Languages

In our increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, individuals with a proficiency in languages are consistently leaders in their chosen fields. The bilingual advantage sets students apart in tertiary entry requirements, future job opportunities and promotions, and has never been more important than in this age of disruption. The competitive lead over monolingual peers is irrefutable; language capabilities are currently ranked in the top 8 skills required of all occupations, regardless of sector or skill level. Globally, an individual’s employability is amplified with languages.

Our language programs nurture a love of learning. They also develop undeniable cognitive benefits including improved memory and decision making, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and greater concentration, creativity, and flexibility. These graduate profile qualities are indispensable for greater engagement and enjoyment in an ever-changing world.

Our language teaching team have been intensively trained in the Science of Learning and High Impact Teaching Strategies. Their extensive in-country experience ensures delivery of contemporary language programs, augmented by ties with sister schools and local connections with embassies, and the ANU College H Course for extension students.

The dynamic SFX Languages Team are passionate about teaching our students to:  

• Reflect and transform how they understand and interpret their world by accessing different cultures to prompt an examination of their intracultural self.
• Engage with difference, not just through an additional code for communicating, but by learning how to communicate across languages and cultures with intercultural understanding; navigating difference respectfully, and with impact.
• Foster a deep appreciation and engagement with diverse perspectives through art, culture, and media, by accessing its original form, now that global travel and the internet are enabling unprecedented exposure to diversity on our doorstep.
• Speak to the heart of others using those untranslatable words and phrases that capture the uniqueness of diverse cultural concepts and thinking.
• Boost confidence in their own language or languages, by learning the metalanguage of grammar construction, as highlighted in the new National Curriculum for Languages.
• Gain a unique perspective on meta-learning strategies that assist in the development of text construction and deconstruction in any subject area. 

“People who speak more than one language have improved memory, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, enhanced concentration, ability to multitask, and better listening skills. They switch between competing tasks and monitor changes in their environment more easily than monolinguals, as well as display signs of greater creativity and flexibility.”

https://www.leadwithlanguages.org/why-learn-languages/top-ten-reasons-to-learn-languages/