A foreign language

SUMMER: SUN, SEA and the ritual humiliation of stuttering, pointing and frantic hand gestures to attempt to convey what you want in a language you don’t understand. It’s little wonder that we return from our holidays determined that we will get, at least slightly, beyond the standby “parlez-vous anglais?” Evening classes are, literally, the old school option for learning a language, with the advantages of ensuring regular commitment and being able to practise in a forgiving environment. At-home learning options have multiplied thanks to the internet. Rosetta Stone (rosettastone.co.uk) is an industry leader and has moved on from CD-ROMS to nifty interactive exercises. Free resources for enthusiastic dabblers include Memrise (memrise.com), where fun memes will help build your vocabulary. That’s also the principle behind Chineasy (chineasy.org), which helps you recognise the…