Careers using Languages conference YSJU July 2013
‘You work for an export company and a lorry driver turns up who speaks no English – what are you going to do?’ Sally Fagan from Business Language Champions, an East Midlands-based company which promotes the importance to schools and businesses of having language skills, brilliantly encapsulated in her keynote address the main theme of our Careers using Languages conference. We want to convince school students of the importance of keeping up their language skills whatever their future career might be.
The local schools who arrived on foot (Joseph Rowntree School, Millthorpe School and All Saints’ School) could not have been blessed with more perfect weather on the day of the conference. Other groups came from further afield: Morley Academy in Leeds, Wilberforce Sixth Form College, Hull, Fir Vale School, Sheffield, Lady Lumley’s School, Pickering.
The conference opened with a brief welcome from Mairead Kelly, Head of International Operations, YorkSJ International, who spoke enthusiastically about the benefit to them of studying abroad even before they consider their career.
Then came Sally Fagan’s inspiring keynote address, Exploiting the Difference you Offer, in which she spoke of how she had used her language skills while working for a manufacturing company, having convinced them it was easier to train her in engineering than to train an engineer in languages. She also played a clip of herself speaking live on TV in Tahiti with no more than A level French.
Students then dispersed to the six different parallel sessions, of which they experienced three. Sally Fagan ran a Languages and Selling session in which students were encouraged to think about how you would market a product you wanted a large international supermarket to stock – an electric toothbrush or a toilet brush! – and to match, in French, Spanish or German, the various qualities of the product to statements explaining how those USPs made it indispensable to the buyer. They then created and acted out a rôle-play as if they were at their stand at an international trade-fair. Sally was hugely impressed by the quality of the students’ language ability.
Another session involved a presentation by Gillian Cruddas, MBE, Chief Executive of Visit York, on the range and diversity of tourists who visit York each year and how important they are to the local economy. She then conducted a quiz to see how much the students had remembered with York sweatshirts as the prize.
Dawn Leggott from Leeds Metropolitan University’s session ‘Why do employers like language students?’ reiterated the idea that having a language gives potential employees the edge over their monolingual rivals – linguists can demonstrate that they are confident, adaptable, good at going beyond their comfort zone.
Jenny Zobel and Maria Muñoz del Valle from the Centre for Global Education here at YSJU, ran a session entitled ‘Engaging with the Wider World’ in which participants threw inhibitions to the wind and learnt songs in French and Spanish to experience cultures from more exotic parts of the world.
Dr Svetlana Carsten and Nathaniel Elcock from the National Network of Interpreters ran an informative and interactive session in which they explained the difference between translating and interpreting and invited discussion about the skills needed to be an interpreter. Several students were then chosen as guinea pigs to try out an interpreting exercise, and some even had the courage to perform it in a foreign language.
Julie Harrington from International Service, a York-based charity which coordinates volunteers in South America, Palestine, Ghana and elsewhere, introduced students to the many exciting opportunities open to them and emphasised how her languages enabled her to build relationships with local people.
Mizumi Nango, Visiting Lecturer from YSJ, introduced participants to Japanese language and culture. They learnt about Japanese traditions and festivals, basic greetings and how to write their name in Japanese characters.
The feedback from staff and students alike was very positive: “Fantastic event! Definitely want to return next year,” said one member of staff, “Really good day. Perfectly targeted and would alter attitudes,” said another. Selected comments from the students include: “It was really good, made me realise that I would like to take languages for A level.” “I really enjoyed the experience that I was given. It has given me opportunities to find out what jobs use languages. It has motivated me to carry on learning languages.” “This event has cleared up any of my questions that I’ve had about taking languages. I’m definitely going to take as many languages as I can.” “I think the event has been very inspirational, and has definitely made me put more importance on learning more languages and pursuing a career linked with languages.” “No amount of timetabled lessons at school can inspire and imbue students with the enthusiasm afforded by real-world multi-linguals.”
There is clearly enthusiasm for an event like this and we look forward to organising next year’s Careers using Languages conference.
