The Spanish have difficulty learning foreign languages

A study carried out in 2007 by the Centre for Sociological Studies (CIS), in Madrid, shows that the Spanish have very little knowledge of foreign languages. For Irene Lozano, "this ignorance not only represents a grave disadvantage in terms of competitively, but also entails a regrettable cultural deficiency. The historical isolation of Spain, the tranquillity that stems from speaking a language that is understood in a large part of the world and the prevalence of dubbed films, can explain our distance from Europe but does not justify it. In the best of cases, we still have half-way to go to reach the level of our European neighbours. Granted, we have come a long way from a difficult situation, as just thirty years ago foreign languages were barely taught at school. But from now on we have to start learning them."

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