Why should we value languages and culture?

By Dora Krkos and Monika Marc 12B

On Thursday, 8 January, both Year 12 Spanish and French classes were given the privilege of listening to a talk on studying languages at university, by Dr Charlotte Faucher, a Senior Lecturer in Modern French History at the University of Bristol.

The overarching theme was “Why should we value languages and cultures in a global world?” The talk sought to explore how in a time where our native tongue English dominates on the cultural scene, it can be easy to lose sight of why learning languages is still such an important part of society. Sadly, Britain is one of the European countries where not enough of the population can speak a foreign language. One statistic used by Dr Faucher was how, according to a British Council study, 75% of the UK’s population cannot hold a conversation in a language held as important to the British economy. This compared to many European nations is astoundingly low, and was shocking to all of the students listening.

However, for many of us studying A-level modern foreign languages, learning languages is a personal topic and has been a key part of our lives even before sixth form. Many of us are bilingual, and grew up learning two languages in parallel, for example Polish, Hungarian or Malayalam, as well as English. And in the 21st century, the number of bilingual and potentially trilingual children grows, all of whom identify with multiple cultures at once. Through Dr Faucher’s talk, we could realise that knowing multiple languages could help us appreciate other cultures in a more accepting light, and furthermore, it is considerably rare to be multilingual in the UK, making it a useful skill.

As well as these points, Dr Faucher explored the range of ways that it is possible to study languages at university. Firstly, a language degree usually consists of the core studies of grammar, reading, writing, speaking, and listening, but there are also complementary modules in a range of interesting subjects: literature, film, politics, philosophy or even linguistics. Another intriguing way that it is possible to study languages at university, which sparked many of our curiosities, was the joint honours degree that included a language. This could mean studying a language with a subject such as history, law or business management, making the degree more transferrable and enticing on the job market.

If this does not advocate languages enough, there is also the option to do a year abroad with a language degree. There are multiple options of what one can do this year. Many students prefer to teach: this means helping out in schools, teaching English or another foreign language. Another option is to study language courses or at a university in that country. Lastly, Dr Faucher explained that it is possible to work as well during this time.

This talk was truly informative and gave an insight into why languages and culture are significant in today’s society, and we were very lucky to get an inside view from a university lecturer, Dr Charlotte Faucher, whom we thank for this opportunity.