As the New Year beckons, the British Council is calling on people in the UK to make learning a foreign language their resolution for 2016.
The campaign is being backed by actor and broadcaster Larry Lamb.
In August, a poll of 2,098 UK adults by the British Council poll found a quarter felt nervous at the thought of having to speak a language on holiday.
The Council's languages drive comes as the number of pupils taking GCSEs in modern languages continues to fall.
Higher Education Statistics Agency data released in February showed that entries to modern foreign language degree courses had dropped.
French fell by 25%, German by 34% and Spanish by 1%. Overall the number of entrants to modern foreign languages fell by 16% between 2007/08 and 2013/14.
The British Council says tackling "just a phrase a day" in a foreign language could see people greatly improve their language skills.
