British diplomats used to be admired worldwide for their foreign language skills, but new figures show that just one in 40 is fluent in the language of the country in which they have been posted.
British diplomats used to be admired worldwide for their foreign language skills, but new figures show that just one in 40 is fluent in the language of the country in which they have been posted. Most lack even a basic grasp sufficient for day-to-day exchanges.
The figures were uncovered by the Conservative MP Stephen Barclay, who sits on the public accounts select committee, and MPs fear that Britain could be losing lucrative trade deals as a result. They say the problem is in part the legacy of a decision by the Treasury when Gordon Brown was chancellor to close the Foreign Office language school to save pounds 1?million a year.
In India, whose government has declared France the preferred bidder over Britain to supply 126 fighter jets in a pounds 7bn deal, just one UK diplomat can speak Hindi.
In Pyongyang, North Korea, five British diplomats are posted and are encouraging the regime to drop its nuclear programme. Just one can speak beginner's level Korean.
Figures show that 48 of Britain's 1,900 diplomats receive extra pay because they have an "extensive" grip of a language, meaning that they are close to communicating like a native.
Another 145 have an operational grasp, meaning they can cope with day-to-day life in the country but may struggle with technical or academic language.
Fifteen are recognised as having language "confidence" - defined as being able to read road signs and book a hotel room.
But some 1,690 staff, or 90 per cent of the Diplomatic Service, have no recognised language abilities for the country to which they have been posted. So there are no diplomats registered as speaking Latvian in Riga, the capital of the European Union's fastest-growing economy.
There is only one Arabic-speaking diplomat registered in each of our embassies in the oil states of Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
There is only one diplomat with a grasp of the local language in each of the missions to Afghanistan and Pakistan. By contrast, almost half of Australia's diplomatic service are proficient in local languages.
The Foreign Office language school was reopened last year by William Hague, the Foreign Secretary. Its closure in 2007 was called "profoundly mistaken" by Foreign Office insiders at the time.
Mr Barclay said: "A lack of language skills could have cost Britain many times over the supposed savings that Labour tried to make. It just shows how short-sighted that policy was.
"We may never know how many deals the UK has missed out on because of a lack of language skills."
Charles Crawford, the former British ambassador to Poland who speaks Serbian, Russian, Afrikaans and French, has volunteered his services to the school. "You are always going to be more efficient if you can speak the language," he said.
"Translators can get it wrong. People relax more when they are yammering away in their own language. You can go live on television, if you are good enough, and present your policy to the general public."
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said that, this year, funding for languages has increased by 30 per cent and there are 40 per cent more speakers of Arabic and Mandarin than two years ago.
He added: "The FCO recognises the importance of languages and has a workforce able to communicate and negotiate effectively throughout the world ?.?.?. but we are committed to strengthening our diplomatic network further - including reviving core diplomatic skills such as language learning."
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