Learning Languages
Languages are naturally essential for communication. It is an obvious statement to make but communication is so important in our lives that we only ever find out just how important it is when we experience the frustration of not being able to express our thoughts, needs, ideas and desires. You may be fortunate enough to volunteer in a country whose people speak your native language or, even better, you are a natural or learned linguist who speaks several languages and will be travelling to countries where you can use them. For many of us though, we may only speak the one language, probably English if you are surfing this site, and a smattering of another.
When volunteering you are often working in poorer parts of the world and in remote locations where the people have had little or no exposure to English and only speak their own native language. You should find out what this language is before you go. This is where your fun really starts to begin! You could find yourself working in South Amercia immersed in an exciting Spanish-speaking culture where a knowledge of the Spanish language will undoubtedely help you make the most of it. So, although before you travel you will have lots to do, spending a few hours each week before travelling and learning the language will help you make the most of your experience. You could join an evening class or teach yourself independently using CDs, books, DVDs, or online language courses, depending on other commitments you may have. We provide a list of resources below which you may find helpful.
Alternatively, if you really feel you do not have the time to get to grips with the basics of a language before you go, then why not arrange an intensive introductory course for your first week at your destination before you start your volunteering programme? You will need that language at some stage during your trip, but even so, you will find the whole adventure much more enjoyable and rewarding if you can try out your new language skills with the locals. You will make humorous mistakes but ultimately you will feel like you have achieved something worthwhile in learning a new language that will benefit you for the rest of your life and will impress others along the way.
Language Resources
Learning a language is fun and once you master the basics you will feel an enormous sense of achievement. We list some resources here that you may wish to consider in order to help you learn your new language depending on your travel destination.
Linguaphone offer some fantastic language course resources and provide a variety of courses in a number of different formats. They offer courses in some of the most useful langauges for the volunteer including Chinese Mandarin, Arabic, Thai and the more common languages such as Spanish, French and Portuguese.
And some more language resources
Use the following links for information on the languages spoken in different countries.
BBC country guides here
Foreign Office country guides here.
If you have any comments about this language volunteer guide, please contact us.