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September 26: European Day of Languages

Learning language leads to an improvement in communication skills, as well as open-mindedness and intercultural sensitivity, values and personal skills that are increasingly in demand in the professional world.

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PHOTO: Nagore Gil
25/09/15 14:25 Nagore Gil

data such as the one recently pointed out by the signature recruitment agency Page Personnel which reports an increase of up to 30% in the chances of being hired among professionals with language skills, highlight the importance of these skills when looking for a job employment. According to the director of the institute of modern languages of the University of NavarraCóilín Ó hAodha, "Language skills in a foreign language language not only open up new horizons for employment in other countries and continents, they can also broaden the issue and variety of jobs available to graduates here in Spain, in both national and international companies competing in an increasingly global market".

Moreover, according to the director of institute of modern languages of the center educational, "learning a language leads to an improvement in communication skills in general, and other 'soft skills' (soft skills): analytical thinking, critical perception, multitasking and maturity". But not only that: "in addition to the practical advantages it confers, the knowledge of another language also implies open-mindedness and intercultural sensitivity, values and personal skills that are increasingly in demand in the professional world".   

To meet these needs in the labor market, languages have acquired a fundamental relevance at all levels of the system educational, from Education children to university, for teaching, internships and research.

Nowadays, in addition to the teaching of languages as such, there is an increase in the offer of "content in English" (English medium instruction, or EMI) and "content and language integrated learning" (CLIL) in the system educational. English teacher and expert in language teaching , Ruth Breeze points out the difference between the two: "-A teacher can teach a class in English (EMI), but that does not guarantee that students will learn language. If that were the case, we would only have to listen to the TV on the language we want to learn, nothing else would be necessary. Common sense tells us that this is not the case. That would financial aid us to keep the language and learn more expressions, more vocabulary. But much more is needed.

The professionals of teaching know that it is necessary to create a communicative dynamic in the classroom that respects the learning ecology of language: the student must participate actively, not only listening but also speaking, reading, expressing himself in writing, etc. It is also very important that the student receives support with the difficulties he/she is experiencing at any given moment. That is why, in recent years, schools have been working on the approach CLILwhich integrates the learning of content with the acquisition/learning of language". 

"This is not an easy task," she says, "because content teachers have to learn new techniques and often have to adopt a more active methodology. In the case of well-implemented programs, the results are positive, and many teachers have told me about the advantages of approach CLIL/CICLE in terms of motivation, internationalization, creativity..... But it is very important to emphasize that a bilingual school is not created overnight. Schools have to design a plan for CLIL that spans many years, and then provide a lot of support to academic staff".

The director of development of the School of Education and Psychology of the University of Navarra, Marie-Anne Reynell, emphasizes the idea that the curriculum of the future teacher should include attitudinal aspects that underlie language learning, and that enhance values such as flexibility, openness, tolerance, empathy, generosity, citizenship, interculturality or Education character.

The importance of the use of different languages is also reinforced at the university level. According to Vice President of International Office, Pilar Lostao, "today, society has the mission statement to educate citizens who can live and develop their full potential in a global world. In particular, universities must take responsibility for this task and provide students with the necessary tools. Apart from adapting content to a global world, it is necessary to use in increasing proportion what has become the world's lingua franca: English language . It is urgent to train local students to communicate, study and research in this language language, and it is also convenient to offer international students who, increasingly issue, enroll in our institutions, subjects taught in English to minimize the difficulty of becoming familiar with Spanish as a requirement for success in the programs of study. Today, a global university must have English as its main communication language tool ". 

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