As promised in the previous piece about Silje, here’s the second Scandinavian account of life post-graduation, this time from Terry:
“Whether you fully master a profession as a banker, engineer, architect, teacher, factory worker and so forth, you are still limited in terms of its usage. As a professional, your job can only be applied in a context-specific environment in which the same language is spoken. However, if a company or an employee wish to expand their business and transmit their knowledge, they need to learn other languages. Learning a language holds the key to global awareness. Speaking many languages enables you to learn more about other cultures and to relate to individuals on a deeper level. Being multi-lingual is a sure way to further your career in any profession. Having the ability to speak many languages can help us transmit knowledge universally, increase cultural awareness, and reduce the amount misunderstanding and conflict that constantly surround us.
As a multi-linguist, studying at the University of Stirling was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. I graduated with a BA Hons in both French and Spanish. This in turn prepared me extremely well to complete my MA in Spanish in Ottawa, Canada. The language courses at Stirling offered modules in translation, culture, history, interpreting, literature, and much more. As a double major language student, the year-abroad programme was an integral part of the course curriculum, offering opportunities to both work and study in targeted countries. During my second year of studies, I went to Lille in northern France to work as an English Language Assistant, which was quite an achievement for a non-native speaker of English. The following year, during my Semester Abroad, I studied legal translation in Málaga, Spain. This immersive hands-on experience abroad gave me confidence and knowledge to successfully complete my studies.
Aside from these wonderful travelling opportunities the University of Stirling has to offer, the language course components are directly relevant to the current language learning environment. Courses such as interpreting, translation, and literature truly equip you with the tools you need to succeed professionally. In my case, the interpreting and translation courses helped me land jobs at the local court in Logroño in Spain as their official translator, as well as several teaching jobs in Ottawa where French is often a prerequisite for working. I also worked as an official IELTS examiner in Canada and I have been called on for various interpreting services in Sweden where I am currently working as a language teacher.
Now, ten years after my graduation, I speak six languages fluently, I have had plenty of job offers, I have benefited from visiting and living in many countries. Most importantly, I have many great friends from all over the globe. I am a citizen of the world.”
Terry happens to have graduated at the end of my first semester teaching at Stirling, so it’s particularly nice to have been able to keep in touch over the course of the past decade and we wish him all the best for the future!
More catching-up with recent graduates and tales of their lives since they finished studying with us. Today’s tales both happen to come from Scandinavian graduates… first, Silje, from Norway, and Terry, from Sweden.
Silje graduated from Stirling in 2013 with a BA Hons in English Studies and French: “I originally chose Stirling because of its opportunity to do French for beginners. It was also on the list of universities that the Norwegian organisation which helped me apply co-operated with. In addition, the pictures of the surroundings and campus looked amazing!
Loch Lomond trip with Uni kayak club
During my time there I enjoyed both the English and French part of my studies. Stirling is also great for past-time activities and I tried to enjoy that to the full as well of course. I went on exchange to Geneva, Switzerland for my 2nd semester 3rd year. That certainly helped my language skills a lot and this compulsory time abroad was also a reason that I chose this course.
One of my favourite modules during my stay in Stirling was a module on Post-War France with Jason Hartford. This made me love history once again and was just so incredibly interesting on a cultural, as well as a social level.
After graduating and taking a year to travel, I did a one-year teaching course here in Norway to become a qualified teacher (like you can in Scotland). I am now a secondary school teacher (kids aged 12-15). I teach English and French, where English is a compulsory subject and French is not. This means that, often, the French groups are more motivated and can progress quicker. However, a difference between classes and groups is always interesting.
I certainly appreciate that I did French, as it certainly made me stand out and landed me a job. French-English was a great combination both for being relevant during my studies and after.”
We continue to offer that route into French via the Beginners’ stream for students who don’t have a Higher (or equivalent), overseen by our Language Coordinator, Jean-Michel DesJacques. Students in those classes focus on intensive language learning for the first two semesters, before beginning to study literary texts and films in Semester 3 (still alongside intensive language learning), and then merging with the non-Beginners in Semester 4. From that point onwards, there’s no further differentiation between Beginners and non-Beginners and, every year, we’re delighted to see a cluster of former Beginners among our successful graduates.
Thanks to Silje for this article and best wishes for the future!
By happy coincidence, on the same day as I’ve been able to post Claire’s account of the year that she is currently spending in Strasbourg on our International Management and Intercultural Studies degree, I’ve also received an update from a graduate of the same programme…
‘My name is Kristina and I come from Slovakia. I came to Stirling in 2007 as a first year student of a double degree entitled BA (Hons) International Management and Intercultural Studies which is combined with a Master’s degree from Ecole de Management Strasbourg. I graduated in 2013. Although with a slightly complicated name and structure and only very few people taking the same combination, this degree allowed me to study French, Spanish and Marketing at the same time. Being a language enthusiast but also wanting a field to use the languages in, this was a great fit. And now, a few years after my graduation, I cannot say otherwise! I’m very happy with all my choices and with all the opportunities I was given along the way. We have a saying at home which I’ll have a shot at translating here with hope it conveys the message: “The more languages you know, the more of a person you are”. And it’s a saying I truly believe. When thinking in another language, you really changes the way you think, partly due to the way the language works and partly grasping the culture. According to this saying, I could say I’m at least 5 distinct people now – 3 of which are thanks to Stirling University – the Scottish, the French and the Chilean/Spanish (the other two being Slovak and Czech).
My first week at Stirling, visiting the Castle – it felt like being at Hogwarts!
After 2 great years in Stirling, I went abroad as a Comenius Assistant for a year. I was placed in Marseille, one of the largest cities in France. Teaching at a vocational high school was challenging but certainly a great and rewarding experience. One of my classes did a 4-week long internship in Dublin at the end of the year allowing them to experience Irish culture in person. I could watch the progress of my students on a daily basis as their excitement for the trip grew, but when this class returned from Dublin, their improvement was simply stunning. Outside of school, I integrated a group of fellow language assistants from all over the globe – Mexico, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Spain, Italy and USA to name a few. Friends are one of the most amazing parts of travelling and living abroad. Yet, the hardest thing about moving from one country to another is having to say goodbye to your friends. However, the world is small and there’s always a way to reunite. We created such strong bonds that many of us have already met since and we even had a little reunion in Mexico couple years ago!
When I returned from Marseille, it was only for a short time of one semester before I was already making plans for my next adventure – a semester in Chile. This was a compulsory study abroad part of the degree to improve our language skills. I could have chosen from about 7 Spanish universities, but being the adventurous type, I asked myself – when will I have the opportunity to live in South America for 6 months again? So I packed my bags and hopped on the plane. I wouldn’t have changed this time for anything in the world. Living in such a different and interesting culture was an incredible experience full of new people, new tastes and strange accents one must learn (and I mean that, Chilean Spanish is nothing like what you learn in class!). Really getting into it, at the university, I signed up for Español de América where we learned to recognise the dialects from different regions of all South and Central American countries. I also took a class of the Quechua language and culture which was very interesting. Despite being the only foreigner in the class, it was my favourite – the language is like no other that I’ve ever studied. And when I travelled north to Peru and Bolivia at the end of the semester, I could even read and understand some of the names of the villages and places that still bear old Quechua names.
Tarabuco – A small market town near Sucre in Bolivia
And believe it or not, that was not the last time I went abroad thanks to Stirling. After completing my 4th year and therefore the whole Stirling component of the degree, I went back to France for 13 months, this time to Strasbourg. Compared to the southern laid back style of Marseille, the life in Alsace had a very significant influence from Germany, cutting down the amount of strikes, public transport being on time and, not to forget, a good beer. At the university, I chose a specialisation of International and European Business – this part of my degree was really focused on business – in the end, this was a business school. Even though we had to endure lectures in 4 hour blocks (yes that means listening to an accounting lecturer for 4 hours straight not understanding much of it – I’ve never done accounting and it was not a beginners’ class (!)), the classes were varied to suit everyone – marketing, HR, finance, supply chain – and everything was looked at from the international or intercultural perspective. Some of us even took a minor in wine marketing, a part of which was dedicated to the knowledge of grapes and wines, allowing us to get to know Alsace through its very traditional art of wine-making – I strongly recommend both the class and the wine. In April, when the classes were over, I started a 6-month internship at a local start-up company called. I could finally apply what I had learnt over the 5 years of studies to my work, and I was happy to find all the effort was worth it.
And always with my bike! Strasbourg has most bike routes per capita in France.
It was a challenging, yet exciting journey and I found myself with two degrees in my hands. The doors were open, so you might ask what did I go on to do next? Well, I have to admit, I took some time off to relax back at home where I haven’t spent much time over the past 6 years. I visited friends in Milan and in Mexico and travelled to both my graduations – the Stirling one as well as the Strasbourg one.
Graduation – finally!!
But my mind didn’t let me relax for long, and so I started planning my next big step – PhD studies. I really enjoyed my Master’s dissertation topic – how different cultures respond to shock appeals in charity advertising – and so I decided to build on it and started to write a research proposal and PhD applications. Took some time to get everything ready, find the right supervisors and secure funding, but it all came together and I am now in my 2nd year of the PhD programme at the University of Edinburgh. I might have said the journey up until here was challenging, but PhD life is much more so. Challenging and tiring it may be, it is also fascinating, thought-provoking, inspirational and full of learning and discovery. I am grateful to be here and thankful to the University of Stirling where I received excellent training and numerous international opportunities. And even despite all the rain, I am happy to be back in Scotland, reunited with those friends that remained here and with many new ones, making new memories.
Presenting a poster with my research project at Edinburgh University
I haven’t forgotten Stirling or my language studies either. Before starting the PhD I spent some time teaching English as a foreign language, in France and in England to international groups, and once I moved back to Scotland, I even tutored French in Stirling – on some of the courses I had once taken. It was a lovely experience to be back on the beautiful campus and also on the other side of the classroom – this time, in front of the students rather than being one of them.
All these experiences have helped me become who I am now. I never thought I would be an academic but now I am on the path towards a career in teaching and research and I am determined and enthusiastic. And I look forward to all my next challenges and adventures, because without them, life would be boring.’
And, of course, we look forward to being able to post updates on Kristina’s progress over the years ahead.
As well as a broad range of Combined Honours programmes involving French over the standard 4-year course of a degree (5, if you undertake an English Language Assistantship), French at Stirling also happens to be home to an integrated Masters programme in International Management and Intercultural Studies with our partner institution, the Ecole de Management in Strasbourg. This is a 5-year programme and, for students starting in Stirling, involves a semester of Study Abroad in 3rd year and then a full year in Strasbourg to complete the Master Grande Ecole in Year 5.
Claire is one of our students who is currently in Strasbourg for the year, taking full advantage of all the opportunities available through a partnership with one of Europe’s most prestigious business schools:
‘I cannot emphasise enough the return on investment you will receive from studying abroad. In the increasingly globalised world that we live in, young people, like myself, are constantly reminded about the pace of change and the dynamics of cross-cultural collaboration. We live in exciting times as this change brings enormous opportunities to grow and develop as young global talent. By immersing ourselves in other cultures, we become aware of other people, aware of alternative views and more aware of ourselves.
Stirling University’s unique integrated Masters in International Management and Intercultural Studies is perfectly fitting to today’s environment. Having the opportunity to study abroad in Mexico in third year, as well as further pursue a 5th year at EM Strasbourg France, to obtain a Master Grande Ecole degree, does not compare to staying local. At least for me, anyway, as I am always looking for a new challenge.
To cut to the chase, if you put the work in, you will reap the benefits of the course that Sitrling Uni offers. For me, this hard work has paid off. Particularly, having the opportunity to live and breathe the eclectic mix of French and German cultures in the heart of Europe has exposed me to the richness and multicultural diversity that the EU boasts.
European Parliament
From visits to the parliament to participate in mock debates to listening to the perspectives of guest speakers from the WTO, my horizons have been widened. I now think in ways that I never could have imagined and I always look beyond the immediate situation. You cannot learn this stuff, you just need to be exposed to it. Even if it is in the form of organised wine tasting sessions at France’s biggest wine exporter’s HQ.
To my surprise, my biggest challenge of all was not actually working in international teams at university, but was, in fact everyday interactions with French people. During my first few weeks, I found it a real struggle to get along with French people on a daily basis. But, I was determined to crack them. I even bought a book. It was ironic as in contrast to my experience in Mexico, where the culture is obviously different, French culture just seemed so much more difficult to master. Over time, however, I have learned to love the peculiarities, and, of course the rich culture of cheese and wine.
Strasbourg Cathedral Light Show
Overall, this experience has not only equipped me for a career in international business, but it has enriched me as a culturally sensitive individual. Gaining insight from industry experts has opened my eyes to the reality of the business world, preparing me to cultivate my future and become a global talent. This is complemented by my exposure to all things francophone, and my daily cooperation with the 12 different nationalities that are on my course. Not only that, but I have gained an ever growing international network and have made life long international friends. Speaking languages are just a bi-product of these soft skills that you will acquire through studying such a dynamic course and putting yourself out there.
Bonne chance!’
We’re looking forward to hearing where life will take Claire after she graduates later this year.
Not content with the freezing temperatures of Stirling, Bill Marshall has headed somewhere even colder and is currently in Montreal for a trip funded by the British Association of Canadian Studies’ Prix du Québec. He’ll be attending the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois to help develop a projected edited book of essays Quebec Film: Texts and Contexts, and conducting research at the Grande Bibliothèque du Québec for a forthcoming article in Yale French Studies on representations of the first French Empire in contemporary bande dessinée.
Next month, Bill will be giving the annual Christianson lecture at Bristol University on ‘French Atlantic Cities in Translation’ and participating in a panel on Quebec cinema at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies conference in Atlanta. In April, he’ll be giving a talk on Saint-Pierre et Miquelon at New York University, as well as a seminar at Edinburgh University in their ‘Diasporic Trajectories’ series.
And as though all that weren’t enough, Bill’s latest publication – a chapter entitled ‘Buildering, Urban Interventions and Public Sculpture’ – is now out in Christoph Lindner and Shirley Jordan’s edited collection Cities Interrupted. Visual Culture and Urban Space.
In May of last year, I was contacted by a colleague at St Andrews who asked if I would be willing to chair a discussion with Jean-Pierre Jeunet at the Byre Theatre. This ‘Conversation with Jean-Pierre Jeunet’, as it was billed, was being held to launch a new series of cultural events at the theatre, and I was asked to chair the event because I had written a book about Jeunet’s films (with the searingly original title Jean-Pierre Jeunet, published in the University of Illinois Press Contemporary Film Directors series in 2008).
I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, not because I would have to moderate a discussion in front of hundreds of people; not because I hadn’t thought much about Jeunet’s films since I’d published the book; and not because I would also be interviewing Reif Larsen, the author of the novel on which Jeunet’s latest film was based, but whose work I had not read. None of these things bothered me unduly: I was used to standing up in front of large groups of people; I could swat up again on Jeunet’s work in preparation for the interview; and Larsen’s novel looked as though it would be fun to read. No, what bothered me was the fact that I had never met Jeunet before, and I knew that when artists and critics meet, things don’t always go well. It’s one thing, as a scholar, to work on someone who is long gone—say, Shakespeare, or Méliès—and who, therefore, cannot contradict your interpretations of their work. But it is quite another thing to come face to face with someone about whom you have devoted an entire study, and who might not like what you have said about them.
But then I read Larsen’s book, and I loved it. (The book is called The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, a title changed in the film to The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet.) I enjoyed the novel for its own sake, but it was also immediately apparent why Jeunet had been drawn to it—it exhibits a quirky inventiveness, a boundless energy very similar to that found in Jeunet’s films. In fact, I learned while preparing for the interview that Larsen had been influenced by Jeunet’s work when he wrote his book, which makes for a kind of endless chicken-and-egg story if you think about it too long.
Meeting Reif Larsen an hour or two before the event on the 14th of October began to put me at ease. Both he and his wife, Russian literature scholar Katharine Holt, were extremely likable, and, since they also came from the US, we swapped stories about the Old Country, and about our experiences as expats in Scotland. But then Reif said casually, no doubt oblivious to the fact that he was confirming my worst fears: “Jean-Pierre can get a little funny at times. Don’t take it personally. He really hates academic interpretations of his work.” Great, I thought; just fantastic.
And indeed, when Jeunet himself appeared before our entrance on stage, our conversation was initially quite stilted. I asked him what he was working on at the moment, and he said, somewhat testily, “Sex.” I took his response to mean a film about this topic, rather than a personal exploration of the subject, though I was in no hurry to find out which of these two alternatives he intended. I imagined our interaction on stage as consisting of similarly halting exchanges, and began to think that maybe this event wasn’t such a good idea after all.
But here’s the thing: once we were seated on stage and began talking in earnest, Jeunet’s wariness melted away, and he was absolutely charming. We had a great conversation, which somehow seemed to flow quite naturally; Larsen and Jeunet already had a good rapport with each other, and the three-way dialogue format worked well. The time flew by. In other words, it was all good. Afterwards, we went to dinner at a lovely restaurant (which was also much better than I had expected), where I sat between Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Reif Larsen, and we talked about the works—the novel, the film, and even the scholarly book—that had brought us all together.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Elizabeth Ezra and Reif Larsen
Two years ago, our graduate Susan Peattie sent us a report on her life and travels following graduation, a journey that had taken her from Stirling to the Czech Republic, via Africa, Central Asia and Latin America. Two years on, Susan is now living and teaching in southern Spain where she continues to put her language learning and language teaching skills to very good use.
“In August 2014 I moved to Spain and spent a month in Seville where I took a CELTA course in order to further my teaching career. I then took up the post of Very Young Learners Specialist with a school in Linares, Andalucía teaching English to children from 3 to 6 years old, as well as teenagers and adults.
Linares is a small town surrounded by olive groves and is only an hour away from Córdoba, Granada and Cazorla National Park which has some fabulous walks. Being a small town, Linares is very friendly and it is difficult to walk down the street without meeting someone you know and here students quickly become friends. It is a very traditional town which means bars still give a free tapas with every drink and the shops are closed on Sundays because the focus is very much on socialising with family and friends!
I am working at The Cultural English Centre and I am really enjoying being part of the team here because they have a refreshing approach to teaching and learning. Whilst Cambridge Exams are never far from our minds, we encourage the children to learn in a more natural way through many free activities. We have a Theatre Club and they perform in the local theatre in June, photo and video making competitions as well as Hallowe’en and Christmas parties. We also take the children to La Garza where we spend the weekend in log cabins and the children can participate in many outdoor activities which not only helps to improve their English, but their confidence in general! We also go for tapas with our adult students to give them the opportunity to speak English in a more natural environment.
I am planning to stay here for the foreseeable future as the school also encourages teachers to continue with their own professional development and they are supporting me whilst I study for the DELTA qualification with Cambridge University. Not only will this qualification open up more opportunities for me in the future, it will help me to grow as a teacher.”
We look forward to following Susan’s travels and the development of her varied teaching career over the months and years ahead.
Since graduating with a BA Hons in French in 2014, Jana Kautska has kept in touch with French at Stirling and we’re really pleased to be able to post this article by her about life as a student of French at Stirling and what can happen next:
“Scotland enchanted me during my first visit in 1996 and I have been in close touch with this country ever since. I wanted to discover more. I wanted to get closer to its inhabitants and I was hoping to be able to experience the real way of life there rather than visiting it only as an accompanying Tour Leader (the non-elegant sort of all-in-one coach guide/interpreter/translator ready to sort every single problem that popped up on the long journey from the Czech Republic to the U.K.). My clients were mostly teachers and students travelling to Scotland in order to enhance their language, cultural, historical and political knowledge. Malheureusement, while crossing several borders before reaching our final destination the chic France stood in our way. Whenever I tried to open up a conversation the response from the French part was one and the same: “Parlez-vous anglais?” Clearly it was either time to quit my attempts at French altogether or “Il fallait recommencer mes études de nouveau.” So I did. This is how une idée to study French in Scotland est née.
Stirling was my preferred choice because I found the university grounds very compact and I liked the fact that even the neighbouring village of Bridge of Allan or the town of Stirling were within walking distance. This connection was very important to me because of the train stations which enabled links with the cities of Glasgow or Edinburgh and their airports so easy to reach. De plus, the beautiful lake in the middle of the campus and the majestic Dumyat hill and its ‘friends’ took my breath away and they still do whenever I revisit the campus. This could be a perfect temporary home for a while I thought. The bonus was that the University Accommodation Services offered a family type of accommodation which I needed to secure for my small family of three and what´s more there was also a Playgroup run by the Department of Psychology on offer. What a bonus! I must admit that the university web and printed brochures contributed to my decision. The place seemed to be modern and dynamic; the library was on the spot, shops, bank, MacRobert cultural centre with cinema and theatre all in one.
What made me accept the offer from the Stirling University? First and foremost it was the possibility to dive into the desired French Studies. I found the combined degrees as well as the variety of modules possible to study quite amazing. I initially opted to study French in combination with Psychology but I ended up studying French only. This allowed me to sign up for linguistics, religion and cinema modules, as well as allowing me to undertake the semester abroad required by the French department which was one of the principal reasons for me to accept the offer. I was fully aware of the importance of study abroad. I knew that my spoken French and understanding of the real spoken language would not progress as desired without an immersion in French language and culture. The semester abroad was absolutely crucial. It was the fastest way to improve my comprehension as well as conversation.
I was granted the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours in French in 2014 and I thoroughly enjoyed every single module I took. Indeed, there are several modules I will never forget. At the beginning of my studies these were for instance Language and Society together with Foundation of Language presented by Andrew Smith. These were such good fun. Or for example Religion, Ethics and Society totally surprised me with its content as it was so amazingly linked to the current affairs in the world. The topics of Orientalism and Edward Said were so interesting to look into not only in connection with the issue of veil so often discussed in the press all over Europe that time. Post-War European Cinema, Transnational Identities, Québec Cinema and Introduction to African Literature and Cinema all on offer by the French Department are still my number ones though. These brought a completely different dimension into my life friendship-wise as well as on the internal level of thinking. For instance, I can still hear the beautiful soundtrack to a very moving film Mon oncle Antoine to name at least one. Thanks to an essay question related to this film Québec became so close to me although so distant in reality. On personal level these modules brought some very firm friendships into my life with francophone students from Africa and Switzerland who chose Stirling University as their exchange partner university and with whom I have been in contact ever since.
And so this is how in 2010 I begun to live my dream LIVE thanks to the offer from the University of Stirling. I chose to study French here because I believed that there would be a different approach to studying a foreign language in Great Britain to the one carried out at the universities in the Czech Republic where I originally come from. I was right and I would not change a thing. Studies at Stirling were dynamic, modern, non-rigid and absolutely up-to-date in every sense. Language teaching in Stirling exceeded my expectations. I really liked the approach of having a lot on offer on one hand but having also a choice which helped me to cope with the immense load of work at the exam period or reading weeks. It is entirely up to each individual to explore what one wishes to find out and how deep into the topic s/he wants to go. I find this very democratic. There was no compulsory drill, no repetition, no memorizing as is often the case at the universities on the continent (France included as I learned through my personal experience).
The professionalism of the professors at Stirling is amazing and the flexibility of studies matched my needs perfectly. The expertise the professors possess is absolutely enormous. It is so nice to read a book written by someone who is actually giving lectures or seminars. Everybody is so supportive. For instance such a little thing as the French language café run by the Language Assistant, Bernadette Corbett (now retired). How useful and helpful this was! Thank you Bernadette! Or what an opportunity to get on board of a train and explore an Interpreting Event in Edinburgh Heriot Watt University together with other students and language tutor Jean-Michel Des Jacques. To witness student peers at another university how they sweat while training their conference interpreting skills at real inbuilt booths/cabins the partner university uses for teaching purposes was more than interesting.
And of course joining the Erasmus programme together with my daughter (then just 4) needs no comment. It was the most challenging of all assignments I had to fulfil but the very best and cleverest request the French department had on offer. If only I was a bit younger and British I would have joined my peers and gone for the English Teaching Assistantship programme supported by the University of Stirling and the British Council. All my friends who joined came back linguistically very well equipped to fulfil their final 4th year of their studies. They were also more than ready to face the real life challenges on the current job market.
Erasmus in Tours
And what have I gone on to do with my French since graduating? My decision to accept the offer made by the University of Stirling has changed my life completely. Although I do not use French as a ‘working language’ when interpreting (my free-lance job) I found it extremely useful when working as an ESOL Home Tutor and Classroom Volunteer for Community based ESOL at the Edinburgh College. One woman there, an elementary student from Morocco, arrived in my classroom speaking no English whatsoever. Luckily she knew some French. You can imagine the sparkles in her eyes when I offered French translation to several key English words in order to comfort her and break the ice a bit. We even managed to joke! She says a big “HELLO” to me whenever I meet her in the streets and has no more fear to try her English skills with me. What a success thanks to French! To my amazement last spring time my volunteering work was appreciated by my nomination to Inspiring Volunteering Achievement Awards 2015 by the Edinburgh College. It was such an interesting experience for me to participate at this community event.
I can honestly declare that my language studies at the University of Stirling opened the door to my voluntary English teaching in Britain. This is quite an achievement for me as a non-native English speaker I must admit and teaching refugees and asylum seekers has been the most rewarding job I have ever done. My degree also made it possible for me to join several interpretation agencies and work free-lance. My French degree was fully recognized by one of the leading ones on the market and if I agreed I would be included on the list of the interpreters having French on offer! What a stress! Quelle horreur! I am convinced that I still have a lot to learn so I prefer to be modest for the time being and offer just English/Czech/Slovak and vice versa as my working languages. In my point of view learning any language is a life-long learning process which is one never-ending story I have decided to live LIVE.”
Thanks to Jana and we look forward to following the next stages of her career post-Stirling!
Some news on the research front from various Stirling staff members. David Murphy‘s article ‘The Emergence of a Black France, 1985-2015: history, race and identity’ was published in Nottingham French Studiesin 2015 (Vol. 54.3, pages 238-52). Aedín ní Loingsigh’s article ‘Tourism Devlopment and the Premier Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres’ was also published in the Irish Journal of French Studiesin 2015 (Vol. 15, pages 77-95) and her chapter on ‘African Travel Writing’ also came out last year in The Routledge Companion to Travel Writing, edited by Carl Thompson. And Cristina Johnston‘s chapter on ‘Tehran, Vienna, Paris. The Cultural Geographies of Persepolis’ has just been published in a Routledge edited collection on Bicultural Literature and Film in French and English (edited by Peter Barta and Phil Powrie).
It’s always good to get a chance to find out what our students end up doing after they graduate, and particularly interesting to get updates several years down the line. Paul graduated back in 2011 and wrote a blog article for us two years ago about his experiences since finishing his studies at Stirling. Since then, though, Paul’s career has taken off in a rather unexpected direction as he explains here:
“I studied for a BA Hons in French and Spanish between 2007 and 2011 at Stirling University. I chose Stirling to study French for a number of reasons including the close knit student community I witnessed on the open day as well as the flexibility and variety of modules available for the cultural elements of the course. When I started university, I had very little idea about what career path I wanted to follow post-graduation and I felt Stirling offered me the best chance to develop an understanding of the language and culture in a variety of different ways.
I followed the normal path of language and grammar modules throughout my four years in addition to a number of modules focusing on the literature, cinema and current affairs of francophone countries. I really enjoyed modules focusing on French cinema, particularly a module called ‘Screening the City’, where I was able to develop my analytical skills which has undoubtedly helped me in my postgraduate career. I’m still a keen viewer of French films and TV shows and take great pride in the fact I was able to watch an entire series of Les Revenants without subtitles.
Place Stanislas, Nancy
One of the main highlights for any language student and I myself am no different is the opportunity to study abroad. As part of the ERASMUS programme, I chose to go to the University of Nancy 2 (I believe it is now part of the University of Lorraine) and spent six months studying modules alongside French students and other students on the ERASMUS programme. It was a memorable experience where I was able to travel across France, Belgium and Luxembourg during the weekends and I regularly keep in contact with the other French ERASMUS students I met during my time there.
I spent the first four years after graduating doing various roles within the recruitment industry where I was able to use my French skills to work with internationally based clients and candidates for a number of different roles. I also spent a brief amount of time working in the Welfare to Work sector where I provide interview training to non-English speakers across the Glasgow area.
About a year ago, I made a bit of a career change and have subsequently found a role as a Financial Crime Analyst in a large consultancy firm based in London where I get the opportunity to travel and work with financial services companies all over. My first project as part of this role involved travelling between London and Paris on a weekly basis as part of an international sanctions investigation and had the opportunity to brush up on my French language skills. It has certainly not been the kind of career I had originally envisioned for myself but something which I find both challenging and extremely rewarding.”
Thanks to Paul for this update and we look forward to following the next stages of his career!
French at Stirling 
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