Spain, Colombia, Sicily… and back to Stirling again

Yesterday’s blog catch-up came from Erin who graduated earlier this year with a BA Hons in French and is now at the end of the first semester her MSc in International Conflict and Cooperation with us. Today, another opportunity to catch-up with one of our graduates but this time someone who has been away from Stirling for much longer. David graduated in 2017, with a BA Hons in French and Spanish, and has been a regular blog contributor over the years (we’ll link to some of his previous posts in this update so you can read more about his adventures). From January, he’ll be back in Stirling, starting his PhD under the supervision of Fiona Barclay:

“Last time I posted something on here was at the start of the global Covid-19 pandemic, when I had to return to Paris from Glasgow, to finish up my PGDE and graduate online – a very strange reality in which I started teaching in August 2020. After three years of teaching full time, I decided to return to studying and complete a PhD at the University of Stirling, almost 10 years after having left! Let me just rewind a little.

Born and raised in Paris, I was always attracted to living in Scotland as I used to go there regularly as a child (I am getting old…) to visit family. Scotland was always, and still is, renowned for its innovative, modern and forward-looking approach to higher education. I chose to attend the University of Stirling from 2013 as I would have had the opportunity to become a dual-qualified language teacher in just four years. However, the course was under review (it is now very much still in existence!) and I ended up graduating with an honours degree in French and Spanish. During my second year at Stirling, I was asked if I would be interested in completing a PhD after graduating. While I was flattered that I had been asked, I was quite taken aback, as I did not feel that I had the skills or knowledge… I had imposter syndrome! Thus, I declined the offer and focused on my undergraduate studies (although I did sometimes think “what if..?”).

However, during my third year at university, I was able to live, study and work in Spain for a full academic year as part the Erasmus+ programme and this is where I found a renewed passion for language learning but also academia as I had the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects in Spanish: sociolinguistics, heritage conservation as well as mythology! From then on in, I was hooked.

Upon graduating, I decided to work abroad in Colombia as part of the British Council language assistantship programme. To optimise my chances of being selected, I ticked the “send me anywhere” box. I was chosen to teach at a university in the coffee region of Colombia and it was life-changing from an academic point of view: I was treated like a university lecturer although I was only 21 years old and had only graduated one month previously! I discovered the research side of teaching and was given the opportunity to research and improve my teaching through interdisciplinary academic discussions, collaboration and conferences. 

Nevertheless, I was still sceptical about my academic ability and wanted to see if I could perhaps gain more experience as a secondary school teacher to, not only challenge myself further from a teaching standpoint, but also apply the skills I had learnt in Colombia while simultaneously developing my own interpersonal skills through my own language learning. So I applied for a second year as a language assistant to work and live in Italy. Once again, I ticked the “send me anywhere” box and was sent to… Sicily! I taught in two local high schools there and, while I did not speak a word of Italian when I first arrived, after a few months my Spanish slowly turned into Italian (including a bit of Sicilian slang apparently, unbeknownst to me!). Having studied at the University of Catania to improve my grammar, I then came back to Scotland, confident that I was ready to teach at high school level (although higher education had been at the back of my mind since Colombia…). 

My PGDE year was interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic which is when I first experienced the advantages and challenges of online teaching as both a student and a teacher! As a newly qualified teacher applying for my probationary year I could choose 5 different local authorities and as an international student I did not have a specific school in mind. I therefore ticked the “anywhere” box (does that sound familiar?), hoping to go somewhere new and ironically I was appointed to a school in the southside of Glasgow – I did not even have to change flat!

There were no permanent posts available at the end of my year teaching at St. Ninian’s and so I applied to several schools across Scotland. It was a very stressful time as I was in competition with my PGDE peers as well as teachers with a significant amount of experience. There are an incredible number of social codes and professional expectations which teacher training does not prepare you for! Indeed, interviewing is a skill in itself, regardless of one’s teaching ability. 

After a few awkward online interviews and Q&A sessions, I was offered a permanent position at Lomond School in Helensburgh. There, I was able to further develop my teaching while also completing my provisional registration in Italian by following an evening course at the University of Strathclyde. However, I missed academia and research. Thus, I decided to complete my Masters in Education while teaching full-time. After lots of coffee, complaining and maybe two (or three?) late nights, I submitted my thesis, expecting the worst! 

One month later, I received a notification informing me that I had been awarded a first class in my thesis and the University of Glasgow asked me if I would be interested in publishing it. I think that publishing my masters was a key moment last year for me as it enabled me to shake off the imposter syndrome which I tend to carry around with me! 

Finally, I was invited this year to apply for a PhD at the University of Stirling, in collaboration with the language organisation SCILT, to investigate the effect of the 1+2 Initiative on language uptake. I was delighted when I was selected and while it is strange to think that I will be leaving teaching in December, I am looking forward to returning to the University of Stirling where I was first introduced to Higher Education and challenged academically.”

Many thanks to David for having found the time to send us this blog post – we’re looking forward to welcoming you back in the New Year!

My Experience as a Language Assistant – Covid-19 Edition

As I’m sure we’ve mentioned before on the blog, it’s always fantastic to hear tales from current and former students about their experiences spending time abroad as part of their degree. This past year has been particularly challenging for our students on that front, with Semesters Abroad and British Council Language Assistantships coming to a premature end as lockdown kicked in, so it was especially uplifting to receive the following post from Sebastian who is about to go into his 3^rd year with us, studying French, Spanish and Professional Secondary Education:

‘As I prepare for my grand return to Stirling Uni to continue my French and Spanish studies, I can’t help but notice it has been a full year since I received my first email from my French school. Going back to April 2019, I vividly remember sitting in an education seminar with my fellow peers and tutor, discussing about what waits for us in France as English Language Assistants: “will people understand me, will my French improve”, so many thoughts and concerns went flying through our heads. We didn’t consider the possibility that our year abroad would be cut short due to a global pandemic…

Despite this hiccup, the time I had in France will always be memorable – the adventures, the friendships – it will be impossible to forget them. I wish I could say I was this ecstatic before going out to France, but it was quite the opposite. I was assigned to Lycée La Haie Griselle in Gérardmer. My nerves began after doing a Google search to realise this small town in the Grand Est region had no train station and to get to the nearest city, involved taking a 40-minute bus to the closest train station, then another hour to get to Nancy.

What I thought was a huge hindrance on my year abroad, turned out to be a perfect opportunity for my French. Of course, no one could speak English in this part of France (apart from the English teachers), so this forced me to speak French everywhere I went. Naturally, I was petrified to speak French. Making mistakes in front of locals, making a fool out of myself felt daunting. Very soon though, I overcame this fear and those thousand and one mistakes helped me improve my French drastically.

My time in the school was also a joy. Wanting to pursue a career in teaching languages, it was amazing to learn and improve my teaching skills whilst enhancing my French at the same time. I would work with seconde, première and terminale students for 30 or 60 minutes, 12 to 15 hours a week. It didn’t matter if I had to teach them about the Victorian Era, the Commonwealth, Interview skills – each lesson was great fun! I had a great rapport with students and teachers, and I truly felt I was part of superb teaching team.

Before moving to France, the British Council suggested, whilst in our host country, we should accept every invitation we receive, unless it would put us in danger. With this mindset, I accepted invites to many social events where I got the opportunity to experience French culture. “Want to join a Badminton Club and play every Monday”… of course, love to… “would you like to join us for a meal and go see a one man play”…sounds lovely… “we are having a retirement party for one of our teachers, care to join”…absolutely. To this day, I’m glad I accepted every invitation that came my way, even attending a town hall meeting on a Friday night…actually, still questioning that one.

Throughout the week, I was immersed in the language and the culture. So, having the weekend to spend time with the other language assistants was a great treat. We all met at our induction day in Nancy, and everyone instantly connected. We all had a laugh about our different ways of life as we had people coming from Scotland, England, Ireland, Spain, Australia and America. Our connections grew while travelling across France – visiting Lyon, Nice, Strasbourg, Metz – and touring Europe – Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy.

Everything was going so well! My level of French was improving as I ploughed through a couple of Harry Potter books in French (then moving onto recommendations from teachers such as Petit Pays by Gaël Faye), making a habit of going to the cinema once or twice a week (La Belle Époque, Un Vrai Bonhomme and Seules Les Bêtes are a must see) and making new friends at badminton. My desire to stay in Gérardmer was obvious as I was fortunate enough to extend my contract for another month…nothing could ruin my time abroad…right?

 

Fast-forward to the present, I’m back in Scotland after leaving France 4 months ago due to Coronavirus. I am still trying to get the rest of my belongings back such as my Kindle (yes, I’m aware that was a stupid mistake), some clothes and other souvenirs. At the beginning of the outbreak, everyone thought this lockdown would last just 2 weeks…oh how wrong we were. Ever since leaving, I have weekly 1-hour sessions with a French native, getting through the rest of the Harry Potter books and watching various films, shows on Netflix and YouTube in French. It can be a challenge to keep up with everything knowing that by simply pausing a video or ending a Zoom call, I leave the French-speaking world.

After having my year abroad cut in half, I’m left feeling nostalgic and yearning for other adventures in Europe. Although I remember a phrase from one of my favourite childhood authors: “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened” – Dr. Seuss.’

Many, many thanks to Sebastian for this brilliantly honest and enthusiastic blog post. We hope you’ll get the chance to go back to Gérardmer in the not-too-distant future and wish you all the very best for your return to Stirling.

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.

‘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…

Williamson Travel Scholarship: Approaches and attitudes towards migration

The previous post about this year’s applicants for the Stevenson Exchange Scholarships, reminded me that I still had one other article lurking in my files, waiting to be posted, about a French at Stirling student’s success. In this instance, the scholarship in question is the University of Stirling’s Williamson Travel Scholarship which, last year, was awarded to Stefano, currently in the final semester of his degree in International Politics and Languages, along with his fellow student Christopher. Their joint research project was entitled ‘(Dis)integration in Southern Europe. A comparative observation of integration practices for migrants in Italy and France.’

Stefano and Christopher used the research they conducted under the auspices of their project to observe perceptions towards integration of migrants in two different European countries, namely Italy and France, through on field observations of integration practices at both local and regional level. Last July, they made use of their scholarship to spend two weeks in Southern Europe to carry out a comparative review of approaches to integration between two neighbouring countries which have been dealing with an increase of migrants in recent years, in order to enhance their understanding of the ways these countries can foster the integration of migrants in their societies. As well as examining national media representations of ‘the migrant question’, they also made contact with local civil servants and representatives of NGOs to further their knowledge and understanding of the situation. For example, they interviewed Dr Stefano Pasta, Adjunct Research Fellow at the Catholic University of Milan (Research Centre for Intercultural Relations), Journalist and senior volunteer at the Community of Sant’Egidio, a leading international NGO founded in Italy to support and integrate foreigners and migrants in Europe.

In their report on the project, Stefano and Christopher explained that having had the possibility to spend time in two European countries which have both been affected by the arrival of migrants since the start of the humanitarian crisis in 2015, ‘it has been deeply interesting to further investigate their different approaches and attitudes towards migration and subsequent integration within their societies’ and they hope their research will foster ‘awareness of the necessity for an ever greater deal of solidarity and cultural understanding in order for all of us to be oriented by the inspiring examples encountered along the journey.’ And they are, of course, grateful to the Williamson Trust for its trust in them and for its financial support through the scholarship.

Many thanks to Stefano for sending us the information about this project and for his patience while the article somehow sat in an email folder waiting to be posted!

French at Stirling Stevenson Successes

Félicitations to Annika, Nicolas and Stefano – three French at Stirling students who have just finished their 2^nd year and who have each been awarded a Stevenson Exchange Scholarship to help them undertake a project of research during their Semester Abroad next Spring. This is a great achievement for all three and we’ll post updates on their progress while they’re away on Study Abroad but we wanted to share their success.

The Stevenson Exchange Scholarships are awarded competitively each year with applicants from across all the Scottish Universities who have to submit an application including a research project outline and then attend an interview at Glasgow University. The range of topics Annika, Nicolas and Stefano will be exploring thanks to their scholarships gives a really good sense of the variety of research interests across undergraduate Languages students.

Annika is interested in the development of French social structures with particular focus on the relationship with the EU and the scholarship will help her, among other things, travel to Marseille to visit the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée and to Roubaix to spend time researching in the Archives nationales du monde du travail.

Nicolas’s project aims to build on time he has already spent working in the fashion industry near Milan in order to further pursue his interest in fashion and the development of the fashion industry in France. As well as attending events around Paris Fashion Week, he intends to visit the Musée de la Mode in Albi and the Musée de Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs in Lyon.

As for Stefano, he wants to use the scholarship to enhance his knowledge of Human Rights, with a particular focus on those of refugees in France. The key components of his research project include planned trips to Mechel (Belgium) and to Geneva (Switzerland), to visit, respectively, the Kazerne Dossin–Mémorial, Musée et Centre de Documentation sur l’Holocauste et les Droits de l’Homme and the Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge.

This year’s trio will be following previous Stirling Stevenson successes, including Jeanne who is currently in Granada for her Semester Abroad, having been awarded a Scholarship through Spanish at Stirling. Having already undertaken a good deal of research into the question of the teaching of ‘untold’ histories through discussions with teachers at school and University-level about their experiences teaching on aspects of Franco’s Spain, Jeanne is now planning to focus to expand her research to include visits to historical monuments. “I will visit the Centro Federico García Lorca, where there is a library, to see if the War and the dictatorship are depicted and if so, how. I will also visit the rest of the Provincial Prison of Granada, almost fully destroyed, and the Campana prison for political opponents during Francoism, and the Cartel de las Palmas (where torture used to be carried out). She’s also planning a trip to Madrid, to see Guernica, and to Toledo, to visit the Museum of War.

Félicitations once again, to both the new Stevenson Scholars and those currently completing their projects from this past year!

Happy New Year: “Every Class is a New Discovery”

First and foremost, “Happy New Year! Bonne Année!” to you all! 2017 marks Stirling’s 50th anniversary so we’re looking forward to a great year of events and celebrations, and to more profiles of students who have studied French with us for the past half-century. We’re also going to continue our series of profiles of current French at Stirling students and that seems an ideal place to pick up this blog after the festive season so, without further ado, a great new article by one of our current Year 2 students, Stefano:

“Bonjour! My name is Stefano and I am a Second year undergraduate (BA) in International Politics and Modern Languages (French) here at the University of Stirling. I come from Milan, a huge city in the North of Italy, so this is also my second year living abroad in such a wonderful country as Scotland. I have been asked several times why I decided to move so far from home and to study French right here and not elsewhere, and it is not always the easiest thing to explain, I guess. When I was also asked by the French Department to write a post for this blog, I was really pleased and I thought it would be nice and useful, especially for new students, to say a bit more about what brought me here and why I enjoy studying French at Stirling so much.

First and foremost, I have always been really keen on the English language and Anglophone culture, since I was in primary school when I first started learning it. Therefore, since I was a child I had been telling myself that one day I would study in the UK and especially in Scotland, too beautiful a country not to live in one day. I was also generally interested in languages as in Italy I started studying French too when I was 11 in Middle School; after that, I decided to go on with both languages and I thus attended a bilingual course at a scientific High School in Milan for 5 years. That was a hard time as the school was extremely demanding, but definitely rewarding. For French alone, we had classes to learn grammar, oral skills and the history and literature of France from the origins until modern times.

When it came to decide which University to apply to, I really had no idea where to go. I was – and still am – deeply interested in international and diplomatic studies, but at the same time I did not want to lose my linguistic abilities. In fact, I wanted to put them into practice in a way I had not tried before. Therefore, I spoke to my English High School teacher and she recommended I should have a look at Stirling since she thought that it could be the right place for me. And she couldn’t have been more right! I looked carefully at the courses offered by the University of Stirling and I was extremely glad to find the possibility to combine so many of my passions: going abroad to live in Scotland, international studies and languages all together! The University really does offer a great level of flexibility in its courses and a highly valuable combinations of subjects; I therefore decided to apply for a BA in International Politics and Modern Languages, with French, and I am really enjoying it so far!!!

Mais on parlait du français… When I came to the Applicant Day and had the opportunity to talk to members of the staff in the French Department, I immediately had the feeling of a great environment where I could really enhance my abilities as a student and, most importantly, as a person. Both lecturers and tutors are all truly keen on helping when students reach them out to seek support and guidance. At the beginning I was a bit worried I might “re-study” what I had already learnt in High School about France, but I was soon pleased and surprised to see that all the materials and topics covered in the culture stream are totally new and highly related to the wider spectrum of French culture rather than just to France’s literature in itself; this makes every single class a new discovery and a challenge. To conclude, my time here at Stirling has really strengthened my abilities in French and I do look forward to what is coming next! I would undoubtedly recommend studying French at the University of Stirling: best choice ever!”

Many thanks to Stefano for starting the New Year with this post and we hope you enjoy the semester ahead!

“Languages can take me wherever I want…”

It’s particularly pleasing to be able to post this blog piece from a very recent graduate on a relatively grey Friday here in Stirling, for from thoughts of parks, croissants and ice cream… Stephanie graduated in June of this year with a BA Hons in French and Spanish and is just starting work as an English Language Assistant in the suburbs of Paris:

“As I write this, I’m sitting in the Jardins du Luxembourg, with the sun shining and the sounds of people laughing and chatting. This reminds me of sitting in Stirling University, by the lake, seeking motivation to start writing an essay.

A year ago, I had no idea that I would be teaching English and living in the Parisian suburbs, meeting people from all over the world who are here to teach their own language. It is amazing to see how love for travel and learning languages can be so widespread, giving people the chance to make friends in all sorts of places, to experience so many things.

Through speaking foreign languages, I’ve forced myself to be more confident and a lot more relaxed when I meet new people. If grumpy Parisians speak to me in English, I respond in Spanish to confuse them, then the conversation quickly returns to French. Getting lost is no longer something I dread, instead, it is an opportunity to see a new place.

After graduation in June, I spent the rest of Summer working in Italy as an Au Pair for a lovely family in Falconara, on the Adriatic coast. I had my first experience of teaching English to a ten and an eight year old, though I think I learnt more about how to bargain with children to stop attacking each other. Thanks to the French and Spanish I know, I picked up some Italian, which was useful when you are lost in the forty degree heat of Bologna searching for the best ice-cream store.

Studying languages has been one of the best decisions I have ever made, because they can take me wherever I want. My Mexican flatmate wants me to go back with her when I leave France, but she also recommends several southern cities in the U.S. because I can practice Spanish there. Perhaps next year I will do a masters, although I may be applying for jobs or I may go and teach English in another country. But no more thinking about the future for now, I’m off for a croissant.”

Thanks to Stephanie for this blog post and we hope to be able to add updates on her year as an assistant, as well as tales from other graduates from the class of 2016, over the weeks and months ahead.