Italy, Spain, Portugal, Colombia, Brazil, Panama….. all destinations in a typical month for our Scottish marketing manager, June (yes, the same as the month!). It is often joked that nobody can understand the Scottish accent, but June has done very well in spite of it as she speaks several languages…

1) So which languages do you speak? Are you fluent?

“Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French. I lived and taught in Spain and Italy, and picked up Portuguese on my trips to Brazil. I’m frequently on the phone using these languages, and although I make some mistakes they usually understand me!”

2) That’s a lot of languages; usually native English speakers don’t learn many languages because everybody speaks English. Also, languages aren’t pushed in school as much as in other countries. What are your tips for learning a foreign language?

“I mostly learnt my languages by going out, going to the pub and socialising. For most of the languages I didn’t study the grammar, I learnt mainly by listening and speaking. You make some errors as a result of not taking time to learn the grammar, and you’re more accurate if you do both. I did a grammar class in Portuguese and realized I was making some mistakes and speaking Spanish. It also helps if you get a boyfriend/girlfriend in the country. I lived in rural part of country so had to learn Spanish. There’s nothing like necessity to force you to learn a language.

My advice is to get to the country as much as you can and immerse yourself. Just get out there as much as possible. Don’t worry about making mistakes, people will correct you and help.”

3) Did you ever make a funny mistake while learning a language?

“Well once in Brazil I was watching a film with Portuguese subtitles, and I picked up the word which I thought meant ‘to go to bed” and I said this to some Brazilian colleagues who had a good laugh. But actually it meant something a lot dirtier…”

4) The Scottish accent is famous for being difficult to understand, how do people find it?

“Aye, no problems.”

5) Would you say it’s easier learning a language in certain areas of the country as opposed to others?

“Well, Colombian Spanish is slower and clearer than European Spanish and they don’t swear as much! So I suppose it can be easier in some places. But I think all accents take some time getting accustomed to. There’s even an accent in London, even though that’s what people think of as being ‘English’. Usually the south Americans are accustomed to hearing American English, and have often gone to school in Canada or America, so the British accent takes a little getting used to.”

6) What’s the attraction for South Americans to come all the way to Europe?

“They have heritage in Europe. Many people prefer the British English, and many have already gone to the USA or Canada for a year at school. They also usually go on holiday to the US. Indeed, they often don’t get the chance to use their English after returning home, unless they work for an international company. Most people need to learn English to get a good job, so they go abroad to refresh their English or improve.”

“Coming to learn English in the UK also gives them the opportunity to see the old continent, and travel around Europe. South Americans particularly like the variety in Europe, being such a small continent with many languages. It’s a big adventure.”

7) You’re travelling all the time- it sounds like a great job. Do you enjoy it?

“I mainly travel in autumn and winter. Yes, I enjoy it, but it’s hard work. You don’t get to see much so it’s definitely not a holiday.”