WHILE primary school children are being given compulsory lessons in foreign languages as part of the new curriculum introduced in September to ensure the UK can compete on the global stage — teachers in Bolton are encouraging pupils to carry on their study of different language through secondary school into A-level.

A Modern Foreign Languages Day was held in the town outlining the advantages of being bi-lingual to which more than 100 young people from Bolton and beyond attended

Dr Roel Vismans from Sheffield University explained the study of languages at university before the young people practised their own linguistic skills in workshops, as well as having the opportunity to try a new language taster session in Italian, Russian or Arabic.

The day was hosted by Bolton School and also featured the Routes into Languages team at Manchester Met University.

Angela Shafiq, head of MFL at Bolton School girls’ division, said: "In today's global economy, language skills provide access to a wealth of career opportunities as well as helping to develop cultural understanding and empathy.

"A linguist is a good communicator and has a confident and flexible approach to challenges which is why we want to encourage as many students as possible to continue their language learning and extend their horizons.

"We hope that those who attended our event on will have been inspired by the motivational talks and language workshops to do just that."

The Association of Translation Companies said language skills are "vital to the social and economic success of the country " saying that demand for such skills in growing as businesses break into markets abroad.

Pupil Sally Fletcher, aged 16, said: "I was already thinking about doing French A-Level, but the MFL Day cemented it for me. It showed me that a language A Level could lead to so much more as well as just a career in languages."

She added: " I think languages are not just a subject to be used only in the classroom, they’re more than that — they have applications in real life as well — so it’s really useful to study them at A-Level.

"A language A-Level also helps you stand out in the world of work. It’s helpful beyond the classroom."

Sixth former Alastair Ahamed, a languages student, added: "One of the problems is that it’s not compulsory to take a language at GCSE any more, so I don’t think people appreciate the importance of it — that it’s not just about teaching or translation.

"Languages are instrumental in business, politics and even law."