The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/1056743
The all-party group heard about initiatives in Wales to increase languages take-up in schools Inside parliament At its meeting in October, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Modern Languages celebrated some exciting university-led initiatives to engage and support schools and students in teaching and learning modern foreign languages (MFL). There was a particular focus on successful projects from Wales, which has suffered for many years with poor levels of uptake and attainment in schools. Professor Claire Gorrara of Cardiff University has led efforts to transform MFL provision and uptake through a series of collaborations with the Welsh government and partner organisations. Routes into Languages Cymru (www.routesintolanguagescymru.co.uk) is a collaborative outreach project that aims to increase the number of pupils choosing MFL by promoting the visibility and profile of languages across Wales. It is currently funded by five Welsh universities, all four Welsh regional education consortia, the British Council Wales and the European Commission Wales. Key among the project's activities is delivering bespoke training for school, college and university students to become Language Ambassadors, tasked with raising the profile of MFL in their schools and communities. The MFL Student Mentoring Project (mflmentoring.co.uk) places undergraduate and postgraduate students in secondary schools to increase pupils' higher education aspirations, and provide mentoring to improve engagement with languages. The aim of the six-week intervention is to increase the number of students opting to study languages at GCSE and beyond. A partnership between Cardiff, Bangor, Swansea and Aberystwyth universities, this project is in its fourth year and is funded by the Welsh Government under its Global Futures Strategy 2015-2020. It is a flagship model that promotes collaboration across education levels to further a common mission. APPG members met some of the project's leaders and participants. In addition to reviewing the Welsh policy context for MFL, the meeting was an opportunity to discuss university-school partnerships from elsewhere in the UK. The IOE Confucius Institute's annual Schools and Universities Day (now in its fourth year), which focuses on Chinese, brings together students and representatives from 22 universities. Finally, details were shared about the 'Opportunities for Linguistics in the MFL Curriculum' event, to be held in March 2019, seeking ways of building insights of modern linguistics into secondary MFL teaching to inspire more young linguists. 6 The Linguist Vol/57 No/6 2018 ciol.org.uk/tl NEWS & EDITORIAL Q How did you get the idea for the Kittiwake Trust Multilingual Library? A I had set up Borderline Books in 2001 to redistribute books that are being discarded to people with limited access to books. Some students were volunteering with us and they said that Borderline Books had more books in other languages than their university did. I decided at that moment to stop giving those books away and to collect them in a library so everybody has access. Q Why did you name the charity after the Kittiwake? A It's a bird that never quite belongs. They nest on cliffs and spend most of their life at sea so they're always on the outskirts. They also nest on the Tyne Bridge nearby. Q How long did it take to establish the library? A For two years we were preparing the books and pasting in lending slips, having decided to use the old-fashioned system. During that time we looked for somewhere to put the library. Q How did you choose the location? A We were offered a beautiful space in Eldon Garden shopping centre in Newcastle on a tenancy-at-will basis. It meant we could start the library on a shoestring, but it also puts us in a precarious position because we could be asked to leave at any moment if the landlord finds commercial tenants. Q How do you acquire books? A I wrote to The Author asking readers to donate any spare reading copies in foreign languages. Geraldine McCaughrean sent seven cartons of books; Mark Haddon and Amina Marix Evans © SHUTTERSTOCK