tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/european-languages-66090/articlesEuropean Languages – The Conversation2023-05-04T11:54:40Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2020782023-05-04T11:54:40Z2023-05-04T11:54:40ZUK students are abandoning language learning, so we’re looking for a more creative approach<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519052/original/file-20230403-16-youwpw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=64%2C0%2C7200%2C4796&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/learning-languages-online-audiobooks-concept-books-339642275">Maxx-Studio/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is a storm brewing for modern language education in the UK. The uptake in higher education has <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1764/BAR35-04-Kenny-Barnes.pdf">more than halved</a> in the past 15 years. And in the same period, ten modern language university departments have closed, while a further nine have been significantly downsized. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, language provision in schools is patchy. There are substantial regional differences, and only <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jul/08/millions-of-pupils-in-england-had-no-language-teaching-in-lockdowns-survey">half</a> of pupils in England learn a language at GCSE level. Together, these issues have created an <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/4437/Languages-learning-in-higher-education-November_2022_vf.pdf">overall problem</a> with access to language learning.</p>
<p>Given these challenges, as language lecturers we believe the way we teach and assess modern languages in our universities needs a <a href="https://theconversation.com/only-one-in-65-new-students-chooses-a-modern-language-degree-we-need-a-rethink-37768">rethink</a>. That’s why we want to explore how more creativity in the subject could help to make language learning more attractive and sustainable in the future. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/english-is-not-enough-british-children-face-major-disadvantage-when-it-comes-to-language-skills-110386">English is not enough – British children face major disadvantage when it comes to language skills</a>
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<p>Despite numbers that suggest an overall sector decline, <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/language-trends-2019.pdf">current trends</a> indicate that it is mostly single honours studies with one language and traditional language choices such as German, French, Italian and Spanish that are affected by dwindling numbers. Combination degrees, especially with non-European languages, appear to be <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/4437/Languages-learning-in-higher-education-November_2022_vf.pdf">relatively stable</a>.</p>
<p>So, departments offering single language degree combinations and more traditional languages could see these trends as an opportunity to reevaluate their approach.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman wearing a pink top stands with arms crossed in front of a chalkboard, which features a range of words in different languages which mean " src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519087/original/file-20230403-26-ktzjp5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Should making podcasts, art installations and clowning be considered as part of language learning degrees?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/learning-foreign-languages-142539865">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>In higher education, traditional language teaching and assessment methods involve continuous assessment in four typical language learning areas: grammar, translation, listening and oral. On top of that, there is presentation and essay work, as well as oral and written exams. </p>
<p>Traditional language testing relies on memorisation of vocabulary or grammar to measure student performance. In contrast, feedback-based assessment in the form of written language tasks or translation can have a positive effect that goes beyond a person’s limited ability to use the language in pre-defined contexts. But it is also very <a href="https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd39858.pdf">subjective and time-consuming</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, artificial intelligence software such as <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt">ChatGPT</a>, which generates detailed written answers to questions, or <a href="https://www.deepl.com/en/translator">Deep L</a>, which can translate texts with high accuracy, make take-home written assignments <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/13/end-of-the-essay-uk-lecturers-assessments-chatgpt-concerns-ai">vulnerable to cheating, plagiarism</a> and superficial learning. </p>
<p>Neither memorisation or feedback-based testing encourages students to apply their language learning to real-life situations. Language is more <a href="https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/creativity-modern-foreign-languages-teaching-and-learning">complex</a> than simple memorisation, translation tasks or essay writing.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People wearing headphones sit in booths, each looking at a screen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519867/original/file-20230406-24-rx2d0n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">How a typical language laboratory would have looked decades ago.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/3989339979/">Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science</a></span>
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<p>An alternative approach that is rarely used in language learning would be to include more creativity in assessment. Creative assessment in modern languages can be any artistically-inspired exercise aimed at measuring a student’s performance. </p>
<p>Examples of artistic research and creative assessment could include blog writing, podcasts, animation and art installations, creating graphic novels, writing poetry, painting, photography and even clowning. </p>
<p>If a student were to write and direct a <a href="https://creativemodernlanguages.uk/2022/11/25/womens-writing-in-latin-america-short-films/">short film based on women’s writing in Latin America</a>, it could provide lecturers with endless opportunities for creative, task-specific and more individualised feedback that is less repetitive. It would also provide a productive opening for more student group work, for critical reflection that goes beyond simple essay questions and could add valuable skills to a student’s CV.</p>
<p>Currently, creative assessments are mostly limited to theatre and art schools or to creative writing departments. We argue that ignoring such an approach in our subject area diminishes the potential <a href="https://www.cscjes.org.uk/articles/cbca5ccb-3272-4274-830c-66b5355d02d8">cultural, subjective and creative value of modern languages</a> because it neglects opportunities for intercultural, social and artistic exploration. </p>
<p>We already know that <a href="https://innovateinstructionignitelearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GajdaKarwowskiBeghetto-metaGPAvscreativity.pdf">being more creative improves learning</a> in general. Plenty of research has been done looking at how creativity improves academic outcomes across age ranges and topics, including <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-need-to-engage-students%E2%80%99-creative-thinking-in-Smare/dd9037fb1cf52e9f766933a91a0380e0c7cae91a">language learning</a>. </p>
<p>We think such <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Engaging-students%E2%80%99-imaginations-in-second-language-Judson-Egan/2ed8f9873be3a74e08bd6d7faa68caeb28fb538f">findings</a> should be applied practically to language learning to encourage students to approach their studies in different, more interesting ways. And this could ultimately inspire more students to study modern languages at university. Given the significant decline language teaching is facing, it’s vital that we look for and test such approaches.</p>
<h2>Creativity</h2>
<p>As a start, we’ve launched the <a href="https://creativemodernlanguages.uk">Creative Modern Languages project</a>. It’s an initiative that provides university researchers, students and teachers with an open-access modern languages hub. We are hoping that it will help to identify the best examples of creativity in language learning and act as a catalyst for more creative types of teaching, assessment and research.</p>
<p>There are some caveats, however. We acknowledge that implementing such changes may be met with fears and restrictions. Some colleagues say they are worried about time constraints and the administrative burden that may come with introducing creative assessment. They have also expressed concerns about not <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10400419.2017.1360061">feeling creative enough</a>, a lack of funding and increased workload. </p>
<p>But it is clear to us that implementing more creative forms of research and assessment in modern languages is necessary for attracting students in the future and countering the potential negative effects of AI technology. </p>
<p>What we are hoping to do is to encourage an ongoing discussion about more creative types of research and assessment in modern languages. Ultimately, it could help to introduce more students to the joys of other languages, people and cultures.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202078/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Mangold received funding from the British Academy for the research mentioned in this article (Talent Development Award 2021). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Pogoda received funding from the British Academy for the research mentioned in this article (Talent Development Award 2021).</span></em></p>The number of students studying languages in UK universities has plummeted in recent years but some creative thinking may help to reverse that trend.Alex Mangold, Lecturer in German, Aberystwyth UniversitySarah Pogoda, Senior Lecturer in German, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1914452022-10-04T16:34:51Z2022-10-04T16:34:51ZKarl, Karel or Karol? The translation confusion over King Charles III’s name, explained<p>Prince Charles is no more. In the English-speaking world, we’re now getting used to calling the former Prince of Wales “King Charles III”. As the King has chosen to <a href="https://theconversation.com/charles-iii-the-difficult-legacy-and-political-significance-of-the-new-kings-name-190383">keep his birth name</a> as his regnal title, the change isn’t too difficult. But in other languages, things are more complicated. </p>
<p>Looking at leading foreign press outlets, Charles’s name is translated in a variety of ways. His title of king is usually translated as French <em>roi</em>, Spanish <em>rey</em>, German <em>König</em>, Russian король (<em>korol</em>), Finnish <em>kuningas</em>, Czech <em>král</em>, Polish <em>król</em>, Bulgarian крал (<em>kral</em>). </p>
<p>For the Germans, this marks a change. <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/tod-von-queen-elizabeth-ii-was-king-charles-fuer-global-britain-bedeutet-a-b7238b19-3dd3-41c7-80e2-9458ac7d97c1">Queen Elizabeth II</a> was most often referred to using her English title – <em>die Queen</em> –, rather than with the German word for queen, <em>Königin</em>.</p>
<p>But while German and some other western European languages do not translate the regnal name, many Slavonic languages do. The Czechs called Elizabeth Alžběta, the Russians Елизавета (Yelizaveta), the Poles Elżbieta. Her son is, as king, called respectively Karel, Карл (Karl) and Karol. </p>
<p>But the practice isn’t necessarily the same by language group. Bulgarian, a closely-related Slavonic language, seems to call the new king крал Чарлс (<em>kral</em> Charls). </p>
<p>Finnish, a non-Slavonic language of the Finno-Ugric group, translated his mother’s name to Elisabet, but has left Charles alone. In Spanish, the Queen was Isabel II and her son is Carlos III. French is unexpectedly easy because the name is the same in both languages – <em>Le roi</em> Charles III.</p>
<p>As Prince of Wales, Charles’s name was usually left as is. In the <a href="https://wiki.korpus.cz/doku.php/en:cnk:syn:verze9">Czech National Corpus</a> (a 4.7-billion-word database of Czech texts), I found over 10,000 such examples referring to <em>princ</em> Charles, but only one example of his name in the Czech form <em>princ</em> Karel. Curiously, as the Charles in King Charles III is a regnal name, it is treated differently. </p>
<p>This has led to some confusion. In the first days of his reign, the king’s name appeared with varying translations. One recent evening, I checked <a href="https://www.webcorp.org.uk/live/">WebCorp</a>, an interface for searching the web for linguistic data. In Czech, I found him called <em>král</em> Karel III. 170 times (with the fullstop after III indicating that it is an ordinal number, as is Czech custom), but also clocked 45 examples of <em>král</em> Charles III.</p>
<p>The Institute for the Czech Language in Prague has been fielding queries from Czech media about what to call the new king. Kamila Smejkalová, who is head of the institute’s language advice service, told me they have been recommending Karel III., while acknowledging that Charles III. is also being used.</p>
<p>Confusion over British royal family names (Elizabeth or Alžběta, Philip or Filip) led the institute to draft a <a href="https://ujc.avcr.cz/jazykova-poradna/zajimave-dotazy/">briefing document</a> on the issue in the days after the Queen’s death. </p>
<p>The guidance suggests that in Czech, monarchs get treated differently from other members of the royal family, including – previously – Charles, Prince of Wales. Now that Charles is king, they recommend translating his name rather than leaving it in its English form. The guidance explains:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The names of monarchs are traditionally adapted into Czech … therefore, we can expect – and media usage of this name supports this – that now, and in the future, we will find both forms [Charles and Karel] of the British monarch’s name. Some speakers will respect tradition and nativise his name to Karel III. Others will prefer the form Charles III., which is also permissible, as the heir apparent was always referred to as <em>princ</em> Charles. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Now, Smejkalová says, we can see a clear preference for Karel over Charles. As soon as major media outlets opted for the former, it tipped the scales. However, practical concerns can also play a role. </p>
<p>Smejkalová notes that if Charles had been the IV, rather than the III, Czechs would have called him Charles IV., to avoid confusion with Karel IV., the most famous Czech king, who became Holy Roman Emperor in the 14th century.</p>
<h2>English translations</h2>
<p>In English, a foreign leader goes by their own name, but the title held is translated. For some languages, we swap the ordering of first and last names to conform to our practice of putting the personal name before the family name, for example, Hungary’s Orbán Viktor is known in English as Viktor Orbán. There are exceptions, such as Chinese, where President Xi Jinping’s family name stays in pole position. </p>
<p>Monarchs’ names and titles are a special and not entirely consistent case. A monarch inherits a title, which may have an equivalent in a foreign language and could be translated, just like president or prime minister. The monarch’s regnal name can be different from their personal name, as was the case with Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, whose name in personal life was Albert.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman takes a German newspaper off of a stand, the front page has a photo of the Queen and a headline reading Die Welt betet fur die Queen." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486773/original/file-20220927-22-qu7ahs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/486773/original/file-20220927-22-qu7ahs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486773/original/file-20220927-22-qu7ahs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486773/original/file-20220927-22-qu7ahs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486773/original/file-20220927-22-qu7ahs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486773/original/file-20220927-22-qu7ahs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/486773/original/file-20220927-22-qu7ahs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">While Charles will be known as König Charles in Germany, his mother was simply ‘die Queen’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-united-kingdom-sep-9-2022-2200790837">Hadrian / Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For contemporary rulers, English tends to translate titles, but leave regnal names alone. Spain’s head of state is King Felipe VI (never Philip) and Denmark’s is Queen Margrethe II (not Margaret II). </p>
<p>Certain states in the Middle East are exceptions. Rulers may keep local titles, like emir or sheikh, which have been adopted as English words.</p>
<p>Looking back through history, the picture is more complex. We keep some familiar historical titles in the original language (Kaiser Wilhelm from imperial Germany, and the tsars of Russia). However, we call Catherine the Great an empress, rather than her Russian title of <em>tsaritsa</em>. </p>
<p>We leave German regnal names untranslated as above, but those less familiar are often anglicised. The tsars are known as Alexander or Nicholas rather than Aleksandr or Nikolay. We retain the semi-anglicised Ivan, rather than use its English equivalent John.</p>
<p>Translation here, as everywhere, is a balancing act. The name and title of a hereditary ruler can be deeply specific to a country, but monarchy is found worldwide. </p>
<p>Every language has its own dynastic vocabulary, and translators have to find equilibrium between the foreign and the familiar. Their decisions will chart a slightly different course in every language reporting on the British royal succession.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191445/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Neil Bermel receives funding from the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council and has received funding in the past from the Leverhulme Trust and the British Academy. He collaborates on research with colleagues at the Czech Language Institute and the Czech National Corpus Institute named in this article. </span></em></p>Throughout Europe, the new king’s name has been translated (or not) in many different ways.Neil Bermel, Professor of Russian and Slavonic Studies, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1126262019-03-13T10:11:06Z2019-03-13T10:11:06ZWhy learning another language is still a sign of privilege<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262475/original/file-20190306-100787-ijuoe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is a class divide in language education in England. Young people from working-class backgrounds in socially deprived areas are far less likely to choose, or have the opportunity, to study languages at secondary school, than their more affluent peers.</p>
<p>Foreign language learning is at its lowest level in UK secondary schools since the turn of the millennium – recent BBC analysis shows a drop of between 30% and 50% of students taking GCSE language courses in the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-47334374">worst affected areas in England</a>. </p>
<p>But this is not a new claim. <a href="https://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/paper/2313.html">Researchers</a> started to highlight a class divide emerging just after the Labour Party changed languages from being compulsory to optional at GCSE in 2007. Once languages no longer needed to feature on league tables, many schools dramatically reduced the number of students sitting language exams. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/language_trends_survey_2015.pdf">The Language Trends 2015 report</a> found direct correlations between socioeconomic disadvantage and restricted access to languages. It was found that the schools in the most socially deprived areas excluded 17% of pupils from language study in key stage three (11-14 years-old) and 44% of pupils at key stage four (14-16 years-old). </p>
<p>Recent findings suggest things haven’t improved – 76% of students in selective schools sat a <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/language_trends_2018_report.pd">GCSE in a language</a> compared with only 38% in sponsored academies. There is also a geographical divide appearing, with young people living in London and the south-east more likely to take a language at GCSE. All other areas in England have recorded a decline – and the <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/language_trends_2018_report.pdf">north-east has been the worst affected</a>. </p>
<h2>The silent death of languages</h2>
<p>Schools in working-class areas face an array of challenges to provide language education: disengaged students, classroom management, timetabling issues and a massive shortage of qualified teachers. There is also a major issue with the language GCSE exams, which are perceived to be the hardest exams to take. </p>
<p>And they are, absolutely, the hardest exams to take, with <a href="https://ofqual.blog.gov.uk/2018/02/06/new-gcses-in-french-german-and-spanish/">unrealistic grade boundaries set in place</a>. If a student is only likely to complete five or six GCSE’s, it is unrealistic that schools will suggest languages. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262474/original/file-20190306-100787-10wuuc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262474/original/file-20190306-100787-10wuuc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262474/original/file-20190306-100787-10wuuc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262474/original/file-20190306-100787-10wuuc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262474/original/file-20190306-100787-10wuuc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262474/original/file-20190306-100787-10wuuc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262474/original/file-20190306-100787-10wuuc2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students from ‘disadvantaged areas’ are less likely to study languages.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>The prospect of Brexit has also promoted a hostile environment for language learning – especially in areas that <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/opinion-brexit-and-the-importance-of-languages-for-britain-3">voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union</a>. There is no value being placed on language education (by schools or the government) and this is most detrimental to the poorest students and their own personal social mobility. </p>
<p>This is in stark contrast to private and high achieving schools, where languages are prioritised and better resourced. And more importantly these schools can recruit and retain the lion’s share of language teachers.</p>
<h2>The Norfolk perspective</h2>
<p>Over the past four years, <a href="https://uea.library.ingentaconnect.com/content/openu/jwpll/2016/00000018/00000003/art00006;jsessionid=33gdeatir7u7q.x-ic-live-02">my own research</a> has focused on understanding how young people in socially deprived areas in Norfolk view language education. There is a national assumption that Norfolk is a rich county, epitomised by residents such as Stephen Fry and Delia Smith. But in reality Norfolk is diverse and has large areas of urban, rural and coastal deprivation, isolated from many parts of the country with poor, expensive and not always reliable transport links. </p>
<p>Many of the Norfolk’s secondary schools fall into the bottom 10% of schools nationally. The county also has areas of social deprivation, which have existed for generations. Norwich, for example, ranked second to bottom in the 2016 <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-mobility-index">Social Mobility Index</a>. </p>
<p>Language uptake in the county is very low – less than 200 young people took a language at A-level in 2016 and only a handful of schools offer French, Spanish and German – many only timetable and prioritise one or two languages. Young people wanting to study languages have to shop around for the sixth form that offers the one they want – and must be willing to travel to attend that school. </p>
<p>The young people in my study all came from working-class backgrounds and those who wanted to study languages were keenly aware of the challenges they faced. Many students recognised that they were the only one in their year group who liked languages and often felt under pressure from their peers not to succeed. They also were frustrated with their schools and the lack of investment into their language education, they actively wanted more trips abroad and more careers talks. </p>
<p>Those who knew they did not want to study languages said they found them hard and boring and were clear in their articulation that they did not know the role that languages would play in their daily lives. All students highlighted that it was hard to practise their languages at home if neither parent spoke another language. And, if the young people had caring duties, they found it hard to find the time to practice.</p>
<h2>What’s next?</h2>
<p>Languages play a fundamental role in the social mobility of young people. And students from working-class backgrounds have the most to gain by learning a language. Yet they are also the ones who have the least access to language education in England. </p>
<p>Learning environments need to embed languages holistically throughout the educational journey. This includes exam boards reconsidering how they assess languages. It also includes working with communities beyond the school gates to help raise awareness about the impact languages can have on a young person’s life. </p>
<p>This is important because young people today need to be global citizens and languages play a huge role in preparing young people for future opportunities. In post-Brexit Britain, it will simply not be enough to speak English alone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112626/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kim Ridealgh receives funding from AHRC, ESRC, Department for Education, and HEFCE. </span></em></p>Young people from working class backgrounds in socially deprived areas are far less likely to choose, or have the opportunity, to study languages at secondary school, than their more affluent peers.Kim Ridealgh, Lecturer in Sociolinguistics, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1038832019-02-08T15:13:01Z2019-02-08T15:13:01ZMore British children are learning Mandarin Chinese – but an increase in qualified teachers is urgently needed<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257686/original/file-20190207-174864-1he8l8v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mandarin Chinese: coming to a school near you soon?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mandarin Chinese is seen as being of increasing strategic importance, and in recent years there’s been a growing number of students taking up the language in schools across the UK.</p>
<p>There were more than <a href="https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/">3,500 GCSE entries for Mandarin Chinese</a> in 2018. But it’s not just <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/china/overview">China’s global dominance</a> that makes Mandarin an appealing alternative to learning a European language. For students, it’s exciting and opens up a window into other cultures and ways of thinking. </p>
<p>Take the character for home and family 家 – which is a pig under a roof – many students are keen to find out why. New learners of the language are also always pleased to discover that verbs don’t change – so no having to remember different endings off by heart – and there are no tenses in Mandarin Chinese.</p>
<p>The learning of Chinese <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/languages-for-the-future-report.pdf">is taking off globally</a>, so there are many new and innovative resources for students. China is also keen to welcome guests and school students have been able to benefit from in-country learning – supported financially by Chinese host institutions during their stay. Many come back home and realise the opportunities to work in China or with Chinese companies in their future will be huge. </p>
<h2>Chinese in schools</h2>
<p>As a new subject in a school, Chinese teachers (whether native or non-native speaker) tend to see themselves as pioneers. And they are often under pressure to establish their departments and achieve good results. This can mean learners have plenty of extra support and are motivated by highly focused teachers.</p>
<p>Students are often taught in precisely the same way as they would be taught for a European language, despite the structural differences of Chinese. Teachers start with a communicative approach –- so learners have to get to grips with more complex characters early. For instance 我喜欢 are the characters for “I like”. </p>
<p>Given a free rein, the teacher might choose to build up simpler characters to start with eg 人 and 口 – which mean people and mouth separately. These can then be put together as a compound, meaning population 人口.</p>
<h2>Speaking and writing</h2>
<p>The UCL Institute of Education has been supporting schools to teach Mandarin Chinese since 2007. Students can also now take part in the <a href="https://ci.ioe.ac.uk/mandarin-excellence-programme/">Department for Education’s Mandarin Excellence Programme</a>, which is delivered in schools with support from a team of specialists at the UCL Institute of Education. The students learn Chinese for eight hours a week –- four taught hours and four hours of self-study – from year seven onward. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257687/original/file-20190207-174861-z43kpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257687/original/file-20190207-174861-z43kpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257687/original/file-20190207-174861-z43kpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257687/original/file-20190207-174861-z43kpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257687/original/file-20190207-174861-z43kpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257687/original/file-20190207-174861-z43kpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257687/original/file-20190207-174861-z43kpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Learning a different language can be fun for kids.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>The programme is already having substantial results with 64 schools and more than 3000 pupils already on track to reach high levels of proficiency during their time at school. The first cohort of students are just joining year three of the programme and already able to speak and write Chinese to a high standard.</p>
<p>As well as delivering the programme and helping to train more Mandarin teachers, <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-and-centres/centres/ioe-confucius-institute-schools">UCL Institute of Education is running a pilot</a> for a significant project in schools to investigate the cognitive benefits of learning Chinese. We hope to discover how the brain functions differently when learning Chinese and the benefits this can have on schoolchildren.</p>
<h2>A growing trend</h2>
<p>But in all the noise about Chinese learning, perspective needs to be maintained about the numbers. In some schools Chinese is thoroughly embedded into the curriculum as a language offered alongside French, Spanish and German, but according to the British Council’s most recent Language Trends survey, Chinese is only offered as a GCSE option in <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/language_trends_2018_report.pdf">8% of state schools and 32% of independent schools</a>. </p>
<p>At A-level, numbers are increasing, but this may mask the fact that a good number of those being examined will be native speakers of Chinese – or those with family background in the language. </p>
<p>What is clear though is that given this rise in interest, many more qualified teachers of Chinese are needed – as is much more research on best practice in teaching what is a relatively new language in schools. </p>
<p>This is important, because it is vital there is wider access to and better provision of Mandarin Chinese, if more students are to learn this language. But for this to happen, more schools need to start taking it seriously – by placing it alongside the traditional “foreign” languages (French, German and Spanish) that are typically learnt in the classroom.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103883/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katharine Carruthers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There’s been a growing number of students taking up the language in schools across the UK.Katharine Carruthers, Pro-Vice-Provost East Asia, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.