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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6 The Linguist Vol/59 No/1 2020 ciol.org.uk/tl NEWS & EDITORIAL In the media PHILIP HARDING-ESCH The big news at the end of 2019 was Ofsted's announcement that grading for French and German GCSEs would be brought in line with Spanish, a move characterised by most reporters as making modern foreign languages (MFL) "easier", when it is actually an attempt to redress a situation where MFL GCSEs are harder than most other subjects. In fact, the TES published statistics showing that, even after the new changes, GCSE languages are "still severely graded" and that the reforms "do not go far enough". Shortly afterwards, the Northern Ireland regulator said it would be conducting its own review into the grading of GCSE and A-level language papers. The TES covered the Department for Education's decision to review GCSE MFL content to make it "more accessible and relatable". As the International Year of Indigenous Languages came to a close, the BBC World Service explored the loss of languages in the world today. Its one-hour special entitled 'The World's Languages are Dying' asked "are thousands of languages worth saving and at what cost?" When Nigeria's first ever entry for the Oscars' Best International Feature Film category was disqualified for containing too much English, the arguments were fascinating. While the director argued that Lionheart "represents the way we speak as Nigerians", describing English as "a bridge" between the country's 500+ languages, the BBC's correspondent in Lagos called the decision a "turning point" that could lead to "movies produced in one of the many local languages [being] brought to the world". The rules clearly state that films in the international category must have "a predominantly non-English dialogue", but this all suggests that the monolingual world- views of our institutions may not always reflect the realities of multilingual societies – whether in Nigeria or closer to home. Philip Harding-Esch is a freelance languages project manager and consultant. need to include a broader range of pupils learning through a variety of qualifications geared to different needs." Such qualifications might cover vocational language use and the study of community languages. The situation has led to a shortfall in specialist teachers and the report urged the Home Office to add language teachers to its shortage occupation list to make it easier for schools to recruit from overseas. Government subsidies for university languages were also recommended "to safeguard higher education language courses". A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: "We are committed to ensuring more pupils are studying languages, which is why it is compulsory for all children between years three and nine." See bit.ly/HepiReport. Education experts in the UK have called for language learning to be compulsory until the age of 16 in a bid to reverse the decline in language uptake since 2004, when it became optional at Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16). The report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) pointed to a study showing that British students are "far behind" their peers in the rest of Europe, with less than half now taking a modern foreign language (MFL) at GCSE. Just 32% of young people in the UK can read or write in another language, compared with 75% in Ireland (the third lowest-ranking country), 79% in France and 91% in Germany. "It was a big mistake to scrap compulsory foreign languages at GCSE," said Megan Bowler, author of the 'A Language Crisis?' report. "Rather than continuing to present languages as not suitable for everyone, we Blow to Erasmus's future in UK The UK's continued participation in Erasmus+ looked increasingly uncertain after Parliament voted against legislation that would have made the scheme a priority in Brexit negotiations. About 17,000 British students a year study in other EU countries through Erasmus, with the EU covering tuition fees and a grant of up to €350 (£300) a month. Tabled by Layla Moran MP, the amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill would have required the government to negotiate full membership of the scheme. Learning a new language is among the "huge" benefits of Erasmus, said Moran, adding: "Without Erasmus, the opportunity to study abroad is only available to a select few." Although the Department for Education said it wanted to keep the scheme "if it is in our interests to do so", concerns were raised about the cost. One source was quoted in the press as saying the scheme was "not a priority for the government", and another suggested "there is a definite move to kill it off or at least make it self-funding." Calls for compulsory languages © SHUTTERSTOCK