Page 9 - ELG1601 Apr Issue 435

ELassociations
April 2016 Page 9

Tips on top travel trends

Melanie Butler dives deep into the data on studying abroad in the
brand new Ialc report on trends in demand for language learning

very year, 2.8 mil-
lion people across the
Eworld travel abroad
to learn a language, but that
makes up just 0.25 per cent
of the world’s language learn-
ers. These astounding figures
appear in ‘Trends in Demand
for Language Learning’, a report
produced for the International
Association of Language Cen-
tres (Ialc) by StudentMarketing.
The report, which aims to
document the trends in the mar-
ket as well as its size, is based on
a comparative analysis of nine
major foreign languages – Chi- Courtesy University of the Fraser Valley
nese, English, French, German,
Italian, Japanese, Portuguese,
Russian and Spanish. Student-
Marketing based its findings on
an analysis of 60 separate sec-
ondary sources together with a GOING PLACES 18–24-year-olds are still the biggest market segment, according to the Ialc report
survey of 466 language travel
agents in 74 countries who, com- is simply a basic skill which cialised and bespoke, with agents this market, presumably mostly
bined, are responsible for sending employers expect. reporting an increasing interest in from Brazil. Europeans are
236,000 students abroad to learn For English, as for German, one-to-one courses. choosing to learn German, now 8
a language – 8.6 per cent of the the biggest reason given was The authors argue that, with per cent of the market, followed
total language travel market. ‘further studies’. This empha- English being introduced in by French and Spanish, both at
English remains the big beast sises not only the key role school curricula around the 6 per cent. This trend is likely to
in the room, making up 61 per language learning plays in the world at ever earlier ages – increase if Britain leaves the EU,
cent of language travel and education travel market but also English-language nurseries are which would threaten the role of
showing the highest increase in the growing importance of Ger- predicted by many to be the next English as one of the working
demand in 2015, as reported by many, particularly in the market big thing – the average level of language of the EU Commission
the agents surveyed. It also boasts for overseas degree courses. competence is increasing. While and the European Parliament.
the highest number of private lan- The changing reasons for demand for English is still high Perhaps the most startling fig-
guage schools, the longest stays, learning a language are reflected in Asia, as well as in the Mid- ure in this report, however, is that
the highest reliance on agents and in the most popular types of dle East and North Africa at 86 one in five of all language trav-
the highest commission rates – courses. For all tongues other per cent and 87 per cent of all ellers are now learning a second
23 per cent as opposed to 21 per than English, this remains gen- language travel respectively, it foreign language. This growing
cent in the market overall. eral language, but in the lead is lower in the traditional mar- demand is also emphasised by
But English doesn’t have it all market this has shifted to exam kets of Europe (74 per cent) and the fact that agents offering lan-
its own way. Just 10 per cent of preparation – perhaps for getting Latin America (77 per cent). guages other than English show
students report learning English into further studies – followed by These are the markets lead- better financial results, with has
for pleasure, according to the language camps for juniors. This ing the charge into the second none reporting a fall in enrol-
agents’ survey, compared to 60 is reflected in the increasing per- foreign language market, par- ments in 2015. The growing multiple personalities
per cent for Italian and Portu- centage of the market for English ticularly for other European importance of multilingualism
guese and around 45 per cent for made up of under-18s, which languages. Ten per cent of Latin is one of the key findings of this – on Facebook it
Spanish. Nor was employment account for nearly half of all Americans are choosing to learn ground-breaking report, with all
the main reason for learning learners going to the UK, Ireland French, and 5 per cent are choos- agents who took part in in-depth becomes EL Gossip
English, as it was for Russian and Malta. The authors note that ing German. Interestingly the interviews highlighting ‘the
and Chinese. In many source the English required by language survey also shows that Spanish multilingual attributes of stu-
markets knowledge of English travellers is becoming more spe- courses make up 4 per cent of dents in their countries’. n
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The Ialc report shows how language travel specialists need to keep an
eye on trends in their students’ domestic markets, says Melanie Butler

he language travel ing with language travellers in at home are much more likely to and Russian. Growth in demand
segment (language the English-speaking world, as travel abroad to learn a language was highest for English, reported
‘Ttraining abroad) exists the Ialc report asserts, and there and to go to a private language by 84 per cent of all agents, but
within the larger environment are more than 2,000 in Beijing. school if they do so. significant rises were also seen
for foreign languages. More And despite English UK’s oft- The agents interviewed by for German (49 per cent), Chi-
specifically, the annual number made claim to be the biggest StudentMarketing for the Ialc nese (41 per cent) and Spanish An idea that
of students learning a foreign language teaching association in report agree with the Gazette (39 per cent).
language abroad represents less the world, it has fewer members – they see growth in demand The demand for learning lan-
than 0.25 per cent of all second than Fecei, the language schools for private language education guages other than English was makes sense in
language learners.’ association of Spain. Yet English as presaging a growth in lan- highest in Europe and Latin
international any language...
This statement will come as UK represents well over 50 per guage travel for that language. America, consistently the best
no surprise to the hundreds of cent of all the language schools ‘Domestic demand levels for performers in
regular readers of the Gazette in the UK, while only around particular language learning English language exams. This
involved in what the report refers 10 per cent of Spanish language form a foundation for the need suggest that providers of Ger-
to as ‘domestic’ language learn- schools belong to Fecei. and demand for language train- man, French and Chinese
ing – learning which takes place Traditionally language travel ing abroad,’ as the report puts it. courses should look to these mar-
where students actually live. Of schools have seen domestic lan- Hence the report looked spe- kets for growth. As for domestic
course, most people studying guage schools as competition. The cifically at the growth in demand language schools, perhaps they
foreign languages are children Gazette has always seen this view for domestic private language should consider hiring a couple
in school, but the numbers in as odd – after all, nobody thinks schools, ‘as it is especially of teachers of languages other
specialist language schools are a trend for children taking private language training in private lan- than English, especially for the
simply staggering. According to tennis lessons is bad news for guage courses that encourages, adult market. After all, accord-
the Financial Times, 0.6 per cent those offering tennis holidays. In or indicates, more demand for ing to the agents who responded Advertise in EL Gazette
of the gross domestic product of many countries middle-class chil- learning the language abroad’. to the StudentMarketing sur- +44 (0)20 7481 6700
South Korea is spent on private dren attend local language schools The good news is that agents vey, 20 per cent of all language
English language tuition. for four hours a week – they can’t reported a growth in demand for travellers are going abroad to sales@elgazette.com
There may be some 1,900 jump on a plane and fly to Dublin domestic language courses in learn their second language. The
private language schools deal- to do that. But children who study all languages except Portuguese future is multilingual. n