe? Have the EU leaders got it right?