2020 French Finalists and their plans

Following on from Mira’s reflections on life as a Public Service Interpreter, the second of today’s blog posts give us our traditional annual opportunity to get a sense of the hopes and plans of this year’s French at Stirling finalists. To say it has been a difficult few months for them would be a tremendous understatement but, first, like the French at Stirling teaching team, they made the rapid adjustment from classes on campus to online learning. And now, despite the extremely challenging backdrop, many of them have taken the time to reply to a request for reflections on their plans for life after graduation.

We’ve been putting a similar post together for a few years now (see 2019’s here, 2018’s here…) and we were all a little anxious about asking the same questions in the current circumstances but, having spent the past few days reading through the replies, looking at the photos of their travels, reading the good wishes that also came in their messages, I can honestly say this has been an unexpectedly uplifting experience. So, with no further ado, and in no particular order, here goes:

Mairi, who will be graduating with a BA Hons in French and Spanish, is planning to embark on postgraduate study next year, either with an MSc in Gender Studies at the University of Strathclyde or at the University of Stirling: ‘When I started 4th year I thought I would have been going into a graduate job after I finished my degree but due to the impact of Covid-19, it has been really difficult to find work. I have always wanted to do a postgrad in Gender Studies but I had thought it would be a few years down the line after some time in the working world. But things rarely happen in the order we expect them to. Here’s to the future and whatever it brings.’

Eilidh, who has just completed a BA Hons in International Management with European Languages and Society, attended a 2-day assessment centre in London back in February, following which: ‘I was successful in my application for the commercial, sales and management graduate programme for Bakkavor. The company is an international food manufacturer, supplying meals, desserts and snacks to all major retailers in the UK and overseas. The programme lasts for 2 years, where I will be promoted to a manager after the programme is completed. Despite the job not being directly related to French, I fully intend keeping up with the language, and encouraging the company to work with a French bakery company so I can get back to France!’

As for Martina, who has completed a BA Hons in French and Spanish, ‘as a final year student during the Coronavirus pandemic, I find myself ending my undergraduate studies in some of the most unexpected circumstances in Stirling University’s history. I started my Joint Honours in French and Spanish in 2015 and spent a gap year between the second and third year of my degree working as an English Language Assistant with the British Council in a small ski town called Briançon, in the French Alps. After this incredible experience I was also fortunate enough to spend a semester living in Seville, Spain. Both these experiences greatly helped me develop my proficiency in these languages as well as my confidence overall.

As I have been learning Spanish for almost 11 years, I have always felt very passionate about this language and, as such, I decided to apply for a place on the Masters by Research in Hispanic Studies course at the University of Edinburgh. After producing two pieces of research work at undergraduate level, I am now hoping to develop my skills and hope to be accepted on this course to work on the topic of Latin American and Caribbean feminisms. I have also applied to their prestigious Literatures, Languages and Cultures Masters Scholarship, awarded to 4 outstanding students undertaking a Masters Programme within this division. I also applied for a second scholarship, the Muriel Smith Scholarship. I am now waiting for an update on these applications, but I am very hopeful for what the future holds for me! While I may not have ended my undergraduate studies the same way previous students have, I still had an enjoyable, albeit stressful, year and I am very proud of everything I have accomplished.’

Stephanie, another soon-to-be BA Hons French and Spanish graduate, is also clear that Covid-19 is having an impact on her plans but in a different way: ‘As is the case for a lot of people, my plans are in a sort of limbo at the moment. I have accepted a position, though, with the JET Programme as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Japan. The scheduled departure date is in September, but obviously I’m not sure if it’ll actually go ahead as planned, and what will happen if it can’t go ahead as planned… Despite the uncertainty, I am excited about the prospect of living and working abroad for a while. The JET Programme allows me to have that break from studying that I want whilst also affording me the opportunity to discover a new country and learn a new language.  As far as longer term goals go, I am looking into getting into teaching. Right now, I’m leaning towards primary teaching but I’m not yet ruling out secondary. The ALT position will give me some valuable experience in a classroom which is something that I’m lacking at the moment.’

Like Stephanie, Laura, who has just finished her BA Hons in English Studies and French, also has travel plans for the coming year: ‘My plans for September are going to Finland for a Master’s degree. I have received three offers from three Finnish universities of Masters’ programmes in educational sciences based on teaching languages as a foreign language. I have not chosen yet which one I will specifically choose but I am sure I will spend my next two years in Finland.’

In some cases, the impact of the current situation is such that original plans are having to be rethought as is the case for Evelyn who is graduating with Single Honours French: ‘I don’t actually have any post-graduation plans as yet. Coronavirus has thrown a bit of a spanner in my job hunting as well as my hopes of getting some work experience this summer. I am hoping to go into publishing or copyediting but unfortunately, work experience opportunities are currently fairly thin on the ground at the moment. As such, I am using this time to brush up on skills that will come in handy when looking for a job in this sector. I have also set up a blog to review the books that I am reading during lockdown, so I’m throwing myself into that at the moment as well as keeping the job search active!’

Another of our Single Honours French finalists, Rhiannon, finds herself in a similar position: ‘My final year didn’t quite go as I had planned, and I feel like I’ve not really had the chance to say goodbye to my time at Stirling University. However, I have had some of the most amazing times there and met some of my best friends. I plan to go to university much closer to home in Glasgow to do a post-grad but I’m still a bit unsure what I want to do. I’m a bit undecided between doing translation (which is what I’ve always originally wanted to do) or doing something completely different. I’m currently interested in doing Gender Studies at Strathclyde but again I am still quite undecided. I’m also extremely interested in doing something related to history or museum-related as I love learning all about the past.  The future is so undecided and scary right now so I am using these months of lockdown to have a really hard think about where it is I would like to go.’

As for Caitlin: ‘After four years studying BA Hons in French and Spanish, I made the decision this year to apply for PGDE primary teaching in order to pursue a career as a primary teacher. I have just recently accepted my place at the University of Aberdeen on this course. This career is what I have always wanted to do, and so I am delighted and excited to have been offered a place. I am also looking forward to moving to and discovering both a new city and a new university. The experience I obtained working as an English Language Assistant in France between my 2nd and 3rd year at University helped me to realise that this was what I wanted to do.’

The teaching route takes many forms and, like Caitlin and Stephanie, other finalists are also planning a year (and possibly more) than involves language teaching in different forms and different places. For Lily, who completed her BA Hons in English Studies and French with us: ‘My plan for the coming year – if all returns to some semblance of normal – is to work in Spain as an English Language Assistant with the British Council so that I can get my Spanish up to a similar level of fluency as my French. Still figuring out what comes after that!’

Jack, who is graduating with a BA Hons in French with Spanish and Education, is also taking a teaching-related route in the first instance: ‘Everything changed very quickly as the countdown to graduation approached. Lockdown for me, like everyone else, changed all my plans and added to the uncertainty of what I would do once I finished my degree. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, it has been really nice spending time with my family, going on a daily bike run and having time to read for pleasure regularly. In the spirit of the times we live in, I begin work next week teaching Chinese children English online. I have already started my ESL training and it’s already evident that my degree is coming in handy.

I’m still looking for something more permanent starting later in the year, and I’ve applied for many different jobs so fingers crossed. It’s proving particularly challenging this year as the jobs market has suffered greatly. Living in Dumfries and Galloway where there are few job opportunities at the best of times I’m looking further afield, so who knows where I’ll end up.’

And Kirstie, a BA Hons French and Spanish finalist, is planning to move to Belgium and ‘Brussels specifically. I’m going to teach English, either as a language assistant with the British Council or with another language school, and I’ll also to continue to work on my travel blog. Brussels is a great hub in Europe and I plan to do a lot of travelling around the continent in the coming years!’

Last but not least for the moment, Jack, who has also completed a BA Hons in French and Spanish, reflects that: ‘Near-future planning has become more difficult amidst the current uncertainty in the world, but I am now looking to focus on my backpack business, Cancha, as well as advancing my tennis career. This does not come without challenges. Lockdown has hindered my tennis training routine for quite some time now, and the fact that national borders continue to close and flights are sparse paints a bleak picture for the professional sport scene. However, I am confident that the world will return to normal and, when it does, I want to make sure I am as prepared as possible to take full advantage of this. The same goes for Cancha: buying backpacks for travel and sports is almost certainly not on people’s minds at the moment, but I am using this ‘down-time’ to make more subtle changes in the company, such as refining our message, and the ways in which our company can both endure this episode whilst also giving back to the community and the environment.

Although many graduate students at Stirling are unsure of their next steps, especially during this world crisis (which has stopped almost everyone in their tracks), there are ways in which each one of us can improve and make progress in our ambitions, albeit in an untraditional way.’

We’re always grateful to our finalists for sharing their plans and hopes with us as they reach the end of their degrees but this year, it would be fair to say that we are particularly appreciative of the thoughtful, helpful and positive responses. Many, many thanks to you all, not to mention congratulations on having reached the end of your degrees! And, of course, we wish you all the very, very best for the months and years ahead and hope that you will keep in touch with us in the future.

(And, as ever, if you’re a French at Stirling finalist reading this and wanting to add your contribution, please do just send me an email (cristina.johnston@stir.ac.uk) and I will very happily update the post!)

Languages and Mental Gymnastics

Two blog posts for this sunny (lockdown) Thursday, both tinged, in different ways, with thoughts of the current Covid context but both also fascinating insights into the lives, thoughts and plans of Languages students and graduates. We’re starting things off with an update from Mira, who graduated in 2014 with a BA Hons in French: 

‘It has been an entire lifetime since I graduated. I have now worked as a Public Service Interpreter for close to 5 years. Even though I absolutely love my job (and often say if I was paid more, I would never even consider a change of career!) I think about changing my career often, especially in light of the recent developments. 

The job itself is great. I get to experience incredible moments, not all happy, but all an intimate window into the personal lives of people and professions. I love getting dressed in scrubs when interpreting at an operation or standing by the witness box conveying a witness response to a jury. I love the mental gymnastics of interpreting and I love continually evolving my ability to master languages. It’s not always easy and there are serious issues linked with interpreting in first person, saying “I am depressed” or “I committed this crime”, but that’s a story for another time. 

What I would like to talk about today is the industry. Which isn’t great. You may sometimes hear that interpreters get paid well (and I’m sure that some interpreters working in a private sector, conference interpreters etc may, indeed, earn good money). This is however not the case for Public Service Interpreting. The market is saturated with agencies, each one trying to outbid another for the cheapest rates. What do you think about being offered £11.50 per hour, for travelling to Carlisle? Having to negotiate hard for any travel time being paid and probably no travel expenses? This is a very ridiculous, but real example. 

There are many issues that contribute to this situation. Unlike in some other countries the interpreting profession isn’t regulated in the UK. There are a couple of bodies that are or are attempting to do this but essentially anyone can say they are an interpreter and start practising. This leads to the profession and the skills required not being valued. Which is followed by frankly ridiculous hourly payment offers from agencies, which professional interpreters with years of experience, diplomas and certificates refuse to take. This then means that it’s the less experienced ones who often end up filling in the gaps and, sure, everyone has to start somewhere but remember what I said about lack of regulation of the profession and anyone being able to show up and say they are an interpreter? Such a thing would be seen as absurd and dangerous if we were to speak of doctors, teachers, electricians! And yet an interpreter is a crucial player in many highly important, life and death situations. 

The current situation has heavily impacted the interpreting industry. Face-to-face interpreting has all but stopped and there are very few assignments and a lot of interpreters. Telephone interpreting has taken a front stance and the fear is that some agencies will stick with this post-lockdown. I don’t know what the public interpreting profession will look like at the end of this year. I hope all current moves to regulate the profession will pay off and in 5 years’ time the situation will be different, in a positive way for interpreters and the people using their services. 

If you do want to go into the public sector, my advice would be to diversify as much as you can, and join a union.’ 

Many, many thanks to Mira for taking the time to send us this great and very honest blog post. We wish you all the best for the months ahead and look forward to more updates in happier times.

2020 RATE Award Nominations

And following on from the previous post with congratulations to Hannah Grayson, more good news to report. As regular blog readers will know, Stirling Students’ Union runs an annual, student-led teaching award scheme (the RATE awards). The results for this year’s awards have just been announced – congratulations to all recipients – and, as ever, French at Stirling colleagues have a great range of nominations across different categories.

Particular congratulations this year to Emeline Morin, Brigitte Depret and Mathilde Mazau who were nominated in the ‘Excellence in Teaching in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities’ and ‘Best Tutor’ categories. And why were they nominated? Well, the best responses to that question come via these highlights from the feedback provided by the students who submitted nominations:

‘a brilliant teacher who really goes the extra mile for students. She is very understanding that not everyone is at the same level and makes herself available for additional support.’

‘so passionate and engaged with her subject and provides great feedback. She makes her classes interesting, is extremely approachable and very friendly with all her students. She does her best to ensure every student achieves well.’

‘an amazing tutor for beginner’s French, it is clear she not only wishes to teach what we need to know for exams, work etc, but on top of all of that is excellent at encouraging us to look further into the French language in the real world, in the hope of us pursuing it further, which I am inspired to do after attending most of my seminars with her.’

As ever, it really means a tremendous amount to all colleagues when they receive a nomination and we’re particularly grateful to the students who take the time to vote for these awards. The feedback that accompanies the nominations is passed on to each nominee and is always very much appreciated!

And many, many congratulations to Emeline, Brigitte and Mathilde on having been nominated!

Research Funding Success

Given the current global backdrop, it feels particularly good to be able to round the week off (and start a new month) with a couple of good news posts, starting with congratulations to our French at Stirling colleague, Hannah Grayson.

In March, Hannah started work on a project called ‘Postcolonial Resilience? Débrouillardise in African Texts’ funded by a small Arts and Humanities grant from the Royal Society of Edinburgh that she was awarded in December. The project examines pervasive discourses of ‘resilience’ and questions its cultural and political underpinnings. Hannah will be looking at a couple of key moments in 20^th and 21^st-century Francophone Africa and tracing uses of the term, and alternatives, in literary and non-literary texts, as soon as she can get to some archives once again!

Working in collaboration with her colleague, Steven Wilson, at Queen’s University Belfast, Hannah has also been awarded an IMLR conference grant for what she quite rightly describes as a ‘(scarily) relevant conference’ entitled ‘Languages of Disease in the Contemporary Francophone World’ planned before Covid-19 was on the radar. The precise dates for the conference are under review at the moment but we’re hoping to be hosting it at Stirling and will follow up about in on the blog over the months ahead.

Many, many congratulations to Hannah (and Steven) for these successes!