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@Linguist_CIOL JUNE/JULY The Linguist 29 OPINION & COMMENT more interested in reading and writing stories; they learn best by saying, hearing and seeing words. Kinaesthetic learners like to move around, touch things and use body language to communicate; they learn by moving, touching and doing things. I once had a student who was profoundly absorbed by nature and liked to learn English outside the classroom in the natural environment. Acquiring and developing a knowledge of various types of learners, and what they need and expect, can help teachers to get better at monitoring the classroom, setting up tasks clearly, grouping learners effectively (for example pairing an introvert with an extrovert, or a weaker learner with a stronger one) and giving constructive feedback. This type of inductive approach can foster self-confidence and encourage learners to have autonomy, resulting in greater cognition and a more collaborative classroom. 3 But this doesn't mean we should abandon deductive approaches altogether: although they can be frustrating for students, they can help teachers get straight to the point, saving time that can be used for practice. Games such as Pictionary and charades play a great role in the CELTA method. Playful interaction between teacher and students, or between groups of students, is an effective way of getting every member of the classroom involved in a communicative and collaborative experience through which they can improve their language skills. I have recently adopted CELTA techniques in the teaching of Farsi with great success. I have also attempted to make up new games based on Persian culture in order to teach Farsi more effectively. I firmly believe that a language teacher needs to play the role of an intercultural bridge to aid learners coming from distinct cultures. Notes 1 Thornbury, S & Watkins, P (2007) The CELTA Course, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2 Harmer, J (2015) The Practice of English Language Teaching, London: Pearson 3 Harmer, J (2007) How to Teach English, London: Pearson Reza Shirmarz MCIL CL is a writer and literary translator. TL Email linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk Rebranding is not enough I read with interest 'The Translator's Brain' (TL58,2). However, I was disappointed that it only mentioned right-handed people. No research seems to have been done on left- handed people. At university, there were 15 people in my Russian classes; 10 of us were left handed, so I assumed that left-handed people have an aptitude for language learning. Paul Bishop's interesting article 'Rebranding MFL' (TL58,2) is intended, he suggests, as "a stimulus to further discussion and debate". After an engaging historical section, his analysis begins: "Decisions about whether languages should be stopped, and how they should be shaped, are entirely market-driven." Here I sadly agree. But when he moves on to his proposals, his thinking becomes elusive. I wonder how many will find it helpful. He writes: "To use language, there needs to be a point or purpose to using it." Yes, indeed – to find out what the interlocutor is thinking, perhaps, then begin dialogue? But no, according to Professor Bishop, the point is getting our students "interested in how languages give access to areas that would otherwise be inaccessible to them". And also to "help students with their other subjects". Useful aims, but dependent on students having the languages in the first place. We are then told the prerequisite for the ability to construct a grammatically correct The left-handed translator's brain sentence is the ability to construct a culturally correct one. Apparently, this ability is to be internalised without the L2 context in which 'traditional' cultural learning has been framed and refined. Not language and culture absorbed in parallel (as with native speakers), but a clear priority: cultural norms first. And the way forward? The decline in MFL in the UK could be arrested and reversed by such means as "a discussion about what kinds of subjects [...] are taught through the medium of languages". This is unconvincing. The article's proposals amount to a rebranding, indeed, but no more. They do not address the failure of the UK educational system, over two generations, to encourage and direct the enthusiasm of children, older students, and present and future teachers interested in language for its own sake. Such interest is no less valid and productive of future value than is interest in mathematics for its own sake. Michael Loughridge MCIL I have a photographic memory, which enabled me to learn grammar tables because I can picture them. It would be interesting if research could be done on left-handed people and how their brains work in terms of the translator's brain. I can't believe this has never been done! Suzanne Blair MCIL © SHUTTERSTOCK