Press Release

Rosetta Stone Introduces the Parent-Child Language Challenge to Confront Skills Gap

2009 September, 01

Parents lacking the foreign language skills increasingly important for work are being urged to team up with their children to challenge a bi-generational skills gap.

Adults who left their language-learning at the school gates and children who opt out of languages at GCSE level represent two groups missing out on a highly demanded skill.

Rosetta Stone, an award winning language-learning software company, is using the back to school period to highlight how parents can take the initiative.

Tom Adams, Chief Executive Officer at Rosetta Stone, said: “Parents and their children can team up to learn, to help boost language skills – either forgotten since school or dropped early in learning. Whether collaborating or throwing down a competitive challenge, the new school year is an ideal time to set goals and find innovative ways to stick to them.”

Uptake of modern languages at GCSE is reported to be at a 20-year-low (see link below). But language skills are becoming ever more valued in the workplace as global communication and expansion is prioritised. The Confederation of British Industry has reported that more than a third of companies (36%) recruit employees specifically for their language skills. The majority of employers (74%) are looking for this conversational competence rather than full fluency.

Recently released exam results prompted another round of debates on the UK grading system. Taking the initiative to learn outside the classroom can build self esteem, as well as broadening the prospects of adults and children in their study and career.

Advances in the variety of ways languages can be taught mean the learning curve is more about interaction than the grammar tables some parents may remember. Rosetta Stone is a industry-leading program which uses technology to surround learners with the language they want to learn, replicating the way they learnt their first language as a child, without translation.

The back to school period 2009 is a prime time for language learning for pupils, as 2010 is set to hail the start of modern language teaching in primary schools, while the National Centre for Languages is running a million-pound programme to encourage teenagers to learn languages. Equally, adults looking for career progression can strengthen their position during the recession’s competitive market by showing the motivation to learn new skills.

ENDS

www.rosettastone.co.uk

For more information contact:

Rebecca Barr,
Communications Director Europe,
Phone: +44 (0) 207 492 9038.
rbarr@rosettastone.com

About Rosetta Stone Ltd.

Rosetta Stone is changing the way the world learns languages. Rosetta Stone offers a highly personalised, interactive platform that is acclaimed for its speed and power to unlock the natural language learning ability in everyone. Available in more than 30 languages, the Rosetta Stone language learning solution is used by schools, organisations and millions of individuals in over 150 countries throughout the world.

The company was founded in 1992 on the core beliefs that learning a language should be natural and instinctive, and that interactive technology can powerfully replicate the immersion experience and activate the natural language-learning ability in learners of any age.

“Rosetta Stone” is a registered trademark Rosetta Stone Inc.

Foreign Language GCSEs fall to 20 year low:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/5699715/Foreign-language-GCSEs-fall-to-20-year-low.html
Cambridge assessment statistical reports:
http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/ca/Our_Services/Research/Statistical_Reports