Home > News > August 2005 > 10-Aug-2005

Sir Trevor supports language skills to improve economic performance

Sir Trevor McDonald has supported a call for better language skills to improve the UK’s competitiveness in international markets. Introducing a new publication highlighting the UK’s poor performance in non-English speaking markets, Sir Trevor, patron of CILT, the National Centre for Languages, warned against the ‘dangerous assumption’ that English is enough for success in the global economy.

Talking World Class, launched in July by CILT, presents ‘the economic case for languages’, looking at the potential benefits language skills offer in terms of business competitiveness, enterprise and employability.

According to CILT, the UK sits firmly at the bottom of the European Commission’s language league table and the proportion of its business executives able to negotiate in more than one language is half the European average. Where language skills do exist, they tend to be at managerial levels rather than among front-line staff where they are most urgently needed.

CILT says that UK companies fail to capitalise on opportunities in new and emerging markets because they tend to avoid markets where little English is spoken. The percentage of British trade with Denmark (pop. 5 million) is the same as for the whole of Central and South America despite a population of 390 million.

Chair of the CBI SME Committee, Hugh Morgan Williams, said, "British companies will be making a big mistake if they are complacent about the need for foreign languages when their competitors already see this as a key component of their international marketing and sales strategy."

Isabella Moore, Director of CILT, the National Centre for Languages said, "Talking World Class shows clear evidence of the need for language skills in the UK economy. Integrating languages into strategic planning boosts business, attracts inward investment and enhances employability."

External links

CILT, the National Centre for Languages

Talking World Class (link to .pdf file)

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