The multilingual city

I moved to London just over seven weeks ago. Having previously lived in much smaller cities, many aspects of life in the capital were markedly different from Brighton (my hometown) and Bristol (where I went to university). However, something that I think is often underappreciated about London is its unique linguistic diversity. Everywhere I walk in London I overhear conversations in French, Spanish, Romanian, Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, and countless others.

There are in fact over 250 different languages spoken across London, making it the most multilingual city on the planet. This is something we should really value, and for me represents part of the reason why London still remains a world leader in both innovation and cultural output. I attended a trade show this week with companies and exhibitors from all over the world, and while almost everyone in the room was an English speaker, the event thrived off ideas originating from a plethora of international cultures.

I am so lucky that I grew up in a family surrounded by different languages: my grandma is a native Norwegian speaker, my mum born and raised in Paris, my dad and his mum fluent in German. However, language learning in the UK is something that has certainly gone out of fashion, and is arguably dying. Only 8% of Brits are now proficient in a second language, and only 1 in 10 pupils in state schools are now doing a language GCSE. Maybe London can serve as a reminder that multilingualism is a huge asset, and not something we should abandon so quickly.