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/1189092
Philip Harding-Esch looks at the various ways language issues are raised by parliamentarians Inside parliament Members of the All-Party Group (APPG) on Modern Languages, which did not meet this term due to the prorogation of parliament, often carry out related work that is outside the remit of the APPG itself. In October, for example, APPG Co-Chair Baroness Coussins (pictured) tabled six Written Questions on a range of language issues, including whether the Department for International Trade is deploying officials with appropriate language skills to negotiate post-Brexit trade deals. Written Questions are put to ministers in writing by MPs or Peers and receive a written answer, whereas Oral Questions are delivered in person in the minister's Chambers. In response to Baroness Coussins' Oral Question on security clearance for Afghan interpreters who are relocated to the UK and seeking work with NATO, the minister undertook to review the procedure. The answers to these questions are in the public domain, 1 providing useful information not only to parliamentarians but to anyone wishing to engage with specific language policy issues. Commons and Lords debates on language issues are also tabled by individual MPs and peers. Ministers replying to the points raised can commit to providing further details, or even to reviewing the government's position. Perhaps the best example of this is the 2015 Commons debate, tabled by Nick de Bois MP, on proposals to axe examinations in lesser-taught languages. In his reply, the Education Minister committed to ask the exam boards "to reconsider their position… tomorrow". The Department for Education (DfE) subsequently worked with the boards to secure the future of these examinations. Commons and Lords Committees are another important part of parliament's work, and language issues can often be found in committee reports. The importance of language skills was highlighted recently in a major report by the Lords Select Committee on International Relations, 'UK Foreign Policy in a Shifting World Order'. Sometimes parliamentarians give a talk or chair an event to promote languages. Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Vice Chair of the APPG, recently gave a major talk at the National Modern Foreign Languages Conference in which she presented the APPG's National Recovery Programme for Languages. It is always worth emailing your MP about a specific issue, as they are responsive to letters from constituents, and this also helps raise the profile of languages in parliament. Notes 1 Parliamentary questions (oral and written) and debates can be found at hansard.parliament.uk or theyworkforyou.com using a keyword search. 6 The Linguist Vol/58 No/6 2019 ciol.org.uk/tl NEWS & EDITORIAL In the media PHILIP HARDING-ESCH September was a good month for stories on language issues that are not always very visible. ITV News ran a report on Daniel Jillings, 13, whose campaign for a GCSE in British Sign Language (BSL) received a boost with an encouraging statement from the Department for Education (DfE) and a report that 95% of people think BSL should be on the curriculum. Meanwhile, Huawei announced a new iOS app which translates books into sign language. FE Week reported on the UK government's plan to give an additional £10 million to ESOL (English as a second language) courses as part of efforts to support social integration. There was good news for the UK's indigenous languages, too, as Duolingo added Scottish Gaelic. The learning app's founder made headlines after telling the i newspaper "how bad language education is" and condemning education technology companies whose goal is "to substitute teachers". The struggles schools in England face when trying to increase modern foreign languages (MFL) provision also gained coverage. The i ran a story about the DfE's new "staying on" bonuses for MFL teachers of up to £9,000, as "research reveals bursaries alone haven't improved teacher retention rates." Similarly, the TES published a scoop on an internal report of a multi-academy trust of schools in England that were considering entering all pupils for BTEC exams, thereby dropping MFL, showing the lengths to which school management may go to in order to improve results. So is it a total horror show?* Not necessarily. 26 September marked the European Day of Languages and it was great to see a wide range of stories – often in the local press – celebrating individual schools' language successes. * Thanks to the i for its list of the best foreign language horror films on Netflix. Philip Harding-Esch is a freelance languages project manager and consultant.