European Day of Languages

Happy European Day of Languages to all our blog readers! As we’ve done for the past few years, we decided to use today’s celebrations as an excuse to take stock of the wide range of languages spoken, understood, read… by students and staff across our modules in French and, as ever, the variety is fantastic to see.

So far, this year’s list includes: English, French, Spanish, Irish Gaelic, Korean, Portuguese, Norwegian, Mandarin, Japanese, Québécois, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Catalan, Czech, Latin, Italian, Scottish Gaelic, German, Danish, Turkish, Slovak, Russian, Basque, Polish, Arabic…

We’ll keep adding to the list as and when speakers of other languages get in touch but, in the meantime, to everyone who has already replied: Thank you, merci, gracias, go raibh maith agat, 감사합니다, obrigada, takk, 谢谢, ありがとう, дякую, köszönöm, gràcies, děkuji, grātiās tibi agō, grazie, mòran taing, danke schön, tak, teşekkürler, Ďakujem, спасибо, eskerrikasko, dziękuję, شكرًا…

From Translation to Weddings: Interning at the Polish Embassy in Paris

We’re halfway through the second week of our new academic year already and everyone is settling back into life on campus. One of the lovely things about welcoming people back after the summer is that it also gives us a chance to find out what people have been up to over the past few months and, every now and then, to post blog articles about it… So without further ado, over to Dagmara whose summer included an internship in Paris:

“My name is Dagmara and I am an International Management with European Languages and Society student at the University of Stirling. Because my course is very heavily focused on language studies and mostly based on a deeper understanding of the global environment, I was really keen on seeking study and work experiences abroad. For the language module I had to pick as part of my course, I have chosen to pursue French and this summer I was lucky enough to get accepted for an internship at the Polish Embassy in Paris. Not only was this an exceptional opportunity to spend some time in one of the most beautiful cities in the world while practicing my everyday French, but, first and foremost, an incredible (but also challenging) work experience.

Me and the other interns were mainly responsible for different tasks at the Consulate, which included assisting the consul and the vice-consuls with their everyday work. This included a range of activities but the ones that I found the most fascinating, involved helping Polish nationals in France with the problems they faced. This could mean having to arrange a passport for someone after they got robbed, contacting their friends and family if they needed a plane ticket home, but from time to time it also concerned some bigger affairs. This often meant getting involved with the French authorities, in cases where breaking the law was involved, sometimes even to simply act as translator between the French police and the Polish national.

The tasks were very varied but they helped me expand on my knowledge in very different sectors of life and to further perfect my French skills. We also had an opportunity to take part in an official government ceremony in Normandie that was held to commemorate the discovery of the grave of an unknown Polish soldier. It was a chance to be a part of a beautiful ceremony with a lot of significance for Polish history and culture, alongside a lot of significant personalities including the ambassador.

As interns, we could also witness the consuls at work while dealing with the problems of different petitioners coming to the Consulate. It was an eye-opening experience to see how such an organisation as the Polish embassy functions from the inside. Furthermore, we received tasks such as visiting one of the most popular cemeteries in Paris, Montparnasse, and making sure that the graves of the significant Polish personalities were well preserved. This showed me the importance of taking into account the Polish legacy and history and understanding how significant it is to commemorate it. After all, promoting Polish culture and history is also a big part of the work at the Consular Department.

What’s more, I also had a chance to be a best woman at a wedding held at the embassy. Being part of such an important ceremony in someone’s life was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Furthermore, the wedding took place in the most beautiful parts of the embassy (which is actually also a palace and the most beautiful Polish embassy in the world), so this day was definitely one to remember for everyone involved.

Overall, my time spent in France was one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve ever had and I would recommend grabbing such opportunities to anyone, especially if you’re studying foreign languages. Such an immersion in the culture and opportunity to work in a foreign, diverse environment is an incomparable life and work experience. I believe it really changes your perspective on life on so many levels.”

Many, many thanks to Dagmara for the great blog post and photos, and we look forward to more tales from our students over the weeks ahead.

Rentrée 2022

And we’re off! Undergraduate teaching begins this week at Stirling, our postgraduates will be coming back over the coming weeks, and we’re all looking forward to being back on campus once again. Lots of new students to welcome to our Year 1 Advanced and Beginners’ streams, returning students to catch-up with, including all those coming back from English Language Assistantships and Semesters Abroad, and news to share from colleagues, old and new (welcome and congratulations to Ashley Harris and, in Spanish and Latin American Studies, Rebecca de Souza and Jacky Collins).

As well as teaching starting up again, plans are also afoot for a whole range of other activities. Our Language Ambassador programme has continued to run online over the past two years but we’re delighted to be working towards a return to in-person visits in the coming academic year. We’re also really pleased to be working with colleagues at the University of Strathclyde and at SCILT on the Language Ambassador programme this time round, with students from both universities going out to schools together over the coming months. And with our colleagues in Spanish and Latin American Studies, we’re also working with SCILT to run a workshop for senior phase secondary pupils in early October that’ll focus on language and film.

The shift back to much, much more happening in-person also means we are able to organise our traditional annual Study Abroad get-together. As in previous years, all our Year 3 and 4 students, as well as all visiting Francophone and Hispanophone exchange students have been invited along to share their plans, experiences and hopes. Most of our Year 4 students spent the spring on Study Abroad and most of our Year 3 students are in the planning stages for their own time abroad which will happen in spring 2023 so this always gives them a really useful opportunity to share tips and questions. And inviting along our Francophone and Hispanophone exchange students from across the whole campus means there are plenty of opportunities for new friendships and building connections across Stirling’s international community. And, of course, colleagues from French and Spanish will be there, too!

A busy few weeks, then, as the semester gets fully underway and we’ll be sharing news from staff, students and graduates as regularly as we can. In the meantime, bonne rentrée!