Speaking another language is a huge asset - and the best time to learn is when you’re young.

However, a survey has found that while 27 per cent of parents regret dropping languages at school, a third fail to encourage their children into languages at GCSE level.

And with GCSE options time approaching for around 600,000 teenagers, that might be bad news, as three-quarters of adults surveyed by the National Centre for Languages (CILT ) felt languages provided the most valuable life skills of all the noncompulsory school subjects.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they can help their children succeed with languages, as another CILT study found that nearly a quarter of parents feel unable to give their children adequate support with their language homework.

Spokeswoman Teresa Tinsley said: “It’s understandable that many parents struggle with homework help, as it’s impossible to be an expert at everything. However, being able to speak a second language will open up a world of opportunities for young people, so we’d like parents to put away their anxieties and think about the benefits of their children taking a language at GCSE level - to ensure they don’t look back with regret.”

The CILT study found nearly half of people who only spoke one language envied their friends who spoke more than one, and one in five thought those who spoke a second language appeared more intelligent.

But the latest figures show that the number of pupils choosing to take a language at 14 is falling - and has been since 2002, when it became optional to take a foreign language at GCSE level.

The proportion of schools where more than 50 per cent of pupils study a language in year 10 has dropped from 45 per cent in 2008-9 to 40 per cent in the current school year.

However, from next year it will be compulsory for children to learn a language from the age of seven in primary schools, and linguists hope the introduction of languages at such a young age could encourage more kids to opt for languages at GCSE and beyond.

Lid King, National Director for Languages, said reservations about learning a language seem to kick in about the age of 13 or 14.

“But when you go into primary schools, enthusiasm for languages is normal - children don’t feel worried about learning them at all.

“It’s certainly the intention that having to learn a language in primary school will encourage more pupils to do them at GCSE level.”

It’s estimated that one in eight people use a language at work in the UK.

But it’s not just work where languages come in handy - two-thirds of Britons have used their language skills on a date, while 21 per cent have made friends with the help of a language.

“Many companies want multi-lingual employees,” said King, “we’re living in a global society, and to have access through languages to so many other cultures is extremely important.”