Mastering multiple languages is a clear advantage when it comes to setting up or do business abroad. In today's globalized society, the knowledge demand is increasing in order to succeed on both the domestic and international market, but particularly on the international.
Studies have been conducted to find out more about language skills in EU countries. Studies over the years have yielded many interesting results. In 2001, 53 percent of those asked stated that they could master a foreign language besides their mother tongue.
And that figure has risen over the years. In 2006 it was the entire 56 percent. The most multilingual Europeans are in Luxembourg, where 99 percent speak at least one foreign language according to the survey.
In 2006, 28 percent stated that they spoke two foreign languages, compared with 26 percent in 2001 which shows an increase again. The most common foreign languages were English, French and German, followed by Spanish and Russian.
In smaller countries where they speak more than one official language the results were obviously higher. Only six EU countries had a majority of those who spoke only one language in 2006: Ireland (66 percent of the population can only speak their mother tongue), Britain (62 percent), Italy (59 percent), Hungary (58 percent), Portugal (58 percent) and Spain (56 percent).
These languages are spoken all over the world and the inhabitants do not have the same pressure to learn a foreign language, for example English and Spanish are popular languages in the around the world.
Only a minority of EU citizens think that it is unimportant to learn a foreign language.
Cecilia Helland