Happy European Day of Languages!

For the past few years, to mark the European Day of Languages, the French at Stirling blog has given a snapshot of the range of languages spoken and being learned by students and staff across all our modules. This year is no different so, for the past 10 days or so, we’ve been emailing colleagues and students at all stages of their degrees to ask about the languages (regional or national) of which they have some knowledge (from very patchy beginner to bilingual) and here is this year’s list. As well as French and English, we are proud to have among our staff and students learners and speakers of, in no particular order…

German, (Irish) Gaelic, Mandarin, Spanish, Turkish, Flemish, Dutch, Catalan, Italian, Norwegian, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, British Sign Language, Danish, Romanian, Urdu, Czech, Bavarian, Wolof, American English, Hungarian, Armenian, Scottish Gaelic, Modern Greek, Korean and doubtless many others besides – if your language isn’t on the list, do get in touch!

Also in keeping with tradition, thanks to all those who took the time to reply to the emails: vielen Dank, Go raibh míle maith agat, 谢谢, Gracias, teşekkürler, dankjewel, dankuwel, Gràcies, Grazie, tusen takk, obrigada/o, dziękuję, tak, Mulțumesc , شکریہ, Děkuji, Dank da recht schee, Jërëjëf, Thank you SOOOO much!, köszönöm, Shnoragalyem, Tapadh leat, Efxaristo, 고마습니다 and…

And a Happy European Day of Languages to everyone!

Africa in Motion 2019 Programme Announced

As regular blog readers know, the annual Africa in Motion film festival was founded in 2006 by Lizelle Bisschoff, who was at the time a PhD student in the then School of Languages, Cultures and Religions at the University of Stirling, whose research project was supervised by David Murphy. 13 years on, Lizelle is now Senior Lecturer in Theatre, Film and TV Studies at the University of Glasgow, David is Professor of French at Strathclyde University, the School of Languages, Cultures and Religions is part of Stirling’s Division of Literature and Languages and Africa in Motion is still going strong with Justine Atkinson as the Festival Producer.

The festival has just released its programme for the 2019 edition which will run from 25 October to 3 November, with screenings and a wide range of other events in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Division of Literature and Languages is particularly pleased to be the joint sponsor this year of the screening of Lost Warrior, a Somali-Danish coproduction being shown at the Edinburgh Filmhouse on 26 October. You can access the full programme of events via Africa in Motion’s website here. So much to choose from!

 

Remembering French Algeria

As well as catching up with graduates of French at Stirling, it’s good to get the opportunity to find out more about what our current colleagues are up to so we’re particularly pleased to be able to post the following article by Beatrice Ivey, who works with us as a post-doctoral researcher:

‘Since September 2018, I have been working with Fiona Barclay on her AHRC-funded project ‘Narratives and Representations of the French Settlers of Algeria’. I have two main roles on the project: first, to research ‘pied-noir’ memory culture, and second, to introduce the project’s research findings to the public.

Research

In my research role, I have presented at two conferences (Digital Diasporas and the Society for the Study of French History) and am in the process of finishing an article on the circulation of colonial-era postcards online among amateur websites dedicated to ‘pied-noir’ memory and history. On the one hand, I have found a great deal of continuity between the postcards’ original purpose (to advertise the empire to the metropole and abroad) and their contemporary purpose as vectors of colonial nostalgia. On the other hand, I have noticed that these postcards also appear in surprising new contexts, fostering nostalgia that does not necessarily apply to the ‘pieds-noirs’ alone.

Public engagement

As part of my public engagement role, Fiona and I have launched a Massive Open Online Course with Iversity entitled ‘Remembering Empire’. This is a free online course which examines narratives of settler colonialism in Algeria through two differing models of memory: one based on competition, the other based on implication. By studying a mixture of archive footage, artefacts, and extracts from literary and journalistic texts, we think this is a pertinent case study for understanding how empire is remembered and forgotten in Europe today.

The course will launch on 17^th October and then again on 21^st November, running for 5 weeks each time with each unit lasting about an hour. The course is open for anyone to register, so do check it out here.’

Many thanks to Beatrice for finding the time to send us through this article and we would encourage all blog readers to sign up for what looks like a fantastic online course! And thanks also to the ‘La Mer à Boire’ society and the Redoute Béar Museum in Port-Vendres for their kind permission to reproduce the postcards.

‘Excited to see what the future holds’

As the Autumn colours start to appear on campus, it’s time for another couple of updates from former students, both of whom graduated in 2018. Rebecca completed a BA Hons in International Management with European Languages and Society with us but first up is Michaela, who graduated in French and Law:

‘I’m still working at Ashurst LLP in Glasgow. I’ve been there almost 2 years now and recently got promoted to Senior Legal Analyst. I think I mentioned before that I’m mostly involved in legal work but always try and get involved with French work where I can. We often get ad hoc French translation tasks coming in, and it’s great to be able to assist with them. I’ve also been able to review French documents that have come up in various projects – I’ve really enjoyed being able to contribute to the team in this way.’

As for Rebecca, she is currently in the third semester of an MSc in Management which ‘includes three ‘branches’ (General Management, European and Global Business and Marketing) and modules on everything from Consumer Research, Complaint Management and European Marketing to Intercultural Management, Management of Innovation and Advanced Entrepreneurship. I’m hoping to finish all lessons by December and then the next step will be to write my thesis. The plan for afterwards is yet to be determined. I would love to go and work in the French-speaking part of Canada for a year or so but as I say, the rest is to be determined!

Although I’m Swiss, after one year, I’m still shocked as to how different the British university system is to the Swiss system. From having to organise your own courses, to having no student union to contacting the Dean if you have any questions. It’s been an experience that I have loved, however I do miss Stirling and the university a lot. I’m excited to see what the future holds in terms of jobs or travel.’

Many, many thanks to both Michaela and Rebecca for sending through these great updates and we wish you both all the best for the future!

‘Jumping in and out of languages every day!’

Having posted an update a few weeks ago from David who, among other things, has spent a year teaching English in Colombia since he graduated, it’s a lovely coincidence to also be able to post this article by Luise who graduated in the same year and has also spent some time in Colombia since graduating, among many other things, as you’ll see below:

‘When I started studying at Stirling University I had no idea what I was going to do with my degree. I changed courses from International Management with Spanish and French to Spanish and French and Philosophy. I firmly believe that if one thing is just not for you, you should try something else instead until you find something you like – ideally something you are good at. I seemed to do okay in languages and I loved learning them and as much about all aspects of them as I could. So, I knew that I would probably enjoy working with languages.

I had worked as an au pair in several countries before and during my time at university, so I knew that I was pretty good at working with kids, too, and, after finishing my degree, I went to Colombia to teach English in a secondary school. It was an amazing experience but I decided not to take further steps towards teaching for the moment because I would have had to do another course and I wasn’t sure I actually wanted to be a teacher.

One thing I have always loved, though, is literature. I have always enjoyed reading and writing and wanted to combine that with my languages. So, I started to think about becoming a literary translator. I attended various language events and tried to figure out how to start a career in literary translation. I got some helpful advice on how to get started in translation but never specifically for literary translation. It does not seem to be the most profitable branch of translation, that’s probably why not many people seem to be interested in doing it.

I didn’t want to study again right away and was looking at ways of getting some experience at work. That’s why I started working in bilingual customer service. However, the job was not for me and I also did not get the amount of translation work that I was hoping for. When I left my position in customer service, I finally decided to go straight for what I actually wanted to do: translate books.

During my research, I found a website (Permondo) where you can translate for NGOs on a voluntary basis. It seemed like a great way to get started because you don’t necessarily require a degree in translation to help them out. However, I have only heard from them twice and on both occasions they needed the work done within such a short time (within a few days or even hours) that I haven’t been able to get involved yet.

Then I came across Tektime. I created my profile, contacted the first author and sent them a sample translation of a small part of their novel. They accepted my translation proposal and now I’m working on books no.3 and 4. I am not quite sure yet how big the income from this work will be and I will have to figure out my way through taxation in Italy and the UK as a freelancer but I definitely enjoy what I’m doing and I am very grateful for the opportunity to finally get some ‘proper’ translation experience.

Given that I am translating from English into German at the moment, what I’m doing now does not have a lot to do with my degree in Spanish and French. Generally, though, I know that studying languages at university and the time abroad have improved my feel for languages. My understanding of how they work each a little different from the other and what they have in common has deepened. Just the experience of ‘jumping’ in and out of different languages every day and the translation exercises we did in class come in handy now.

If I were to start university again now with the idea of going into literary translation, I would probably make the same choices again because it ultimately got me where I want to be.’

Many, many thanks to Luise for finding the time to send us this update and we wish you all the very best for the translation work – do let us know how things go. And for readers who are interested in learning more about translation, you might also be interested in these previous blog posts and, of course, Stirling does also offer postgrad degrees in Translation…

School in the Sunshine

Time abroad features in many way across our degrees and is a crucial part of language learning at University. As you’ll know from previous posts, some of our students undertake English Language Assistantships, some spend a semester on Study Abroad (Erasmus or otherwise), some do both… For students doing both French and Spanish, the situation becomes a little more complex because language residence needs to be fulfilled for both languages. Many students opt to do this by undertaking an ELA in one language area and Erasmus in the other but this doesn’t always work for everyone, for all sorts of reasons.

In those cases, our students choose one language area for the Semester Abroad and have to fulfil our minimum residence for the other language. We try to be as flexible as we can and the basic position is that this means the student needs to spend at least 4 weeks in a country where that other language is spoken before they graduate (not necessarily in one 4-week block). Because this is for a shorter period, funding is not available and our students find all kinds of different ways of fulfilling this requirement. In the past, this has meant everything from language schools to working as an au pair or nanny to finding internships.

Eilidh, who has just started the final year of her BA Hons in International Management with European Languages and Society, is one such student who has just finished off the last portions of her time abroad and has sent through the following post about her experience:

‘Between January and April of this year I spent a semester abroad in Pamplona, Spain. After this amazing experience, I had one more week left in France to fulfil my time abroad and complete my essential time abroad for my degree. After spending three weeks last year in Bordeaux, I decided to go to the South East of France and spend a week in Marseille. A week in 30 degree heat in the south of France and it qualifies for my university degree…it’s a hard life being a language student.

I had researched in depth my choices for language schools in France and I found the Ecole Internationale de Marseille and an ideal AirBnb just ten minutes’ walk away so it sounded perfect. Adding a direct flight from Glasgow to Marseille (unlike my 3 flights and a train to Bordeaux) I signed myself up and headed off.

In my class, I had a Russian couple, a Brazilian transfer student and 2 professors. We were all of the same ability and on the Monday morning, the professor wrote my least favourite word on the board…SUBJUNCTIVE. I could have cried as I have spent many a seminar with my girls and Jean-Michel DesJacques complaining about the subjunctive. Why is it needed? Does it really matter? Apparently it is important, so the professeurs of the Marseille school soon realised they had a problem on their hands with me. However, after some intensive classes and thousands of worksheets, I can safely say I understand the subjunctive. Round of applause s’il vous plait.

Everyday, after class, I would try and explore a part of the city or go somewhere new. However this was sometimes difficult due to the heat and the smell of fresh bread and pains au chocolat were a slight distraction. A particular highlight was going to sunbathe and do my homework (or in reality, read my book) in the palace gardens which overlooks the old port. It was so picturesque and a great way to unwind after a stressful class.

 

Another highlight of my trip away was my walk up to Notre Dame de la Garde. At the top of one of the hills in Marseille, there is a golden statue of the Virgin Mary. The locals say it is so she can watch over the boats coming in and out of the old port and grant them a safe passage. It looks spectacular from every angle and can be seen from all over Marseille. On my final day I decided to walk up and see the church for myself. I didn’t plan this entirely well as it is quite far and very hot. Nevertheless I soldiered on and it was totally worth it. It was beautiful and I would really recommend it if anyone travels to Marseille.

Overall I had an incredible experience and the school were very supportive. I am hoping to go back to Marseille again and enjoy some more sunshine and seafood!’

Many, many thanks to Eilidh for the great blog post – loads of ideas here for future students looking for ways to make the most of their time abroad – and we wish you all the best for this final year!

 

Cuimhnichibh Oirnn – Remember Us

And while we’re posting about French at Stirling-related research, this seems a perfect opportunity to post this article about what our colleague, Aedín ní Loingsigh, has been up to over the past couple of months.

Back in June, Aedín was part of a team of academics and actors who organised a one-day workshop on Dementia and Bilingualism at the Insight Institute in the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. As this BBC Alba film shows, the performance-led day created a very different kind of event to the usual format of academic and voluntary sector conferences.

A dramatic reading of the play ‘Five to Midnight’ (provisional title) portrayed the experiences of ‘Mary’ who, with the onset of dementia begins to lose her ability to speak in English and returns to Scottish Gaelic, her mother tongue. The play, performed in separate parts, was interspersed with audience reflection and three panel discussions on bilingualism in the medical context, dementia’s impact on the family and the bilingual community and bilingualism and the arts.

The play prompted much discussion about changing roles and relationships in families affected by dementia. Mary’s husband ‘John’ does not speak Gaelic. Meanwhile, Mary’s adult son finds himself being pulled into the not always comfortable role of interpreter between his parents and those around Mary who do not understand Gaelic.

As Mary’s dementia progresses, she becomes increasingly cut off from the English-speaking world. Audience members without Gaelic language skills are exposed to more and more Gaelic monologues and conversations as the play unrolls, mirroring John’s experience of being increasingly locked out of his wife’s world. This experience fosters audience empathy with characters in the play who are separated by language divides.

Dementia’s impact on language is a key clinical and care issue, and science has shown that monolingual and bilingual individuals are affected differently.

Of course, the play focuses on a very specific linguistic context. However, students of French may be interested in this interview with the Canadian actress Louise Pitre who speaks about the struggles she had to find linguistically cognate care for her native French-speaking parents in anglophone Canada. As the project continues, it is hoped that it will highlight the need for wider recognition of the role of language and cultural understanding for the care needs of bilingual individuals living with dementia.

Aedín has also been busy on the publication front with entries on ‘Anthropology’, ‘Coevalness’, ‘Ethnicity’, ‘Primitivism’ and ‘Translation’ in Key Words for Travel Writing Studies: A Critical Glossary and a chapter on ‘Migrant Travel Narratives’ in The Routledge Research Companion to Travel Writing.

Many thanks to Aedín for this update and keep an eye on the blog for more news over the weeks ahead.

Narratives of Forced Migration Conference

We’re delighted next week to be welcoming to Stirling around 90 academic colleagues from around the world for a three-day conference looking at the narratives which emerge from diverse experiences of forced migration. The event is part of Fiona Barclay’s AHRC-funded project, ‘Narratives and Representations of the French Settlers of Algeria’, and takes place at the Stirling Court Hotel.

As well as an array of academic papers we’re looking forward to welcoming our keynote speakers. Professor Marianne Hirsch (Columbia) and Professor Leo Spitzer (Dartmouth), who will be speaking about their new book, School Photos in Liquid Time, and Professor Lyndsey Stonebridge (Birmingham), who will be speaking on Hannah Arendt’s refugee narratives.

The event also includes a film screening of the play The Trojans, a reworking of Euripides’ The Trojan Women, written and acted by a cast of Syrian refugees working with director Victoria Beesley and her company Terra Incognita. The showing at the Macrobert Arts Centre will be followed by a live Q&A with the producer and some of the actors.

For more details, visit the project’s website!

Colombia, Sicily, Glasgow: Keeping your options open

Another ‘life after graduation’ update today from one of our recent graduates, David, who completed his BA Hons in French and Spanish with us two years ago:

‘After graduating in 2017, I decided to go off to Latin America to not only discover a new culture but also try to gain some professional experience. Having lived in León, Spain for a full year during my Erasmus+ exchange, I’d met people from all over the world including quite a few who were from Mexico and Colombia. The Latin American Studies focus at the University of Stirling had also sparked my interest (shout out to Guillermo!) and so I took part in the language assistantship programme through the British Council. I was appointed to the Universidad Católica de Pereira in Colombia and I absolutely loved it! I taught English at the university but also organised many extra-curricular activities such as a weekly Conversation Club where students and teachers who were interested in learning more about Scottish and British culture could do so in a less formal setting. I even had my own podcast at the university’s radio station which was something I’d never expected to be doing! In addition, I had the opportunity to translate academic journals in collaboration with the psychology department at the university. Apart from these professional opportunities, I was able to travel to breath-taking places around Latin America and even met up with friends from Mexico, Peru and Ecuador I had met during my year abroad.

After this professionally challenging but wonderful year being part of a completely different culture, I decided I wanted to be closer to home but still keep discovering different cultures and enhance my language skills. I also wanted to be sure that teaching was definitely for me and so, through the British Council once again, I embarked on my next adventure in Catania, Sicily where I taught English in a secondary school. Having never spoken Italian before, I realised just how lucky I was to have studied other modern languages at university as this helped me to pick it up quickly. Although I am not fluent, I am now able to communicate fairly clearly and understand Italian! On the work front, teaching was not always easy but I grew attached to my colleagues and students who were always interested in what I had to offer (although they weren’t fans of Irn Bru!). I felt part of the community and I now realise how lucky I am to have had the chance to live beside the biggest active volcano in Europe (risky, I know!) in a city built from lava stone full of history and deliciously cheap pizza!

I have now started to study for my PGDE at the University of Glasgow. Despite the cold, I am very happy to be back in Scotland, enjoying the comforts I longed for while I was abroad such as Greggs coffee and tatty scones – as well as the open-mindedness of the Scots who are always so welcoming to people from other cultures and backgrounds. After obtaining my Diploma, I hope to be posted somewhere up north and discover more of Scotland. Although I am currently quite focused on teaching, I think it is important to keep one’s options open and I might consider taking up postgraduate research or maybe even further explore the idea of academic translation.’

Many, many thanks to David for this great update and we wish you all the very best for the PGDE – looking forward to updates as the months go by, too.

‘Inspiration, learning and challenges’: Catching up with French at Stirling graduates

More French at Stirling news on a (reasonably) sunny September Wednesday, by way of an update from Kristina who graduated a few years ago on our International Management and Intercultural Studies programme:

‘Coucou! It’s been a while since my last post… ok, admittedly, it’s been a few years! And so, I thought I’d share a wee update on where life has taken me since the last time I’ve written.

I’ve spent most of the last 4-5 years working on my PhD at the University of Edinburgh and I am now proud to say that I have successfully passed my viva in June! Woohoo!!! (Or, as my partner likes to say, I progressed from being the Grumpy dwarf to the Doc dwarf :D)

It’s been a great journey, full of inspiration, learning, and challenges. Especially the past year has been tough, as I was not only working on getting that thesis finished and written, but I have also taken on the role of Lecturer in Marketing at University College Cork in Ireland. Juggling the two things and attempting to have a life (something I miserably failed at) was not easy! Thankfully, I have made it to the PhD finish line and gained invaluable teaching experience at the same time. 

You might ask what’s next? First of all, I needed a wee holiday to recover. So, as a reward for finally being done, my partner and I took a nice little holiday in southern France – in the area between Carcassonne, Beziers, and Narbonne. We stayed in a small and sleepy village called Quarante and took little trips from there to explore the area. I would definitely recommend it as it was perfect for the well-deserved relaxing break!

And now, I am very pleased to say that I am back in sunny Scotland with a new adventure awaiting me at the University of Dundee!’

Many thanks indeed to Kristina for the great update and congratulations on the new adventure that lies ahead! We look forward to hearing more from you as you embark on that journey.