With technology quickly bringing the world closer together, the barrier of distance has been chipped away with the advent of the telephone, the fax machine, the mobile phone and the internet. However, with machine-based translation a long way from being perfected, the language barrier still stands firm; and the only way to get an accurate contextual translation is to hire a translator or take it upon yourself to attend a few language courses and gain a decent understanding that way.

London is a perfect example of vast multiculturalism in action - while the city is the greatest provider of English courses in the country, over 300 different languages are spoken throughout the city thanks to its huge immigration rates and popularity as a holiday destination with nations all over the world.

There are hundreds of possible reasons to learn a new language, however. Maybe you're relocating for work, or you have foreign friends or family with whom you'd like to speak with more confidence. Perhaps you want to resurrect a language you learned at school - for example Spanish courses are readily available for those living in the USA, not least because of the prevalence of the Hispanic culture in many areas but also because of the relative ease of the language when compared with other European tongues.

With a huge range of language courses USA-wide, there's no excuse not to take up a language, if only to take a few more well-earned chips at that pesky language barrier.