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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thelinguist.uberflip.com JUNE/JULY The Linguist 29 OPINION & COMMENT It's a challenging time, as Lucianna learns to cope with a range of dialects and Anaïs learns to read The graduate LUCIANNA HARRISON Lucianna Harrison studied German and History at Exeter University. TL Moving to Switzerland has been much more than just an opportunity to improve my French language skills and learn about a new culture. By travelling to some unique places here I have benefitted from a complete cultural experience that would be impossible in most other European countries. Where else could you pass between French- and German- centric towns repeatedly within a single train journey? It taxes your linguistic skills, yet this is what makes the experience so rewarding. With my host family away skiing for the half- term holiday, I had time to myself, and I made the most of it. My friend Lisa and I chose to visit Lyon, a place we knew little about. We were keen to discover a new city, and revelled in the beautiful architecture: the Basilica and Hôtel de Ville were particularly impressive. In March, we took a day trip to Basel, with a brief stop in Bern on the way. Of all the places I have visited in Switzerland, Basel felt like a place where I could live. It is relatively small yet big enough, and the red stone used for major buildings such as the Münster has its own peculiar charm. The people were extremely friendly and, unlike Geneva, Basel has a really relaxed pace of life. The German spoken there is easier to understand than in Bern, since its pronunciation is closer to that of Hochdeutsch. However, the return trip, on a peculiarly tilting train, was one I wouldn't recommend: rather like being on a cross- channel ferry in stormy weather! Even though I have visited several German- speaking areas, Schweizerdeutsch never ceases to faze me. The dialect is so different to what I'm used to. Saying merci instead of danke, and gruezi instead of guten tag or hallo seems strange. Even when I'm speaking Hochdeutsch my vocabulary and confidence completely disappear, yet when I talk to friends in Germany I can converse fluently in German – a language which I am more qualified in than French. The girls, in the meantime, are progressing well at school with their English – particularly Anaïs, who is currently learning to read. This is a process that is proving rather challenging for her and it has really opened my eyes to how difficult the act of reading is when you're new to it. Literacy is something we tend to take for granted in our modern society, unless we are responsibile for looking after young children, but it is incredibly daunting – especially for a 5-year-old – and something I think should be better appreciated. Languages hit the news in an unexpected way during the election campaign. Following announcements by exam boards that they would not be redeveloping GCSE and A-level examinations in 13 'small entry' languages, including Arabic, Japanese, Polish and Urdu, first Tristram Hunt for Labour, then Nicky Morgan for the Conservatives, issued statements to the media saying that they would seek to overturn the decisions. These were covered by the BBC, The Telegraph and others. Meanwhile, in a well-timed move, just before the campaign got going, the SNP announced funding of £7 million to support training for primary language teachers in Scotland – many times the sum set aside for such support in England. There was coverage of the latest Language Trends report, and of the report emanating from the Guardian/British Academy link up, Living Languages. The Daily Mail reported that the awarding body OCR's new GCSE syllabus replaces topics such as holidays and family with up-to-date content including tattoos and tweets. And The Daily Express found its own angle to report on the teacher union ATL's call for more funding and training for English as an Additional Language (EAL), saying that 'struggling' teachers were being forced to use Google Translate to communicate with pupils 'speaking more than 300 languages'. In business news, we heard that Bill Gates' biggest regret is not being able to speak another language, while Forbes magazine ran an article on the importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) in different languages. Hard on the heels of the racist fracas on the Paris metro involving Chelsea fans, The Mirror ran a video of a woman in a 'crazed expletive-ridden rant' against two men who were speaking another language on the Tube. Easier to watch, but totally bonkers, is the YouTube video of a multilingual French bulldog called Junior. Check it out if the news is getting you down! Teresa Tinsley is Director of Alcantara Communications; www.alcantaracoms.com TERESA TINSLEY HAPPY TIMES: Anaïs on a day out