As you grapple with the French subjunctive or the difference between ser and estar in Spanish, it is easy to forget that you are doing more than honing practical linguistic skills.
Recent research on intercultural competence has shown that people who speak more than one language are more empathic and open than monolinguals.[1] Cultural awareness – the ability to understand the values, customs and beliefs of others while also recognising our own cultural influences – is a key priority for employers,[2] and learning another language is one of the best ways of developing it.
Every grammatical difficulty you encounter during your language learning journey is a window into a new culture and a chance to reflect on the assumptions of your native language. Though anglophone learners may initially marvel at how Spanish could possibly need two different verbs for ‘to be’, their efforts to learn to use those verbs often lead them to wonder why we only have the one in English. They begin to appreciate different ways of organising language, and, by extension, they open themselves up to different cultures.
Thus, even the most elementary aspects of acquiring another language can contribute to learners’ cultural awareness. . Once learners build up some vocabulary and master basic grammar, they gain access to cultural products which allow them to discover the intricacies of the societies in which the language they are learning is spoken. They may spend time in one of those countries – whether for leisure, study, or work – making new connections, refining their communication skills, and returning home with an openness to alternative ways of living and working. Such periods of mobility will be much more accessible to Scottish learners when the United Kingdom rejoins the Erasmus scheme in 2027,[3] but learners who have already gained some language skills before spending time abroad will benefit most.
Dr Sarah Gubbins is a Senior Lecturer in French Studies and Head of Languages at the University of Dundee. Dr Gubbins’ research focuses on French poetry of the mid-nineteenth century and on the prose writings of poets of that period. She has published articles and chapters on formal and generic aspects of the writings of Gérard de Nerval and Charles Baudelaire, on their exploitation of the press, and on Nerval’s travel writing in verse and in prose. A monograph, Gérard de Nerval’s Infrapolitical Poetics, will be published with Palgrave Studies in Modern European Literature in October 2026. (Photo: University of Dundee)
[1] Avila-López, J., & Vaquero-Ibarra, N. (2025). ‘Multilingualism and intercultural competence: evidence from a cross-cultural study of empathy, openness, and anxiety’. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2025.2558042
[2] Prouska, R., Ali, S., Tungtakanpoung, M., Bell, R., Bektaş, O., Halila, F., Godts, I., Moser, K. S., Mulier, L., Pillalamarri, K. & Saraç, M. (2026). ‘Preparing business graduates for a multicultural workforce’. British Educational Research Journal, 52, 426–458. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.70017
[3] Standley, N. & Francis, S. (16th December 2025). ‘UK will rejoin Erasmus student scheme in 2027’. BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg4ng7ee9vwo
