The Tranby Linguist January 2023

THE TRANBY LINGUIST

EDITION 1

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the first issue of The Tranby Linguist, created to celebrate the diversity of languages and cultures across the school, and to offer an insight into aspects of the teaching of languages within Tranby.

This first edition focuses primarily on the Senior School and consists of submissions from pupils, items of interest written by colleagues, and issues of language pedagogy. I hope that you enjoy reading the contents and that you find the experience informative, enriching and thought-provoking.

Mr G Stephenson Head of Languages

‘If you talk to a man in a language he understands that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.’

Nelson Mandela

WELCOME TO THE LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

Mr G Stephenson, B.A. Newcastle, P.G.C.E, M.A. Sheffield Hallam, F.C.C.T..

Head of Languages Faculty, Head of Spanish and Teacher of Spanish and French

They say no-one forgets a good teacher. My early inspiration to study Spanish at the age of twelve stemmed from the enthusiasm, subject knowledge and teaching approach of my Spanish teacher at school, and this early interest was then further fuelled by a school trip to Tarragona the following year. While studying my ‘O’ levels I joined an organised tour of Andalucía with a national tour operator and then spent further periods independently using or studying the language throughout the Sixth Form, as I studied it alongside my other A Levels. During my undergraduate degree at Newcastle University, which consisted of elements of Spanish language, literature and history related to Spain and Latin America, I opted to spend the summer term of my second year in Salamanca at an international language school and enjoyed the experience so much that I then took a further year abroad, during which I taught English at a school in Valencia.

F ollowing graduation in 1987 I worked in industry for three years managing the Spanish department of an international freight forwarding company. I returned to the classroom in September 1990 to train to teach which included a placement in Longcroft School in Beverley under the guidance of my original Spanish teacher. In January 1992 I was appointed to teach a combination of Spanish and Humanities at The Vale of Ancholme School in Brigg before becoming Head of Spanish at Franklin Sixth Form College in Grimsby, where I also taught A Level History. In September 2000 I started as Head of Languages at Hull High School, now Tranby.

During the subsequent twenty-two years I have held a number of responsibilities in addition to those related to languages, such as Coordinator for Newly Qualified Teachers, PGCE trainees and the school's 'Stretch and Challenge' programme. In addition, I have also worked as Principal Examiner for GCSE Spanish for a national Examination Board, PGCE tutor on the Open University’s ‘Flexible PGCE (MFL)’ and for a number of years supported Hull University's PGCE MFL programme as the Spanish specialist. In 2009 I completed a Masters degree in Teaching and Learning at Sheffield Hallam University focusing on MFL methodology, and I am a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching.

I have travelled extensively throughout Spain and have been lucky enough to travel to Ecuador in South America, the highlight being spending a week in the Galapagos Islands.

Mrs V Pick B.A. University of Wales, P.G.C.E., M.A. Warwick. Head of French and Teacher of French and Spanish

I distinctly remember my Year 8 French teacher being asked how long it takes to be fluent in a language. I admit I don't recall her answer but what I do know is that, from that moment on, I was hooked on the idea that I could reach that level. After GCSE and A Level, I read French and Sports Science at the University of Wales, Bangor. During my year abroad, I taught English in a high school near Le Mans (famous for its 24 hour racing) and then worked in the Sports Bar in Disneyland, Paris as a waitress. I remember being offered a position wherever I wanted in the park after they learnt that I spoke French. After finishing my degree, I was desperate to return to Disneyland to audition for the character and parade department. Following a successful audition process, I enjoyed two wonderful contracts helping with the characters in the park and dancing in the parade. Working with an international cast meant that I was often in demand as an English fluent French speaker. Looking back, I could probably have demanded more renumeration for my translation services!

At the end of my second contract, I received an offer from Oxford University to study for my PGCE; I couldn't quite believe that I would be attending Oxford. It was an amazing experience. I started my first teaching post in September 2003 in Scarborough. I moved to a large secondary school near Leeds three years later. My Tranby journey as Head of French started in September 2009. In my time here, I have taught French and Spanish throughout the Prep and Seniors as well as Year 9 English and Sixth Form games. It's been quite the journey...

Mrs N Carrizales M.A., Edinburgh. P.G.C.E. Head of Latin and Teacher of French

H aving finished school with A Levels in English Literature, French and Latin, I graduated with an MA Honours in French from Edinburgh in 1998 and went straight into industry. My Bloomberg years (2000-2005) were spent in French-speaking Switzerland and Monaco hence my accent being difficult for French people to place! I then spent two years living and working in France before returning to the UK to have my children. When they started school in 2011 I went to the University of Hull to study for my PGCE in Secondary MFL. Prior to starting my studies, I volunteered at Walkington Primary (Y6) and South Hunsley (MFL) and my two teaching placements were at Cottingham and Woldgate. I graduated with a First and came straight to Hull Collegiate as an NQT in September 2012. Over the years I have variously taught French, Spanish, German and Latin at every level from Reception to A Level.

Mrs S Milner B.A., Newcastle, P.G.C.E. Teacher of German

I studied German and French at Newcastle University and as part of my degree, I spent a year in Germany teaching English in two schools. I completed my PGCE in Newcastle and then went straight to Wetherby High School where I taught German across the whole age and ability range and French in KS3. I set up and coordinated Key Skills for the Sixth Form and was Assistant Head of Year 8 for several years. I welcomed the opportunity to travel and ran several trips and exchanges to France, Germany and Spain, including a music tour with the school band. It was a privilege to oversee the German language assistants at these schools and to offer the same welcome and hospitality I had received in Germany. I was very involved in mentoring the MFL PGCE students each year and became an examiner for AQA speaking tests in German. I then moved to Ashville College in Harrogate to be in charge of German and was a house mistress in the girls’ boarding house. I had a break from teaching when I moved to Hull and stayed at home to look after my children, but then was lucky enough to start at Tranby in 2015.

Mrs H Wilson B.A. Newcastle, P.G.C.E. University of Leeds Teacher of Spanish and French

After completing A Levels in Spanish, Latin and Religious Studies in 2007 at Wakefield Girls’ High school, I moved onto Newcastle University to study for my undergraduate degree in Combined Honours: Spanish and Latin American Studies and Classical World Culture. One of the reasons why I chose to study a language at university was the opportunity to spend a year living abroad and immersing myself in the culture and to have the opportunity to improve my linguistic skills. I worked for a year as a language assistant in a secondary school and it was this experience that made me keen to work with secondary school age children in the future. I was living in Tarragona in Catalonia and working in the nearby tourist town, Salou. It was a challenge to practise and improve my Spanish, though, as the vast majority of communication both in the school and on the region in general was in Catalan! Nevertheless it was, without doubt, the best year of my studies and it made such a difference to both my written Spanish and the fluency of my spoken Spanish.

Once I had finished my undergraduate degree I decided to complete teacher training at Leeds University completing placements in schools in Pontefract and Wakefield. I managed to get a teaching job as soon as I finished my training and started working at Woldgate College in Pocklington. After a couple of years I then moved to Bridlington School where I worked until December 2019. I then decided to have a short break from teaching in order to spend more time with my son, Benjamin, before joining the languages department at Tranby in September 2020.

Mr C Lleches-Parra, B.Sc, Catholic University of Valencia, M.A. Teacher of Sport and Spanish Language Assistant with Sixth Form

Nacido en España, y criado en Oliva (Valencia), cursé mi educación primaria y secundaria en currículos valencianos y españoles, en diferentes centros educativos públicos y privados, disfrutando el internado y la convivencia con alumnos internacionales. Pasé mi Licenciatura en Educación Física y del Deporte con Matrícula de Honor y mi Máster en Magisterio de Educación Secundaria y Primaria, además de Idiomas, todo ello en la Universidad Católica de Valencia. Mientras estudiaba, trabajé en Valencia dando clases de Educación Física y ofreciendo entrenamiento personalizado de fútbol, por el cual tengo una gran pasión después de jugar profesionalmente en el Real Madrid, Vila-real, Ross County y otros clubes de fútbol.

Cuando me mudé al Reino Unido en septiembre de 2011 después de conocer a mi esposa, nacida en East Yorkshire criada y orgullosa, comencé a trabajar en Hull Collegiate School (Tranby) enseñando fútbol a los niños y me ofrecí como voluntario el resto del tiempo, ayudando con los idiomas. En 2012 fui nombrado asistente de profesor y la escuela aumentó gradualmente mi tiempo de enseñanza para convertirme en profesor de educación física a tiempo completo, además de ayudar a los alumnos de Bachillerato a prepararse para sus exámenes de español.

Me encanta la cultura británica de hablar directo, la mentalidad trabajadora y el sentido de patriotismo compartido en todo el país. Debo admitir que, a pesar de apreciar los diferentes climas estacionales, todavía extraño el clima más cálido de mi patria.

Translation at end of publication

Mr G Stephenson

Mrs S Milner

Mrs V Pick

Mr C Parra

Mrs N Carrizales

Mrs H Wilson

SURVEY OF PUPILS’ SECOND LANGUAGE

It may be a surprise to many readers that across the Tranby Prep and Senior schools we have twenty-three languages spoken to varying degrees at home, in addition to English. These languages are:

Afrikaans Greek Portuguese Urdu

Arabic Italian Pashto Yoruba

Bengali Lithuanian Russian

Bulgarian Norwegian Shona

Chinese Panjabi Spanish

Dutch Persian Tamil

French Polish Turkish

This wonderful range of languages greatly enriches our Tranby community and provides a wealth of opportunities to learn from and appreciate different cultures, values and experiences. Some of our pupils have written a short text about their own particular language, below.

Sebastian, Year 7 - Spanish

My name is Sebastian and at my home I speak Spanish to my parents and wider family who are in South and North America. Spanish is spoken in every single country in South America except Brazil and all Central American countries speak Spanish except Belize where they speak English even though more than half of its population speaks Spanish instead. Spanish is also spoken in Equatorial Guinea in Africa. Over 500 million people across the globe speak Spanish.

Here are some facts about the Spanish language:

•Lots of South American countries speak Spanish because the person who discovered America was from Spain and was known as Christopher Columbus

•Spanish is a Romance Language derived from Vulgar Latin

•Spanish has inverted question or exclamation marks at the beginning of the sentences

•Spanish has some unique words that can’t be translated, like other languages

Although I do know some Spanish I am aware it is average. I have chosen Spanish as my language at Tranby as I would love to fully understand what both sides of my family speak since most of them don’t know much English.

Sheema, Year 13 – Urdu

At home I speak Urdu, which is the national language of Pakistan. There are four main provinces in Pakistan which all have their own languages in addition to Urdu: my family come from Punjab so I can also speak some Punjabi, but I am much more confident with Urdu. Urdu is a mix of Sanskrit, Hindi, Arabic and Persian, and it is spoken by over 170 million people. The reason that I am fluent in Urdu is because my grandma lives with me, and to communicate with her I need to speak Urdu on a daily basis. This also allows me to have conversations with my relatives when we visit Pakistan. Conversational Urdu has many similarities with Hindi due to their shared origins, meaning that in the past I have been able to talk to people that speak Hindi, and I am able to understand Bollywood movies. There are differences between Urdu and English, such as the fact that Urdu is written in the Persian-Arabic script and it is read from right to left, but due to British-colonialism, Urdu has also picked up English words. Similarly, there are English words which have been taken from Urdu, such as jungle, veranda, loot, khaki and many more. Speaking a second language has led me to develop my overall linguistic skills and knowing Urdu has not only allowed me to appreciate my own culture, but other similar cultures that are all connected by language.

Aya, Pre-Sixth – Norwegian

Norwegian is my first language; I speak it at home and with my mum’s side of the family. Norwegian has three extra letters in their alphabet: æ, ø and å but is still considered one of the easiest languages for native English speakers to learn because vocabulary is easy to pick up and the grammar follows a similar structure to English grammar. An interesting fact about Norway is that there are two official languages: Norwegian and Sámi. Not only that but there are also two different versions of Norwegian: Bokmål and Nynorsk. Bokmål is used by the vast majority, but all school children still have to learn both, national broadcaster NRK publish news in both versions of the language, and all public authorities are required to offer forms and other documentation in both variants.

Meesha, Year 12 – Pashto

At home I speak a language called Pashto which is the language some of us speak in Pakistan. Usually those who speak Pashto are Pathaan meaning that we are relatives of people in Afghanistan. The language of Pathaans and some Afghanis is Pashto and because I am from the north of Pakistan this is what I speak at home and with family friends. I have found that it isn’t as common as Pakistanis speaking Urdu, as that is the official language of Pakistan, and because of this I have made many close friends due to our unusual common language. Being bilingual is a very good skill to have as I have found that it allows me to comprehend languages better than those who aren’t familiar with knowing other languages.

Tomek, Year 10 – Polish

I speak Polish at home and when I'm with or calling relatives. Polish is the official language of Poland and no other countries, though there are several million people who speak it outside of Poland, too. Most of those are in Eastern Europe, though there are also many in the UK. In fact, according to the 2011 census, Polish is the most spoken language in England and Wales outside of English and Welsh. In total, it is the first language of about 45 million people, though over 50 million are fluent. The Polish alphabet contains 32 letters and doesn't have the letters Q, V or X. Some letters which are in English are pronounced differently. For example, W in Polish is pronounced like V in English and Polish Rs are rolled. Also, C is pronounced with a sort of 'ts' sound which doesn't exist in English. Despite learning it before English, I still somewhat struggle with grammar and spelling. That being said, I can easily have a conversation in Polish with someone about most topics.

Luca, Year 9 - Italian

At home my mum and I speak Italian. Italian is the only language spoken in Italy but is also spoken in other countries nearby. It is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 million people, Italian is an official language in Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, and Vatican City. I speak Italian fairly well and I usually know what I want to say but have trouble getting it out. I keep in contact with overseas family via text and more commonly FaceTime. When I have time I usually FaceTime roughly once every two weeks.

Tahmid, Year 10 - Bengali

At home I speak a language called Bengali. It is usually spoken in Bangladesh. It is spoken by more than 210 million people as a first or second language. The Indian national anthem was first written in Bengali. Bengali nouns are not assigned a gender. There are two literary styles in Bengali - Shadu and Chlito. I am not fully fluent at Bengali but I understand most of it, I speak it with my mum, dad, both of my grandparents and my aunt. Most weekends I talk to my grandparents who live in Bangladesh. We usually use WhatsApp to talk.

Eva, Year 8 – Dutch

At home I speak a Language called Dutch. It is commonly spoken in Belgium, Holland and Netherlands. I am from Belgium so my variation of Dutch is slightly different to others. However, Dutch is only spoken on one side of Belgium, the other side actually speaks French. Dutch is originally a West Germanic language and there are 28 million Dutch speakers worldwide. Several Dutch words actually made it into English such as anchovy, hoist, skipper and buoy. Dutch has also incorporated many foreign words. I am bilingual and I find it to be amazing. All of my family speak Dutch so at home and when I am visiting the family I don’t speak English at all. I love being able to speak another language and I find that it really helps me with learning other languages too.

Joyce, Year 13 – Arabic

My family and I are from Egypt, meaning I speak Arabic at home. It is spoken in the Middle East and North African region, and has around 20 different dialects, although the Egyptian dialect is probably the most understood amongst Arabs. It is estimated that around 313 million people speak Arabic, being the fifth most popular language in the world. Arabic had a lot of influence on other languages, so it’s always interesting to hear Arabic based words when hearing different languages. Whenever I speak to my family members back in Egypt on the phone, I speak to them in Arabic, so that I can advance upon my vocab and understanding. There are many differences between Arabic and English, the main one being a completely different alphabet, and the fact that English writes from left to right, whereas in Arabic we write from right to left. There are also many letters that exist in the Arabic alphabet, for which there is no equivalent in the English, meaning it’s a very interesting language to read and understand. Being bilingual has been useful in being able to stay in touch with my family and has also increased my appreciation for our Middle Eastern and North African culture and tradition.

Rishan, Year 13 - Tamil

At home, I speak Tamil. It is an official language spoken in Tamil Nadu, India, as well as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore, among other places. The Indian government formally recognized it as a classical language in October 2004. Tamil people belong to south India and speak the Tamil language, the first Indian language. It is the only language in Indian history to achieve this rank. Along with Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Chinese, and Arabic, Tamil is one of the world's seven classical languages. I understand Tamil fluently. However, I struggle when speaking it to family and friends. My mother speaks Tamil to me, and I reply in English but the conversation with my dad is completely in English. I talk to family in Sri Lanka and Canada once a week and have short conversations with them in Tamil. I can speak the basics to the point where I am having a normal conversation, but I sometimes struggle to pronounce the words.

Oluwajomiloju (Jomi), Year 7 - Yoruba

The language Yoruba is spoken by people from Nigeria in the western parts of Africa with over 40 million speakers today Over the years, Yoruba has had different writing systems. In the 17th century, the influence of Muslims meant the introduction of Ajami script. But today, the Latin alphabet is used for the writing. However, it is modified according to the requirements of the Yoruba language. Along with religion and spirituality, mythology, folktales, and philosophy are also very famous among the speakers and most of the culture is based around these folk tales. The Yoruba put a lot of importance on the naming of a child. They think that people spend their lives according to the name they are given so a lot of thought must be put into the matter before naming a child. They also think that twins have natural birth names. The language is also divided into five major dialect groups meaning that pronunciations may differ for different people. Above all you can learn more about the language as different resources range from books to magazines.

Cristina, Year 12 - Afrikaans

I am South African and at home I speak Afrikaans with my family and friends. Afrikaans is a West Germanic language native to South Africa and Namibia. Around 13.5% of the South African population speak Afrikaans as a first language, making it the third most common native language spoken in the country. It is estimated that worldwide, around 8.4 million people speak Afrikaans as their mother tongue. I am nearly 100% fluent in it, but when I’ve been in England for a while, it takes me a couple weeks of being at home and talking with my family to regain my confidence and my fluency. I believe I am very fortunate to be able to speak two languages and it is a great privilege.

Padra, Year 7 - Persian

At home I speak Persian. Persian is spoken in Iran, where my parents were born. The language has almost 70 million native speakers and another 50 million speak it as a second language. The word ‘Iran’ means origin and popularity. The language originated in the south west of Iran and another word for Persian is ‘Farsi’. Persian has been around for 1600 to 1700 years. I can speak fluent Persian but I can’t read it. Every summer I go to Iran and I communicate with my other related family members. I also speak online with them twice a week by WhatsApp.

Yasmin, Year 7 - Turkish

I speak a little bit of Turkish at home because my mum is originally from Turkey. She speaks Turkish, Tatarian and English. Turkish is spoken by 74 million people who live in Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye. Spelling in Turkish is straightforward as once you have learnt the way the letters are pronounced words are written exactly as they are spelt. I Skype my Turkish grandparents nearly every day and speak to them once a week. I know around 100 Turkish words and phrases as we go to Turkey every year. We visit my mum’s hometown, Eskişehir, every few years to see my relatives. My grandparents, Anane and Dede, are here now so I am practising my Turkish every day.

TRANBY'S FIRST LINGUIST

Many of you will have heard of Muriel, the third daughter of Arthur and Mary Wilson of Tranby Croft, born in 1875. She was an accomplished amateur actress, mixed with royalty and other high society folk, and helped local and national charities. She was perhaps best known for turning down the proposal of marriage from a certain Winston Churchill. However, she was also a keen linguist. As Gertrude Attwood wrote in her book The Wilsons of Tranby Croft, ‘She spent much of her early life at Tranby Croft and received her education there at the hands of the governesses. When she was very young she had a little French nursemaid, Marie Deschamps, who was very young herself, but able to ensure that Muriel would speak French and English with equal fluency. Later, her governess was Florence Isabel Brown, who coped with the necessary French grammar, with English Literature, spoken and written English … Muriel was receptive to literature and languages, rather than to music at which her mother and elder sisters shone.’

She retained her love of languages all her life and used French to good effect in another of her passions, performing. In 1909 The Arbroath Herald reported that ‘Miss Wilson plays in French as successfully as she does in English and has often figured as a star performer in amateur theatricals at Chatsworth, and other famous houses.’

Her father Arthur built a beautiful villa at Cap Ferrat in the south of France which he called Villa Maryland, and Muriel and her mother were especially fond of spending much time on the Riviera following Arthur’s death in 1909. When not in France she was usually in London, enjoying the attention of a number of suitors and on occasion flirting, with the Portuguese Minister the Marquês de Soveral; ‘Si tu ne viens pas au bol vendredi soir, je ne te parle plus jamais, jamais, jamais!’ she once wrote.

During the First World War she became a VAD nurse and was described by the Daily Mirror in 1915 as a ‘beautiful war nurse’ who was ‘charming and versatile, a fine linguist, speaking French and Italian well’ and in another article in 1916 one of their journalists wrote that she ‘met Miss Muriel Wilson coming out of a book shop the other morning wearing one of the new long skirts. The book she carried was a volume of French poetry. She is one of the most accomplished French scholars in society, and to hear her recite in French is something of a revelation.’ She spent a period working for her sister Tottie who had established a hospital at her and her husband George Holford’s house, Dorchester House, in London, before moving to another hospital in France to help Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland. The Sheffield Telegraph in 1917 described her as ‘an accomplished linguist’ who knew Italian well because of ‘prolonged stays in Venice’ and wrote that she ‘speaks French as much like a Frenchwoman as is possible for a Briton.’ Muriel married an army officer who she met at Dorchester House but was soon widowed.

Muriel continued to divide her time between Charles Street in London and Maryland before returning to London around 1950 to spend the rest of her days at Cannon Hall. It is here she lived a quiet life in the company of her French companion and housekeeper, Mademoiselle Jeanne (Marie) Beliac. However, she became weary and suffered increasingly from "tiresome attacks of old age" as she put it. She eventually died on 19 October 1964 in the arms of Jeanne. She was the last of the Wilsons to have lived at Tranby Croft.

Muriel Wilson (later Warde) in front of Tranby. Photograph from Muriel’s own photograph album held by Tranby Archives.

Mr G Stephenson

CULTURAL TOPICS AT A LEVEL

CULTURAL TOPICS AT A LEVEL

The cultural topics of the AQA A Level specification cover both literature and film and are worth 20% of the final qualification. One book and one film, or two books, are chosen from a list provided by the Examination Board. Below are synopses of the various works we have recently taught.

SPANISH

EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO by Guillermo del Toro

The film is set in 1944, five years after the end of the Spanish Civil War. The narrative intertwines the real world of Franco’s Nationalist troops relentlessly hunting down the last remnants of the Republic (or Maquis) who are offering resistance in the region and the mythical world centred on an overgrown labyrinth and mysterious faun creature. The main character, Ofelia, interacts with the faun and a number of strange creatures which lead her through a series of tests as she attempts to shun her cruel father-in-law, Captain Vidal, and return to the underworld as Princess Moana. The film opened in 2006 and quickly received widespread acclaim, with much praise for its animatronics, make-up and CGI effects which contributed to it grossing $83 million at the box office and numerous international awards.

LAS BICICLETAS SON PARA EL VERANO by Fernando Fernán Gómez

A play which starts in 1936, just before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. The story is based around a family living in Madrid, and the relationship between themselves and their neighbours and friends during the war. The title refers to the bicycle which Luisito, the youngest member of the family, desperately wants his father to buy him. His father promises to do so, but the delay lasts as long as the war itself and by the time his father offers it to his son Luisito’s priorities and outlook have changed owing to the experience of three years of hardship during the siege of Madrid. In addition to the theme of family and lost youth, the plot explores the topics of human survival and adaptation against adversity.

EL CORONEL NO TIENE QUIEN LE ESCRIBA by Gabriel García Márquez

Written between 1956 and 1957 and first published in 1961, this is a short novel which the author considered to be his best work. The story, set during the years of ‘La Violencia’ in Colombia, is based on an unnamed retired Colonel, a veteran of the Thousand Day’s War, living in poverty but who still hopes to receive his pension which he was promised fifteen years earlier. The Colonel lives with his asthmatic wife in a dilapidated house on the edge of an isolated village under martial law. Topics such as corruption, despair and hope all feature in this wonderful novel.

GERMAN SOPHIE SCHOLL - DIE LETZTEN TAGE by Breinersdorfer

A film launched in 2005, this is a historical drama directed by Marc Rothemund and written by Breinersdorfer. It is a film covering the last days in the life of Sophie Scholl, a young student and member of the anti-Nazi resistance group the ‘White Rose’, caught distributing clandestine leaflets. She was found guilty of high treason and condemned to death on the same day, 22 February 1943. On the review website Rotten Tomatoes it states this "a film that begs the audience to reflect upon their own courage and strength of character in light of this young heroine's daring story"

DER BESUCH DER ALTEN DAME by Dürrenmatt

A 1956 tragicomic play set in three acts and written by Swiss dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt. The play is based on a wealthy older woman who returns to her impoverished hometown of Güllen to make a bargain with the local population. If they kill the man who made her pregnant and then jilted her she would provide enough money to revitalise the old town. The townspeople agree.

FRENCH

NO ET MOI by Delphine de Vigan

Thirteen-year-old Parisian Lou Bertignac has an IQ of 160 and is considered brilliant, but it comes at a cost. Being two years ahead of her age group she finds it difficult to relate to her peers, and her difficulties are compounded by problems at home, after the death of her baby sister four years earlier her father secretly grieves in the bathroom and her mother has become very withdrawn, rarely leaving the house. When her teacher asks pupils to do a presentation in class Lou decids to focus on homelessness, having met a homeless young woman at the Austerlitz train station where she goes to watch the emotions of people arriving and leaving the station. Gradually Lou and No become friends and Lou is drawn in by a strange sense of belonging. When the project ends, No disappears. Heartbroken, Lou asks her parents if No can live with them. They agree, but No betrays their trust. The novel draws to a close with Lou having to choose between No and her family …

LA HAINE by Mathieu Kasovitz

This is a 1995 French crime drama film chronicling a day and night in the lives of three friends from a poor neighbourhood of a French suburb. Vinz, a Jew, Said, an Arab, and Hubert, a black boxer have grown up in this district where there is a significant cultural diversity and a racist and oppressive police force, raising tensions to a high level. In the riots the previous night Vinz found a policeman’s handgun and promises to use it on a police officer if his friend Abdel, beaten whilst in police custody, dies in hospital. Only by doing this does he feel he will gain an element of respect in the community. The title comes from a line spoken by one of them, Hubert: "La haine attire la haine!", "hatred breeds hatred!".

UN LONG DIMANCHE DE FIANÇAILLES by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

A romantic war-drama produced in 2004. It is a fictional story about Mathilde, a young woman, who desperately searches for her fiancé who might have been killed during the First World War. She is all the while driven by the constant reminder of what her fiancé had carved into one of the bells of the church near their home, MMM for Manech Aime Mathilde (Manech Loves Mathilde) a pun on the French word aime. During her search she learns about the harsh system used by the French government to deal with soldiers who tried to escape military service at the front. The story is told from the point of view of Mathilde in Paris and the countryside around Brittany and through flashbacks to the battlefield.

Mr G Stephenson

LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUGES DOWN UNDER

Jasmin is a pupil at a Montessori School in Mount Coolum in Queensland, Australia, and is currently spending this term at Tranby to develop an understanding of the British education system.

Learning languages in Australia is quite similar to that of the United Kingdom in so far as most schools have the option to learn one of three major languages - German, Spanish and French although with the addition of Mandarin. This is because Australia has a significant number of migrants who come from nearby Asian countries.

In Australia pupils start learning a language other than English (LOTE) in Year 1. However, at my own particular school students start learning Mandarin in the early years classrooms which is ages 3 - 5. We then continue to learn Mandarin until we reach Year 10 when we are given the opportunity to branch off and learn other languages such as Italian, French, Spanish, German, and then only once we reach Years 11 and 12 are we able to stop learning LOTE entirely if we want to do so - which most people usually do in favour of other subjects.

In my experience I have always enjoyed Mandarin and chose to continue it when I was given the option to change languages because I felt I had built a good understanding of how the language worked and I found that the lessons we did were the most fun as we would often go and sit outside. It was also the only lesson where the entire class would be together because I go to a Montessori school which entails a lot of independent learning and to be fair I wasn’t exactly opposed to the dumplings that they brought in every now and then! Jasmin, Year 12.

Basic Mandarin Phrases

Hello: Nǐhǎo (Nee how)

Thank you: Xièxiè (Shieh-shieh)

You're welcome: Bù kèqì (Boo kuh-chi)

Good morning: Zǎo (Zhow)

Goodnight: Wǎn ān (One-un)

My name is…: Wǒ jiào... (Wuh jeow...)

I don't understand: Wǒ bù dǒng (Wuh boo dong)

Yes: Shì (Sheh) No: Bù shì (Bu-sheh)

Good: Hǎo (How)

Bad: Bù hǎo (Boo-how)

Today: Jīntiān (Jeen-tian)

Tomorrow: Míngtiān (Meeng-tian)

Yesterday: Zuótiān (Zwuh-tian)

Goodbye: Zàijiàn (Zhai-jian)

KEY STAGE 3 STRETCH AND CHALLENGE IN LANGUAGES

As part of the KS3 Stretch and Challenge programme, pupils who show a particular interest in and propensity for language learning are invited to attend an extra-curricular session on the ‘Evolution of Language’, during which we compare Chomsky’s theory of the ‘Language Acquisition Device’ with the process of actively learning a language. Briefly, Chomsky theorises that infants are born with an innate facility for acquiring language and that, unless they have a significant innate knowledge of grammar, they would be unable to learn language as quickly as they do. He further postulates that languages are infinite in terms of sequence of word forms and grammar, and that an infant selects from the infinite grammars that which is correct for the language presented; they track word patterns, find clues from language sounds and surroundings, use those patterns to gather grammatical information and that language must be acquired before speech can be produced which is also dependent upon the physical development of oral and lingual muscles brought about with the weaning process. We also compare the adaptation and exaptation theories of original language development and track patterns across world languages.

Mrs N Carrizales

ANCIENT HEBREW

My interest in Hebrew started in 2010 when I was offered the chance to study the language of the Old Testament as part of a Biblical Studies degree I had undertaken as a mature student. I found many aspects of the language fascinating: the different alphabet, unusual script and the counterintuitive direction of reading, right to left.

The Masoretic Text is the ancient text that forms the basis of all translations of the Old Testament. On first glance a modern reader is presented by what looks like a code. The consonants are written in large letters and form complex compound word that make up often quite short sentences. The vowels are added in above and below these letters, often in the form of a dot or a dash.

The process of learning such a different language is immensely rewarding. I found it fascinating to see how my brain would learn and recognise previously alien forms for words, showing how with just a bit of time invested languages can reveal themselves to us. As with all languages it is also very enriching to one’s own life to see how different cultures express ideas in different ways, giving us more insight into the human condition and how to live well in the world.

Below are the first 4 verses of Psalm 23.

The first line reads Mizmor ledavid which means “A Psalm of David.”

The first half of the second line reads YHWH roiy, lo ‘echsar. “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”

Mr M Beardsley

YEAR 9 LANGUAGES DAY

Each February all pupils in Year 9 are taken off timetable to participate in a series of activities aimed at raising awareness of the importance of learning foreign languages. The day consists of a Euro Quiz, Treasure Hunt, a world cooking event and an ‘Around the World in 80 Clues’ activity. Various colleagues also contribute to the day: Ms Hannah to talk about the Maori language and culture, Mrs Bloomfield to talk about her early experiences of Italian and Mrs Harding who talks about careers using languages. It Is always an excellent day which never fails to get the pupils focusing on just how important it is to be multilingual in today’s ever-changing world.

This academic year the day will be held on Tuesday 31 January 2023

Mr

G Stephenson

WHAT IS THE FCSE AND WHY DO WE DO IT AT TRANBY

All pupils studying a Modern Foreign Language follow the FCSE (Foundation Certificate of Secondary Education) in Year 9. This is an award written and accredited by AQA, and is conducted and assessed internally within our school but moderated by AQA. There are a number of reasons why we offer this: it gives pupils a qualification at the end of Year 9 which officially recognises the three years of work covered during Key Stage 3, it sets pupils achievable targets to work towards during the year, it subsequently provides an element of motivation and focus, and it provides an opportunity to reflect on whether further progression to GCSE in Key Stage 4 is a realistic option. Pupils are tested in all four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) across three different topic areas, and this assessment replaces an internal examination at the end of the school year. Successful outcomes are awarded at Distinction, Merit or Pass level. We have never had a Fail!

Mr G Stephenson

HOW WAS FRENCH EXAMINED ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN 1858?

In 2008 when I was on an Examiner’s meeting in Cambridge, I picked up a book written by the Cambridge Assessment team to commemorate 150 years of assessment. It contained examination papers in a number of subjects dating to 1858, and provided a fascinating opportunity to compare what pupils of similar ages to our pupils in Key Stages 4 and 5 today were expected to deal with a century and a half ago.

The book’s introduction sets out the context quite clearly. ‘For 130 years, until a National Curriculum was introduced, examination syllabuses were the most comprehensive statements about what sixteen-and-eighteen-yearolds should learn in British schools. The Local examination papers below, for 1858, give a unique insight into what leading university teachers thought should be taught to secondary school pupils. At the time these papers would have been seen as modern. There would have been many secondary schools then which did no more than give their pupils a little Latin and no Greek. The option to be examined in French and German, modern languages, was thus significant.’

I begin this item with comments from a member of today’s examination body, and then include papers for local examinations in French at Junior and then Senior level. Similar papers for German, Latin and Greek are available should any reader be interested to see them.

'Between 1858 and 2008 there is one significant change and one sempiternal similarity. The first examination reflects the content of the French textbooks used in schools for decades, in which (a) the French are depicted as barbaric and/or wildly eccentric and (b) the textual content (here belligerent Turks and an enigmatic analogy between the moral state of France and the aftermath of the eruption of Vesuvius) is gloriously remote from the daily lives of the candidates and their French counterparts. The sempiternal similarity is the examiners’ complaint that candidates’ grammar is weak. It would be interesting to compare the scripts.’

Reproduced by kind permission of Cambridge University Press and Assessment Archives and Heritage. Source: 1858 Question Paper Book produced in 2008 to commemorate 150 years of Cambridge Assessment (1858-2008). Ref. UCLES examination question papers, Cam.c.11.51.1.

Mr G Stephenson

JUNIOR PAPERS

SENIOR PAPERS

MRS PAHWA, TEACHER OF SCIENCE (CHEMISTRY)

I speak the Hindi language at home as I am from India. There are 28 states, and each state has its own official language. I belong to the state of Haryana which is in the north where Hindi is the prominent language. I did my Masters in Chemistry in India and I was in the teaching profession there for two years. There are different cultures / religions present in different parts of India. In the north, we celebrate Diwali, which is festival of lights, Holi which is the festival of colours, Navratri, Durga pooja and Ganesh Chaturthi. I moved to this country in 2014 and I love the Christmas vibe here. All my family still lives in India, but I have lots of Indian friends here and we often meet and celebrate our culture.

Mrs Q Pahwa

THE ORIGINS OF VALENCIANO

Commons

Llengua valenciana és el nom oficial, històric i tradicional utilitzat a la Comunitat Valenciana (Espanya), i extraoficialment la forma de referir-se a la “llengua romànica” també coneguda com a Català des de l'Estatut d'Autonomia de la Comunitat Valenciana de 1982 i La Constitució Espanyola reconeix oficialment el valencià com a llengua regional.

El valencià és una llengua derivada del llatí i amb influència de l'àrab, que es parlava en l'antic Regne de València, tal com va afirmar Jaume I en conquistar pacíficament la ciutat de València en el segle XIII en la redacció dels furs ("Perquè els valencians de tot el regne els entenguen i puguen complir-los" va ordenar que es traduïren a la llengua que el poble parlava: el romanç).

Existeixen dos teories generalitzades sobre l'origen del valencià:

1. La teoria mozarabista (valencianista). Explica la continuïtat poblacional i lingüística a València durant el domini musulmà. Diglòssia (àrab i romanç) i fins a Triglosia (àrab clàssic, àrab dialectal i romanç) practicada a l'Espanya musulmana. Els responsables de mantindre la llengua, els mossàrabs, residents així com els muladíes, convertits a l'Islam però que van practicar un bilingüisme diglòssica: àrab per a l'administració i la cultura i romanç valencià en les seues cases. Una de les evidències que presenten els defensors de l'antiguitat del valencià és la proximitat de les arrels de les seues paraules al llatí, d'on es deduiria que la llengua valenciana es deriva del llatí parlat en la península Ibèrica fins a la invasió musulmana (segle VIII).

2. La teoria de la repoblació; el Regne de València va ser colonitzat per catalans, en regions costaneres i per aragonesos, en comarques interiors. Segons aquesta idea, la invasió islàmica del segle VII en la península Ibèrica va produir un tall cultural de tal envergadura que es van perdre les seues arrels i la seua llengua. Amb la conquesta de València per Jaume I, aquesta teoria defensa que el valencià és el resultat de la parla catalana, encara que l'idioma català, no va ser oficialment reconegut fins més tard.

Aquesta teoria pressuposa que a València, no quedava cap habitant després de la conquesta, malgrat ser una conquesta totalment pacífica, i malgrat haver-hi abundants evidències sobre la permanència d'aquests mossàrabs en segles posteriors. Aquesta teoria és defensada per grups que s'encarreguen de desprestigiar el valencià aconseguint que molta gent deixe de parlar-lo en públic perquè pensa que és una llengua incorrecta.

Mr C Parra

Translation at end of publication.

Similarities between Valenciano and Castellano

Valenciano Castellano English

Bon dia Buenos días Good morning

Bona nit Buenas noches Good evening

Adéu Adiós Goodbye

Fins demà Hasta mañana See you tomorrow

Com estàs? ¿Cómo estás? How are you?

Què tal? ¿Qué tal? How are you?

Molt bé, i tú? Muy bien. ¿Y tú? I’m well, and you?

Com et dius? ¿Cómo te llamas? What’s your name?

El meu nom és… Mi nombre es … My name is…

Per favor Por favor Please

Gràcies Gracias Thank you

Valencian Language Origins (Valencià)

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE KEY STAGES AT TRANBY

The following extracts of pupil work show how the level of language develops across the school as pupils move through the Key Stages. Examples are taken from November 2022, and therefore relatively early in the academic year. You will see that, initially, pupils write in short sentences which are gradually extended by using a range of connectives, and time frames (past and future) become evident from Year 8 onwards. More specialised vocabulary is used, particularly at Key Stage 4; in the case of Year 10 Elliot who has written a piece on school subjects and teachers (to illustrate grammar accuracy, not the truth) includes comparatives and superlatives, and in Pre-Sixth Phoebe uses the ‘se + third person’ structure and the conditional tense, along with a range of interesting vocabulary to fully justify the importance of fiestas in a most convincing way. Meesha in Year 12 shows an ability to use and adapt complex language to express her views on mobile phone technology.

Year 7 (ab initio)

Me llamo Maria. Vivo en Beverley. Soy divertida y también generosa. Mi pasión es el baile. Mi héroe es Shakira. ¡Es genial! Tengo dos perros que se llaman Rosie y Suzie. Son ‘cavapoos’. Son blancos y negros. Rosie tiene seis años y Suzie tiene cuatro años. Me gusta mucho salir con mis amigos porque es divertido. También me gusta ver la televisión porque es interesante. Pero no me gusta escribir correos porque es estúpido y no me gusta nada leer porque es aburrido.

Maria.

Year 8

Hola. Me gusta la música electrónica, pero escucho de todo. Mi cantante favorito es Bruno Mars y mi canción favorita es ‘Me enamora’ porque me gustan las letras.

Mi móvil es mi vida. Todos los días saco fotos y dos veces a la semana hablo por Skype. A veces leo mis SMS pero nunca comparto mis vídeos favoritos.

El verano pasado fui a España con mi familia. El primer día mi hermana y yo fuimos a la playa mientras mis padres fueron de compras. El último día mis padres, mis hermanas y yo fuimos a un restaurante. ¡Fue guay!

Sam

Year 9 FCSE

Normalmente el fin de semana salgo con mis amigos al parque. Pero el fin de semana próximo voy a ir al cine con mi mejor amiga.

Para mis pasatiempos me encanta la música. Toco cuatro instrumentos musicales. También me gusta hacer ganchillo porque es relajante. Sin embargo ayer jugué al fútbol con mi hermano. ¡Fue fenomenal!

Cada semana veo la televisión y el fin de semana pasado vi una película de horror. Ayer, después del insti, leí un libro. El fin de semana próximo voy a ir a la bolera. ¡Va a ser guay!

Ava

Year 10 GCSE (Year 1)

A mí me chifla el español porque es la asignatura más relevante y divertida. Otra asignatura que me gusta un montón es el francés porque es la asignatura más interesante y útil. La física me gusta menos y es más dificíl que la química y la biología. Una asignatura muy buena es la educación física porque es la asignatura más práctica. Me gusta mi profe porque me hace pensar y nunca se enfada. Por otro lado mi nuevo profesor de matemáticas es muy impaciente y no es nada tolerante. También mi profesor de geografía crea un buen ambiente de trabajo y tiene buen sentido del humor, pero ¡nos pone muchos deberes!

Elliot

Pre-Sixth GCSE (Year 2)

El verano pasado fui a la ciudad de Pamplona y vi la fiesta tradicional de Los Sanfermines. Entre el 7 y 14 de julio celebran en la calle con más de un millón de españoles y extranjeros. En la fiesta los participantes llevan pañuelos rojos y una camiseta blanca y corren delante de los toros. ¡Que horror! En mi opinión es tan peligroso.

Un día quiero ver la fiesta de ‘El Día de Muertos’ en México. A mi modo de ver ésta es la fiesta más emocionante del mundo. La fiesta se celebra en noviembre y muchas personas visitan los cementerios donde decoran las tumbas con velas y flores. Me gustaría ver la fiesta porque es una gran parte de la cultura mexicana. Creo que las fiestas son importantes porque te dan la oportunidad de divertirte con tus amigos y tu familia, también muchas fiestas y tradiciones tienen una importancia religiosa o histórica – por ejemplo la Navidad y la Noche de las Hogueras en Inglaterra. Además, son populares entre los turistas y por eso ayudan a la economía.

Phoebe

Year 12 A LEVEL (Year 1)

Los móviles tienen un papel muy grande hoy en día. Por ejemplo muchos jóvenes que tienen un móvil lo usan para chatear con amigos y familiares y para ayudar con los deberes. Normalmente el papel más importante de los móviles es que en una emergencia el jóven puede llamar a sus padres. Me gusta mi móvil porque es una herramienta multifunctional y es muy útil y fácil de usar.

Los jóvenes también usan su móvil para acceder a las redes sociales. En mi casa uso las redes sociales para todo y especialmente para compartir videos muy graciosos con mis padres porque a mi padre le gustan los videos de gatos en Internet. Sin embargo, creo que la cantidad de aplicaciones es demasiado y hoy en día las aplicaciones son cada vez más complicadas.

Otra ventaja de los móviles es que una persona puede ser independiente y tener responsibilidades y creo que esto es muy importante para los jóvenes. Pero hay problemas: hay muchos desconocidos que pueden mandar mensajes, llamar y hackear a los jóvenes. Además es muy fácil descargar contenido ilegalmente y esto puede ser peligroso. Otra desventaja es que los jóvenes pueden engancharse a sus móviles y también pueden ser victimas del chantaje.

Meesha

Mr G Stephenson

READ THIS BEFORE YOU THINK GOOGLE TRANSLATE (OR OTHER ON-LINE TRANSLATION TOOLS) IS THE ANSWER!

So, the big question; why spend time learning vocabulary and trying to recycle class notes to write a piece of foreign language text yourself when you can reach for your phone, type in a sentence and get an easy and fast response? Here’s why…

Rather than by translating languages directly, Google Translate works by first translating text to English and then searching for patterns among millions of documents to choose the most probable words before arranging them in the target language. A few years ago it switched to a neural translation engine, which translates whole sentences, using a broader context to help work out the most relevant translation. However, its accuracy varies widely across languages, and because its algorithms are based on statistical or pattern analysis there are many limitations. It does not, for instance, apply grammatical rules. It struggles, for example, with the imperfect and preterite tenses in Spanish, given that its base language of English does not itself distinguish between these two tenses. It therefore confuses habitual and on-going actions in the past and one-time completed actions. All languages can be ambiguous and depend greatly on context which can cause further translation errors. That’s why whenever a pupil asks me how to say something in Spanish I ask for the sentence in English first. Further, when sentences are longer or the text uses literary or familiar/slang language accuracy decreases even more. Consider the following idiom: ‘Somos uña y carne’ an expression in Spanish that means ‘we are great friends’. A literal translation using Google Translate returns ‘We are nail and flesh’. It also struggles with polysemy, when a word has multiple meanings, such as ‘llevar’ in Spanish which can mean ‘to carry’, ‘to wear’ or ‘to take’. Consider also how a word in the one language may have two meanings in the translated one - ‘corner’ in English translates to ‘esquina’ in Spanish on Google Translate, but this is an ‘outside corner’. An ‘inside corner’ is ‘rincón’, which is not given. Remember, a translation which turns out to be 90% accurate can still be completely wrong!

Google Translate is therefore no real substitute. It is not a person. It cannot show you intonation, respond with feeling or creativity, or help you understand a response from a native speaker. It simply gives you a cold, robotic reply. In practical terms it also relies on you having access to the internet and time to input a phrase or extended text but when in the target language country the need to understand language, spoken or written, is more often than not spontaneous.

And finally, remember that your teacher knows not only his or her subject well, but your ability as a pupil too. It will be glaringly obvious that that perfect sentence written to post A Level standard and slotted into your piece of Year 8 writing is not yours! It is much better to listen in class and actively recycle the language you have learnt to produce your own end piece. Do not, in the process, fear making mistakes. Learning from mistakes is a crucial part of the learning process. Do it all yourself and you will feel a sense of real pride when your finished piece receives due credit from your teacher.

Mr G Stephenson

PREP MODERN LANGUAGES CLUB

We encourage Sixth Form pupils to offer clubs to Prep. This helps the older pupils develop their confidence and a sense of responsibility whilst encouraging the younger ones in the early stages of their language learning journey. Meesha writes below about the weekly PMFL activity that she and Jasmin offer:

My activity is primarily for pupils in Years 5 and 6 and they are all very motivated. I think that me being older than them and doing Spanish A Level increases their enthusiasm and I think they are very comfortable around me and love to know my experiences with modern languages in the Senior School. It also really helps that I can explain the positives of choosing to learn a language to the pupils. I don’t teach them anything too difficult, but I have covered topics like colours, personality traits and descriptions of their family in Spanish. I usually let them to decide what we do every week, and they love getting this choice. Most recently they have wanted to learn about “Christmas”. In these sessions I am quite informal and allow them to say what they would like, and I usually end with a type of game they could all play which includes the words I have taught them. I plan to introduce words in different languages in the future. I think that clubs like these are great because they improve the confidence of the youngsters and shows them that learning a language can be great fun.

AN INTRODUCTION TO DR MARCO BAFFETTI, AN ITALIAN NATIONAL AND TEACHER OF MATHEMATICS

Mi chiamo Marco Baffetti e da settembre insegno matematica a Tranby. Sono originario di Verona, una città nel nordest dell’Italia, famosa nel Regno Unito per essere il luogo in cui si svolge “Romeo e Giulietta” di William Shakespeare. Verona offre molte bellezze storiche – la città ha una lunga storia dall’epoca dei romani ai nostri giorni – e naturali, dai monti Lessini al lago di Garda , una meta molto amata dai turisti. La mia vita mi ha condotto in diverse parti d’Europa, dalla Germania, dove ho studiato per il master, a Nottingham, dove ho conseguito il dottorato in matematica, a Manchester e Hull per la mia carriera di insegnante.

Questo girovagare per vari paesi si sposa bene con la mia passione per le lingue, che ho sempre studiato con interesse, perché penso che poche cose come le lingue permettano di conoscere il mondo e addentrarsi in profondità in altre culture. Oltre alla mia lingua madre, l’italiano, parlo l’inglese e il tedesco, e mastico il francese e lo spagnolo, che hanno il vantaggio di essere simili all’italiano. Un mio sogno nel cassetto è imparare il russo per leggere i grandi romanzi di quella letteratura come “Il Maestro e Margherita” di Mikhail Bulgakov, il mio romanzo preferito; a dirla tutta se potessi studierei tutte le lingue. Al momento sto cercando di imparare il thailandese, che è la lingua di mia moglie, per poter condividere la sua cultura. Oltre alle lingue e alla matematica, mi piace molto andare in bici e camminare in montagna. Sono un grande appassionato di musica classica e in particolare adoro l’opera: mi ritengo fortunato perché, essendo italiano, posso capire facilmente il testo di molte opere e perché ho potuto vedere fin da bambino molte opere rappresentate nell’Arena romana di Verona, che è il più grande teatro all’aperto del mondo.

CAREERS USING LANGUAGES

You may be aware that Mrs Harding, our Careers Coordinator, is a linguist too. She speaks French and Russian having studied both at university, was born and brought up in Wales speaking Welsh and lived for a number of years in the Netherlands so she can also speak Dutch. She has used her language skills throughout her career and has had a number of jobs where her ability to speak different languages has been essential. During the last twenty-five years she has worked as a teacher of modern foreign languages in both the UK and the Netherlands, she has worked as a freelance translator for the Police, NHS and the criminal prosecution service and she spent five years as an international seafood trader where she was able, as part of her job, to travel the world.

Language skills can lead directly into a career in translating, interpreting or teaching, and are also in demand in areas such as hospitality, law, publishing and business services but there are many more opportunities than you think. Modern languages degrees typically involve spending a year abroad and this can be an opportunity to find work in a field that interests you and gain relevant experience. Many big graduate employers are multinational organisations and are keen to recruit candidates who are willing to work overseas and can liaise effectively with international colleagues. Studying modern languages is likely to develop interpersonal and communication skills that graduate recruiters value, as well as other key strengths.

Mrs Harding has picked her ‘Top Five’ careers requiring language skills below:

1.

Intelligence Analyst with MI5.

‘Whether spoken by millions or whispered by a few, we know the power of language. MI5 needs people who can speak, understand and listen to a wide range of languages and dialects. The ability to work in one or more languages is a vital skill which helps us in our daily efforts to keep the country safe. As a Foreign or English Language Analyst you will be listening to and analysing a wide range of audio material which will assist and support our teams of investigators. Not only do our Foreign Language Analysts listen, translate and analyse information, they also provide expert insight into a country’s culture, political landscape and history.’

Source: www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/opportunities/languages

2. Political Risk Analyst.

Working as a political risk analyst, you’ll examine issues such as economic conditions, crime levels, threat of conflict, government stability and governance, trade and regulations, or humanitarian and human rights issues. You may work in or with a range of private sector companies to inform business and investment conditions, or on behalf of governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to assist national and international policy making and strategy. Depending on your employer, you may also be known as a country risk analyst, country researcher, geopolitical risk analyst or intelligence analyst.

Source: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/political-risk-analyst

3. Diplomatic Service Officer

As a diplomatic services officer, you'll specialise in the practical side of diplomatic work and will deal with foreign policy and service delivery overseas. You'll also have the opportunity to influence international and diplomatic development.

The FCDO deals with issues such as:

• conflict resolution

• counter terrorism

• trade and investment

• forced marriages

• human rights

• climate change.

Source: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/diplomatic-service-officer

4. Human Resources Manager

A HR (human resources) function in an organisation is responsible for ensuring that a workforce is able to perform optimally, ensuring that there are sufficient people are recruited, retained, trained and supported to fulfil the organisation’s goals and commitments. As such, HR’s remit includes health and safety, recruitment, training, payroll and more. A HR officer (also known as a HR adviser) can be a generalist, who carries out a broad range of duties, or a specialist, who focuses on a particular area. Specialisms include employee relations, careers coaching, health and safety and headhunting. HR generalists are more common in small organisations while larger companies may hire specialists to take on one of these responsibilities as their entire role. In very small organisations, HR tasks may be split between several people who also work on other tasks.

Source: https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions/human-resources-officer-jobdescription

5. Broadcast Journalist

Broadcast journalists research, investigate and present news and current affairs content for television, radio and the internet. Their aim is to present information in a balanced, accurate and interesting way through news bulletins, documentaries and other factual programmes.

Broadcast journalists can occupy a number of roles within the media, including:

• editor

• reporter

• presenter or news anchor

• producer

• correspondent.

Source: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/broadcast-journalist

Mrs J Harding

MRS HARDING ON WELSH

Welsh is one of the oldest languages in Europe. It evolved from Brythonic, the main language spoken in Wales, England and Southern Scotland when the Romans invaded in 43AD. Welsh began to emerge as a distinctive language sometime between 400 and 700 AD and early Welsh poetry survives from this period.

Ten surprising facts about Welsh

1. An earlier form of Welsh used to be spoken in Scotland. In the epic Welsh poem ‘Y Gododdin’ there is a reference to Din Eidyn, “the stronghold of Eidyn”. Edinburgh is called ‘Caeredin’ in Welsh and this fortress has been generally assumed to refer to the rock where Edinburgh Castle stands today. So if you’re Welsh you can stand at the top of Edinburgh Castle and feel quite at home!

2. There are almost as many Welsh speakers alive today as there have ever been at any point. According to the 2020 annual population survey there are 883,600 Welsh speakers today.

3. The ‘unique’ sounds in Welsh aren’t that unusual. The ‘Ll’ sound that appears in so many Welsh place names might be considered by many to be unique to Welsh but it actually appears in a few other languages. It is used in a number of Native American languages including Navajo, Creek and Chipawaya, and also in Zulu, Mongolian, Hmong, Faroese and two dialects of Chinese. It’s also used in Biblical Hebrew. ‘Ch’ is another sound that appears all over the world. Again in Hebrew, but also in Yiddish, German, Afrikaans, Arabic, and many other languages.

4. The word ‘penguin’ very likely comes from Welsh. ‘Penguin’ is thought to come from ‘pen gwyn’ or white head. It was originally applied to the great auk, which does have a white brow. Other words that travelled to English from Welsh include ‘bard’ from ‘bardd’ (poet) and ‘corgi’ from ‘cor gi’ – ‘dwarf dog’!

5. Welsh is the fastest growing language on Duolingo in the UK – according to the Company. They said the number of new Welsh learners using its services rose by 44% in 2020, outflanking Hindi, Japanese, Turkish and French.

6. Welsh speakers are young on the whole, thanks mainly to the growth of Welsh language education. 12-15 year olds are the age group most likely to be able to speak Welsh, with 68% having some ability to speak the language.

7. An earlier form of Welsh was used all over England to count sheep until the early 20th century. The counting numbers used by shepherds remained very similar to modern Welsh – for instance, ‘peddera’ for ‘four’, ‘pip’ for ‘five’ and ‘dix’ for ‘ten’.

8. Welsh has preserved some English words no longer used. For instance, one Welsh word for ‘sweets’ is ‘fferins’ which comes from the English ‘fairing’ – a present bought at a fair. Another example is ‘cnaf’, from the English ‘knave’, which is a common insult in Welsh but little used in English outside of an archaic historical context.

9. Welsh didn’t always have separate words for ‘blue’ and ‘green’.

10. Some Welsh words are similar to French and Spanish. Can you guess the English for the following? Welsh is more like French and Spanish than English. Does that surprise you?

Welsh French Spanish English?

Eglwys eglise iglesia

Plwm plomb plomo

Llyfr livre libro

Trist triste triste

Dolur douleur dolor

From: https://nation.cymru/culture/top-10-unexpected-facts-about-the-welsh-language-that-maysurprise-you/

UNITED KINGDOM LINGUISTICS OLYMPIAD (UKLO)

The UKLO is a voluntary organisation which brings the fun of detective puzzle solving to UK schools using the theme of languages. It creates mysterious puzzles about exotic languages that pupils do not know, and the task is to work out meanings and answers with the help of hints and clues. It sets a competition at different levels corresponding to the different Key Stages, and provides Bronze, Silver and Gold awards as well as participation certificates. The highest scoring pupils proceed through further rounds of testing and coaching before being presented for the International Linguistics Olympiad where they compete against other countries.

The UKLO problems require general thinking skills rather than prior knowledge of either the language or linguistics and are intended to promote a lifelong interest in the world’s languages. General thinking skills tested are pattern-recognition, generalisation, analysis, lateral thinking, attention to detail and attention to the larger patterns. The UKLO is supported by professional associations, university departments, government-funded educational agencies, the British Academy, publishers and schools.

Pupils interested in knowing more about this, which I would like to launch in the summer term 2023 for entry to the competition in February 2024, should speak to me in the first instance.

Mr G Stephenson

REFLECTIONS ON CHANGES DURING THE LAST TWENTY YEARS OF MODERN LANGUAGE TEACHING AT TRANBY

I clearly remember the day I came to Tranby for interview. Arriving at main reception I was met by my predecessor and led through the door with glinting stained glass into the main entrance hall. The magnificence of this beautiful room struck me; it had been almost thirty years since I had seen it for the last time as a pupil and it all came back in a woosh. This was early 2000, and I was interviewed and later offered the position of Head of Languages, starting in September of that year. I readily accepted. I often reflect on the changes and challenges language teaching has undergone in the twenty-plus years since then. At the time my classroom, today the Senior staff room, had moved on from a chalk board with coloured chalk to a shiny write-on white board and felt pens. It was always essential to check if the pen was a permanent or non-permanent marker; using the former could easily incur the cost of board replacement. I used flashcards and items of realia (authentic material) brought back in my suitcase from Spain to introduce key vocabulary. I used photocopies from books and my own handwriting and drawings on worksheets. It was therefore difficult to update resources which generally had to be re-written. I certainly got through a lot of tippex in the day. Listening activities were played on C90 audio tapes from a tape deck at the front of the room. It was not unknown for these to mangle in the machine. If the tape broke rather than twisted it could generally be fixed with Sellotape, though on playing again the sound would, of course, not be heard over the repaired section. It was also essential to check the audio recording on tapes before external listening exams by playing and pausing, playing and pausing throughout the whole tape. One of my greatest fears was a tape snapping during an external speaking examination, or the tape not recording. We were always advised to play back the previous candidate’s test to ensure the recording was there. Fortunately, I never had any mishaps. Videos were played on large televisions and VHS video recorders which had to be booked and wheeled into the classroom in advance of the lesson. The quality of recordings varied enormously. Sixth Form pupils had a small study room next to my classroom and could sit with a small tape player and pilot-sized headphones to further practice the language. After a few years I persuaded the Head Mistress to pay for a satellite system and this opened up satellite television to pupils, though the range of channels was limited, available only at certain times of the day and the programmes were aimed at native speakers. Sixth Formers were fortunate to receive one-to-one speaking sessions with a Foreign Language Assistant through the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges. Gradually the costs involved became too onerous and we ended up paying for native-speaking Student Ambassadors from the University of Hull to offer conversation across our three languages, with variable success. When I became involved in video conferencing and live on-line chats with a school in Buenos Aires and on an Argentinian research base on the Antarctic ice cap this was considered quite revolutionary! Technology started to move at a fast pace. Audio tapes were replaced by CDs, and pupils soon started to use mp3 players and ipods. My classroom had been one of the first to gain an interactive whiteboard, just before the merger, and lessons became more interactive. Gradually I learnt how to download video clips from the internet and embed them in a flipchart, and how to master the movement of text around the screen.

We adapted methodology when we moved from single sex to co-ed teaching with the merger in 2005/06 but all pupils still took a foreign language to GCSE, and this policy continued at Tranby for another decade despite the Secretary of State for Education having announced that it was no longer a requirement to study a MFL after Key Stage 3 in 2004.

Language teaching under the National Curriculum meant teaching to a framework of ‘Attainment Targets’ which specified what pupils should achieve at each ‘Key Stage’ in the curriculum. In 2013 it was announced that these would be dropped which meant there was no commonly accepted means of recording and reporting progress. There was, however, an increased awareness of the need to teach grammar and references to ‘translation’ and ‘literature’ were introduced. We continued to use them as guidance in the meantime.

Today we have a multitude of websites from which to download audio-visual material. You Tube, BBC foreign language channels, on-line newspapers with today’s news from all over the world, are all available at the click of a button. Pupils are no longer dependent on the old tape decks or Coomber CD players which now gather dust in the storeroom but can download material easily via their mobile phones, listening on AirPods which are barely noticeable in the ear. Pupils can be taught remotely, as shown during the pandemic, via Teams, in which teacher and pupil can see each other via video and voice-over power point presentations and flipcharts can be displayed. Feedback to work placed in the Notebook section can be given by the teacher, and materials placed in the files section for pupil access. External listening examinations are now downloaded as sound files over the computer and speaking tests are recorded on digital hand-held recorders and uploaded directly to the Examination Board’s secure website. No longer is trudging to the computer room a necessity as pupils can bring their own devices to the classroom and class sets of ipads are available as back-up. A wide variety of stimulating language games, some with immediate feedback, are regularly played by colleagues on the internet and coursebooks are delivered electronically via the interactive whiteboard, with built-in audio and zooming-in features. With a native-speaking Spanish colleague on the staff conversation sessions with the Sixth Form studying this language are given a real focussed boost.

Such changes represent huge progress and enable my colleagues today to deliver consistently stimulating and engaging lessons in a truly interactive way, using state-of-the-art technology to serve every pupil’s needs.

Mr G Stephenson

JAPANESE AB-INITIO

Outside of school, I have been studying Japanese for around a year. I really enjoy learning languages such as Spanish (which I take for GCSE), but for me Japanese was a whole new experience. It’s not as simple as learning the vocabulary and grammar and then practicing; in Japanese, three different alphabets must be learned: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji (the latter of which has thousands of individual characters that each represent a different word). I picked up this colossal task last year during the second lockdown through an online tutor, when I began the steady process of stumbling through the grammar and new alphabets just to make one simple sentence. Grammar in Japanese is nowhere near as simple as other European languages, there are dozens of new rules and ideas to keep in mind, and the sentences require English speakers to almost think backwards and upside down to understand. However, my basic understanding on how other languages work from Tranby assisted in the process. So far, I feel I’m steadily and improving, and I plan to be able to have substantial conversations in the future, and maybe even become fluent in the fascinating language that is Japanese. Will

MS G HALICZKO, RECEPTIONIST

Cześć! Mam na imię Gosia i urodziłam się w małym miasteczku w południowo-zachodniej Polsce o nazwie Jelenia Gora - cudownym mieście otoczonym górami i lasami. Jako mała dziewczynka często chodziliśmy z rodzicami na grzyby do lasu, a latem większość wakacji spędzaliśmy pod namiotami nad jeziorem, bo mój tata był zapalonym wędkarzem.

Tak więc moje dzieciństwo było bardzo aktywne i większość czasu spędzaliśmy na dworze z innymi dziećmi bawiąc się przez cały dzień.

W rodzinnym mieście studiowalam Filologie Polska, ale z powodu braku perspektyw w 2006 roku zdecydowałem się na wyjazd do Londynu i tak rozpoczęła się moja przygoda w Anglii, która trwa do dziś.

Od samego początku moja kariera w Londynie była związana z biznesem hotelarskim. Po 16 latach pracy w stolicy mogę powiedzieć, że pracowałem dla jednych z najlepszych szefów kuchni w Wielkiej Brytanii. Miałem przyjemność pracować z ludźmi z całego świata, w tym z wieloma Polakami, dzięki czemu miałem okazję rozmawiać w swoim ojczystym języku w miejscu pracy. Jednak była jedna złota zasada, nigdy nie mów w swoim ojczystym języku przy kimś, kto go nie zrozumie. Szczególnie pamiętam jedno takie miejsce –restauracji Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, gdzie było 7 recepcjonistek, w tym 4 z Polski!

Londyn jest moim zdaniem najlepszym miejscem do nauki języka angielskiego oraz zwrotów grzecznościowych w językach innych krajów z całego świata. W ten sposób jestem w stanie powiedzieć „cześć, jak się masz” w co najmniej 10 różnych językach.

Po przeprowadzce do Yorkshire mogę z całą pewnością powiedzieć, że urok i piękno krajobrazu przypomina mi moją ojczyznę w Polsce. Jak i ciepło lokalnej społeczności i świeże powietrze!

Ms G Haliczko

Translation at end of publication.

Picture taken on the highest polish mountain Kasprowy in Tatry, Poland.

WHAT ARE YOUNG PEOPLE LISTENING TO IN FRANCE, GERMANY AND SPAIN?

Listening to music is a great way to learn a foreign language, and one of the best ways to do this is to find songs in the target language, sung by native speakers, and to listen to them over and over again while also trying to sing along. Pupils will quickly learn the words to the song whilst improving their pronunciation skills, extending their vocabulary and extending their grammatical and cultural awareness. Songs feature in many of our Key Stage 3 coursebooks written specifically for the accompanying topic and with carefully controlled language, but authentic songs can also be accessed via the internet. The below is the ‘Top 10’ for France, Germany and Spain’ as per the iTunes listing w/c 21/11/22.

France

1. Jung Kook – Dreamers (Music from the FiFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack)

2. Rihanna – Lift Me Up (From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

3. Aime Simone – Shining Light

4. Harry Styles – As It Was

5. Slimane – Des milliers de je t’aime

6. ROSALíA – DESPECHÁ

7. David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – I’m Good (Blue)

8. Rema – Calm Down

9. Patrick Bruel – Encore une fois

10. Beyoncé – CUFF IT

Germany

1. Jung Kook & BTS – Dreamers

2. Herbert Groenemeyer – Deine Hand

3. Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero

4. Peter Fox – Zukunft Pink

5. Dermot Kennedy – Kiss me

6. Sam Smith & Kim Petras – Unholy

7. Rosa Linn – SNAP

8. Dead Man’s Bones – Lose Your Soul

9. Twocolors – Heavy Metal Love

10. Rihanna – Lift Me Up

Spanish

1. Jung Kook – Dreamers (Music from the FiFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack)

2. Manuel Turizo – La Bachata

3. Pablo Milanés – Yoland

4. Bizarrap & Quevedo – Quevado: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52

5. Abraham Mateo & Ana Mena – Quiero Decirte

6. Ana Mena - Belinda – LAS 12

7. ROSALíA – DESPECHÁ

8. Sebastián Yatra – Tacones Rojos

9. Harry Styles – As It Was

10. Meghan Trainor – Made You Look

Reading the lyrics of a song in the target language can be a great way of learning vocab! Can you identify the song, below?

FELIZ

Parece una locura lo que voy a decir

El sol ha llegado, puedes tomarte un respiro

Soy un globo de aire caliente que puede llegar al espacio

Con el aire, como si no me importara cariño, ya de paso

[Estribillo]

Porque estoy feliz

Da palmas conmigo si te sientes como una habitación sin techo

Porque estoy feliz

Da almas conmigo como si la felicidad fuera la verdad

Porque estoy feliz

Da palmas conmigo si sabes lo que la felicidad es para ti Porque estoy feliz

Da palmas conmigo si sientes que eso es lo que quieres hacer

[Verso 2]

Aquí llegan las malas noticias, hablando de esto y lo otro

Si, dame todo lo que tienes, no te reprimas

Si, bueno, quizás debería advertirte que yo estaré bien

Si, no te ofendas, ni pierdas tu tiempo

Aquí tienes el porqué

[Estribillo]

[Puente]

Feliz, vamos, deprímeme

Feliz, vamos, deprímeme

El amor es demasiado alegre para deprimirme

Vamos, deprímeme

He dicho que intentes deprimirme

Vamos, deprímeme

El amor es demasiado alegre para deprimirme

Vamos, deprímeme

He dicho

[Estribillo x2]

[Puente 2]

Deprímeme...nada puede...

Deprímeme... tu amor está demasiado alto...

Deprímeme... nada puede...

Deprimeme, he dicho (déjame que te lo diga ahora)

Answer at end of publication.

Mr G Stephenson

FOCUS ON TRANBY ALUMNI

Two sisters and former pupils who studied Spanish write about their experiences below. We were fortunate to hold a live Teams talk with them and the current Pre-Sixth Spanish groups last month.

Lydia

I chose to study a language at university as I enjoyed studying A Level Spanish. Initially I looked at just studying Spanish, but a lot of university courses offered Spanish courses alongside beginners’ Portuguese. Studying languages opens lots of opportunities in the future but is also just such a fun and enjoyable degree to study.

I chose to study Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American at the University of Leeds because of the study abroad options the course offered. To complete my studies, it is compulsory to spend two periods abroad studying/working in a Spanish or Portuguese speaking country. Because I had already studied Spanish at A Level I had to choose to spend my term abroad in the second year (April 2022-July 2022) in Spain. My university offered the options of an intensive language course or an independent work placement. I chose the language course in Granada, Andalucía.

I spent three months in Granada. I lived on my own with three other Spanish students and travelled around the area. I studied intense language grammar 9am to 1.30pm every weekday and the rest of my free time was filled up exploring different parts of the city and making new friends. I am currently in Rio de Janeiro studying modules in Portuguese (this seems daunting, but it is manageable!) and living in a new apartment with other Brazilians my age. I have been here for two months, and I am staying in the country until July.

Live Teams talk to Pre-Sixth pupils.

November 2022.

Hattie

I decided to choose Spanish at A Level as I loved studying it at GCSE. I really enjoyed learning more about Spanish history as I had never learnt anything about it before. I study a joint degree and the language is my minor, that is Mathematics with a European language (Spanish) at the University of Liverpool. Basically, my course is 75% Maths and 25% Spanish so I study three Maths modules and one Spanish module a term. As I only do one module, I only study the grammar/vocabulary/ language side of Spanish, which is the part I wanted to study the most (I still do learn about culture when doing exercises in seminars etc.).

I have many friends that study other subjects like Law, Economics, Film Studies and History along with Spanish so there are so many options if you want to study one subject but also want to continue with a language. Currently I am on my year abroad studying at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. I have been here two months and I am loving it! I have chosen to study Maths modules here and all my classes are taught in Spanish. It’s not possible to speak English at all! It was very hard at first, Spanish here in Argentina is very different, the accent and different meaning of words… so at the beginning I made a lot of mistakes. However, everyone is so patient and especially as I am so far away from home. People are always surprised to hear I am from the UK and get very excited and are happy to help! I have also had time to travel around the country since I have been here. In September I went to Iguazu Falls (las cataratas de Iguazú) and this weekend I have been in Córdoba capital and the province. I’m glad I chose to come here as it’s really pushed my Spanish to improve. Unlike in Europe a lot of people here can’t speak English so you have to persevere! I’m staying here until August and hope to travel more and make more Argentinian friends. As for the future, I’m not sure of my long-term plan but I am absolutely certain that I would like to work in a job speaking Spanish or in a Spanish speaking country.

WHY STUDY LATIN AT TRANBY

Studying Latin at Tranby makes our pupils stand out from the national cohort, with only a 1000 or so pupils each year sitting a GCSE in the subject and many fewer an A Level. At all levels it is an excellent partner to English, French and Spanish both in terms of vocabulary and grammar. Studying the more intricate grammar of the Latin language, pupils become adept at decoding, recognising patterns, learning and applying rules – it helps to strengthen their powers of reasoning and logical thinking. But Latin is more than just language studies; at KS4-5 we also read highly regarded Roman authors in the original language, learning about Roman society, customs and attitudes through these works as well as analysing them from a literal point of view, reinforcing those skills which are key to success in English Literature. Our studies of the civilisation of the Roman empire also gives us a fascinating insight into what made the Romans “tick” and also just how profound their impact was on British & European society and how keenly we still feel that impact today – it is no exaggeration to say that the Roman invasion shaped our society and culture and we would be very different today had they not succeeded. Some of the aspects of their civilisation are hard for us to come to terms with – their bloodlust, slavery, treatment of women for example – but all of these give us opportunities to develop our critical thinking skills when we address the differences between the 21st century and the 1st century.

Mrs N Carrizales

MAORI AND ME!

Before coming to work at Tranby I spent ten years in senior management in two schools in New Zealand. As you may know NZ is an English-speaking country but it is also a bicultural and essentially bilingual country too.

Photograph: Maori warriors perform a Haka, meaning dance of welcome, New Zealand Sept. 21, 2012. The ceremony is an ancient Maori tradition used to determine if visitors came in peace or with hostile intent. Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

The first people of New Zealand were the Moriori and then the Maori people from the Pacific. They arrived in New Zealand on their waka or canoes and settled throughout the North and South islands. The Moriori soon died out leaving the different tribal groups we now think of Maori covering the islands. This state of affairs remained for many centuries until the white/Pakeha arrived on their boats from Europe. Unlike in Australia where the white Europeans literally took over the country almost destroying the first peoples of Australia, New Zealand was different. Yes, white / Pakeha did think of themselves as more civilised and superior, but they also came to trade. Unfortunately, some of their trading practices, especially when dealing with land, were a bit underhand! And on 6 February 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by both white Pakeha Europeans and the Maori tribes. This Treaty meant that many Maori lost their lands and rights.

So what does this have to do with the Maori language and culture? Well, for over a hundred years after the Treaty was signed both Maori culture and language languished in the furthest corners of New Zealand, particularly the far north of the North Island, the eastern cape of the north island and in the Deep South of the South Island. The white Pakeha did not wish to learn the Maori language (it wasn’t a written language at this point and so white people struggled with understanding it anyway) and the Maori began to realise / believe that the only way to now succeed in this New Zealand was to speak the white man’s tongue.

It was quite common, even within living memory of those still living in New Zealand, for Maori people to beat their own language out of the children. They had been taught that to speak Maori is to be uneducated and uncultured. This didn’t stop it being spoken in the towns and villages that were furthest away from the big centres such as Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Things changed in the 1990’s alongside other cultural developments. Maori activism had seen a review of the treaty of Waitangi, with Māoris rightly claiming that they had been manipulated in their linguistic ignorance into giving away land and rights for mere pennies. From the 1990s onwards there has been a reparation of both land, rights and monetary reward as well as a resurgence of the language. Where does this fit in with my experience? Well, I went to become a Deputy Head at a school on the South Island. It was my responsibility to respect and promote Maori language and culture in my school. So I had to learn Maori! As a Social Studies teacher I had to learn NZ Maori and Pakeha history in order to teach it to my students. I had to be sensitive to Maori culture (I once got told off by a Maori student for sitting on a table, being told that ‘ I wouldn’t eat off my backside so why would I sit on a table that I might later eat off!’)

The learning of the language was a bit harder! The emphasis on a word in Maori is always on the vowel rather than a consonant which might seem like a relatively minor thing but it makes a huge difference to how something sounds, believe me! There is also a great deal of formality to Maori, particularly in greetings and public speaking. The hongi too was a big surprise when I first got there (the touching of noses in greeting).

I would never say I became proficient in the language although I learned how to greet formally and informally. And like many naïve languages many words in Maori are linked inextricably to the object or place they refer to. Kaikoura for example is a town on the South Island. Kai means food and Koura means crayfish – Kaikoura is one of the best spots in NZ for diving for crayfish and much of their economy was based on it at one time (now famous for whale watching). Piwikawakawa is a bird –named for the noise it makes.

Maori is a fascinating language and an even more interesting culture, filled with respect and old customs. White pakeha New Zealanders have appropriated much for their own purposes. The Haka is a Maori war dance used now by any NZ sports team who wishes to use it for example. Sadly this obscures the depth of respect, strength and meaning in each of the moves and words.

Ms E Hannah (Teacher of Sociology)

USING HUMOUR IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Humour can be a great tool to boost enjoyment and motivation in foreign language learning. It can help pupils develop skills in manipulating language at a high level, can improve understanding of deeper meaning and can help build up an appreciation of underlying culture. It can practice language in genuine contexts and provides memorable chunks of language. So how can humour be built into the learning experience?

In writing tasks at GCSE, pupils can include funny but authentic expressions or idioms to enrich their response and access the higher band of the mark scheme for complexity, though care should be taken to ensure the right context and to not ‘overdo it’. Here are a few Spanish examples which I encourage pupils to use:

Una montaña rusa – a Russian mountain (lit.) = a roller coaster

No me importa un pepino – It doesn’t matter to me a cucumber (lit.) – I am really not bothered

Encontrar tu media naranja – To find your half an orange (lit.) = to find your other half

Dormir a pierna suelta = to sleep with a loose leg (lit.) = to sleep soundly

Tener malas pulgas – to have bad fleas (lit.) = to be bad-tempered

Tomar el pelo – to take the hair (lit.) = to pull someone’s leg

Hay gato encerrado - there is a locked cat (lit.) = there’s something fishy going on

Levantarse con el pie izquierdo – to get up with your left foot (lit.) – to get out of bed on the wrong side

Costar un ojo de la cara – to cost an eye of the face (lit.) = to cost an arm and a leg

Hablar por los codos – to talk through your elbows (lit.) = to talk a lot

Writing a caption for a funny photo can be good, creative fun.

From a wall in Room F2.

Pupils can be invited to write captions for funny photographs, such as these above.

Translations - ‘Aaaargh, no! More Spanish homework?’ ‘When my friends and I see a teacher outside of school.’ ‘Do you know who my favourite rapper is? Kendrick Llama [Kendrick Lamar]’

Placing jokes visibly around the classroom prompts pupils’ curiosity to work out the meaning. Pupils must understand the content of the entire joke before understanding the punchline. Written activities can also be used such as matching the punchline, guessing the punchline, writing their own punchline, matching up endings to different jokes, and “jocloze” exercises (filling in the gaps). Some examples follow.

Jokes to work out the meaning:

¿Qué hace una abeja en el gimnasio?

Zumba.

What does a bee do in the gymnasium?

Zumba [Zumbar = to buzz]

¿Cómo se escribe ‘nose’ en inglés?

No sé.

¡Correcto!

How do you write ‘nose’ in English?

I don’t know [No sé in Spanish)

Correct!

¿Cuál es la fruta más divertida?

La naranja ja ja ja ja.

Which fruit is the most fun?

The orange (ja = ha).

¿Cuál es la fruta más paciente? Es pera.

Which fruit is the most patient?

It’s a pear (espera = wait).

Matching the punchline (translated due to length of text):

1. Teacher: Name one important thing we have today that we didn’t have fifteen years ago.

Pupil: _________________________________________

2. Pupil: Would you punish me for something I didn’t do?

Teacher: Of course not.

Pupil: __________________________________________

3. Son: Dad, can you write in the dark?

Father: I think so. What do you want me to write?

Son: ____________________________________________

4. Teacher: Well, at least there’s one thing I can say about your son.

Parent: What’s that?

Teacher: _________________________________________

a. Good, because I didn’t do my homework.

b. Your name on this report card.

c. Me.

d. With grades like these, he couldn’t be cheating.

Guessing the punchline:

Profesor: Si tuvieras una libra y le pidieras otra a tu padre, ¿cuántas tendrías?

Alumno: Una.

Profesor: ¡No sabes matemáticas!

Alumno: ¡Usted no conoce a mi padre!

Translation:

Teacher: If you had a pound and you asked your father for another, how many would you have?

Pupil: One.

Teacher: You don’t know Maths!

Pupil: You don’t know my father!

This is a good opportunity to highlight the differences between the two verbs ‘to know’ in Spanish: Saber (a fact) and Conocer (a person/place). This is also similar to French.

Cartoons such as the simple Mafalda strip below illustrate the use of structures such as ‘tener que + infinitive’, the irregular form of ‘tener’ in the preterite tense and vocab such as ‘dentro de’ and ‘hermosa’.

Father: And in a few days we will have a beautiful plant

Mafalda: Why did you have to tell me the ending!

Riddles and tongue twisters such as ('Tres tristes tigres comían trigo en tres tristes platos sentados en un trigal') ('Three sad tigers were eating wheat on three sad plates placed in a wheat field') develop fluency in pronunciation.

Reading or creating excuses in the target language for not doing homework is a great opportunity to practice the Spanish preterite (simple past), and another activity making funny excuses for not going out with someone is an equally good opportunity to practice the verb Poder (to be able), negatives and the Present Continuous.

Games such as ‘Regalos’ (‘Presents’) involve pupils throwing a dice and subsequently moving round a board landing on different pictures, picking up a card and then justifying why they have given that item to that particular person – for instance a pair of slippers (unas zapatillas) to a friend who has a collection of shells (conchas). How might you justify these further examples, if you were playing the game?

A skateboard for a teacher with a broken leg; Binoculars for an aunt who has lots of jewels; A guitar for an 85 year-old woman; A teddy bear for a friend who is always hungry.

Encouraging spontaneous writing or speaking through humour is therefore a great way to develop linguistic skills. If a pupil genuinely wants to speak or write something in the language to communicate then he/she will try harder to do so. And that hopefully will also reduce the sensation of being overly ‘self-conchas’ at the same time (pun intended!).

Mr G Stephenson

A SHORT POEM TO HELP READERS EMPATHISE WITH THOSE LEARNING OUR LANGUAGE!

Why English is Hard to Learn

We’ll begin with box; the plural is boxes, But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes. One fowl is a goose, and two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose is never called meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a house full of mice; But the plural of house is houses, not hice.

The plural of man is always men, But the plural of pan is never pen.

If I speak of a foot, and you show me two feet, And I give you a book, would a pair be a beek?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, Why shouldn’t two booths be called beeth?

If the singular’s this and the plural is these, Should the plural of kiss be ever called keese?

We speak of a brother and also of brethren, But though we say mother, we never say methren. Then the masculine pronouns are he, his, and him; But imagine the feminine … she, shis, and shim!

By ANONYMOUS

LEARNING AN ALIEN LANGUAGE ON DUOLINGO

A number of our pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4 use Duolingo and have built up a good memory bank of key vocabulary. Most use the app to support a language they are studying, others to learn a completely new language. I wonder, however, if any have thought about learning an alien language such as Klingon?

What is Klingon?

The Klingon language (Klingon: tlhIngan Hol, pronounced [ˈt͡ ͡͡ .ŋɑn xol]) is the constructed language spoken by a fictional alien race called the Klingons, in the Star Trek universe.

Described in the 1985 book The Klingon Dictionary by Marc Okrand and deliberately designed to sound "alien", it has a number of typologically uncommon features. The language's basic sound, along with a few words, was devised by actor James Doohan ("Scotty") and producer Jon Povill for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. That film marked the first time the language had been heard. In all previous appearances, Klingons spoke in English, even to each other. Klingon was subsequently developed by Okrand into a full-fledged language.

A small number of people are capable of conversing in Klingon but because its vocabulary is heavily centred on Star Trek-Klingon concepts such as spacecraft or warfare, it can sometimes be cumbersome for everyday use.

The Klingon alphabet looks like this:

Marc Okrand wanted the language to be as complicated as possible to make it sound alien. The word order in a sentence is always object-verb-subject which is the opposite of word order in English. For instance, the English sentence "I see the cat" is said as "the cat see I" in Klingon. When writing in Klingon some letters are in upper case and some are in lower case, and it uses affixation to denote the subject and negation. For example:

At least nine Klingon translations of works of world literature have been published, among which are: ghIlghameS (the Epic of Gilgamesh), Hamlet (Hamlet), paghmoʼ tIn mIS (Much Ado About Nothing), pInʼaʼ qan paQDIʼnorgh (Tao Te Ching), Sun pInʼaʼ veS mIw (the Art of War), chIchwI' tIQ bom (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner), 'aS 'IDnar pIn'a' Dun (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), taʼpuq mach (the Little Prince), and QelIS boqHarmey (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland). The Shakespearean choices were inspired by a remark from High Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, who said, "You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon."

So why learn a made-up or constructed language (“conlang”)?

Duolingo gives a number of reasons:

1. To help people connect and communicate with each other about the topics they love in “conlag” communities.

2. To engage more deeply with the television series they love – in this case ‘Star Trek’. There are Star Trek conventions, Duolingo events and even a Klingon Language Institute – see https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Klingon_Language_Institute

3. It allows users to express themselves creatively, to imagine and explore fictional cultures.

4. The experience can allow you to develop a metalinguistic awareness – the ability to think about different properties of a language such as pronunciation and grammar.

5. “Conlags” can foster interest in further language study – Duolingo states that 43% of its users who study a “conlag” go on to study another language on Duolingo.

Mr G Stephenson

TLHINGAN HOL DAJATLHʼAʼ?

TIPS TO LEARN VOCABULARY

1. Learn high frequency words first – that is, words people use most in everyday speech and writing. For example quantifiers, frequency expressions, sequencers, time expressions, opinions.

2. Create simple do-it-yourself flashcards with the English on one side and the foreign language translation on the other. You might like to include images, too. Review the words at regular intervals, for short periods of time.

3. Speak aloud as you practice with new words. Repeat, repeat, and repeat some more!

4. Try Duolingo, Quizlet or other such apps.

5. Try to learn words in context – so, learn words to go with topics from the textbook you’ve used in class.

6. Study word parts such as suffixes and prefixes, to make connections and recognise words that share roots.

7. Make gestures as you learn. The brain finds it easier to learn with sensory inputs like physical actions. So, if you’re learning ‘ball’ make the shape of a ball with your hands.

8. Use a mnemonic. This is a funny story or phrase that strengthens the connection between the word and its meaning. You may like to try out the ‘mems’ in Memrise too.

9. Record the words you are trying to learn (or ask your teacher to record them on your phone!) and play them back.

10. Mind mapping – use different colours, lines and groupings to remember words. Or create a simple picture of a word you are trying to learn.

11. Split long words into syllables. Chant them aloud to yourself.

12. Get parents, siblings or friends to test you!

13. Set yourself a realistic daily target, and make sure you revisit earlier words before starting with new ones. Avoid word overload!

14. Use post-it notes. Write the word on a note and stick it on the appropriate object in your house. Leave it there so you will constantly see it.

15. Vary listening and reading skills to reinforce new vocabulary.

16. Draw connections between new and old knowledge. So consider vocabulary or structures met in one topic and how they could be applied in another topic.

17. Have a designated vocabulary book to write in the words you are learning.

18. Make a sentence with the word in to add context. Highlight the word you are trying to learn.

19. Use the technique of ‘look, say, cover, write, check’.

20. Use word clouds such as www.wordclouds.com.

METACOGNITION IN MFL

‘Metacognition’ is defined as ‘an awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes’ and involves the development of essential skills that pupils must acquire as they continue their languagelearning journey. These thought processes will involve problem-solving, decision-making and selfmonitoring/reflection. So how do we achieve this in our language-learning lessons?

Our department follows the principles of Dr Gianfranco Conti PhD and his ‘Explicit Strategy Instruction’ approach. He suggests that stating learning objectives and then asking pupils how what they are going to learn will be relevant to them is a good starter. The teacher can model tasks via the interactive whiteboard thinking aloud through the teacher’s own thought processes, including key questions such as ‘Is it a noun? Adjective? How do we know? Is it positive or negative? Does it look like an English word I know?’ Pupils can self-evaluate following a piece of written work with the help of another pupil using a checklist of questions such as ‘were my answers relevant? Did I include a range of language? Did I include different time frames, and how? Were there enough opinions and were these fully justified? Were my verbs conjugated correctly?’ Pausing every now and again in a lesson for a pupil to explain an item of language in their own words is useful. This can also be done in group-work problem-solving activities which will involve some or all of the pupils asking the same metacognitionpromoting questions to each other, and by doing so will model them to the rest of the group. This may involve pupils explaining structures, inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words in context or working out real-life problems such as hotel costings based on a hotel website in the target language. Pupil selfreviews at the end of a task which require then to consider what they found difficult and why, what they didn’t know and what they need to know next time are useful. And asking pupils to write down as much vocabulary as they can from a particular lesson or topic and then sharing their list with a partner enables them to assess their confidence with that particular content. A similar activity to check memory retention is to ask pupils to write down what they know while it is still fresh in their memory and then give to them the same task after fifteen minutes to check how much they can remember when it was not so fresh – so what could they remember, what does that tell them and what do they need to do to close the gap? Following an assessment it can be interesting to ask pupils about their revision and why they may feel they have not done so well, are there alternative revision techniques, what do we do in lessons to help learn vocabulary and can these techniques be used at home? Often pupils revise what they are good at and this results in them not doing as well as they had expected despite revising lots and this can be flagged up. Revision schedules, pupil self-target setting and considering technique and strategy are therefore invaluable tools in the preparation for examinations.

Metacognitive knowledge therefore allows pupils to take on a more active role in their learning process by managing and directing their own learning and eventually finding the best ways for them to acquire, reinforce and extend their language. This will, inevitably, lead to better test performance, learning outcomes, achievement and enjoyment.

Mr G Stephenson

HARRY POTTER – DISCOVERING THE WIZARDING WORLD OF SPELLS THROUGH THEIR LINGUISTIC ROOTS

In June each year we invite Year 5 pupils from local Primary schools into Tranby to experience a variety of sessions across different subject areas, delivered by colleagues, on the theme of 'Wizards and Wizardry'. In Languages we invite budding wizards to create spells using the words and phrases created by JK Rowling herself. Firstly, pupils consider the meanings behind the names of the characters such as Draco (Malfoy) meaning dragon and (Professor) Lupin meaning wolf. We then learn verbs and nouns using the language of the famous books to create spells. Pupils are invited to create their own spells to fix a range of situations. With just a few key enchantments pupils learn to vanquish Slytherins and triumph with Gryffindors!

Mrs V Pick

Mr C Parra

APPENDICES

TRANSLATIONS TO ENGLISH

Born in Spain, and raised in Oliva (Valencia), I completed my primary and secondary education in Valencian and Spanish curricula, across different state and private educational centres, embracing boarding school and schools of international alumni. I passed my B.Sc. in Sports and Physical Education with Honours and my M.A. in Secondary and Primary School Teaching, along with Languages, at The Catholic University of Valencia. Whilst studying, I worked in Valencia teaching Physical Education and offered private football coaching, for which I have a huge passion after playing professionally for Real Madrid, Vila-real, Ross County and other football clubs. Upon moving to the United Kingdom in September 2011 after meeting my wife, East Yorkshire born and bred and proud of it, I began working at Hull Collegiate School (Tranby) teaching the children football and volunteered for the remainder of the time, helping with languages. In 2012 I was appointed teaching assistant and the school gradually increased my teaching time to become a full time PE teacher, in addition to helping Sixth Form pupils preparing for their GCSE and ‘A’ level Spanish exams.

I love the British straight-talking culture, the hard-working mentality and the sense of patriotism shared across the nation. I must admit though, that besides appreciating the joys of the different seasonal weather, I still miss my motherland’s warmer climate.

The Origins of Valenciano

Valencian language (llengua valenciana) is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community (Spain), and unofficially the way to refer to the “Romance language” also known as Catalan since The Valencian Community's 1982 Statute of Autonomy and the Spanish Constitution officially recognise Valencian as the regional language.

Valencian is a language derived from Latin and influenced by Arabic, which was spoken in the ancient Kingdom of Valencia, as stated by Jaume I when he peacefully conquered the city of Valencia in the 13th century in the drafting of the charters ("To that the Valencians of the whole kingdom understand them and be able to comply with them" he ordered them to be translated into the language that the people spoke: Romance).

There are two generalized theories about the origin of Valencian:

1. The Mozarabist theory (Valencianist). It explains the population and linguistic continuity in Valencia during the Muslim rule. Diglossia (Arabic and Romance) and even Triglossia (classical Arabic, dialectal Arabic and Romance) practiced in Muslim Spain. Those responsible for maintaining the language, the Mozarabs, residents as well as the Muladíes, converted to Islam but who practiced a diglossia bilingualism: Arabic for administration and culture and Valencian Romance in their homes. One of the pieces of evidence presented by the defenders of the antiquity of Valencian is the proximity of the roots of its words to Latin, from which it would be deduced that the Valencian language derives from the Latin spoken in the Iberian Peninsula until the Muslim invasion (8th century).

2. The theory of repopulation; the Kingdom of Valencia was colonized by Catalans, in coastal regions, and Aragonese, in inland regions. According to this idea, the Islamic invasion of the seventh century in the Iberian Peninsula produced a cultural break of such magnitude that its roots and its language were lost. With the conquest of Valencia by Jaime I, this theory defends that Valencian is the result of Catalan speech, although the Catalan language was not officially recognized until later.

This theory presupposes that in Valencia, there were no inhabitants left after the conquest, despite being a totally peaceful conquest, and despite there being abundant evidence about the permanence of these Mozarabs in later centuries. This theory is defended by groups that are responsible for discrediting Valencian, getting many people to stop speaking it in public because they think it is an incorrect language.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT TRANSLATIONS

Year 7 - Maria

I am called Maria. I live in Beverley. I am fun and also generous. My passion is dance. My hero is Shakira. She’s great! I have two dogs that are called Rosie and Suzie. They are ‘cavapoos’. They are white and black. Rosie is six years old and Suzie is four years old. I like to go out with my friends very much because it’s fun. Also I like to watch television because it’s interesting. But I don’t like to write emails because it’s stupid and I don’t like to read at all because it’s boring.

Year 8 - Sam

Hello. I like electronic music, but I listen to everything. My favourite singer is Bruno Mars and my favourite song is ‘Me enamora’ because I like the lyrics. My mobile is my life. Every day I take photos and twice a week I speak via Skype. At times I read my text messages but I never share my favourite videos.

Last summer I went to Spain with my family. On the first day my sister and I went to the beach whilst my parents went shopping. On the last day my parents, my sisters and I went to a restaurant. It was great!

Year 9 - Ava

Normally at the weekend I go out with my friends to the park. But next weekend I am going to go to the cinema with my best friend.

For my hobbies I love music. I play four musical instruments. Also I like to crochet because it is relaxing. However yesterday I played football with my brother. It was fantastic!

Every week I watch television and last weekend I watched a horror film. Yesterday, after school, I read a book. Next weekend I am going to go bowling. It’s going to be great!

Year 10 - Elliot

(Please note the below is a fictitious description to illustrate language structures only!)

I love Spanish because it is the most relevant and fun subject. Another subject that I like loads is French because it is the most interesting and useful subject. I like Physics less and it is more difficult than Chemistry and Biology. A really good subject is PE because it is the most practical subject. I like my teacher because he makes me think and never gets angry. On the other hand, my new teacher of Maths is very impacient and not at all tolerant. Also, my teacher of Geography creates a good working atmosphere and has a good sense of humour, but he sets us a lot of homework!

Pre-Sixth - Phoebe

Last summer I went to the city of Pamplona and I saw the traditional festival of San Fermin. Between the 7 and 14 of July they celebrate in the street with more than a million Spaniards and foreigners. In the festival participants wear a red neck scarf and white T-shirt and run in front of the bulls. How scary! In my opinion it is so dangerous.

One day I would like to see ‘The Day of the Dead’ in Mexico. In think that this is the most exciting festival in the world. The festival is held in November and many people visit cemeteries where they decorate the graves with candles and flowers. I would like to see the festival because it is a big part of Mexican culture. I think that festivals are important because they give you the opportunity to enjoy yourself with your friends and family. Also many festivals and traditions have a religious or historic importance – for example Christmas and Bonfire Night in England. Furthermore, they are popular amongst tourists and therefore they help the economy.

Year 12 - Meesha

Mobile phones have a very big role nowadays. For example, many young people who have a mobile use it to chat on-line with friends and family, and to help with homework. Normally the most important role of mobiles is that in an emergency the young person can call his or her parents. I like my mobile because it is a multifunctional tool and it’s very useful and easy to use.

Young people also use their mobile to access social networks sites. In my case I use these for everything and especially in order to share very funny videos with my parents because my dad likes cat videos on the Internet. However, I think that the number of apps is too much and nowadays apps are more and more complicated.

Another advantage of mobiles is that a person can be independent and have responsibilities and I think that is very important for young people. But there are problems: there are many people you don’t know who can send messages, call and hack young people. Furthermore, it is very easy to download content illegally and that can be dangerous. Another disadvantage is that young people can get hooked on their mobiles and can also become victims of blackmail.

AN INTRODUCTION TO DR MARCO BAFFETTI, ITALIAN NATIONAL AND TEACHER OF MATHEMATICS

My name is Marco Baffetti and since September I have been teaching mathematics at Tranby. I originally come from Verona, a city in north-eastern Italy, famous in the UK for being the city where William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” takes place, which also offers many historical – the city has a long history from Roman times to our time – and naturalistic attractions, such as the Lessini mountains to the north or Lake Garda to the west, a popular tourist destination. My life led me to a lot of different places around Europe, from Germany, where I studied for my master’s degree, to Nottingham, where I obtained my Ph.D. in Maths, to Manchester and Hull for my teaching career.

This wandering around different countries pairs up well with my passion for languages, that I have always studied with great interest, because I think that few things like languages allow you to know the world and delve deeper into other cultures. Beside my mother tongue, Italian, I speak English and German, and I can speak a little French and Spanish, which have the advantage of being similar to Italian. My dream is to learn Russian so I can read the novels of that great literary tradition, like my favourite novel “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov; if I am being honest, I would learn all languages if I could. At the moment I am trying to learn Thai, my wife’s language, to be able to better share her culture. Apart from Maths and languages I really like cycling and hiking in the mountains. I am a big classical music fan and in particular I adore opera; I consider myself lucky because being able to speak Italian allows me to understand the libretto of many operas; having grown up in Verona I could attend since my childhood opera performances in the Roman Arena, which is the largest open-air theatre in the world.

Hi! My name is Gosia and I was born in a small town in south western Poland called Deer Mountain - a wonderful city surrounded by mountains and forests. As a little girl, my parents and I often went hiking in the forest to pick mushrooms, and in the summer we camped for most of our vacations by the lake, because my dad was an avid fisherman.

So my childhood was very active, and we spent most of our time outside with other children playing all day.

In my hometown, I studied Polish Philology, but due to the lack of prospects, in 2006 I decided to go to London, and so began my adventure in England, which continues to this day.

From the very beginning, my career in London was related to hospitality business. After 16 years of working in the capital, I can say that I have worked for some of the finest chefs in the UK. I had the pleasure of working with people from all over the world, including many Poles, thanks to which I have had the opportunity to speak in my native language in the workplace. However there was a one golden rule, never talk in your native language in front of someone who won’t understand it. I remember one such place in particular - Gordon Ramsay at Claridges restaurant, where there were seven receptionists, four of whom were from Poland!

London is in my opinion the best place to learn English as well as honorifics in languages of other countries from around the word. That way I am able to say ‘hello, how are you’ in at least ten different languages.

Having moved to Yorkshire, I can say with certainty that the charm and beauty of the landscape reminds me of my homeland in Poland. Like the warmth of the local community and the fresh air!

Acknowledgments

My thanks to all pupils and colleagues who have contributed to this publication, and to Charlie Groombridge in Marketing for her help with design and format.

MRS G HALICZKO

Page 34 - FELIZ

Song to identify from Spanish lyrics: ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams

Tranby, Tranby Croft, Anlaby, East Yorkshire HU10 7EH

TELEPHONE 01482 657016 EMAIL enquiries@tranby.org.uk www.tranby.org.uk