Posted by Janet D. on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Did anyone see the programme on Channel 4 yesterday where a young man learnt enough Arabic in 19 weeks to be interviewed on Jordanian TV in Arabic? It made interesting viewing for those of us who are language tutors.
First of all he is to be congratulated for his success. He took on not only speaking the language but reading and writing it as well.
The thing that impressed me most was the fact that he tried out his Arabic all the time - with his tutors in England, with his host family in Jordan as well as anyone else who was around. This is perhaps the aspect of language learning that is most difficult to get over to adult students in this country. They usually want to be sure their utterance is perfect before opening their mouths. In fact, having the confidence to make mistakes is actually more useful.
So congratulations, James, and we hope that this new skill you have acquired will set you on the path towards a new life. You are an inspiration to the language learners of Britain.
