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Speaking foreign languages has never been a strong suit for
Page 62
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the British, and the limited UK uptake of foreign language aids for truck drivers from a Kent university suggests this is likely to continue. Canterbury Christ Church University launched the Truck Speak project with European funding in 2003. It was a simple plan at first, to provide drivers from various countries with laminated cards containing useful phrases in whatever foreign languages they might need. The cards were designed to help drivers both with what they might want to say ("is there a problem?", "where do I get the papers?") and what might be said to them ("the bonded warehouse is closed", "the ferry is cancelled"). Eurotunnel bought several thousand to give away to drivers, but project manager Pam Tipping admits that UK companies were "a little slow on uptake".
Part of the reason for this is no doubt that the widespread use of English means there is always less pressure on us to speak a foreign language than on foreigners to learn English. And this does not look like changing any time soon. The two nationalities that were keenest to acquire the Truck Speak cards were the Dutch and Belgians, who are among the best linguists in Europe. A government training body in Belgium bought 4,500 cards for three years in a row.
Others keen to take advantage of the cards have included Polish drivers working in the UK; among the buyers is Harlow College, which runs a course for foreign truck drivers working over here.
Audio tapes have now been added to the language aids for truck drivers, although whether these fare any better than the cards with UK drivers remains to be seen, John Faulkner, chairman of ICT Logistics and one of the university's partners in implementing the scheme, says: "The truth is that we have tried to raise language awareness among hauliers in the UK. But we have barely scratched the surface because there is so little demand for it."