Translation and TESOL: ‘A whole world of new ideas and concepts’

As regular blog readers will know, alongside our wide range of undergraduate programmes, colleagues in French at Stirling also contribute to Literature and Languages’ postgraduate programmes in Translation Studies and it’s always great to see French graduates coming back to undertake postgrad work with us. Today’s update comes from Ewan, who has done just that and who is in the first semester of our MSc in Translation with TESOL:

‘I graduated from Stirling in 2013 with a BA (Hons) in French and Religion. Following my graduation, I undertook a course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), ultimately gaining a certificate for 120 hours of training.

Initially, I gained teaching experience in 1-1 sessions with adult learners in Edinburgh. These informal sessions were enough to help me build up a portfolio and establish my reputation. I worked with adults and students from a variety of nationalities, including French, Spanish and Polish.

In 2016, I moved to Łomianki, near Warsaw in Poland to begin work as an extra-curricular English teacher in a secondary school. I was tasked with providing extra support to children who were struggling with English lessons, to help them ultimately catch up with their classmates. Whilst in Poland, I also worked as pastoral assistant to an English-Speaking church in Warsaw. The clergy in the church were Polish but were ministering to the international community in Warsaw, and therefore needed language support in their day-to-day ministry. It gave me the opportunity to learn about the incredible history of Poland, culminating in a trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau, which continues to haunt me to this day.

In 2017, I moved to Tours, in France’s Loire Valley. This is where I had spent my Erasmus semester as an undergraduate so I was incredibly excited to return. In Tours, I spent 6 months teaching elementary school children (including a very competitive brother and sister). This was a challenge, as I’d never dealt with that age group before, but the experience of being back in Tours and exploring a city I loved so much cancelled out all my difficulties. I even took the plunge and tried escargots; something I hadn’t been brave enough to do during my Erasmus experience!

My ultimate aim has always been to undertake a Masters in TESOL, with a view to eventually owning my own language school. It’s a massive aim, but I’ve never been one to do things in half measures! And, so when the opportunity arose, I returned to Stirling in September of this year to undertake an MSc in Translation with TESOL. I chose this course because it combines both of my “specialist” subject areas. I get to study towards ultimately becoming a professional TEFL tutor, whilst also maintaining work in French (and dabbling in other languages). The course doesn’t limit my final career options; I can branch off and work in the field of translation after graduation (perhaps while I work to secure a teaching position).

It feels great being back in Stirling. I have fond memories of my time as an undergraduate, and really it feels like I’ve never left. There are only 4 of us studying translation this year so the classes are quite relaxed and we’ve all got to know each other really well, which I like. The course has been far more interesting than I could ever have imagined, too. Just like at undergraduate, my mind has been opened to a whole world of new ideas and concepts. And I love it!’

Many, many thanks to Ewan for finding the time to send us this great update and we wish you all the best for the MSc and ultimately setting up your own language school.

Articles, Books and Conferences

As well as launching language websites and giving introductions to films, French at Stirling colleagues and students have been up to all sorts of French-related activities over recent weeks. More on some of these will doubtless follow in due course but, by way of a quick overview…

Anyone with an interest in contemporary French politics and society should look out for Fiona Barclay’s article ‘French citizenship campaigners may find acceptance depends on far more than official papers’ published online in The Conversation in early October. Fiona also gave a talk at the Alliance française in Glasgow on 5^th November about the French settlers of Algeria which included a local pied-noir amongst the attendees.

Fiona and Beatrice’s Ivey’s MOOC ‘Remembering Empire’ is coming to the end of its first run with around 350 people registered at the last count. The MOOC will be left open for new participants to join and will remain live until April so it’s not too late to sign up!

Next week will see a fine Stirling contingent giving papers on a wide range of topics at the annual Society for French Postcolonial Studies conference in London. This year’s conference theme is ‘Postcolonial Realms of Memory in the Francophone World.’ Fiona and Beatrice are both giving papers as part of a panel on ‘Memories of Algeria’, along with Susan Ireland of Grinnell College. Fiona’s paper is on ‘Fraternity in French Algeria: (post-)colonial conceptions of republican citizenry’, while Beatrice will be talking about ‘Ahmed Kalouaz, Childhood and Colonial Memory in Ecriture Jeunesse.’ Fraser McQueen is the third member of the Stirling cohort, with his paper on ‘Memories of Empire in France’s Literary Grands Remplacements.’

Hannah Grayson has two co-edited volumes that have come out over the past few months: Rwanda since 1994: Stories of Change published by Liverpool University Press and After the Genocide in Rwanda: Testimonies of Violence, Change and Reconciliation with IB Tauris. And to return to the online publication The Conversation, our French and Translation colleague, Aedín ní Loingsigh is one of the co-authors of this fantastic article on bilingualism and dementia: ‘Bilingualism and dementia: how some patients lose their second language and rediscover their first.’ Aedín’s co-authors are Ingeborg Birnie (Strathclyde), Thomas Bak (Edinburgh) and our former Stirling colleague, David Murphy (Strathclyde).

More news to follow!

Language teaching and juggling acts

Among the various blog posts that have been lurking in my inbox waiting to make it onto the blog is the following update from Fiona who graduated in English and French from Stirling in 2012 and then came back to complete our MSc in Translation and TESOL in 2013-14. Since then, Fiona has undertaken teacher training and she has just started a permanent post in Renfrewshire where life remains as busy as ever:

‘Having gained provisional registration with the GTCS in June 2018, I embarked on the next stage of the ‘becoming a fully-fledged teacher’ process. I was placed in a school in Falkirk Council for my NQT year, and what a year it turned out to be! I was solely responsible for classes at all stages of secondary schooling, including a bi-level certificated class doing National 5 and Higher. I still vividly remember the agonising wait for exam results back when I was at school. I hadn’t, however, bargained on just how nerve-wracking results day is for the teacher! Thankfully the hard work put in by all paid off and my first ever certificated class did me and themselves proud.

The year was a steep learning curve. I had to hit the ground running and very quickly get to grips with all the administration and reporting that comes with teaching, never mind get used to putting schemes of work together and planning lessons. The expectations placed on me as an NQT were huge. I had to attend weekly CPD sessions run both by my school and by the council. I found myself involved in a range of activities outwith the classroom, from helping at a weekend-long team-building residential for senior pupils to attending the senior ceilidh and prom.

I also volunteered to help out with the school’s Duke of Edinburgh programme, which saw me frying sausages using trangias in Beecraigs Country Park, climbing Dumyat early one Saturday morning and spending several nights sleeping in a tent between expeditions to North Berwick, Aviemore and Arran. While it required a big-time commitment, including staying late after school for training and giving up weekends, my involvement with the Duke of Edinburgh programme without a doubt left me with some of my most treasured memories from my NQT year.

Sadly, budget cuts meant that my school was unable to keep me on and I had to move on to pastures new. In May, I secured a permanent position at a school in Renfrewshire Council, where I’ve been settling in well. On top of my teaching responsibilities, I’ve decided that this is the year to start the Certificate of Continuing Education in Spanish (basically a part-time undergraduate degree) to gain dual qualification in French and Spanish. The course is proving to be fast-paced and very full on, but mostly it’s a welcome return to studying and learning. How I’ll manage to keep up with the course during busier-than-usual spells at work remains to be seen, but for now I’m just about managing the juggling act between teaching, studying, socialising and a hefty commute.’

Many, many thanks to Fiona for finding the time to send us this update and the photos. All the best for the new job and we look forward to more blog posts in the future. And, who knows, maybe we’ll have a chance to meet some of your pupils at a future Stirling Languages Day…

Now live: Stirling Language-Swap!

As mentioned on the blog back in the Spring, our French at Stirling colleague, Fiona Barclay, was awarded funding by the University’s Stirling Fund to create a language learning website. And this week sees the launch of this exciting new language-learning venture.

Open to anyone (aged 16 and over) who wants to practise and improve their languages (by no means limited to French!), Stirling Language-Swap helps to put people in touch. The website offers a fantastic opportunity to learn a new language with a native speaker and teach them your language in return. It’s free, flexible and fun – you can meet for a chat whenever suits you! And best of all there’s no pressure: as the site says, ‘you’re the expert in your own language.’

For more details and to register visit the website here.

French Film Festival Screening at MacRobert

As often happens as the pace of the semester increases, the blog has taken a bit of a backseat over the past few weeks. However, there are lots of posts building up and lots of news to share about French at Stirling colleagues and students so there will hopefully be a bit of a catch-up over the coming days.

To start with, we’re delighted to announce that, in partnership with French Film Festival UK, Dr Fiona Barclay’s AHRC project at Stirling is hosting a screening of the documentary Libre/To The Four Winds at the MacRobert Arts Centre on campus on Wednesday November 27th. The documentary follows Cédric Herrou, a French farmer arrested for ‘crimes of solidarity’ when he helped people crossing from Italy make their asylum claims on French territory.

Dr Beatrice Ivey will briefly introduce the film with some background and updates on the situation of migrant activism in France today. The film will then be followed by a roundtable discussion with volunteers from Refuweegees and Forth Valley Welcome, two organisations that help refugees in Scotland.

All are welcome to the screening and the discussion that will follow and tickets can be purchased online here or at the MacRobert Box Office. And please do also check out the other French Film Festival films coming to the MacRobert over the next couple of weeks.