Most P1 pupils in Scotland learn one foreign language, latest figures show

The majority of pupils in the first year of primary school are learning a foreign language.

The Scottish government said that by the end of this school year, 21 out of 32 councils would have taught P1 pupils an additional language to English.

By 2020, it hoped every pupil would learn an additional language in P1, a second by P5, with the policy continuing until the end of S3.

All councils are expected to achieve the government's 1+2 languages policy.

On a visit to Edinbarnet Primary School in West Dunbartonshire, Minister for Learning, Dr Alasdair Allan, said: "In today's global, multi-cultural world it is more important than ever that young people have the opportunity to learn languages from an early age, to equip them with skills and competencies for the globalised economy.

"We want to ensure the enthusiasm for languages starts at an early stage in a child's education.

"Here at Edinbarnet, it's great to see that happening in P1, at a time when a majority of councils are now meeting the commitment."

Last year, the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSA) showed 89% of people in Scotland believed learning an additional language from the age of five was important.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-35550042

For middle managers, the power is in translation

Are you a manager in the middle? Do you experience demands from the top at the same time you hear concerns from the bottom? Do you often feel ignored or dismissed?

Being a manager in the middle isn’t easy. Middle managers can feel caught in a vice — squeezed together by the top and bottom — or pulled apart. Neither of these are positions of strength, which may be why middle managers have traditionally been a bit looked down on.

Middle managers are often seen as organizational bloat to be downsized, or as resisters of change or even as managers who merely do what they are told and nothing more. Middle managers are rarely given attention within the organization.

That is, until now. What more middle managers are realizing is that their positions are powerful ones. The middle vantage point allows them to understand more about what’s going on in the organization than those at the top or bottom. Through the teams that they manage, they touch many stakeholders in the company and can feel the pulse of the marketplace. They can see the bigger strategic picture on the horizon and can identify operational issues. More than ever before, this “middleness” places them in a position of integration and synthesis. Out of middleness come opportunities and challenges.

The opportunities lie in the changes middle managers can craft; so do the challenges. More often than not, the charge given to them is simple, yet paradoxical, as in “change but don’t change” or “fix it but don’t break it.” They are responsible for helping their companies change, but at the same time they must meet current business goals. That mission, impossible as it might seem, can send a middle manager’s head spinning.

So what’s a middle manager to do? The role of translator is a new leadership paradigm for middle managers. Being a translator means being an interpreter. When we think of an interpreter, we usually think of someone who is literally converting a message from one language to another, word-for-word or phrase-for-phrase. Often a word-for-word translation would result in a nonsensical statement, so the interpreter understands and distills the essence of the message into a language that the listener understands.

Middle managers sometimes forget that they have the ability to put their own spin on a top directive. This does not mean ignoring the essence of the directive. It does mean putting the message in their own words, or terms, so that it becomes meaningful to them and to those they work with.

In fact, being a translator is a two-way interaction. A huge advantage of being a manager in the middle is access to those in the organizational trenches. These are the folks who know what is going on day to day and can tell a middle manager in no uncertain terms whether an idea will fly.

The famed GE Workout strategy of the 1990s was based on tapping into the knowledge of operating workers to improve efficiencies. Such seamless back-and-forth between top and bottom also means middle managers must be multilingual. They need to speak the language of top management as well as that of others lower down in the company. They need to understand strategic thinking and the language of finance, accounting, marketing, operations and human resources.

To become effective translators, middle managers also need to act in ways different than those implied by traditional models of change. What middle managers want to know is this: What do I do day to day, minute by minute, to move the company forward? Being a translator is what positions a middle manager to best answer that question. This is where the power of being a translator lies — in real time, every day, through decisions and interactions these managers have with their teams.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/for-middle-managers-the-power-is-in-translation/2014/01/10/53bde1b6-610b-11e3-bf45-61f69f54fc5f_story.html

Of Arianna, Languages, and Cultural Understanding

Look around you. We live in a globalized, interconnected world in which we interact with people who speak different languages and view life through unique cultural perspectives. In most cases, success in these interactions will be based on our ability to bridge differences through language skills and cultural awareness.

Arianna Huffington is a poster adult for how language education and cultural understanding can pave the way to economic opportunities and personal prosperity. While growing up in Athens, Greece, she had the opportunity to study and learn English. This opened the door of Girton College in Cambridge, UK. When The Huffington Post first ventured internationally into France with Le Huffington Post two years ago in partnership with Le Monde and French media giant Les Nouvelles Editions Indépendantes, she fondly recalled that her first trip outside of Greece at the age of 11 was to Paris. She mentioned being able to "shake the rust off my French" and work with French colleagues, although she did admit to having "something of a Greek accent in French, too". She also assured the Huff community that Le Huffington Post would be in French. She reasoned, "It will, like France itself, have a very distinct personality -- it's own way of approaching the world." Arianna recognized that language and culture are powerful and necessary tools that will enable the world to understand France and the French people.

Arianna carried the same important message when she launched El Huffington Post in Spain last year in partnership with El Pais. Her goal was "to invite readers in Spain and Spanish speakers throughout the world -- as well as those who care about Spain's people, issues, and rich culture -- to join the conversation."

However, Arianna also talked about missed opportunities. When announcing the October 2013 debut of Huffington Post Deutschland, she recalled a longtime desire to learn the German language that her mother spoke fluently while growing up in Athens. As the seasons of life have passed, one of Arianna's regrets is not realizing that desire: "When I turned 40, I made a list of all the things that I was realistically never going to be able to accomplish, and learning German -- as well as becoming a good skier -- was on the list. Today I'm very happy about my skiing decision, but I regret my German one. So, sadly, these days my German is pretty much limited to my overuse of "Zeitgeist.""

As Arianna's experiences have demonstrated, cross-cultural competence has never been more important with the growing global economy. In fact, a recent global survey conducted by the British Council found that managers worldwide prefer individuals with intercultural skills because those new recruits could navigate different cultural contexts and viewpoints, adapt to changing environments and work well in diverse groups.

When you get down to the basics, language skills and global competency develop as a result of exposure to other cultures, ideas, education, and circumstances. You do not need to grow up in Europe like Arianna or have the same experiences to develop global smarts. Students can study a second language in school, although we need to begin teaching languages in elementary school to develop truly proficient speakers of other languages. For those of us beyond our school years, exposure can occur anytime, anywhere and in a variety of different ways from reading a news article to following a Twitter stream to practicing a language to visiting a foreign country. The full immersion experiences, such as exchange partnerships, study abroad and travel, are most effective. However, technology now provides opportunities to develop language proficiency and cultural awareness in ways that are motivating, engaging and fun. For example, social networks now allow learners to make personal connections with like-minded people who want to learn or practice a language, share cultures, and explore common interests. Travelers can make connections and find friends before they go, resulting in a more authentic and memorable experience!

So what are the lessons we can learn from Arianna? Lesson One: Bilingual, culturally aware people have a distinct advantage in the global economy. Lesson Two: Language and cultural understanding are the pathways to bridging differences and gaining insight into people and culture. Lesson Three: Technology and innovation provide new ways to connect with the world. Lesson Four: It doesn't matter that you speak French with a Greek accent. Just start a conversation!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com