The Languages We Learn

Memories Monday – The Languages We Learn

One of the things that excites me most about education in Dubai is the incredible diversity of languages. I’ve had students who speak four or five languages between home and school - and they're still in kindergarten. Coming from a predominantly monolingual community, it took me some time to realise that multilingualism is actually more common worldwide than monolingualism. It's a very natural, and normal part of life for many people, not just people with an exceptional talent.

I’m a native English speaker who attended school in New Zealand in the 1990s and early 2000s. While I had opportunities to try other languages, there was never a need or expectation that I would ever become multilingual.

When I first started school, the country was in the early stages of the Te Reo Māori revival. I have fond memories of learning waiata (songs), and rakau (stick) games, and learning proununciation, greetings, and vocabulary. This was a big change from my parents’ generation, who grew up with little or no exposure to the indigenous language, instead my father studied Latin at high school. When it came time for me to choose between French and Te Reo Māori in secondary school, I was encouraged to learn French. The thinking was French was spoken in many countries worldwide, including some of our Pacific neighbours. There still wasn’t perceived to be a great need or benefit to learning the language of my own country, but I could see times were change and chose Māori for myself.

At school there were a few other opportunities for language learning. At nine, my teacher introduced us to some German. At twelve, our school experimented with teaching Japanese through a series of video lessons. These were fun and memorable, but language learning was always presented as something extra—a hobby, an intellectual pursuit, or perhaps a tool for future travel. I certainly never imagined I would one day live and work abroad, with any real need for anything other than English. So when it came time to choose my exam subjects in Year 11, languages barely crossed my mind.

Fast forward and number of years, and multilingual education has become something I’m fiercly passionate about. I’ve spent the past four years teaching in a bilingual classroom, completed a master’s degree focused on teaching for multilingualism, and reached an intermediate level in both German and Korean. I've see how valuable languages are, both for personal growth and opening doors in an interconnected world.

One of the things I love about Dubai’s schools is that almost every student learns at least two languages. They’ll probably be learning Arabic, as this is a mandated subject in the UAE, and at least one or two other languages. In English-based schools, French, Spanish, German, and Mandarin tend to be the most popular options (in roughly that order), often supported by extracurricular activities, mother tongue programmes, or overseas trips.

At Navigate.Ed, language is a big part of the conversations we have with families choosing schools. We ask about the languages their child already speaks, the languages they hear at home, and the places they might live in the future. With around 11 languages of instruction available in Dubai schools, plus a number of bilingual programmes, it’s often the first and most important criteria to decide on. The opportunity to acquire or continue with another language can also be a strong reason for a family to choose a particular school.

If you’re looking for a school that meets your language needs, then give us a call today. We’d love to talk through your options with you.