Barely ten per cent of Spaniards over the age of 18 are studying a foreign language, even though 95 per cent of the population stress the importance of being able to speak another language. The Spanish, like the British, are not great when it comes to speaking languages. With an estimated 20 million British tourists coming to Spain every year, you would have thought that the majority of Spaniards would have a high level of English. At the same you would have thought that the British, who have been coming here on holiday for many years, would have a higher level of Spanish.
The other day I was in a restaurant and the owner told a British family that there was no need to speak Spanish in his restaurant because he spoke English. The father replied that he had been studying Spanish for five years and wanted to put his language skills to the test and this was one of his few opportunities. These days it is vital to speak another language. In Majorca I think the local government should encourage more people to learn English and German. I know some councils offer free classes and it is a shame that more people do not take advantage of them. The very future of our tourist industry depends on the language skills of people employed in the industry. Also, a growing number of Spaniards are now going abroad to work and live. In a country which depends on tourism, language skills are of vital importance, especially these days.