How important were languages within the bid for the 2012 Olympic games?
The main Olympic languages are English and French and all of our publications for the International Olympic Committee have been in both. Bidding involves travelling in a number of countries where interpretation may be important.

How many countries usually partake in the Olympic games?
It is now around 200 and of course depends upon how many independent states there are at the particular time.

How many languages are spoken in London alone?
We know that over 300 languages are spoken in London's schools.

People working in key services all over London will need to deal with thousands of foreign visitors every day. How would you ensure that the people of London and Britain would be ready for the challenge of speaking different languages to athletes and visitors alike?
We will need a number of paid interpreters to support the athletes, their families and members of the IOC during the Games. In order to give visitors the welcome they should have we shall seek volunteers who can speak different languages. It is a key part of our bid that we give all visitors a fantastic experience that will stay in their memories. We will need to recruit about 70,000 volunteers and many of them will need to speak other languages and relate to the communities represented. We have already started to have discussions with organisations concerned with translation and interpretation. They are keen to work closely with us in the years ahead.

What would you say to encourage those young people who would like to work in the Olympics to carry on with their language learning?
If you want to become involved in the Olympics, language learning is an important route in. The more people who speak different languages the better as far as we are concerned. If we win the bid not only London but the whole of the UK will have extraordinary opportunities to make the most of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the build up to them. Stay with what you are doing and you never know - opportunities for you may well emerge