Help your child break the language barrier

Communication is key - and the more keys you have, the more doors you can open. Parents hoping to give their children the gift of communicating in more than just their mother tongue soon discover it rarely happens automatically.

And with so many children from every nation growing up in Dubai, the need for good advice on the subject has never been greater.

Hard choices

Silke Rehman knows how hard it is to make language choices for children and the commitment it takes to stick to them. The driving force behind the new Multi-lingual Support Network set up the group after spotting a gap in the market. Last month Rehman ran a workshop to show people how they can raise their children to be fluent in a second language.

The participants alone comprised 14 different nationalities interested in passing on 15 languages to their sons and daughters.

Due to high demand, a second workshop is planned on February 15. But Rehman realised a further dimension was needed to give back-up support and motivation to those determined to succeed.

Perseverance

"There are so many support groups you can go to but still it seems something like this has been missing," says Rehman.

"The Multi-lingual Support Network will provide a forum for people to share their experiences, successes and problems."

She explains an important factor in successfully bringing your children up with a second language is perseverance, and says: "You will be faced with problems - it may be your child will stop speaking the language or priorities change within the family. This network is about giving people the confidence to persevere with the strategies they have chosen even in difficult times."

Linguist

A native German, Rehman is a passionate linguist who speaks German, English, French and Spanish fluently and is learning Arabic.

Her interest in raising children with more than one language was sparked by her own situation when her daughter, Chiara, was born six years ago.

At the time, Rehman and her English/Urdu speaking husband were living in French-speaking Switzerland and had no idea how to juggle so many languages in the life of their new baby.

A workshop in multilingualism taught her the essentials and prompted her to study the subject in depth. And it paid off.

Despite Chiara's tender years she is already fluent in English and German, speaks basic French and is learning Arabic.

Mission

Rehman says her mission now is to empower others to successfully raise their children with more than one language.

The network will meet monthly for two hours to discuss issues, brainstorm problems and pool language skills to offer each other help.

A website is also being set up to provide information on language resources in Dubai, share experiences, post members' language needs and highlight opportunities in terms of tuition and playgroups.

Lesson learnt

Naglaa Saunders, an Egyptian with an English husband, attended Rehman's workshop and the first meeting of the new network.

With the knowledge and support she gained from the workshop, Saunders has renewed efforts to speak to her two young daughters in Arabic after giving up two years ago when the eldest repeatedly answered her Arabic questions in English.

She says: "I realise now that it was working but I needed to persevere for longer because I was the only source of Arabic for her in an English environment. It is very hard to keep it up but through this network we can give each other encouragement and realise we are not alone."

The next meeting of the Multi-lingual Support Network will be held at 10am on Wednesday, March 8 at a venue to be confirmed.

Workshop

What: Raising Children With More Than One Language workshop

When: Wednesday, February 15, 7-10pm

Where: Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai

How to attend: Tickets cost Dh150 ? email cwrehman@yahoo.co.uk to book

Help needed
Silke Rehman is hoping to build up a comprehensive resource bank on the network's website and would like to hear from anyone who can contribute information on language activities or courses in Dubai. She would particularly like to know of any activities for languages such as Mandarin, Indonesian and Russian.

Contact
For details on the network, to book a place on the workshop or to provide information for the resource bank, email Rehman at cwrehman@yahoo.co.uk