5 h. ago CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Reunion on BBC1: Sign language speaks louder than words in this powerful deaf thriller

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: It's one thing to hear a man tell his estranged daughter, 'I've missed you.' It's quite another to see him clutch his hands to his heart in wordless anguish.

Politics

8 h. ago I went in for a routine procedure and woke up speaking a different language

A Dutch-speaking teenager who underwent routine knee surgery mysteriously woke up speaking American English

Politics

1 week ago Swahili? Mandarin? The UK is increasingly multilingual – yet our politicians won’t talk about it | Laura Spinney

Even the census ignores them, but multilinguals could hold the key to Britain’s social and economic futureLaura Spinney is a science journalist and the author of Proton: How One Ancient Language went GlobalAs the chancellor searches for ways to stimulate growth, here’s a reminder to her – on the International Day of Multilingualism – that she’s sitting on a huge pot of gold. In 2014, the all-party parliamentary group on modern languages estimated that the UK’s untapped linguistic potential was worth£48bn. It’s £8bn more than Reeves added to the tax bill last year, and if anything it has grown, since Brexit has re-oriented “global Britain” towards customers beyond Europe. Ask any native English speaker who trades internationally: if you’re buying, English will do, but if you’re selling, better to speak the client’s tongue.The UK’s language teaching has been in steady decline for 30 years, and a big cause is a lack of qualified language teachers. That’s one reality. Another is that, o...

Politics

1 week ago Naked woman stabbed people with pencil after screaming 'I speak all languages' in airport

The woman is seen running around naked, throwing what appears to be a phone at monitors and abusing staff in the 2-minute clip from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

Politics

3 w. ago How going on a cruise can be cheaper than living at home... with better care: MARK PALMER reveals the onboard secrets

Falling ill on a holiday overseas can be traumatic. You're hundreds of miles away from your GP; you may not speak the language and there's bound to be wrangling over your travel insurance.

Society

4 w. ago How going on a cruise is cheaper than a care home and has better care: MARK PALMER reveals the onboard secrets

Falling ill on a holiday overseas can be traumatic. You're hundreds of miles away from your GP; you may not speak the language and there's bound to be wrangling over your travel insurance.

Society