French presidents' intepreter on career at Hay festival

A British-born interpreter has been giving her insights into the occasional pitfalls of being chief translator to French presidents.

Linguist Amanda Galsworthy told the Hay Festival in Powys of her work with three French presidents over 26 years.

BBC news

High percentage of A* expected in some language A-levels

7% of all grades are expected to be an A* . In Japanese, Russian and modern Hebrew, because the majority of pupils taking these subjects were brought up speaking them. In Japanese, Russian and modern Hebrew, 45%, 41% and 33% are expected to obtain an A*.

The Guardian

Gaelic is spreading like wildfire, thanks to a popular lunchtime club

A teacher walks along the corridor. “Feasgar math,” says one pupil. “Ciamar a tha thu?” asks another. The knowledge of Gaelic is impressive, particularly as this is not a school in the Highlands, but Caledonia Primary in Glasgow.

Times Education Supplement

Review concludes need for New Zealand Studies Centre in London

There is demand and need for the Centre for New Zealand Studies in London, according to a review instigated after the decision to close it.

Times Higher Education

Fabio Capello will go to South Africa without his interpreter

Fabio Capello believes he no longer needs the daily help of an interpreter and the FA felt they couldn’t justify taking Danny Tartaglia to the tournament if he was rarely going to be required.


Daily Mail

Routes into Languages give mass language lessons in Newcastle City Centre

The North East Routes into Languages Consortium has been giving mass language lessons in Newcastle City Centre

"No texts please, we're British" Anthony Bushell on ML degrees

The decline of modern languages in the UK threatens our place in the European conversation, writes Anthony Bushell

Europe is disappearing fast from British universities. Many institutions are simply getting out of offering modern language degrees.

Times Higher Education

How English erased its roots to become the global tongue of the 21st century

'Throw away your dictionaries!' is the battle cry as a simplified global hybrid of English conquers cultures and continents. In this extract from his new book, Globish, Robert McCrum tells the story of a linguistic phenomenon – and its links to big money.

The Observer

AUSTRALIA: TV show teaches Aboriginal language

SYDNEY — An Australian TV channel is broadcasting the first lessons in an Aboriginal language aimed at young children, in a bid to stem an alarming decline that has wiped out hundreds of native dialects.

"Waabiny Time", for three to six-year-olds, teaches "yes", "no" and other basic terms in the Noongar language, which is spoken in the southwestern region around Perth.

Google news

Are you studying a language in adult education or as an extra option as part of a degree in another subject?

The UK Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies hosted by the University of Southampton is carrying out a survey of language learners at UK universities who are NOT studying for a degree in Modern Languages. If you are studying a language at an evening class, a lunchtime course or as an 'extra' option as part of a degree in another subject, we would like to hear about your experiences. To fill in the survey, please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QNQ6SXV

First non-latin web addresses go live

Arab nations are leading a "historic" charge to make the world wide web live up to its name.

Net regulator Icann has switched on a system that allows full web addresses that contain no Latin characters.

BBC website