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/1149191
The all-party group learnt about European embassies' language education support. Philip Harding-Esch reports Inside parliament At its last meeting, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Modern Languages marked the important work of the embassies of EU countries in supporting language learning in Britain. Embassies work with partners across the UK, including the DfE (Department for Education) and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as institutions such as the British Council and British Academy, language specialists, universities and schools. There is comprehensive support from Germany for teachers and students of German in the UK. The Goethe Institut runs four networks across the country for schools and universities, supported by a range of resources and a programme of internships in Germany. Its Football Connects initiative promotes UK-German relationships and mobility, including football trips to Germany. French is still the most studied language in the UK, and through the Institut Français and its network of Alliances Françaises, France provides a range of services. In addition to supporting 15 French-curriculum schools and 55 French supplementary schools, it is working on creating French-English bilingual streams of education in mainstream schools. Its other activities include teacher training events for primary and secondary teachers, pilot programmes in disadvantaged areas, free educational resources and competitions. In 2018, the Spanish Ministry of Education published a report on the growth of Spanish in UK schools. One of the Spanish Embassy's key programmes is the Spanish Visiting Teachers' Programme (SVTP), run with the DfE, in which Spanish teachers are recruited to the UK. The embassy runs CPD and has provided support at local level. The Italian Consulate has partnerships with UK schools to support Italian and help source teachers. It facilitates one-to-one support, trips, resources and access to arts and culture. These four embassies provide invaluable strategic and logistical support for language assistant programmes and DfE work. They have also collaborated on the primary languages game and assessment tool, The Languages Magician, alongside the Association for Language Learning (ALL). Collectively, they had three key messages: 1 UK business needs language skills; business relationships with Europe are suffering. 2 Languages are key for young people's mobility across Europe; more so post-Brexit. 3 Languages are linked to better self-esteem in young people; they round out their education. The embassies committed to a common single access point to help UK stakeholders access support. In the meantime, UK schools can contact the embassies directly for services. 6 The Linguist Vol/58 No/4 2019 ciol.org.uk/tl NEWS & EDITORIAL In the media PHILIP HARDING-ESCH Summer began with a series of good news stories, with a rise in the number of GCSE and A-level entries in languages, thereby increasing the number of Ebacc entries (GCSEs in five core subjects including a language). This comes alongside a 3% growth in arts subject GCSEs – a welcome rebutting of the narrative pitting modern foreign languages (MFL) against the arts. The TES reported a 22% increase in the number of trainee MFL teachers. These positive trends were tempered by a major Guardian story claiming that harsh marking in exams in England is "killing off" languages, prompting a response from Ofqual. SchoolsWeek reported that Russell Group universities have "ditched" their list of preferred A-level subjects, including MFL. The BBC threw a spotlight on Northern Ireland, where MFL entries have fallen 40% in a decade. In Scotland, there was debate about whether the Curriculum for Excellence is to blame for poor MFL uptake, especially in deprived areas, despite the rise of Gaelic-medium education. The TES also warned us to "beware lazy typecasting of working-class pupils" when analysing statistics regarding MFL. As researchers and politicians called for public policy to recognise the UK as a multilingual society, the media depiction of UK multilingualism remains mixed. While The Sun described the NHS as the "International Health Service" for providing translation in GP surgeries, the BBC ran a much more sensitive video on "London children learning their mother tongue". A psychopathic assassin makes for a questionable linguistic hero, but the return of Killing Eve to BBC One set social media alight, with many wondering how actor Jodie Comer mastered so many languages and accents. It turns out she actually lied about her language skills to land the role: "You always get told if in an audition you get asked if you can ride a horse you say yes, even when you can't." Philip Harding-Esch is a freelance languages project manager and consultant. Philip Harding-Esch works on behalf of the British Council to support the APPG on Modern Languages. TL © SHUTTERSTOCK