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/271849
Vol/52 No/1 2013 FEBRUARY/MARCH The Linguist 23 FEATURES in local government in various senior positions, and I was offered the opportunity to set up a scheme to teach primary school French in my local county of Norfolk. Also, in my spare time, I lectured at Cambridge University on aspects of French civilisation. I've used my French to its all. Every guise you can think of.' Most recently, she was Chairman of the Franco-British Society (2005-2011), for which she was awarded a Légion d'Honneur – the French equivalent of a CBE. In politics too, 'I used my French all the time. As Minister of Agriculture, I spent an enormous amount of time in Brussels. And as Employment Secretary of State, I worked closely with Martine Aubry, a very well known French politician who might even have been the French Prime Minister this time round had she not fallen out with François Hollande.' She worked well with the French Agriculture Minister too. 'I remember visiting his constituency of Cahors, which is quite a rural area, and he was terrified because they were going to have a demo of farmers. I said, "You don't have to worry about demos – we quite like them at home." It relaxed him. It showed him it wouldn't be an issue of national shame. In the end, it snowed, so we had snow ploughs and I said, "There you go – c'est une barricade!" In England, we feel that the public's choice to demo is their right. That's our version of democracy.' On this point, she has a lot to say. As an MP in the 1990s, 'I began to doubt the possibility of translation as a means of communication between nations, and I still do'. She explains: 'For example, if a French person says "I'm a democrat", he means something different from a British person who's saying the same thing.' She believes this is the root of some of the troubles within the EU. 'I worked on a project based on support for community groups in France,' she says. 'We asked them what they thought democracy was. We did a questionnaire in French and in English, and do you know what? It turns out that the French think that democracy is something to do with freedom from the church, freemasonry and electing local mayors. That is not what the British think democracy means, not at all! They think it's freedom of speech, freedom of access and action. This is a pretty important concept. You need more than the word,' she concludes. 'You need the concept – and that's why it's so important that people go on learning languages. Mechanical translation through a computer, although sometimes useful, can't replace that.' She's not, however, a Luddite. 'People think I must hate text language. I don't. I love seeing people use and adapt language for their own means. How marvellous is that? This is one of the things about the French – they think the language embodies an ideal and therefore they have the Alliance Française to keep everything in order. But language is organic. And,' she laughs, 'they can't lighten up!' With that, we conclude our meeting and the Baronness escorts me out through the hallowed halls. 'Excuse me,' an elderly Lord bellows after us down a staircase. I turn. 'Do you know how much I love this woman?' And with that, Baroness Shephard is off in conversation once more, engaging another Peer with her love of language. "In the 1980s we tried to convince people that learning isn't hard work. Well it is" walk around with their bread under their arms having been to buy it! 'Because I was so fascinated, when I got to prep school I was what they call "language ready",' she adds. 'I fell on French. I devoured the whole of the first textbook without waiting for anyone else to catch up. The greatest joy was simply to learn these words, the irregular verbs. I just adored it!' This has engendered in her an admiration for language teachers. 'I've got so much respect for people who teach languages at university level, because I think they feel that the tide is flowing away from them. And they obviously have the same attitude to language learning as I do, which is one of enormous enthusiasm.' At school, meanwhile, 'I'm sure there's zeal and enthusiasm among language teachers, but they have been struggling in a system that has been designed to encourage children to think that learning is easy. I think there's been probably too much experimentation in education. Certainly in the 1980s and 1990s, we tried to convince people that learning isn't hard work. Well it is, actually. You can get a flavour, but if you don't learn the structure of language, you can't speak it – and there is no avoiding that. So I think that brought this idea that we won't try because it's too hard.' She believes that the current Education Secretary, Michael Gove, is making efforts to turn this around by 'bringing back a lot of rigour' – a phrase she feels has been much under-used since she left that role. Should this involve making modern foreign languages compulsory at school? 'I think so. Of course there are children who find learning languages difficult, but you really can tailor it. And think what they're missing out on without it!' French in all its guises Despite enjoying French at school, the Baroness didn't make it across the Channel until she was 18 and had already gained a place to study the language at St Hilda's College, Oxford. 'I stayed with a French family with whom I am still close friends,' she says, reminiscing about the smell of the Métro, Gauloises cigarettes, the vanilla scent at the boulangerie. Her languages have been useful throughout her career. 'Before I came to politics, I worked