People learn a language best where it is spoken. This is why language study trips have been part of the educational program of many schools for decades. For example, students have the opportunity to live with host parents in the USA for a year, go to school there, get to know the country and its people and improve their language skills. However, a language trip also makes sense for adults who want to pursue a career, as it is the ideal combination of further education and vacation. So it’s hardly surprising that language courses abroad are becoming increasingly popular.
What is a language study trip?
A language study trip is basically a very effective combination of learning and vacation. Course participants live in the respective country for the duration of the language course, either with host families, in guest houses or other accommodation, and regularly attend lessons. This gives language students the opportunity to put what they have learned into practice while they get to know the country and its people and perhaps even make a few friends.
Because language is becoming increasingly important
Good language skills are particularly important in the modern, globalized world. In international companies, it is quite common for employees who want to advance their careers to be transferred to foreign locations for a certain period of time in order to gain experience there. And moving to a foreign country for private reasons is no longer uncommon. For example, many residents are drawn from the cold Central European climate to the sunny coasts of Spain. And new citizens should bring more than basic knowledge with them, because the official channels are completely different from those they are familiar with in Switzerland, for example.
This problem has also been recognized by the city of Zurich , where around 25,000 inhabitants of working age speak neither High German nor Swiss German. This not only causes problems in everyday life for those affected, but also in their social life in their new home. That is why the city offers these people now subsidized German courses
on.
Book a language study trip with a leading provider
Interested language students are well advised to opt for a
language study trip with EF Education First This provider was founded in Sweden in 1965.and now offers language courses in more than 100 countries and regions around the world. Of course, popular countries such as England, the USA or Malta not be missing. When it comes to choosing the right destination and an individual course, customers are assisted by knowledgeable experts. will be on hand with help and advice to make your language study trip a unique and unforgettable experience.
Globalization: why language skills are becoming increasingly important
In a world of increasing globalization, countries are moving ever closer together. For example, it has long been common practice for basic products to be produced in so-called low-wage countries such as East Asia and merely processed or refined in the industrialized nations of the West. The reason for this is that transportation halfway around the world is simply cheaper than the comparatively high wage costs for employers in European countries.
Of course, an important prerequisite for successful cooperation is that communication between all parties involved is works smoothly. For employees who want to make a career, it is therefore essential to speak at least one, if not several, foreign languages. And here the principle applies: the earlier they start learning languages, the easier it is for them. But which languages are important and most beneficial for career advancement?
- English is an absolute basic requirement worldwide. Managers are expected to be fluent in this language.
- Because Chinese companies are playing an increasingly important role on the global market, it can be assumed that Chinese
will also become increasingly important in terms of language courses. - France’s geographical proximity means that it makes perfect sense for employees who come to Switzerland from Italian or German-speaking countries to have a good command of French.
French. - Spanish is also one of the most important languageswhich is spoken throughout South and Central America. This economic area is not exactly insignificant for the western world.
- Russian is extremely important, particularly with regard to the Eastern European economic area. Russian still has the same status as a foreign language in many Eastern European countries as English does in the Western world.
Advancing your career with foreign languages
Spending time in another country to improve your language skills can be a significant boost to your career , even if speaking foreign languages is not part of your actual job description, as is the case for interpreters, translators or diplomats. One of the most important reasons for regular language training is that it significantly increases the chances of an employee one day applying for a job with a global company. Because those who regularly refresh their language skills with the help of a language study trip are also able to hold meetings abroad or to communicate with the respective negotiating partners in their native language.
Linguists also demonstrate intercultural competence, which makes their professional life much easier. If you can at least greet your conversation partner with a few words in their native language, you will be met with a more receptive ear and can quickly switch to another foreign language, such as English, which you both speak. This is particularly beneficial for people who want to build up an international network would like to. The same also applies to vacations. Because precisely in popular vacation resorts
tourists are often all too unpleasantly conspicuous.