BUSINESS CLASS | The Scotsman Special report | Wednesday 3 September 200812
E
VERtriedtopickupafewwords
of the lingo for an important
foreign business trip? Anyone
who'sexperimentedwithlearn-
ingbasiclinguisticcourtesieswillknow
theprocessisn'taseasyasitsounds.Lan-
guage tapes and other tools are often
frustratingly sparse in their application
to business. Or else they aim to tutor an
entiretake-overbidinfluentjargon.
What's more, the language barrier
canleadtosomeembarrassingmishaps
in business scenarios. "Language is very
important in a business environment,"
says Steven Wines, language
programme Rosetta Stone's managing
directorforEurope."Whenyou'rebook-
ing ahead, for example, a non-smoking
room for two can become two smoking
rooms, and a `dinner for eight on the
firstfloor'reservationendsupasdinner
foroneontheeighthfloor."
Wineshasevencomeacrossanexam-
ple of an executive who accidentally
hired an entire coach to take him to his
various business meetings in Paris be-
cause in French that's how the English
word`car'translates.
So,giventheimportanceoflanguage
onabusinesstrip,what'sthebestwayto
pick up the few polite words and
phraseswhichsmooththeprofessional-
ism and avoid mishaps? Unsurpris-
ingly, the best way to learn is to commit
someserioustimetotheprocedureand
reallyimmerseyourselfinalanguageat
ground level. Unfortunately, taking
yourself off for a year abroad isn't too
practical if you've a meeting with for-
eignclientsinafewweeks.Butifyou'vea
littlemoretime�say,amonthormore�
and you're really committed to making
animpression,there'ssomegoodnews.
Oneofthebestwaystolearnalanguage
to a reasonable level in the shortest
possibletimeistogoonholiday.
AccordingtoCactusLanguage,which
runs total immersion language holi-
days from a week to a month or more,
students in situ engaging in round-the-
clock interaction with native speakers
takeonlytenweekstopassexamswhich
would take the average learner a year of
part-timestudyintheirowncountry.
"There's no doubt that being on holi-
day is the best way to learn a new lan-
guage,"saysChrisMoore,headofCactus
Training."Whenyouarefullyimmersed
in local language and culture, you have
lots of opportunities to practice speak-
ing and listening in real-life situations,
which is essential. It's best to mix gen-
eral language skills with a course that
covers some specific business language
thatyouwillneedonthejob."
If you're building ongoing links in a
particularcountryorwithaspecificfor-
eign business then this could be the
ideal way to get a thorough grasp as
quickly as possible. For those who
haven'tgotthetimetocommittoevena
few weeks away, however, there are
otherinteractiveoptionsyoucanutilise
fromthecomfortofyourownshores.
Most universities and colleges offer
courses to help you gain a basic under-
standing, and if you're lucky enough to
haveFrenchasyourtargetlanguage,the
Alliance Francais has branches
throughout Scotland which include
lessons, and an informal meeting space
forstudentstopopinandpractice.
"All of the tutors are native French
speakers and are very patient," says
Stuart Forsyth of the Big Partnership,
who regularly visits the Glasgow
Alliance Francais and hopes study will
help improve his career as well as his
holidayoptions."Thelessonscanlastup
to three hours, long enough to feel you
are getting to grips with the language
withoutbecomingtiredorbored."
Ifyoucan'tevenmakeittoanoutside
lesson,theinternethasspawnedanum-
ber of new language learning tools
which include the benefit of proper in-
teraction with a native speaker. Online
language school Toniks, for example,
uses Skype video calling to match up a
learner with a native speaker who
teaches from their home country. Simi-
larly, Rosetta Stone also offers interac-
tive online elements teamed with real-
lifescenarios,accessedviaaweblog-in.
Those on a real last-minute fix could
even take their lesson in the business
lounge of the airport before they take-
offforthatall-importantmeeting.
Whentimeisoftheessence,however,
language CDs can be slotted into your
daily routine. A long commute by car
can become a useful language lesson,
for example. If you're brave (or impervi-
ous to embarrassment) you could even
use them on a train, using your mobile
phoneasaprop.
What you should be looking for is
tapes that are `all talk' � in particular,
ones that utilise linguistic techniques
and research. These aim to tutor lan-
guages in the same way as you learned
English, and are much more successful.
Thelastthingyouwantislessonswhich
takeupyourvaluabletimepresentinga
number of clich�d storylines which are
probablynotspecifictoyourindustry.
Language programmes which come
under the all-talk bracket include
Pimsleur, the Michael Thomas series
and Rosetta Stone. All have slightly dif-
ferent techniques, which are based on
tutoring a more intuitive form of learn-
ing than grammar and vocabulary by
rote.Pimsleurteachesthebarebonesof
sentence construction and encourages
you to `solve' the structures of your new
language like a logic puzzle, while
Michael Thomas teaches rapid-fire voc-
abulary building while encouraging
sentence formation, and Rosetta Stone
plotsacoursein-between.
If you're a perfectionist in the busi-
ness world, however, learning a lan-
guagewillmeantakingamorerounded
approach to your studies. Fluency takes
alongtimenomatterwhichsystemyou
use, and body language and basic
nicetieslikesmilingmighttakeyoufur-
therinthemeantime.
"Really, the best thing you can do in
any language is use your chosen tool to
translateandlearnthephrase`I'msorry,
I'm from Scotland and don't speak your
language. Do you speak any English?'"
says Steve Leach of Big Mouth Media.
"It's not difficult to do but I find that
people appreciate the courtesy and will
be much more willing to help you once
you'vemadetheeffort."
How to cross the language barrier
"A non-
smoking
room for
two can
become two
smoking
rooms"
The best way to
learn a foreign
language quickly is
by taking time to
immerse youself in
the culture
Picture: Sean Bell
Learningenoughtogetby
on business trips abroad
could prove invaluable,
reports CatherineQuinn

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