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Foreign language students or any student for that matter is stereotyped as being a lazy, irresponsible, alcoholic burden to taxpayers and emergency services in general. Some people may view them to be only interested in partying and chasing the opposite sex, whilst totally ignoring their studies.

However, as with many stereotypes, the entire story isn’t really being told. The vast majority of students do drink nowadays, and they drink more than previous generations but they live in a society where alcohol is readily accessible and affordable.

It is produced and sold by companies which make untold millions of pounds and spend millions and millions on influencing the buying habits of students. Consequently, yes students drink but caring and working towards your studies isn’t mutually exclusive.

Students can certainly have a very big impact on society and an economy. Evidence of this has emerged in Ireland as the number of foreign language students has declined that has a tangible effect, such as the suffering with the lucrative English language teaching business.

Foreign student numbers have dropped almost 20% from 116,031 to 93,850 between 2009 and 2010. The figures are down from the peak of 130,000 within 2006 and 2007. This has equated to a loss in revenue and also the value of the market industry dipping from €271 million to €254 million between 2008 and 2009.

The biggest loss last year was students from Italy, Spain and France who have typically been the main reasons for business and English <a href=”http://www.todaytranslations.com”>translation services</a>.

On the whole, Europeans included 99,800 of all foreign language students in 2008, but this figure dropped 23% to 76,900 recently.

* Each foreign-language student is estimated being worth €412.85 a week to the economy, when all expenses are taken into consideration. * Italians account for the biggest single group, sending 26,126 students to Ireland last year, although that was down from 31,120 in 2008. * They were followed by the Spanish, at 20,073 students, down from 25,847 in 2008, while the French come in third place, with 10,440 down from 14,629.

Although there is a decline in students from Countries in europe, there is steady growth in numbers arriving, especially from Asia and South America, which if continued could open up new possibilities for language <a href=”http://www.todaytranslations.com”>translation services</a> and education in Ireland.

However, numbers from outside Europe continue to be small, and these regions will be the focus of Government efforts to draw more students for learning English and other studies.