Concerns expressed about lack of experience on ML and Linguistics REF panel

The lack of previous experience among members of two subpanels in the forthcoming research excellence framework could undermine researchers' "grudging acceptance" of the exercise, an academic has warned.

The membership of the 36 subpanels was announced last month by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The law subpanel contains just one person who has experience of working on the research assessment exercise, which preceded the REF. None of the Hispanists on the modern languages and linguistics subpanel has prior experience.

Times Higher Education

Bilingualism impacts on colour perception

Learning a foreign language literally changes the way we see the world, according to new research. Panos Athanasopoulos, of Newcastle University, has found that bilingual speakers think differently to those who only use one language.

Science Daily

UK Ambassador in Mexico to give careers talk in Southampton

“Careers in the Diplomatic Service”- by Judith Macgregor, British Ambassador in Mexico

Date: Monday 7 March / Time: 5:45-6:30 pm / Location: Lecture Theatre C (Avenue Campus), University of Southampton

Brussels seeks to woo monoglot Brits

Monoglot Britons may be allowed to take a special "English-only" entrance exam to work in Brussels, in an effort to boost the dwindling number of British officials at EU institutions.

Financial Times

Job anguish for immigrants as English language courses face cuts

Despite David Cameron's call for immigrants to learn English, public funding for language schools across the country is to be cut back

The Guardian

Stay-at-home UK students still the 'worst in Europe' for study abroad

Lack of language skills and worry about academic inflexibility deter venturers, writes Hannah Fearn

Efforts to encourage more UK students to study abroad appear to be failing, with the country retaining the worst outbound-inbound student ratio in Europe.

According to data from the Academic Cooperation Association, the UK still sends just one student abroad for every 20 who come to the UK to study for a degree.

Times Higher Education

Dumping languages stunts life chances, schools are told

State schools were accused of disqualifying their pupils from top jobs today after it emerged that little more than a third of them now teach the majority of their pupils a foreign language.

The Guardian