Languages Interest Economics Students 

Most students already have good language skills before entering university.

Economics students view language learning as an important part of a university degree. Students have a positive attitude towards multilingualism and are willing to invest in their language skills by joining voluntary courses. This is confirmed by the results of a recently published study, Business students’ choices of foreign languages, by Joachim Schlabach, Lecturer of Business German, and Sabine Grasz, who teaches at the University of Oulu.

The research, conducted in five Finnish institutions in the field of Economics, indicates that many students have extensive language skills when beginning their university studies. The choice of languages pursued at university is often based on earlier language skills. Other factors include the status of the language, its usefulness in the student's future profession, and the student's willingness to study abroad.

- In Economics, language skills are important in handling deals, projects and collaboration. Mutual understanding is important, a shared language being used to build trust, notes Joachim Schlabach.

However, language studies are not immune to practical problems. Students often have trouble fitting language courses into their timetables.

Exchange programmes pay off

As language learning slackens off, there is the risk that students will only study and use their strongest foreign language, usually English. For Schlabach and Grasz, this can be prevented by encouraging students to leave their comfort zone and use their weaker languages. In addition, more guidance could be provided on which language to choose; the study showed that students do not always know which languages they will need in working life.

Schlabach recommends that students be encouraged to study languages at an early stage, from comprehensive school onwards. Earlier language skills are also important from the viewpoint of language learning at university. A year spent abroad as an exchange student is an equally effective way of learning a language.

- At university, students only study a language for a few hours a week, whereas abroad they speak, hear, read and write it continuously. For this reason, we also organise frequent study trips abroad. The best way to learn a language, however, is to spend an entire semester abroad, Schlabach advises.