Judi’s inspiring call to learn a language

IN her Monday column (25th January), Judi Spiers in her characteristically entertaining way recounted her recent experience of starting to refresh her language skills via online learning as a lockdown project.

Despite what she writes in an attractively self-deprecating way about feeling like a fish out of water and keeping mute in a Zoom ‘breakout’ room for much of the lesson, I would very much encourage anyone thinking of taking up, or renewing acquaintance with, online a different language to that of one’s mother tongue at the present time not to be discouraged or deterred.

The trick is to find the right level of teaching and teachers who are not only very enthusiastic and encouraging but also are skilled in communicating ‘across the ether’, as it were.

From my own experience since the first lockdown in March last year, I can do no better than to unreservedly recommend the courses put on by the Foreign Language Centre by the University of Exeter (Languages | Foreign Language Centre | University of Exeter) who have classes for absolute beginners to those with more advanced knowledge in a wide range of languages from Arabic to Spanish.

For those worrying about learning online, I can reassure you that specialist software is not required, and the teaching involving much interaction between the individuals in the class and the teacher is perfectly facilitated.

Furthermore, lessons are simply not only extremely friendly but also very good fun and a great way of meeting new and interesting people at this time of restriction on social interaction.

It is a great way of acquiring a new skill, broadening the mind and learning about a different country now that in some ways we have isolated ourselves from our friends across the water in Europe!