Too often, the story we tell ourselves about languages in the UK is a negative one: that we are not very good at them; that young people are losing interest; that, in a world where English is widely spoken, they matter less than they once did. But the evidence points in a different direction.
At Duolingo, we see what people actually do. Millions of people across the UK are choosing to learn languages in their own time, often consistently and over long periods. Young people, especially, are highly engaged. They are not turning away from languages; if anything, they are finding new ways into them through culture, technology, and their own curiosity about the world.
The opportunity now is to connect that enthusiasm to deeper study and real-world opportunity. The routes that should carry people from early interest into more sustained learning are not always clear, or not always available.
In this essay collection, we have drawn on leaders from across the UK who are not only thinking about these challenges, but working on them: testing new approaches, building partnerships and finding practical ways to keep language learning alive and growing in difficult conditions.
Baroness Jean Coussins & Philip Harding-Esch
Baroness Jean Coussins and Philip Harding-Esch challenge the idea that the UK struggles with languages; data shows people are already motivated and engaged. They argue the real issue is policy, and call for a joined-up national strategy that matches public enthusiasm with meaningful action.
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Michael Slavinsky
Michael Slavinsky draws on his experience as a teacher to expose the UKās āmissing linguistsāāstudents who want to study languages but canāt access A-level courses. He shows how collaboration, powered by the Languages For All hub model, can bring schools together, expand access, and keep language learning alive.
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Jessica Weaver
Jessica Weaver draws on 14 years in the classroom to show how the decline in language learning is unfolding in real schoolsāfrom falling A-level numbers to widening gaps in access. She argues that students still value languages, and calls for earlier exposure, more flexible pathways, and stronger policy support to rebuild uptake.
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Prof Charles Forsdick, FBA
Professor Charles Forsdick reframes multilingualism as one of the UKās greatest untapped assets, not a challenge to overcome. He explains how valuing home and heritage languagesāand connecting them to formal educationācan build a more inclusive, future-ready approach to language learning.
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John Worne
John Worne highlights a hidden strength in the UK: millions of people already use multiple languages in everyday life. He calls for better recognition and accreditation of spoken language skills, showing how unlocking this ācommunicative competenceā could power social mobility, economic growth, and a more connected society.
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Dr. Charlotte Ryland
Charlotte Ryland spotlights university-led programs that are already reversing the decline in language uptake in schools. She shows how scaling these collaborative, culture-rich initiatives can turn isolated success into a national strategy for languages.
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Prof. Emma Cayley
Emma Cayley highlights a growing risk in UK higher education: ācold spotsā where students lose access to language degrees altogether. She calls for coordinated national action and stronger collaboration to protect provision, expand opportunity, and rebuild the UKās language pipeline.
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Anne Marie Graham
Anne-Marie Graham reflects on the UKās lost momentum in language learningāand the opportunity to rebuild it. She highlights how a return to Erasmus+ and targeted investment in proven programs could expand access, boost mobility, and re-energize language learning nationwide.
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Danny Lopez MBE
Danny Lopez draws on his experience in diplomacy and trade to reframe language learning as a strategic national asset. He shows that beyond communication, languages build cultural understanding and human judgmentāskills the UK needs to compete in an AI-shaped, globally connected world.
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Across these essays, we see examples of collaboration making provision viable where it might otherwise be lost. We see approaches that reconnect language learning with culture, creativity and real-world experience, making it more relevant and engaging. And we see consistent evidence that when learners are given the opportunity and the right support they respond.
Technology has opened the door to language learning for more people than ever before; this collection considers what should lie beyond that door. Not by restating familiar arguments about decline, but by bringing together practical ideas that, if implemented, can spark a resurgence.
If there is one message that runs through this collection, it is that the UK already has both the appetite for language learning and proven approaches that deliver results. The task now is for all of us - policymakers, educators and institutions - to match that ambition with equal intent, building on the practices that are already making a difference.
