The Use of Foreign Languages

Learning foreign languages opens us opportunities and careers that didn’t even exist some years ago. But most importantly, a language opens doors to a different understanding of the world and facilitates communication with people representing diverse views of the world.

Today the most popular language in the world is English. It is quite amazing how the use of English has become so widespread.

“Do you speak English?” – with this phrase begins the conversation between two people, that speak different languages and want to find a common language.

It’s very good when you hear: “Yes, I do”, and start talking. People of different countries and nations have to get along well with the progress in world trade and technology as well as with each other.

The fact is that English has become the major language in most fields of communication all over the world. There is hardly a sphere of activities where English is not used – be it computer science, aviation, banking, business or tourism. Indeed, English is a very important instrument if you want to feel and be part of the world.

It is too much early to say whether English will remain as influential as it is today but it seems difficult to stop its growth. It looks like it will be a world language for a long time.

No doubt, I like English very much. Communication by means of a foreign language fascinates me since childhood. And one knows that knowledge of a foreign language is of extreme usefulness. It is becoming more and more essential to know it if you want to get a good job. Of course, my silver dream is to understand English so well that I could catch any word and expression from an English or, say, American movies. And of course, to read pocket editions in the original. I can say that practically everyone studies English in this or that way. And if you want to know my personal viewpoint I’m fully convinced that modern people should enjoy possessing perfect knowledge of at least one or two foreign languages.

Famous People of Belarus

Marc Chagall, the great artist

• born in Vitebsk in 1887

• studied art in the Vitebsk art school

• had to emigrate to France in 1922. Paris opened the heart of French painting to Chagall.

• became famous during his Paris period

• created a new trend in painting

• made hundreds of fantastic paintings famous all over the world

• loved his native town so much that in every work painted it

• is famous for his illustrations and stained glass windows

• called the best colourist of his time

Ivan Cherski, both the Belarusian and Polish great scientist

• born in the Vitebsk region in 1845

• studied both in Vitebsk and in Vilnya

• arrested and sent as a soldier to Omsk in Siberia for his revolutionary activities

• took up geology and paleontology there

• started studies of the Omsk neighbourhood and later on of Lake Baikal

• created the first geographical map of the Baikal

• studied the Sayan and Angara regions

• rewarded three gold medals of the Russian Geographic Society

• died during an expedition to Siberia in 1892

• a number of places in Siberia were named in his honour

Efrosiniya Polotskaya, one of the first women enlighteners of the 12th century

• bom in Polotsk into the family of Izyaslavovichy in 1100

• was a highly educated person of that period

• had good knowledge of geography, Greek, Latin and other sciences

• entered the Convent at the age of 12 as a nun

• became Mother Superior of the Convent later

• did a lot of charitable work

• opened schools and hospitals

• translated religious books from Greek and Latin into the Belarusian language

• copied books by hand and taught other people

• considered to be the protectress of Belarus

Francisk Scoryna, the first translator and publisher of the Bible into the Belarusian language

• born about 1490 in the family of a Polatsk merchant

• entered the University of Krakov when he was 14

• continued his education in Italy

• started his printing activities in Prague in 1517

• printed the first Belarusian book there

• published 22 volumes of the Bible, translated into the Belarusian language within three years

• founded a printing workshop in Vilnya in 1525

• spread the written language, public education and culture

• was a prominent scholar and humanist

• was interested in literature, linguistics, law, medicine, printing