On 18th November, we hosted a Language Q&A Day live on the TYA Answers site, as part of the British Academy-Guardian Language Festival.
We had some really interesting questions and thoughtful answers from students, institutions and organisations, covering everything from how to speak a foreign language with confidence to how to translate your CV.
Statistics:
• Users logged on from France, Spain, the USA, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Canada, Austria and Belgium, as well as from the UK (TYA Answers now has users from 93 countries around the world).
• 88 different institutions and organisations are now registered on TYA Answers.
• Together we helped over 600 young people to resolve their language dilemmas
Special thanks must go to:
• Jack Sellen from the Chartered Institute of Linguists
• Jack Porteous from UK Trade & Investment
• Eduardo Lees from the British Council
• Jan Krauss and Minna Jalili from the European Commission
• Philip Harding-Esch from Speak to the Future
• Alex Rawlings, Britain’s most multilingual student
• All the other anonymous experts and students who contributed fantastic responses throughout the day
Here is a taster of the questions and answers:
1. Which is the best UK university for French and German? – a question from a sixth-form student intending to study these subjects at university, with excellent advice from Jan Krauss and two anonymous experts.
2. Where are these graduate jobs for graduate linguists? – a very astute question tackling the assumption that language graduates are highly employable, with detailed responses from Jack Porteous, Jack Sellen and Eduardo Lees.
3. How do I translate my CV?- a question relating to the practicalities of attempting to translate your own CV to apply for jobs abroad, answered by Jack Sellen.
4. Are there many jobs in academia for linguists? – a question from a student interested in pursuing a career in academia, with practical advice from Jack Sellen.
5. If I want to work in the Foreign Office, is one language enough? – an interesting question about the requirements for a career in the Foreign Office, with useful responses from Jack Sellen and Jan Krauss.
6. How can I stop freezing whenever I speak French? – a question from a sixth form student suffering from severe nerves when speaking French, with answers and advice from Jan Krauss and students from the Universities of Exeter and Surrey.
7. How many languages is too many? – this question (from a student considering studying three languages at university) sparked a really interesting debate, with input from Jack Sellen, Philip Harding-Esch and Alex Rawlings (who, as a speaker of 14 languages, is well-qualified to advise on the subject).
A huge thank you to everyone who logged on to Discover, Ask and Answer, and we sincerely hope that the advice given on the day will be invaluable to present and future language students.
You can follow TYA Answers via the hashtag: #TYAanwers
Guardian Language Festival
The British Academy has partnered with the Guardian to raise the profile of language learning in the UK and celebrate the many benefits of foreign language skills for individuals and society. The second national Language Festival was launched on 17 October and will run until 28 November.
You can find out more about the 2014 Language Festival on the Guardian website, including how to join in existing events and host your own, and by following the #languagesdebate on Twitter.
