The Language Bug and New Year's Resolutions

Learning a foreign language is one of the most common New Year's Resolutions, a survey suggests

It's that time of the year again, that week between Christmas and New Year's Day when everyone seems to have lost track of time, doesn't know what day it is, and is trying to assuage their guilt of over-indulgence by doing something perhaps more meaningful and beneficial for their future self, which is of course no other than making a list with their New Year's Resolutions, full of ambitious goals and exciting plans for the new year.

Indeed, all of us feel an almost instinctive urge to become the best version of ourselves the moment the clock strikes twelve signalling a new beginning and a clean slate.

As of January 1st, Melanie will join the gym down the block, cut down on carbs and sweets, walk her dog more often, apply for a Master's degree, backpack across Europe in the summer, and finish writing that book she's been working on for more than two years ...

James, on the other hand, has decided to quit smoking, spend more time with his family this year, pay off the last installments on his car, take up a new hobby, and get that long-awaited promotion ...

Well, according to a recent online poll commissioned by the British Council and conducted by the Populus, in most people's lists - somewhere between "paying off debt" and "calling mum more often" - there is another increasingly popular New Year's Resolution: learning a new foreign language or just brushing up on your current language skills.

Survey results

More than half (58%) of the 2,000 adults questioned found language learning to be a highly rewarding process and a worthwhile goal to work towards, while one in five respondents (21%) stated that studying a foreign language was quite high on their list for 2018.

64% of the participants said that it has always been their dream to speak another language fluently, whereas 56% admitted that they had regretted postponing or giving up on their goal of studying and mastering a foreign language.

About half of them (45%) also admitted that their language skills are so poor that they often cause them feelings of embarrassment and anxiety when they attempt to speak in the target language. Surprisingly enough, only 16% of the respondents considered themselves to be confident and fluent communicators in a foreign language.

But why is this all so important?

"Why the fuss?" you may wonder. "Why are so many people willing to expend time, money, and effort to become fluent speakers of another language?"

As Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, put it: "Learning other languages not only gives you an understanding of other cultures but is good for business, for life and for well-being, too. The New Year is the perfect time to get started".

That quote says it all. Perhaps more than any other language, a good command of English is the ultimate tool for raising your cultural awareness, thriving in both the academic and business world, and, of course, for broadening your horizons.

So, it's now or never!

Don't allow yourself to become another statistic, feeling embarrassed because of your level of English, and missing out on amazing opportunities that come your way in your personal or working life. Make it a challenge for yourself to take your English to the next level in 2018.

Become a near-native English speaker one lesson at a time!

To help you stick to your New Year's Resolution, we're offering you an early-bird discount of 15% if you take up one of our online English courses within January 2018.