Blog - June 2021

A Journey for Your Mind: How a Second Language Can Enhance the Experience of Learning Future Languages

29 June 2021

The more you practise reading, listening, speaking and writing in a language you are learning, the more your fluency and comprehension will improve. But what about when you want to learn a third – or fourth, or fifth – language? How can your existing skills benefit your future language-learning efforts?

In this article, we explore how learning a new language can speed up the process of acquiring more languages further down the line, and the tangible benefits to your brain – and to your business.

The Value of Learning a Lingua Franca

22 June 2021

A ‘lingua franca’, usually translated as a ‘common’ or ‘bridging’ language, provides a communication channel for people who speak different languages. But what does ‘lingua franca’ really mean, and how relevant is the concept when it comes to doing business or learning a language?
In this article, we explore why having a bridging language can be extremely valuable in the business world – notably English, the global language of business.

10 Must Know Colloquials When Learning English

15 June 2021

Each language has its own idioms, known as colloquials, that feature as integral parts of everyday conversation. But whilst native speakers might turn a blind eye to their appearance in everyday chatter, non-native speakers may be rubbed the wrong way if they struggle to understand the context of the conversation.

In this article, we summarise the top 10 colloquial English phrases non-native speakers need to know when learning the English language.

Global Mobility and Overseas Prospects in a Post-COVID World

08 June 2021

In a time when many of us are working from home, conversations about overseas working and global mobility may be taking a backseat – and yet the opportunities still exist to extend businesses into new areas and nurture overseas prospects. In this article, we explore some of the trends emerging in global mobility in 2021 as a result of the pandemic, including remote working, virtual assignments and overseas moves – when the time is right.

Focus on… Learning Japanese for Business

01 June 2021

Every month this year, we will be turning our focus towards one of the core languages we love to teach – looking at the language’s potential for business, considering a few facts and figures to put its global prospects in context, plus sharing some tips to help you get started. This month we take a look at Japanese, the language of a small country with a top-three economy and a manufacturing industry operating at a scale that can rival anywhere in the world.