Issue 41- Meet the Team!

October 2021 Issue 41

Meet the Committee

Meet your editors

find out: why are we passionate about modern languages?

The UoB Linguist Magazine

@UoBLinguist_Mag

@uoblinguist_mag

the UoB Linguist Magazine

Our 2021 Team Committee: Chair - Camille stevenson Secretary- mollie mccooey treasurer- emma velho publicity- anna newsome proofreaders: beth caygill laura arnaud editors team: french - tori jackson German- mollie mccooey spanish- emma walker Portuguese- cameron smith catalan- emma velho italian- sarah aray ratti Russian- Georgia Boote mandarin- hannah white life and styleemily mercer current affairsmariam salem culture- freya richold food and drink sarah aray ratti travel- emma crossley

Inside this issue- find out the answer to the question 'Why are you passionate about Modern Languages?', from: 04 Camille Stevenson- Chair 05 Mollie McCooey- Secretary & German Editor 06 Emma Velho- Treasurer & Catalan Editor 07 Anna Newsome- Publicity Officer 08 Beth Caygill- Proofreader 09 Laura Arnaud- Proofreader 10 Tori Jackson- French Editor 11 Emma Walker- Spanish Editor 12 Cameron Smith- Portuguese Editor 13 Sarah Aray Ratti- Italian Editor & Food and Drink Editor 14 Georgia Boote- Russian Editor 15 Hannah White- Mandarin Editor 16 Emily Mercer- Life and Style Editor 17 Mariam Salem- Current Affairs Editor 18 Freya Richold- Culture Editor 19 Emma Crossley- Travel Editor

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OCT EDITOR'S NOTE 2021 Hi everyone!

Bonjour, guten tag and welcome to our first issue of 2021/22! Another year of the Linguist magazine means a brand new team, and this Meet the Team edition is designed to do just that- meet the team! We will be introducing our new committee, editors and proofreaders

with articles written by the team themselves.

After having previously worked as a proofreader and French editor for the magazine, I am so excited to this year be taking on the role of Chair! It's even more exciting given that we can finally start publishing in person again! I'm sure we can all agree that the past year has been trying and stressful, especially for all us linguists and language lovers, who have been unable to travel abroad to experience our favourite cultures, languages and countries.Because of this, we really want to try and make the absolute most out of this year with the Linguist- from printing as many colourful copies as possible, to hosting fun quiz nights and bar crawls. We hope as many of you as possible get stuck in with writing, reading and contributing to the magazine (or just joining us for the bar crawls!)

So without further ado, enjoy reading this issue of the Linguist, and finding out why each member of our team is passionate about Modern Languages.

Bonne lecture! Disfruta leyendo! Fröhliches Lesen!

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Camille Stevenson - Chair Why am I passionate about modern languages?

When I first posed this question to the rest of the Linguist team, I thought it would be a relatively easy one to answer. The majority of our team (including myself) study at least one language, so how hard could it be to write about our love for languages?

Now that I have started writing my article, I have realised how difficult this question is in reality!

Considering I study French and Spanish and am part of the Linguist magazine, you would think that I had always had a passion for languages. But this is not the case. I think this is because, growing up, I never realised that you could be passionate about languages, of all things; no one ever opened my eyes to the world of opportunities that languages held. At school, I remember being taught simple phrases in French, Spanish and German, in case we 'went on holiday', and that was the extent of our exploration into foreign languages. There was never any mention of a career in languages, or the fact that you could even study languages at a higher level. I never knew that having a true passion for languages- and following this passion to university, the world of work or beyond- was a possibility. I was taught to view languages as a 'hobby'.

This isn’t to say I had no interest in languages: from a young age I knew that I enjoyed learning about other countries and attempting to speak a different language, mostly French. Moreover, in an odd way, I think my name forced me to become interested in languages. The most prominent memories from my childhood are of speaking French in the south of France. Every summer, when my family would go camping in France, I would always be mistaken for being French because of my name. I can remember loving the feeling of experiencing what it would be like if I did have French heritage or could speak the language.

I wanted to be able to communicate with more people, and I realised that learning French would make this a reality.

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But again, I considered French to be a past time, a special skill that I could use to impress my primary school classmates, because I could say ‘hello, my name is’ in a different language. It wasn't until year 13, when I was forced to decide what I would like to study at university, that I first considered studying a language. I only studied French at high school, and I honestly thought that French would be the only language I would ever want to learn. Then I came to Birmingham, and I was offered the opportunity to learn another language from scratch; I decided to take the plunge and give Spanish a go- it’s spoken by millions around the world, it’s not dissimilar from French, so why not?

And now that I’ve got two foreign languages under my belt, it’s started an almost addiction to languages. Now I can’t stop learning languages.

Whilst I am fortunate enough to be learning two languages other than my mother tongue, I want to emphasise that you do not need to speak another language to be passionate about modern languages.

You do not need to have travelled overseas to appreciate the cultures and traditions of other countries. The study of languages is about more than the induvial languages themselves- it’s about the collectiveness of the human experience, it’s about meeting like-minded people despite possible language barriers, and that’s why I am passionate about languages, and these are the principles that the Linguist magazine stands for. Whether you speak one, two, or twenty languages, the Linguist welcomes you.

So, I’m passionate about modern languages because I’m passionate about making the most out of this short life as possible, and encountering as many people, places and experiences as I can.

Mollie mccooey - Secretary & German editor

I would say that Modern Languages have always been a huge part of my life, a passion that has only ever grown stronger over the years. I feel very privileged to have started my “language journey” at such a young age, spending the early stages of my life in Luxembourg where my parents lived and worked for a number of years. Although I was very young and the time that I spent living abroad was brief in the grand scheme of things, I believe that this experience is what properly kick-started my interest for different languages, cultures and alternative ways of life. Just being able to do simple day-to-day activities such as going to pre-school, play-groups, visiting the park etc meant that I was not only exposed to a lot of local children, but their linguistic backgrounds as well- unbeknownst to me at the time, living in Luxembourg of all places was actually even more of a beneficial experience, with the sheer number of languages spoken in the country: aside from Luxembourgish as the native tongue, my nursery school was conducted in French whereas my playgroups were mainly German-orientated. I even remember family friends preferring other familiar languages such as Belgian or Italian! Despite predominantly being brought up in an English environment around the home, my mum did try and maintain some of these other languages that my brother and I were being immersed in at school, which was definitely a bonus! I think that even a basic exposure to life in such a linguistically rich country enabled me to grasp that initial awareness of other languages and therefore, helped me to begin to appreciate the concept of culture diversity.

From these early years onwards, my language exposure was always nurtured by my family and those around me- after leaving Luxembourg and moving back home to the UK, my mum particularly maintained her love for French, which in turn became a solid foundation for me to continue my enthusiasm for language learning in general. The German immersion was also kept up to some extent thanks to my auntie and uncle, who lived the majority of their lives in Dusseldorfwe spent many a Christmas with them in Germany, really relishing in all the traditional food, drink, markets and customs, experiences that were naturally heightened at such a special time of year.

Both living in Luxembourg as well as the ongoing culture exposure that I have been immersed in since have provided me with life-long, positive memories that I associate language learning with, and in turn, have played a huge role in driving my linguistic passion. I carried this passion with me throughout secondary school, where I was able to advance my language skill set and enjoy the more intricate details of French and German. Being older and now able to better understand these languages on a linguistic level, it has become apparent to me just how much I enjoy the unique challenges that learning a foreign language can bring and how satisfying it has been to feel myself progress orally, aurally and grammatically over the course of my A-Level and university studies.

As a Modern Languages student, I have always loved the “intriguingness” of my degree, being able to explore the complexities of how and why a language works, breach the confinements of my confidence zone and persist with linguistic concepts that cannot immediately be mastered.

In light of this, I would love to take my inquisitive nature further post-graduation and progress onto learning additional languages such as Mandarin or Russian, with the ultimate goal of reaching polyglot standard one day!

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Emma Velho - Treasurer & Catalan Editor Right… where to begin? This is a rather difficult question to answer as there’s no set reason for it! It may be that my parents are both European, it could be I love travelling, it could be that I find other cultures and especially gastronomy super interesting!

That being said, let’s begin.

So, I was born to a Croatian mother and Portuguese father, in England. Immediately, I have exposure to three languages (not that I’d be conjugating verbs at the ripe old age of 2 days, but you get my point). Tied in with this, I grew up surrounded by Portuguese culture, music, gastronomy – the same with those of Croatia. To me, it was normal to be immersed into different cultures from a young age. But how does this lead to an interest in the language itself? Well, to immerse yourself in a culture, you need to be able to communicate. And what better way to communicate than to learn their language? I suppose it also helps that I was born in London, which is one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world – home to over 250 different languages. On my commute to school, most people would have their headphones on – I’d be listening for which languages I could hear around me! The more satisfying ones would be when I could guess which tense a verb was used in and comparing it to another language I know!

Another reason I love languages so much is films and I TV series. I love watching different films and TV series, and by watching them in another language, you open yourself up to thousands more shows and films you can watch! A personal favourite TV series of mine is the Catalan ‘Benvinguts a la familia’. What was really rewarding to be able to understand comedic references and general humour in a non-native tongue that I had only been learning for a year at the time!

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In terms of film, one of my all-time favourite films is the French ‘Intouchables’. I first watched this film as part of my French A level course. This film exposed me to a lot of Francophone culture. I found it fascinating to see the large contrast in social hierarchy within the Parisian society, as the two main characters are a white Parisian aristocrat, and a poor, Senegalese man. There were many cultural features which I hadn’t heard of before! I also find communication in other languages interesting, so it was enjoyable to learn different types of informal speech, such as “kiffer”, which is slang for “to enjoy” in French.

Lastly, travel. Imagine a world without travel, imagine a world without sitting on a plane and feeling yourself fall back in your seat as the plane zooms down the runway, imagine a world without smelling a different country’s air, or hearing a country’s background sounds. Every country, every city, every neighbourhood has a story to tell. Whilst I take pleasure in visiting famous tourist attractions, for example the Eiffel Tower or Parc Guëll, there is something about delving deeper into a city’s true vibe, that just hits the spot. Seeing the sort of neighbourhood people live in, admiring the different architecture and the way in which buildings are built… I love it. One of my absolute favourites is Amsterdam. All the little cobbled streets with bridges covered in flowers in every corner you went to, it’s astonishing.

Another city’s architecture I love is Barcelona’s, which is rather like Paris’, as they both emerged from the 1880s Art Nouveau movement. Also, I can’t be the only one who absolutely looooves visiting supermarkets abroad!

There’s something about them that just makes them so fun to visit! And what better feeling about being abroad, than when you can actually communicate with the natives in their language!

I could go on and on about why I love languages so much, but these are just very few of the many reasons as to why I’m so passionate about modern languages!

Anna newsome - Publicity officer

Everyone says honesty is the best policy, right?

Well, honestly, to 15-year-old Anna, GCSE French was the most boring thing in the world. The dread of walking into the classroom and being greeted with “bonjour, comment-allez vous ?” was real. “When would I ever need to say ‘every Saturday I play football with my brother’ to a French person?” I thought. As a final year Modern Languages student at the University of Birmingham, I now look back at this part of my education with a smile… little did I know where my GCSE French skills would take me!

It was summer 2016 and I was just about to go on my first French exchange – I was so nervous. I had never flown by myself before and all of a sudden, any French word I’d ever learnt seemed to escape my mind. However, it was during this week that I truly discovered my love of languages and meeting people.

I spent a week with a French family in the picture postcard seaport town of Morlaix in Brittany, Northwest France. Listening, speaking and trying to understand a foreign languages 24 hours a day was undoubtedly difficult and very tiring at times. Yet, it was the first time I really understood the importance and beauty of languages. From watching French films, going to crêperies, and experiencing a French football match (with some very angry French fans!), the Modern Languages classroom experience seemed a million miles away.

All too often people I hear the comment: ‘everyone speaks English, what’s the point in studying languages?’. Yes, English undeniably so, is a global language, but it’s no reason not to widen your horizons and realise that learning a foreign language creates connections at a deeper level; understanding cultural differences, making international friendships, and becoming a true citizen of the world. Let’s also not forget the importance of teaching English to a nonnative; how do you teach a non-native English speaker if you’ve never had to learn a foreign language yourself?

Being a true “people person”, I love being able to communicate in a foreign language and create connections with a variety of people from a range of backgrounds; it becomes easier to empathise and have a better grasp of global issues from different perspectives.

Recently, I had a long conversation with a friend in Argentina about lifestyles in the UK. She was astounded that in a British summer, 22 degrees is considered “warm” and that having a swimming pool at home is almost unheard of! Although it may seem like trivial conversation, these types of interactions undoubtedly open your eyes to the way your own culture and its people are perceived and in turn, you reflect and think about your own society more profoundly – it certainly made me question the possibility of having a pool in my back garden… mum says no chance…!

Moving into my final year of a Modern Languages degree, I am now starting to consider the “what next”. When asked “what next?”, it’s seldom assumed my options are limited to being a teacher or a translator – absolutely not!

Whilst I am inspired by both the ideas of translation and sharing my love for languages through teaching, I also know that a whole pathway of opportunities lies ahead.

Ultimately, for me, the best way to summarise is with one of my favourite quotes: “To learn a foreign language is to have one more window from which to look at the world”.

Here’s to more windows!

I can’t wait to be on board with The Linguist this year, and I hope that the articles from the team inspire you to begin or continue your language learning journey!

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beth caygill- proofreader For me, it has always been about books. I have always been an avid reader and literature often feels like my raison d’être. When I started university and it dawned on me that I had access, first to two, then three, then four times as much written word as the majority of my friends and family, I will admit that it made me feel rather smug. The foreign language sections of bookshops and charity shops draw me in with their beckoning fingers and those close to me will tell you that I can often be heard saying ‘I absolutely need this one!’ about poetry anthologies, grammar textbooks, books of French verb tables rendered unnecessary by the WordReference app at my fingertips… I could go on. My most recent purchase, from the second-hand bookshop in Great Malvern, is a collection of verse in Medieval English with translation. Because through all of my adventures into French, Spanish and, most recently, Catalan, I have discovered a profound love of my own language and a desire to grasp its roots.

My language studies at the University of Birmingham have also brought me to Translation, a discipline that I hope to continue in my professional life. Embarking for the first time on the enthralling journey of turning passages of literary text from far and wide into works for a (thus far imaginary) English-speaking audience was a revelation, a homecoming if you will. Where I thought I was seeking new worlds through the different languages, I was, in fact, holding my mother tongue up to the mirror, under the microscope, shaking it and coaxing from it sentences that no-one had ever before written with it. We were always taught the old adage at secondary school that learning a foreign language would improve our English. Well, I have seen the proof.

"Through all of my adventures into French, Spanish and Catalan, I have discovered a profound love of my own language and a desire to grasp its roots"

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This is one of the reasons why it angers me that thousands of children across the country are denied the opportunity to learn as I have, or even encounter the fundamentals of a foreign language, in order to dedicate additional hours instead to English and Maths. Since 2014 it has not been compulsory to learn a foreign language past age 14, and programmes to encourage take-up of Modern Foreign Languages, such as the English Baccalaureate, have not seen the success that was expected of them. Language Academies have lost their funding and Head Teachers are not seeing the value in language education that they once were. But how better to learn to appreciate and manipulate your own language than when viewed through the lens of another? Finding the similarities and differences has made my language journey something of a code-breaking exercise, and that, for me, is super cool. My fear is that the more schools make compromises on arts and humanities to produce grades that might be viewed as acceptable, the more insular we will become as a society. We have seen it with Brexit, where the option to study abroad, once an option known to few now feels almost unattainable for most, and we are seeing it more and more in the choices available to younger generations going through the rigours of GCSEs and A Levels - our ministers now seem to be more concerned with children’s knowledge of Latin and Ancient Greek than Mandarin and Spanish, the top two most spoken language groups in the world. We also experience, in a less visible way, the lack of international media we are exposed to, with channels such as Walter Presents picking up the slack. And, returning to books, in this country we import far less literature than we export.

Looking ahead, and on a more positive note, I am thrilled to have the chance to be working alongside such a dynamic group as is The Linguist, and reading more of others’ experiences of what is, for me, the delightful and thought-provoking challenge that is languages.

laura arnaud - proofreader I think my passion for modern languages stems from my passion for communication. I grew up with two profoundly deaf parents, which meant that clear, effective communication was absolutely paramount in order for our relationships to work. It also meant that I spent a sizeable amount of my childhood and adolescence helping them to communicate with the hearing population, interpreting English into British Sign Language and vice versa. Through my parents’ deafness I’ve had the opportunity to see the positive impact that good communication has on a person’s wellbeing, and that of society too. Doors are opened, connections are formed and friendships are made.

While this is true for Deaf communities in our native countries, this concept can be extended around the world with learning a new spoken language, too. The idea that relationships can be formed with an enormous, totally new group of people through simply studying their language gives me so much hope for the future, and so much desire to get others involved in the field of modern languages.

However, when I was starting out, in my obligatory Year Seven Spanish lessons, I can guarantee that I had not had this apparently very profound revelation! There’s a possibility that, deep (deep) down, I loved what learning another language meant for my communicative reach, but on the surface, I just really enjoyed figuring out new vocabulary and seeing what I could remember from lesson to lesson, and it’s for this reason that I continue to study Spanish. I never stopped enjoying learning it, and I genuinely love it more and more every year.

And somehow, against all odds, my relationship with languages was able to develop this year too. The past twelve months have been unbelievably enlightening regarding how we approach learning and teaching languages, even if I was only in my host town for a total of five days of my Year Abroad!

I spent the year working as a British Council Language Assistant with a secondary school in Cuidad Real, Castilla-La Mancha and it was such a rewarding, educational experience for me. Throughout the year, in an additional hour of lessons, I taught the students English through classes on British culture and traditions. They were relaxed and conversational and involved little to no grammar drills, and throughout the year I witnessed the students’ ability develop exceptionally quickly as they were given the space to anchor their knowledge through practicing contextualised, usable words and phrases with a native speaker. Often in English schools, modern languages have been reduced to conjugation tables, vocab lists and endless direct or indirect objects – which, don’t get me wrong, I really do love. However, I think that in order to show young people why languages are worth falling in love with, we’ve got to show them what learning a modern language means. It means travel, food, friendship and another world that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. It’s this enthusiasm and these beliefs that I hope to share with my friends and family, and potential future students, to show them how many advantages there are to picking up a new language, no matter how casually.

I currently study Spanish along with English Literature, but I also picked up Catalan in first year and loved it so much that I continued it into my second year too. It’s such a beautiful, poetic language, and Catalan culture is so much fun, especially around Christmas! I am so happy with

Spanish, but in the future, I’d love to expand my knowledge into the remaining Romance languages, as well as any others I can squeeze in along the way. Wish me luck!

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TORI JACKSON - FRENCH EDITOR

Living in a city as culturally diverse as Birmingham, I’m sure we’ve all come across numerous people for whom English is not their first language, yet they speak it perfectly. When we go on holiday we come across waiters, airport staff, and even locals who speak English remarkably better than we speak their language. In fact, sometimes it can seem like The reason I am passionate about modern languages is everyone speaks English, so why should we because I too believe that relationships are essential to even bother learning foreign languages? human happiness, and that language is the key to these relationships. Without knowledge of different modern The truth is, though English is the most widely languages, how can we hope to form connections with spoken language in the world, only 17% of the people across the globe? My boyfriend is German and global population speaks it, meaning that if you over the years as his level of English has developed from only speak English, there are over 6.5 billion intermediate to fluent, our relationship has developed people out there that you can’t speak to or form too, and this experience has really driven me to improve a friendship with. my grasp on other languages and see where they take me.

I can’t help but wonder if there is someone out there who Author and Harvard professor Tal Ben-Shahar has the potential to really connect with me, maybe even believes that the happiest people in the world be my next best friend, but doesn’t speak the same are those who have close, personal language as me. Wouldn’t that be such a wasted relationships with others. Regardless of opportunity for happiness? whether they are with friends, family members or romantic partners, relationships are the key I have just started my year abroad in Montpellier and to human happiness. And how do we form already I have met so many kind and interesting people these relationships? How do we become who I can’t wait to get to know better. Of course, it has intimate with others? The answer is, of course, been difficult at times. French has a lot of slang and language. idioms, and there are cultural references that sometimes Language is our most important tool for make it hard for me to keep up with the conversation, but expressing how we feel and forming personal I know that with practice and patience I’ll be on my way to bonds with others, and while non-verbal improving my French and making new friends in no time. communication can play a role in this, spoken language is by far the most important factor As a modern linguist, there’s really no limit to the when it comes to being emotionally intimate. friendships and connections you can make. Learning just Think about the most important people in your one or two new languages opens doors to countless life, especially those you’ve met as an adult. people from across the world. When I took part in an Would you have such a close relationship with online German course this summer, I met people from them if a language barrier lay between you? In India, Russia, Colombia and beyond, and we used German my case, the answer is definitely no. to communicate. My knowledge of only two modern languages has already enabled me to meet so many people from so many different nationalities, and that inspires me to continue learning more.

So, to conclude, why am I passionate about modern languages? Because they allow us to meet new people, they help us to form new relationships and, ultimately, because they have the power to make us happy.

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emma walker - spanish editor This is a challenging question – and one I have considered frequently during the past year. Had I been asked this during GCSEs, A Levels, or even my first year of university, my answer would have undoubtedly (and predictably) involved travel and the prospect of working abroad. Fortunately for the budding linguist in me, my secondary school specialised in languages, meaning I had the opportunity to study Spanish and Japanese to A-Level, visiting both countries whilst doing so. As a result, my love for the language learning process and discovering new cultures grew exponentially.

That said, in a year where Covid and Brexit made travel and working abroad seem like distant memories, it was difficult to motivate myself to keep up my languages. With the cancellation of my Year Abroad placements, and a very limited number of taught hours, it frankly became difficult to remember why I was even passionate about languages to begin with.

However, when I got the option to study online through the University of Connecticut during Semester Two, I was able to choose a variety of new modules such as Literary Translation, Modern Chinese Culture and Business Spanish. As this happened during the peak of lockdown, I found myself with plenty of time to fully immerse myself in the classes. Upon reflection, my semester with UConn let me rediscover why I became so passionate about languages in the first place. Below are two (of many) reasons:

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Picking up favourite pieces of vocabulary

2.

It may be the language geek within me, but nothing beats the satisfaction of learning a new word that has a great meaning. For example, I found that the Chinese translation for tap is (shuǐ lóng tóu). Now, this may not sound particularly exciting, until you realise that it literally means ‘water dragon hat’. The thought of a tap acting like a hat for a dragon made of water just makes me smile as soon as I think about it. I feel the same about (Shèng dàn Lǎo rén), the meaning of which is Father Christmas, but which literally translates as ‘Christmas time old person’.

水

龙头

圣诞老人

Reading literature in the target language

Although my comprehension skills are sadly not good enough to read full novels in the target language (hopefully one day!), I did discover some wonderful Spanish poetry during my Literary Translation class. In order to find texts to translate into English, I used Lyrikline, an online collection of modern, international poetry. As many of the poets on the site are self-published or relatively unknown, it is difficult if not impossible to find English translations of their work.

Therefore, the idea that I was only able to enjoy their poetry because I understood it in the target language was especially exciting to me.

Finally, as international borders begin to open once more, I can safely say that I haven’t lost the love for the things that made me passionate about languages to begin with. I have just completed a four-week summer school in Northern Spain (which is worthy of a full article in itself) and hope to teach English abroad after graduating. However, I have definitely found some extra reasons to keep myself motivated in my language learning as I go into my final year and beyond!

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cameron smith - portuguese editor My principal reason for being passionate about modern languages is the challenge involved with learning them and the feeling of accomplishment that you get every time you successfully communicate with a stranger, realise that you understood something for the first time or master a new concept.

Taking a leap of faith is what learning languages is all about: while studying French in Sixth Form, I started to learn Portuguese when I mustered up enough courage to go and ask a Brazilian woman who lived on my road if she would be willing to teach me her native language (she had lived there my entire life without me realising that she was from São Paulo). I was also out of my depth when I went to stay with a host family in Lisbon two years later to attend a language school. Throwing myself in at the deep end on both occasions made the experience all the more rewarding. Learning foreign languages has taught me that pushing myself out of my comfort zone, even for just a moment, can be hugely gratifying in the long term in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

I’m also passionate about learning languages because of what happens when you make it to the other side of one of these challenging moments: you gain a new approach to draw from.

Travelling and trying to speak to strangers in another country can be fraught with embarrassment and negative feedback, but making it through puts the rest of life’s worries into better perspective when I’m back home.

Public speaking, introducing myself to a new group or striking up conversation in English are all a lot less daunting after having done the same thing in a different language under the scrutiny of a room full of native speakers.

Learning French as part of my degree has only been a small part of my course, which made studying in France last year and trying to understand and communicate scientific ideas challenging. However, the experience has affirmed how truly international scientific discoveries have become, and the last year has demonstrated to everyone the importance of global collaboration in STEM. I had been ignorant of many scientific discoveries taking place outside of the borders of the United Kingdom and, now that I have experienced first-hand the diversity of backgrounds responsible for new developments, I am excited to encourage other students in both STEM and the arts to see the benefits in the fusion of these two contrasting fields of study.

I am excited to go even further outside my comfort zone as soon as possible by returning to Portugal to explore other towns and cities and see where my fascination with the language will take me next. Most importantly I want to connect with more people, challenge my own way of looking at the world and gain new insights along the way. At some point it would also be amazing to visit Brazil, and São Paulo more specifically, to see what can be learned from new challenges that might come my way in South America.

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sarah array - italian editor, food and drink editor

Although I was certainly sad at the time, the universe was only preparing me for the best year of my life yet: an exchange year in Yokohama, Japan.

As I immersed myself in Japanese culture, lived with three extraordinary host families, travelled around Japan, went to a Japanese high school and met some of the best humans ever, I was also able to learn how to speak Japanese. After my year in Japan, and convinced I wanted to dedicate part of my life to cultivating new friendships from all over the world, I decided to study International Relations and Political Science at the University of Birmingham. It Being born in Ecuador, a multiethnic and pluricultural is a decision I will never regret as being part of this global institution has allowed me to connect with country, to a family of dual heritage, I think my even more people from all over the world, whilst passion and love for the study of different cultures and languages was an innate part of my upbringing. also preparing myself for my professional future.

From going every year to Italy to connect with my The best experiences of my life, the most wonderful Italian side between the age of 11 and 15 and stories that I have to tell, the best friends I have traveling with my mum everywhere she went from made, I owe it all to the support of my parents and when I was four years old, to both of my parents my fascination for languages. What started as a hosting dozens of international exchange students simple hobby has transformed into one of the most since I was two, being exposed to the world, its different people, and its cultural diversity at an early important aspects of my life and has without doubt shaped me into the woman I am today. Additionally, age, definitely sparked an interest in the study of it has allowed me to discover my passion for modern languages that only continued to grow as diplomacy, where I am positive that the languages I time passed. have learnt, and the ones I hopefully continue to I love connecting with people that do not necessarily learn, will become an indispensable skill in my share the same background as me, and growing up I career. To anyone who is curious about learning new languages, if you are able to, make the leap discovered that there was no better way to do that and do it! Despite the fact that it might be difficult than speaking the same language they did. It all and/or scary at first, I promise you: it’s worth it, and started with my native Spanish, then of course will undoubtedly open many doors in your future as English at school, Italian at 11, and after that I just it did for me and many others! wanted to learn more! I consider myself very

fortunate because my parents were always incredibly supportive of my curiosity and hunger for exploring the world and my passion for modern languages, so I vividly remember my dad asking me where I wanted "I love connecting with people that do to go next... and I chose Germany. After 3 months not necessarily share the same and a half in Castrop-Rauxel, I managed to learn very background as me...growing up I basic German by living with one of the most loving discovered that there was no better way host families and going to language school. After that, I had to pause my adventures in order to finish to do that than speaking language they my high school education in Ecuador.

did."

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georgia boote - russian editor After completing two semesters of a virtual year abroad, I was delighted when I got the chance to do an intensive summer course for Spanish in Santiago de Compostela. Not going abroad all year had made my language skills feel rather rusty, so the chance to improve in person was one I had to take advantage of.

Over the past year I’d forgotten the feeling of practicing your target language in a country where it’s spoken. I’ve had many a class on Zoom, and they did help me to maintain and even improve my languages. But unfortunately my dining room did not replicate the immersion I would have received abroad, and it made me hit a brick wall eventually.

Without the full experience, my skills became stagnant because there wasn’t as much to use and enjoy them for.

Coming to Santiago flicked a switch in me. It reminded me why I love languages, why I want to travel, and why one day I will definitely live abroad! It was also more special because of having to wait so long to go, so I appreciated having the opportunity so much more.

We had a few cities to choose from for our intensive course, so I thought I’d choose the only one in the north of Spain. I’ve never been to Galicia, so I was excited to see somewhere new. And I wasn’t disappointed! The region is like no other place I’ve ever been to in the country. Arriving on the train felt like I was in England; it was raining heavily and there was greenery everywhere! But don’t let that put you off coming - the weather perked up before long.

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The city centre is absolutely beautiful, with an incredible cathedral at the heart of it. Every day the main square would be heaving with people who had just completed the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage which finishes at the cathedral.

What’s more, every night in the main square a music group called the “Tunas” play. Nothing to do with the fish, this was a band who would play traditional Spanish tunes, and attracted big crowds every time they performed. It was a great atmosphere, and next time I come I want to know more of the lyrics!

The course itself was great fun too. We had a lovely teacher, who gave us lessons on the Spanish language as well as culture. We started early in the morning, but were finished by 2, which gave us the chance to get to know the city (and try out every single ice cream shop).

Often, we’d finish the evening with a drink and tapas, either at the university “comedor” or at a bar in the centre.

Lastly, I loved that everyone I met was so friendly - and didn’t switch to English with me!

Whoever I spoke to was kind and would be keen for a conversation, which was great to give me confidence in my abilities. Due to the fact that there aren’t that many British tourists in Santiago, it was far easier to stick to Spanish.

Being exposed to the language every day did wonders for me. I loved Spanish before, but speaking it every day reignited my passion, and now I want to move to Spain! It made me realise how great an entire year abroad would have been, and so I hope the next cohort manages to have a more normal time. I certainly feel that I will appreciate travel twice as much now!

hannah white - mandarin editor For as long as I can remember I have always been fascinated by foreign languages and I have always wanted to learn as many as I possibly can. My interest in languages probably started when I was around six or seven years old since, every year, I used to go on holiday with my family to the coast of Spain to visit my grandparents, who were living there at the time. As well as this, some of my first family holidays were to the Canary Islands, so I have many early memories of being on holiday in Spanish-speaking places. Therefore, ever since I can remember I have been surrounded by Spanish and always loved the way that the language sounded, so I wanted to be able to speak Spanish fluently. My grandad, who was living in Spain, can also speak multiple languages including Spanish, and this was always really inspiring to me, that he had taken the time and effort over the years to learn and practice foreign languages, and he is a big reason why I want to do the same.

I am also passionate about learning languages because, after graduating university, I plan to travel and live abroad, specifically in Spanish and Chinese speaking countries since those are the two languages I am studying. After spending so much time learning these languages I would like to continue improving them and have the opportunity to practice conversing with native speakers. One of my main goals is to be able to communicate well with people when travelling or living abroad because I think it is easier to make friends and really get to know the culture and the way of life. Plus, I think it is respectful to try and learn the local language of the country where you are, and I don’t like to always speak English or have to rely on English because not everyone can speak it. Also, it seems to me that by speaking the local language you are able to have different, and sometimes more authentic, experiences because you will be able to meet and communicate with more locals compared with someone who can only speak English.

After spending one semester this year studying Chinese at a university in Taiwan as part of my year abroad, I have some experience of living abroad. Having some knowledge of the local language, however limited, has definitely helped on many occasions since lots of people cannot speak English or have very limited knowledge.

Even just knowing the basics can really help when doing simple things like ordering food. For this reason, I want to continue to learn Mandarin, even though it is a very difficult language to learn as it is so different to English or any other European language! Similarly, I want to improve my level of Mandarin so that I can communicate better with the locals and live more easily when I return to Taiwan.

I also think learning languages is such an amazing skill to have, especially in England where it is becoming rarer, as it can help you to get a job or progress in your career. Having knowledge of one or multiple additional languages stands out to companies because not many people have this ability!

Overall, I am really passionate about learning languages because I think that they can help you in so many areas of life, from your professional life to your social life and even when travelling!

"For as long as I can remember I have always been fascinated by foreign languages and I have always wanted to learn as many as I possibly can."

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emily mercer - life and style editor Learning a foreign language, from a British perspective, is generally considered to be tedious, complex and, regrettably, useless. Given that my Spanish A-level classes consisted entirely of monotonous grammar drills and memorising vocabulary, it was difficult to believe otherwise. What’s the point? It was only when I left school and began to form real connections with Spanish and Italians that I was reminded of why I fell in love with languages It was October 2020, when England was on the brink of its second lockdown and online seminars and lectures were in-full-swing. My Italian tutor, sensing that we were beginning to lose enthusiasm, suggested downloading Tandem, a free language exchange app that allows you to chat to people from all over the world in order to improve whatever language it is you are learning.

Like most social apps, you create a profile which describes your interests and hobbies, what languages you can speak or would like to, and what you would like to gain from the app.

Tandem led me to meet Federica, a 24-year-old girl from Sardinia, Italy, who is learning English and Chinese. We had similar interests and hobbies, and we were both willing to help each other to learn our native language. What I liked about this app is that it is like a foreign language exchange, but virtual; we started chatting over text, found that we got on really well, which then led to exchanging numbers and video calling each other via WhatsApp. She has become one of my closest friends, and we will meet up in person one day, when travel becomes a lot easier! I instantly felt reassured when I knew Federica could help me at any time I was struggling with Italian grammar. She also suggested Instagram accounts to follow which made Italian grammar-related posts and she recommended Italian grammar books.

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But for me, Tandem is so much more than learning a new language. Speaking to Federica in both Italian and English felt like a gateway into Italian culture. As it neared Christmas, we shared the similarities and differences between British and Italian traditions: The Sardinian Christmas dinner consists of many dishes, including gnocchetti with tomato sauce cooked with cinghiale (wild pork) or pork meat (porcetto), risotto ai frutti di mare (seafood risotto), lasagne with ragú, porcetto al forno con patate (pork with roasted potatoes), dried fruits, panettone and pandoro (sweet breads).

We both live by the beach, but we quickly realised they are very different! The beaches in Sardinia have flawless white sand, a stunning aquamarine sea and are a lot warmer than the rocky beaches and murky seas of Northwest England.

She also explained to me the Italian way to make coffee (the proper way) – not just using instant coffee and water which is a sin in Italians’ eyes.

Throughout the third lockdown we watched copious amounts of English and Italian films and series on Amazon Prime and Disney+. What was really helpful on Amazon Prime was that we could watch films at the same time, using the chat box to ask what foreign words meant.

When I had been losing hope in the middle of second year, my newly found friendship reignited the passion that I had when I started to learn Italian.

Even though Federica and I have never met in person, we have become really good friends, and I know that we will see each other one day.

Tandem has proven to me that languages can cross borders and form long-lasting bonds between people, so if you are losing hope, don’t give up yet!

mariam salem - current affairs editor Language learning to me growing up never held any importance beyond the grades I achieved in it at school.

I grew up in Egypt. My mother tongue is Arabic, but I went to a school that focused highly on English and had very detailed and strict teachings of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation starting from reception. I was taught most of my subjects in English so, by the time I finished primary school I had a very good comprehension of the language and could read novels, watch films, and listen to music in English while understanding it well.

This knowledge of a second, universal language gave me great advantages as a young kid; I had access to a lot more entertainment and culture than others did simply because I understood and could interact in another language. Yet, this was never reason enough for me to think of pursuing other languages. I thought that being in an Arabic-speaking country and speaking English was a good enough level of multilingualism. Learning any other language would be a waste of time and effort because I already know all that I could ever need to use in the real world. To me that was being reasonable. That was my perspective at the time: small, local and limited.

Then my dad started work abroad. My family and I left Egypt and we came to the UK. And my world changed more than I could have ever imagined.

I realised how lucky I was to know English well enough and how significant knowing it was in helping me to survive and start anew in a different country.

I also realised that there’s so much more to the world than what I knew; I know that that sounds like a straightforward concept and a cliché, but experiencing it is a different story. It felt like I unlocked a 'curiosity portal' in my head through which everything I saw suddenly had more dimensions. Being in a multicultural society made me realise that there are so many other rich cultures in the world, it made me realise that each person has a story and that there’s so much history to everything. It made me see even my own background through a fresh pair of eyes as I answered questions about it asked by other curious people.

And then I realised that had I not had the language to communicate and navigate this new experience, it would have been a lot scarier and more uncomfortable to go through. That’s when my perspective on the importance of language learning started to change. And I think that’s common within immigrant communities. To many immigrants, such as myself, multilingualism holds a deeper meaning and is very closely linked to our identity as minority communities. Each language is a link to a culture that we’re part of and this language is our means of navigating that culture.

I think that the more comfortable that I got in speaking in English, and the easier everything seemed to be, the more I felt like home here and less of a stranger. This change in perspective made me care more about French during high school; it made me achieve quite highly in it and it made me even more curious to pick up other languages and learn them just for fun, such as Turkish and Spanish. Modern Languages became the degree I chose to do at university in hope that it will be the first step in a career that helps other people, who have left their countries for whatever reason, feel home too.

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freya richold - culture editor When I was a child, my family would go camping in France. My brother and I would explore on our bikes, circling the ring of coloured tents which lay beneath the pine trees, going to the pool, the shop

But another side of me is saddened to think that while I celebrated learning

simple French phrases, my French classmate moved to Britain almost fluent in English. It stings when I think that while I was nervous about reading French for the first time in Year Seven, many of my new classmates could read it easily, having learnt it in primary school.

It hurts to think that my French A Level teacher was and the park, all the while hearing the animated so bad that we had to report him to the Head. Even chattering of French locals. then, most of my peers had already dropped it

One evening, I was playing with a French child in the after GCSE, finding the ‘memorise your script’

words in the way that park, communicating without method of language learning dull. It pains me to

children can, when he suddenly spoke French directly think that when I tell people I study languages, a to me. Not understanding a word, I quickly attempted common reaction is either to ask ‘Why would you

I had picked up from my to summon what little French take that?’, or amazement ‘that I could do

‘moi… anglais’ with a parents. I eventually managed something so difficult’.

confused shrug. The child smiled understandingly and

left.

II do not believe language I returned to the tent to ask my Mum what I should learning is inherently say if that happened again. She explained to me that difficult. I believe that the ‘je suis anglaise’ is the correct way to tell someone hatred and difficulty Brits that I am English, or I could say ‘je ne parle pas have for learning languages français’ (I do not speak French). is a much deeper-rooted I was amazed at the seemingly copious amount of problem. If languages really French she knew. She explained to me that she learnt are difficult, how come most Europeans can speak three or four? Language it in school, and when I got to secondary school, I learning is an innate part of European life, except would learn it too. I looked around the campsite, for Brits. unconvinced that I could ever one day understand I am passionate about modern languages because the fast-paced chatter of the French families. Ten we should be able to communicate with our years later, I will return to France as part of my year European neighbours, learning from and teaching abroad, and I will be able to understand it each other our cultures and perspectives in an ever Looking back on my first steps of learning French more globalising world. I am passionate about prompts mixed emotions. Part of me is filled with modern languages because many British kids were joyous memories, such as when a French kid moved not as lucky as me. They didn’t get taken abroad by to my primary school, and confirmed I was the only their parents, and they didn’t have that ‘I can learn one who could pronounce ‘soleil’ (sun) correctly. Or in a language’ moment. They didn’t celebrate their my first French lesson at eleven years old, when I language knowledge in school, they dropped found to my delight that I recognised some words in languages at a young age. the daunting page of French text in front of me. .

I am passionate about modern languages because studying them has been the best decision I have ever made, and I want every child in the UK to believe they can learn them too.

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emma crossley - travel editor

The word ‘passion’ has changed over time. It ultimately comes from the Latin word ‘pati’, meaning to suffer. It developed into ‘passio’ which meant suffering, and represented a strong, uncontrollable emotion that was pushed onto an individual by an outer force - something that had to be endured. Only recently has the word ‘passion’ become something positive. And yet that strong feeling of an uncontrollable emotion remains. Now, passion can be defined as an intense desire or enthusiasm for something, so being passionate means to have this deep, genuine love and enjoyment of a particular thing. And for me, that thing is languages.

I think the main reason I am so passionate about languages is because it is about so much more than the language itself. Thinking back to primary school, where we tiresomely learnt that jaune was yellow and lapin was rabbit, and that was all, it really did not represent what languages is about. It really is such a multifaceted area of study with a bit of everything to suit everyone’s tastes. It combines all the individual subjects that we all know and love: history, geography, art, music, and even a bit of science if you take the path of linguistics. And there are areas that we’d never had the chance to explore before, like learning more about a certain culture and how its people live, the food they eat – and that’s not even mentioning the beautiful intricacies of learning a language itself! The variety of modern languages is exactly what makes it so interesting.

Through learning another language, you get a much deeper understanding of your own language too. You get to see the connections made with languages spoken all over the world, as English has absorbed many loan words from other languages, from obvious ones like déjà vu in French, to less obvious ones like anorak from English’s unexpected influence: Greenlandic. It’s so fascinating to see just how interlinked the world and its languages and cultures really are, which is so evidently placed under our noses and yet can only be appreciated through learning other languages. Another thing that makes modern languages so exciting is that they are constantly evolving, so there is always more to learn. Think of all the new words we are constantly creating to suit our needs, particularly by our generation (you only need to watch a few episodes of Love Island or have a brief scroll through Twitter to realise this).

The difficult thing about modern languages, however, is that once you start it’s impossible to stop. Knowing one other language makes it so much easier to learn a second, which fuels the motivation to learn a third, and so on… I’m a victim of this myself, having learnt Spanish and Portuguese at University, and effortlessly picking up Catalan while living and working in Barcelona.

It’s a harmless addiction but it sure is hard to shake!

I truly believe that learning a language is like playing a videogame and with each language you learn, you unlock a new character and a new part of the map - a new version of yourself and a new part of the world to interact with. It’s a neverending game full of excitement and unexpected opportunities, allowing you to progress further in the path of life.

I per això, estou tão apaixonada por las lenguas.

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