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Language teaching crisis as 40% of university departments face closure (The Guardian weekly)

Last week it emerged that A-level candidates for French and German fell by 50% between 1996 and 2012. Photograph: Frank Baron for the Guardian

Daniel Boffey, policy editor - Sat 17 Aug 2013 19.18 BST

Number of universities offering modern languages degrees plunges from 105 in 2000 to 62 at start of this academic year

As many as 40% of university language departments are likely to close within a decade, the former government adviser charged with bolstering foreign language uptake in higher education has warned, delivering a huge blow to the UK's diplomatic and economic hopes.

Amid a deepening crisis in language learning – which is causing alarm at the highest levels of government – the number of universities offering degrees in modern languages has already plunged from 105 in 2000 to 62 at the start of this academic year.

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