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
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@Linguist_CIOL AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 31 OPINION & COMMENT As a result, a native speaker of a foreign language who has a postgraduate degree in English from a UK university, and English- language skills sufficient to teach at British universities and public schools, is likely to be dissuaded from applying. It is not so much the complexity of the test (or lack of it) that is the issue; the question is the off-putting red tape in the process. Obstacles after training Once qualified, the focus of MFL teacher recruitment is on the ability to teach at least two languages. So in addition to meeting their subject-matter criteria, MFL teachers need to speak at least one other language to a sufficient level to be able to teach it. Rightly, there is normally no requirement for applicants for maths teaching posts, for example, to show credentials in physics or chemistry. It is therefore disadvantageous to subject-matter experts of, say, German to have to be able to teach French, Italian or Spanish as well. MFL subject-matter experts are often entrepreneurs with portfolio careers and see teaching as part of their portfolio as a linguist. They wish to teach at state schools alongside lecturing at a language school, taking on occasional translation projects and so on. In the QTS process, a teacher's commitment to 'life at school', and to taking on extracurricular activities in the state-school system, is prioritised over their subject-matter expertise. This makes teaching at state schools even less appealing to high-calibre portfolio career linguists. It is worth mentioning that these concerns regard the pathway for applicants seeking to qualify in the more commonly taught languages. There are virtually no provisions to attract high-calibre speakers of less commonly taught languages. Yet in today's multicultural, multilingual society, policies to encourage prospective teachers of such languages would surely be beneficial. Double standards When we need a linguist for any reason other than teaching our children at state schools, we often insist on subject-matter expertise and native-level competency. If we need a linguist to translate or interpret for us, or to teach us a language privately, we favour a subject-matter expert fluent in the relevant language(s). We do not give much weight to the linguist's ability to do mental maths and demonstrate this in English, or to their ability to speak a third language. It beggars belief that we require these additional credentials for competent native speakers to teach our children a language. The current process appears to be geared towards encouraging English native speakers with MFL degrees to teach at state schools. It is much easier for them to go on subject- matter enhancing courses provided by QTS facilitators, even if they graduated in the relevant language many years ago. Yet, in a damning report on teacher shortages, the TES found that nearly a quarter of all suitably qualified MFL graduates would have to become teachers over the next six years to meet demand. The many benefits of language learning in terms of health, character building and the future career of individuals, as well as the economic development and prosperity of nations, are well known. At a time when schools in England are facing "severe" teacher shortages, according to the Education Policy Institute, the current system is clearly not good enough. The TES report found that 47,000 more secondary school teachers are needed by 2024, but the number of people on teacher training courses has fallen by almost 25%. Despite recent changes to the MFL curriculum, and an upturn in recruitment to training courses this year, my contention is that a serious rethink is needed in terms of the recruitment of language experts, and the way languages are approached at state schools, to reflect the way career linguists work today. Applicants are required to answer timed mental maths questions read to them in English CIOL Vice-Chair of Council Dr Reza Navaei FCIL CL is a multilingual lecturer, writer and training consultant. TL Links online VASILIKI PRESTIDGE Translator and interpreter Vasiliki Prestidge MCIL CL, the BPG Division's social media contact, offers her advice on what live website content is and how it can boost your online presence. When we talk about live website content we do not mean going live on Facebook or Instagram. It refers to social media feeds that, when embedded on your website, are updated in real time. So every time you post something on Twitter or Facebook, your post appears on your website. This provides a new story for your website audience every time you post. Posts have comments and 'likes', and social media website embedding tools also come with 'follow' and 'like' buttons. These features create an opportunity for engagement and conversation. They offer an insight into your brand and profile, and increase trust while building a community for your followers. Whether it's your Facebook page or Twitter feed, the fact that your website visitors can see that you posted something recently gives them reassurance that you exist, you are an active business and you are accessible. Live content boosts your traffic as it channels your website visits from your website to your social media and vice versa. But traffic alone is not enough. It has to be good quality traffic that stays, engages and eventually converts into a transaction. When embedded on your website, social media feeds attract your visitors' attention for longer. You can use the embedding widgets as tools to infuse client testimonials, reviews and comments. This makes your website content interesting, useful and valuable, which in turn increases the duration of visits. Social media has transformed the way people buy and sell. Small businesses are empowered to use live website content to connect with visitors, and that's what separates us from larger, more impersonal corporations. Share your thoughts @Linguist_CIOL using #TheLinguist.