Gaining language skills is a key part of a person's learning experience, it has been suggested.
Obtaining skills relating to language is a vital part of a student's learning experience, according to the National Centre for Languages (CILT).
Teresa Tinsley, director of communications at the government's recognised centre of expertise on languages, explains the world is a multilingual place, stressing that English is not the only tongue on the planet.
She suggests that people need an education which includes linguistics in order to form the basis of what it is like to speak another language and see the world through the eyes of different people.
In addition, on a practical level, individuals who can speak more than one language are needed by society in order to help improve relations with those who live in other countries, as well as people who speak other languages in our own region, the director of communications suggests.
Ms Tinsley explains that there is likely to be increased demand for people with language skills in the future as a result of globalisation and connectedness.
"We are interconnected and we need to understand people from other cultures and we need to work with them, not just to solve economical problems but the problems of the planet," she adds.
Ms Tinsley's comments follow the publication of the 2008 Language Trends report from CILT, which was released last month.
The study suggested provision of language lessons is becoming more diversified in nature, with Italian, Spanish and Mandarin becoming more popular.
Meanwhile, German and French continue to fall in favour, but less steeply than they were previously.
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