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Making the case for languages : Comments
By Julie Bishop, published 23/3/2012English is both a beautiful and a practical language that we all should master, but learning a second language would expose young people to new horizons.
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I strongly disagree with Julie on this one and I think it would be a huge mistake. I say this as somebody who speaks fluent German as well as some French. Teachers spent years trying to force me to learn French out of a textbook. I hated every minute of it, its a great way of putting kids off school completely. Eventually I did learn French, but that was by living in Paris for a couple of years.
Living in Europe, where language can change within a few km, is quite different to the situation in Australia. You are comparing apples with oranges.
Who should learn foreign languages in Australia? Those with a natural aptitude for it and those who will need those languages in their future careers. For the rest it will be a complete waste of time and effort, a great reason for kids to bunk school, because the simply can't see the point or the forced indoctrination.