Languages

The British Academy’s language programme aims to monitor trends in languages education provision and mobilise expertise to inform debate about languages in education and society.

Departments: Policy
Programme status: Ongoing
Programmes: Teaching and Education

Languages are strategically vital for the future of the UK, which has the potential to become a linguistic powerhouse. If it did, it would be more prosperous, productive, influential, innovative, knowledgeable, culturally richer, socially cohesive and, quite literally, healthier. Having competence in more than one language gives individuals windows onto other worlds, broadens mental horizons and makes them more likely to be curious and respectful when encountering other cultures and languages.

But there is overwhelming evidence of an inadequate, longstanding and worsening supply of the language skills needed by the UK to meet the needs of society, the economy, business and future research. Taking the UK as a whole, the numbers of students studying a language (other than compulsory English or Welsh) at GCSE and A Level at school and to degree level at university is, despite minor fluctuations, very low compared even with the start of this century. There is also an ongoing disconnect between mainstream education and community-based language learning of ‘heritage languages’, such as Polish, Urdu, Turkish and Arabic.

The British Academy’s language programme aims to monitor trends in languages education provision and mobilise expertise to inform debate about languages in education and society.

Publications

The Turing Scheme: understanding impacts and implications

The British Academy was asked to produce a briefing on the Turing Scheme for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Modern Languages, ahead of a House of Lords debate on financial pressures in the higher education system.

Languages Provision in UK Further Education

Languages Provision in Further Education (FE) has sought to understand the extent of the provision and uptake of languages (other than English and Welsh) in the FE sector in the United Kingdom, and to ascertain the trends in that provision over the past 20 years.

Visas for Language Assistants and Lectors

A briefing paper clarifying the situation regarding the employment of language assistants and lectors in UK higher education in the light of current, post-Brexit visa regulations.

Languages Learning in Higher Education: Granular Trends

An analysis of UCAS data on undergraduate courses in the UK, between 2012-2021.

What Works: Languages Mentoring and Ambassador Programmes

A briefing note exploring what works in languages mentoring and ambassador programmes.

The Importance of Languages in Global Context: An International Call to Action

A statement calling for action to increase capacity for easily accessible education in a broad range of languages.

Towards a National Languages Strategy: Education and Skills

Proposals for the education and skills component of a UK-wide national languages strategy.

Languages in the UK: a call for action

The four national academies state that the prospect of Brexit ‘makes it even more important for the UK to have the languages needed to forge wider commercial and other links’.

Cognitive Benefits of Language Learning: Findings and Implications

Findings and implications of our project providing a systematic review of the academic evidence base, supported by fresh research on public attitudes towards language learning.

British Academy Briefing: On Languages

This British Academy briefing note shows that languages are essential for employability, trade, business and the economy, security, diplomacy and soft power, research, social understanding and social cohesion.

Born Global

An open and free-to-use resource for the languages community: universities, teachers, employers, researchers, and students.

Lost for Words: The Need for Languages in UK Diplomacy and Security

The British Academy's policy report, Lost for Words, is an inquiry into the Government's current language capacity in the fields of diplomacy, international relations and security.

Languages: the State of the Nation

This publication establishes baseline data on foreign language use and deficits in the UK in order to deepen understanding of these issues and identify key priorities for action to address them.

Languages: the State of the Nation (Summary Report)

This report summarises the findings and conclusions from the publication.

Consultation responses

10 March 2021: DCMS Committee inquiry on minority languages: A response by The British Academy and UCML convened Strategic Committee for Languages in Higher Education

30 September 2021: Budget for Languages

17 May 2021: GCSE qualifications in modern foreign languages: Cultural learning - proposal to replace themes

2 February 2007: Dearing Review of Language Policy - Response to the Consultation

21 November 2006: Dearing Review of Language Policy - Response to the announcement of the Review