Ipswich revealed as top UK hotspot for learning German

Studying is a big part of what it takes to become a fully-fledged linguaphile but the other part, often overlooked, is practicing our language skills regularly. It is argued that without the opportunity to put a language to use on a regular basis, one can forget what they’ve learnt.

Based on the world’s most spoken and fastest growing languages*, language learning app Preply’s cultural hotspots study reveals where one will find the largest diasporas per language (culture), thus posing the best environment to learn and retain a language.

For 45 major UK towns/cities, the research (normalised per capita) factors in the number of speakers per language, number of native amenities (restaurants, grocery stores, community centres), number of language learning institutions and their average rating.

Overall top cultural hotspots

Although London will always remain one of the UK’s top cities for the variety of cultures present, based on the world’s most spoken and fastest growing languages, London has been dethroned by none other than the city of Cambridge.

Ipswich ranks as the country’s top German cultural hotspot, largely owed to its larger German-speaker population and boasting the country’s fourth best choice of German amenities per capita.

Aside from boasting the high percentage of German-speakers and a great choice of native amenities (per capita), Ipswich’s high score is also owed to its’ fantastic educational institutions.  The town ranks in 3rd for its language learning facilities (beaten only by Oxford and Cambridge), with 42 schools, per capita, on offer, all of which secure an average rating of 5.0.

Whilst Oxford and Manchester follow Cambridge in second and third place respectively, London ranks respectably in seventh place, as it boasts the second highest amount of foreign language speakers (16% of every 100,000 residents).

However, the UK capital is lacking where native amenities are concerned, placing in 18th, with only 108 native amenities per 100,000 residents. The remaining top ten cultural hotspots include Bristol, Leicester, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Nottingham, Norwich, and Reading.

Top hotspots per language

Delving into each language, Ipswich is revealed as top hub for not one, not two, but seven of the languages analysed. The town is a top five hotspot for those looking to learn Portuguese, Bengali, German, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish and Italian.

Looking at the top three best cultural hubs per language (culture), Cambridge comes out on top, securing top spots for ten of the twelve languages. Nottingham also reveals itself as a multicultural hub, placing among the top three for six of the languages including Dutch, Italian and German. Other top contenders include Oxford and Ipswich which place among the top three hotspots for five of the languages analysed.

Immersing ourselves in a multicultural environment can prove to be a great way to enrich our language learning and cultural education, with the bonus of becoming part of a new community. Preply’s research proves that you don’t just have to stick to London alone to be among the UK’s top cultural hotspots. Whether you’re seeking a community and environment that feels more familiar or exploring a culture or language that is new to you, this study can help towards putting those new language skills to good use.