After French at Stirling: 50 years on…

It is definitely a sign of how busy things have been at Stirling since the start of the year that it’s already the end of March and this is our first blog post of 2024 but it’s a great one to get us started again!

We’re always happy to highlight the progress of our graduates but in this blog post we are delighted to share reflections that go back further than usual. Russ Walker is celebrating fifty years since his graduation from Stirling, and reflecting on what a degree in French led to…

“I graduated from the University of Stirling in the summer of 1974 – hard to believe that it will be fifty years this summer. A degree in French – what to do with it?

I had a chance to work as an ‘intelligence agent’ (spy? they never said) and an opportunity of a post on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Instead, I spent my working life based in Scotland in jobs where French was not a requirement. However, it proved surprisingly useful in many of my postings and in my other interests.

The first half of my working career was involved with General Register Office for Scotland which organised and ran the recording of all births, deaths and marriages in Scotland along with the population census. To my surprise, in my first month I found myself back in Paris at the Palais du Luxembourg translating for registration colleagues at the annual meeting of the CIEC – the International Commission on Civil Status.

In the following years we returned as observers at annual conferences in Madrid, Salzburg and Cesme (Turkey), even being invited to present a paper in French on the new Scottish Marriage Law.  I worked on the team that took the new law through Parliament.

As a graduate civil service recruit, I undertook a number of lengthy training courses in London. One of these involved a week studying at ENA Paris (Ecole Nationale d’Adminstration) where we twinned with the future top administrators of France. Emmanuel Macron was a later graduate but went on to close it down.

I was part of the team planning and preparing the 1981 population census and then took charge of overseeing the census in the Edinburgh and Lothians area. This involved around 2,000 temporary workers at a time when the census involved house to house visits.

For most of the 1980s I was a travelling inspector checking and visiting registrars across western Scotland covering the area from the Isle of Lewis down to Gretna. Scotland was covered by three of us with the grand title of “District Examiner” – one of the best jobs it was possible to have! I married and moved back to the Glasgow area. I was free to plan my own timetable and spent many pleasant summer weeks on Lewis, Harris, Barra, the Uists, Skye, Islay and the smaller islands – saving Glasgow and the larger offices for winter visits! It was a great way to learn about my native land and what was happening locally.

My travelling life stopped in 1992 and the second part of my career was a complete change. I started working for the Scottish Government initially on government assistance grants to companies creating new jobs. There were many interesting and ambitious local companies looking for assistance to expand including some of the computer games companies which were just beginning to emerge at that time.

I followed that with a lengthy secondment to Scottish Enterprise, our business development agency, working firstly in the Locate in Scotland (LIS) briefing team. LIS was charged with bringing in and supporting investment from outside the country and we were kept busy briefing government ministers announcing new investment and job creation in some of the new, emerging industries. There were usually lots of TV and newspaper coverage at these events.  Later I took on the German desk (!), supported by my very capable colleague Heike, a formidable Glaswegian German. I followed that with the renewable energy remit, a sector which was just emerging at that point. At that time too I participated in some EU-based courses in Brussels, conducted in French (of course).

The final part of my career was a return to the Scottish Government in various parts of its International relations interests. We ran an international network called ‘Friends of Scotland’ and developed web based material to promote Scotland internationally, with the aim of growing our trade, investment, influence and networks.

One memorable project involved a close connection to my time at Stirling. I had spent the second semester of my third year studies in Montpellier. One of our ‘Friends’ offered the opportunity to leave a permanent reminder there – the partial restoration of Sir Patrick Geddes garden in Montpellier and the installation of a copy of Geddes bust at the College des Écossais – now one of the main centres for courses for teachers in the Hérault. When I was there in 1973 I had no idea then about the college nor any knowledge of Sir Patrick Geddes!

Geddes has since reappeared as one of the great environmentalists and his phrase – Think Global Act Local – is used around the world so it was nostalgic to return to Montpellier for the unveiling of the bust and the project itself was well covered by an article in The Scotsman.

In my personal life I was able to use my French quite regularly for many years. My department was very supportive of assisting further learning so I took a number of courses at the French Institute in Edinburgh including its Diploma in Commercial French as well as enjoying some French Government sponsored courses in France (a week visiting Champagne producers around Reims, for example!)

I was quite involved in athletics for many years and as part of its European City of Culture in 1990, Glasgow hosted the European Indoor Championships. I helped to recruit most of the interpreter/liaison volunteers to work with the overseas teams and I acted in that capacity for the French team. An Italian/Ugandan friend from my Stirling days came up do the same with the Italian team.

Another interest is in philately – stamps, postal history, postcards etc – and that has called on my French from time to time. I attended the Salon Philatélique d’Automne for a few years helping some dealer friends sell material to French collectors. We also established very friendly links to the New Caledonia stamp club (Caledonia being the initial link!) and I gave a presentation to its members in the Maison de la Nouvelle Calédonie near the Paris Opera. I am now investigating whether my fairly large collection of French North Africa might be of interest to the university. Over the centenary years of the First World War my philatelic society worked with the French Institute and Goethe Institute in Glasgow to put on a number of displays there showing material from the war.

And Brel? Well we did organise a memorial dinner for more than 20 at Bar Brel in Glasgow to mark the 25^th anniversary of his death. Of course with ‘frites et moules’.

Il nous fallut bien du talent
Pour être vieux sans être adultes

Finally, another memory from Stirling in the summer of 1974. Monty Python came to film nearby at Doune. The University invited 175 students to take part in a Python battle scene in its May 20 1974 newsletter. The advert stated: “While pay for the day is rather humble at £2 a head, transport to and from the film set is free, as is the food, including elevenses, hot lunch and tea. An added attraction, of course, will be a bunch of crazy antics coupled with the fact that the film is a full feature length film – going out on international release. Transport, in the form of buses, will be leaving from the back of Pathfoot at 8am (on May 25) – yes, that early, so that the makeup and costume girls can do a good job on you. Who knows, this could be your chance for stardom!”

I volunteered along with our two French Assistantes – we have dined out on that story ever since!”

So many of our graduates have gone on to such a diverse range of careers, further studies and adventures after they’ve completed their studies at Stirling but this has to be one of the most diverse posts we’ve been able to add so many, many thanks to Russ for taking the time to send this through and we look forward to tales of further French-related adventures.

  

Language Learning: Logical or Ludicrous?

As we reach the mid-semester point at Stirling, it seems like a good time for a new series of profiles of our students. As regular blog readers will know, we have students who start with us as Beginners and others who come to us with a secondary school qualification and who join our Advanced stream. We have students on our Single Honours programme and others doing French alongside another subject or subjects, everything from English to Psychology via Business Studies, Education and Law. And we have others who study French with us for a few semesters, not as part of their core degree focus but to develop their language skills and cultural awareness. And, as you’ll see through the profile posts that’ll go up over the coming couple of weeks, our students are a fascinating, diverse, international and enthusiastic group of individuals!

We’re really pleased to start this series of posts with an article by Kirstin who is studying Law at Stirling and has picked up French modules in her 2^nd year:

“Initially, I thought picking up a language that I had never studied before was an absolutely terrible idea. I had no prior knowledge of French, its origins, its culture, nothing. The only French I had ever spoken was an occasional sarcastic “au revoir!” on the phone to my friends. It was something that I hadn’t considered incorporating into my degree, until the option came up the day I had to pick my modules.

The selection was vast, but my interest was limited. A lot of the modules focused on business or mathematics, topics which I was more than happy to put behind me in high school. I looked at the content and method of assessment and, whilst being slightly traumatised by the thought of taking another speaking exam, decided to investigate further.

As a law student, I figured that I had enough on my plate as it was. I didn’t have the time to sit down and learn a completely new language and conjugate verbs whilst trying to understand and apply Scots law in my other studies. Despite this, the more I researched careers in the law profession, the more apparent it became that a language was a vital component in order to practise internationally. I didn’t and still don’t know which field of law I want to practise in, but being able to speak more than one language significantly increased my chances of being considered for commendable roles in the international sector of law.

For French, most companies required a minimum B1 qualification in the language. As certified by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, this ultimately means that the language can be spoken without too much strain for the learner or native speaker. They are able to communicate spontaneously about a range of topics and participate in everyday conversation. Seems easier said than done! This was daunting to read at the time. Nevertheless, it was something to work towards, and whilst I knew that I wouldn’t achieve this straightaway, the opportunity to try was there and I knew I would be disappointed if I didn’t. So, after much deliberation I concluded that I would, in fact, try. I reinstalled Duolingo (we all know how that ends), ordered my textbooks and prepared for my first seminar.

The class went okay, I was relieved that we were all on the same level in that we were all starting from the bottom of the ladder. I am aware that it was an introductory module I had signed up for, but even so, the thought of being the one who knew the least was a prevalent one. They were easy to follow and steady paced, a lot of revision took place of the previous weeks’ content, which I was very thankful for! The classes themselves are certainly far better than those I had in school, due to their independent nature. As valuable as the teachers are, I found it a lot easier to ask questions about my own study as opposed to the entire group’s, a common trait found in secondary classroom learning. There is definitely a difference in attitude towards language learning at university, the teacher is an asset, a tool to your own independent study. They are not relied on for spoon-feeding purposes. While they are beneficial in providing support, much of the learning is individual. It is up to yourself to choose to learn the grammar, practise pronunciation and generally do the work.

As the weeks proceeded, I found learning French was more of a hobby than necessity to my degree. It was an enjoyable process which I used as a wind-down from other study. I wanted to learn more and work harder, not because I was told to, but because I enjoyed the problem solving and challenging nature of the course. The best way to explain it is that it felt like I was working a different part of my brain, I didn’t have to worry about the legality of irregular verbs, just learn them. It must be noted that an accelerated course is not something that can be achieved easily, there is a certain level of commitment that must be sustained. But, in keeping up with the classes and staying on top of the work, it is rewarding. 

It is easier to say all of these things than demonstrate them of course, everyone has moments where they don’t understand and want to quit. I think overall learning a language is something to keep chipping away at. It will be frustrating and some things will be forgotten now and again, I myself am terrible at pronouncing consonants, but it is something that I want to work at and improve. If nothing else, it is important to keep an open mind and take it easy on yourself when mistakes are made, and learn from them. If all of that fails, the image of myself strolling through the streets of Marseille and ordering coffee like a pro is a pretty good incentive to keep at it.

So, to answer the question in the title, logical or ludicrous? Both! It will get me where I need to be, it is a life skill and a potential asset to my future career. It is also a lot of work, extra stress and ultimately, effort. But! It is invaluable professionally and socially, and I couldn’t be gladder that I started.”

Many, many thanks to Kirstin for taking the time to write this post and we hope you enjoy the rest of your time studying French with us, and are able to put your language skills to good use in your future career!

10 Years On: ‘I know that my future holds many more adventures!’

There is something particularly pleasing about being able to start a new month on the blog with a post in praise of studying languages and spending time abroad. It’s pleasing at the best of times but, given the challenges posed in the context of the current global pandemic, there’s something especially good about it so, without further ado, an update from Louise, who graduated with a BA Hons in French a decade ago:

‘Studying French at the University of Stirling was more than the achievement of a degree. For me, going to university itself was a massive challenge, not only academically, but perhaps even more so, mentally and socially. Having moved to Stirling from Inverness, I had no option but to make a conscious effort to make friends in my new home environment. I gained a lot of confidence and enjoyment from my university experience and in particular, through my participation in team sports (field hockey and ultimate frisbee).

Not only is the University set within an attractive campus, with a host of great sports facilities and a top-of-the-range library, but the degree programmes are dynamic and inclusive. I found the University tutors and lecturers to be extremely creative and supportive, providing us with diverse and captivating course content throughout the degree programme.

As a languages student, I was extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to live in France twice during my degree – firstly as a British Council English Language Assistant in Valenciennes during a gap year between 2nd and 3rd year; and secondly on an Erasmus Programme semester abroad at a university in Tours in the second half of 3rd year.

Living abroad has played a huge part in my life – not only allowing me to develop my language and communication skills, learning about local customs and traditions, understanding the French administration systems, exploring the surrounding areas and travelling further afield, but it has also made me become more open-minded, forced me to adapt to and perform in different environments and cultures and overcome challenges which I faced (including one or two cultural faux pas). I also had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing people who helped me to feel more integrated and of whom I will forever have fond memories. My advice would be, if you have the chance to work or study abroad, take the plunge and try to gain as much as possible from the opportunity.

Having thoroughly enjoyed my time as an English Language Assistant, I continued on the educational and languages career path after graduation. I lived and taught English in a school in Germany on the British Council Comenius Programme for 10 months. On my return, I studied a PGDE in French Secondary Teaching at Glasgow University and following this, I took two TEFL courses (one online and one face-to-face). Following the completion of my studies, I decided to apply for a position within Macleod and MacCallum law firm, where I worked as a Property Assistant for 5 years.

My experiences at University and working and living abroad have provided me with the skills and experience that I can use in my day-to-day work and life in general. I have more confidence when speaking with clients and networking with other professionals, dealing with a wide range of clients with different cultural backgrounds and needs and using my languages where a language barrier exists between clients and colleagues.

In the most recent chapter of my life, I am living with my partner in Aberdeen, having only moved here at the end of February, just weeks before COVID-19 lockdown was imposed in the UK. I have started my new job with Peterkins law firm as a Property Sales Negotiator and am currently “working from home” due to lockdown restrictions. Thanks to my previous experience of working with people from a variety of different backgrounds and cultures, I feel that I have already managed to establish strong working relationships with my new team members after only a short time. I am really enjoying my new role.

I believe that my collective experiences of living and working in different cities, both in the UK and abroad, have provided me with the confidence, open-mindedness and adaptability required to be able to settle into my new home in the Granite City. It also goes without saying that the people closest to me, both in Aberdeen and in Inverness, have been incredibly supportive throughout this transition from Inverness to Aberdeen and I cannot thank them enough. I may have stopped living out of a suitcase, but I know that my future holds many more adventures – at home and away. There is still so much of the world to discover!

À la prochaine fois!’

Many, many thanks to Louise for this brilliant post and congratulations on the new job! We look forward to further updates over the years ahead and wish you all the best for your new life in Aberdeen, and for new adventures beyond.

Erasmus exchange / Mission Erasmus

Next week, we’re looking forward to hosting Joëlle Popineau, a colleague from our Erasmus partner institution the University of Tours, on a staff mobility exchange. More about her to follow in a moment but, coincidentally, our own Language Coordinator, Jean-Michel DesJacques has, in fact, just returned from an Erasmus staff mobility in Tours earlier this month so it seemed the perfect time for his post and some pictures:

‘As you can see from the title, the French version of this scheme seems a bit adventurous and almost secretive. Well, sorry to disappoint you but it was neither of those things. It was in fact well planned by my colleagues from the International Office here at Stirling and colleagues in Tours to whom I am very grateful, with a special mention to Magali Hassen-Orry who organised my timetable to suit the purpose of my visit. Thanks to a previous blog by one of our current exchange students Mairi, you know where Tours is, the Loire Valley and its châteaux.

It should be noted that my exchange occurred under the auspices of the Faculté de droit, the Law School. This is an important detail since the campus is outside the city but easily reached by tram (cheap and reliable integrated transport is a wonderful thing). Furthermore, the students I met and taught were not linguists. In fact English was not part of their degree per se but simply an element of the curriculum. It was fascinating to see how English for non-specialists was taught and how it was perceived by the students themselves. Le Centre de langue, equipped with everything you need to access English materials in any shape or form, plays a central part. Students were asked to work individually and in groups under the helpful supervision of a tutor for a two-hour period. I love the double-period concept, things can move at a slower pace but at the same time I feel that you can be a bit more ambitious with your aims and teaching methods. Time and a place dedicated to teaching languages made me feel rather envious.

It is perhaps self-evident but there is nothing like going somewhere else to see how things are done. I really believe in the virtue of the Erasmus exchange for staff and students. There is always something you can learn from your experience and I can’t help thinking how disastrous it would be if the Erasmus + programme were to suffer from the current political climate. This an ancient tradition from which we can all benefit. It would indeed be shameful for it to disappear from the UK’s academic landscape.

Et les gilets jaunes, alors? Well, I had to wait until my last day in Tours to see any. This was during a visit to le Musée des Beaux-Arts. There were about 15 of them, very active, asking lots of questions, marvelling at the paintings they were looking at. It was the school holidays and these gilets jaunes were about 6-7 years of age and part of a holiday camp which had organised a visit to the museum for Valentine’s day…

One final anecdote: On a visit to St. Gatien cathedral, by chance I approached a group of what my trained eye assumed to be Erasmus students listening to a talk. I was right. Our own students Mairi and Rhiannon were there, enjoying their class of histoire de l’art in the sunshine. I can’t wait to hear from them on their return.’

Many thanks to Jean-Michel for finding time amid the post-mid-semester marking to write and send us this great blog post (including that final picture of the slightly odd juxtaposition of a Tours shop window…) and more Tours-related posts to follow very soon…

French at Stirling: What happened next…

And following on from Evelyn’s post about Semester Abroad in Aix, another great article by Claudia who graduated in 2012 with a BA Hons in French (the same programme as Evelyn is doing, coincidentally…):

‘I think it must be a couple of years since I was last asked to contribute and let you all know about what happens when you graduate!

I have now taken a bit of a side step from French and I am a trainee legal executive at a law firm in sunny Dorset. My days are now filled with compliance, mortgages and completions instead of language, translation and reading but the skill set I learned at Stirling is transferred daily. For example, learning to translate French literature means I can now read leases and find the key passages with ease. Whilst I did not naturally find presentations and talking in front of the class easy, I can now confidently give advice to clients and speak up in meetings and at networking events.

With the rise of social media, Facebook kindly reminded me recently that it has been 10 years since I started my degree (September 2008) and 8 years since my student placement at Limoges University (January to May 2011). Whilst it may be a while since I graduated, it sure has gone by quickly and the University prepares you well for the world of work. I can’t believe I used to whinge at a 9am start- now that feels like a lie in!

Whilst I may not use French on a day-to-day basis the skills you learn are invaluable and you won’t even realise you are doing it. Legal work is challenging and long-distance learning is tough but the studying I did at Stirling has made me focused in my future career and when I feel I can’t do something I remind myself of all those nights that I wanted to give up and go home. I’m so glad I didn’t and there is no doubt in my mind that Cristina and Aedin kept me at university.

I’m hoping to go back to France soon and explore more of the beautiful cities that France has to offer; the world is bigger than the Pathfoot building, though it may feel as thought that is your world for 4 years. Hopefully the next time I get to write a post I might be a little closer to qualification. Keep an open mind- you never know where French will take you!’

Many, many thanks to Claudia for sending us this fantastic update and we look forward to following your progress in your legal career over the years ahead! And particular thanks from Cristina and Aedin – we’re delighted you stayed!!

‘The difference we can make to the world through translation’

Time for another catch-up with one of our recent graduates… Alex graduated with a BA Hons in French in 2017 and the past 18 months or so have seen him return to campus in a role that he hadn’t entirely anticipated at the time:

‘It’s been a little over a year since I wrote my first post for the Stirling Uni French blog and slowly but surely I’m adjusting to life outside of university; the initial fear of beginning the “rest of my life” has gone, and working Monday to Friday is becoming the norm – it’s really not that bad!

At the time of writing my last post I was about to embark on a Graduate Scheme with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Since then, I have finished my time there and moved on to a new role as an Account Manager at Global Voices, a translation company based in Stirling – specifically at the Innovation Park on the university campus This means a number of my lunch breaks are still being spent at the Atrium, which I’m sure will be all-too-familiar for students past and present.

Working at a translation company has so far proven to be a fantastic experience. I’ve learnt so much about translation and interpretation; when I first started, I didn’t think there was anything to it – to me, translation was translation. In reality, there are so many factors to consider that I would never have thought of before I started, and no two language projects, let alone days, are the same. The variety is amazing – I find myself dealing with everything from translations of a couple of lines in length, to interpretation at technical events with thousands of people and numerous language combinations. I also never truly realised the extent to which translation work is required for business around the world – companies large and small will spend thousands of pounds a year out of necessity getting translation work done and companies in almost every discipline – from law to life science – have at the very least some kind of requirement.

What has struck me most, however, is the difference we can actually make to the world through translation work. When I went for my interview at the company, I asked my interviewer what the most satisfying part of his job was. He told me that whilst it was a great feeling helping the clients themselves, it’s about more than just the person you talk to about their requirements – you could be helping to translate something that could save thousands of lives through medical work, or could be stopping an innocent person from going to prison. This really stayed with me as it’s very easy to forget that when you get caught up trying to get the job.

If you are considering going down a translation career path, or want to learn more about the world of translation, the University does a fantastic Translation Studies post-graduate programme and I believe French at Stirling sometimes runs taster sessions for 4^th year students who may be considering it as a future option (Cristina will confirm I’m sure!). It’s something I’d highly recommend. Of course, if you’re already confident about wanting to do translation or work in that sector then I would, of course, say that Global Voices is a fantastic place to gain experience and always looking for talented linguists and graduates. If you would like to consider this, speak to Cristina who can put you in touch with me and I’ll be happy to help.’

Many, many thanks to Alex for the great post and we’re delighted to hear that life in the world of translation is going so well!