North East

Having celebrated its initial launch in 2007, Routes into Languages North East will celebrate the second phase of the programme set to continue until the summer of 2016 in this flagship event at Newcastle University on Thursday 12th June.

‘Routes into the Future: The Next Three Years’ will bring together the full Routes into Languages North East consortium team, senior representatives of the partner universities, teachers, school pupils and the many and varied individuals across the region who have supported their work in recent years. Speaking at the event will be Baroness Joyce Quin, herself a former languages student with firm roots in the North East, whilst guests will also hear directly from those at the very heart of the programme – the inspirational team of Student Language Ambassadors!

To find out more about the event please email Project Manager Sophie Stewart. Read on for more details about the work of the Routes into Languages North East consortium below.

The consortium, whilst based at Newcastle University, also brings together Durham University, Northumbria University, the University of Sunderland and Teesside University. It forms part of the nationwide Routes into Languages initiative funded by HEFCE to tackle the current language-learning crisis in England and Wales. In all, nine regional consortia are currently working with young people to increase uptake of language study at GCSE level and beyond. Led by Dr Elizabeth Andersen, the North East consortium has established firm ties with key organisations regionally and nationally, including the British Council, Europe Direct and Théâtre Sans Frontières, as well as with local European consuls.

The work of the consortium stretches far and wide, from schools in Berwick upon Tweed through to Yarm. Regular activities include Roadshows, Masterclasses and Film Days, whilst exciting online resources for young language learners are also offered in the form of Linguacast and Universed. Regional contests such as the Foreign Language Spelling Bee are proving increasingly popular whilst pupils come together in their hundreds at the annual Beat the Rat Race and Festival of International Culture events. All activities are supported by a team of Student Language Ambassadors from across the partner universities who serve as genuine role models for pupils while themselves developing new skills to enhance their employability as graduates.

The 'teachers as co-creators' workshop will take place on Tuesday 24th June 16:30-18:30 at Newcastle University and is a great opportunity to explore new teaching methods and enhance your professional development - for free!

The European Digital Kitchen (EDK) is a project based in Newcastle University which involves the creation and use of multilingual task-based Language learning materials for learners to cook dishes linked to 7 European cultures and countries: Catalan, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian and Spanish. The materials lead learners step by step through the cooking of dishes using an intelligent prompting system based on wireless digital sensors.

At this workshop participants will get ‘hands-on’ experience in designing and creating materials for the Digital Kitchen relevant to their own teaching and research contexts. The workshop will include fun activities to help participants ‘think like a computer’, as well as how to write recipes for the Digital Kitchen and use the Digital Kitchen’s very accessible authoring tool.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to make their own materials for the Digital Kitchen in a language of their choice. To do this, participants will be able to take away their own copy of the authoring tool (please bring a USB drive with at least 4GB storage space) and a host of other documentation to guide them through the process.

No in-depth technical experience or knowledge is required to participate in the activities!

Should you have any queries about the workshop, please email Sophie Stewart at sophie.stewart2@ncl.ac.uk.

In the meantime you can find out more about the project on Facebook and Twitter by clicking here and here!

As part of its contribution to the 2014 Laureate Education project "Mother Tongue, Other Tongue," Routes into Languages North East is offering a series of workshops that support its regional Mother Tongue, Other Tongue competition (see: here)

Workshops can be arranged on a convenient day and time to take place either in your school or on campus at Newcastle University and will be led by our Student Ambassadors (with a background in Modern Languages or English/Creative Writing studies).

Mother Tongue, Other Tongue .

Led by the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Mother Tongue, Other Tongue is a multilingual poetry competition that celebrates cultural diversity and the many languages currently spoken in schools across the UK.

The Mother Tongue category of the projects focuses on a poem in the student’s first language (in any language other than English). This can be an original, creative piece, or a poem or song that is ‘remembered’ (i.e. something in your first language that you recall, or that has been told to you by a relative.) Students are invited to select a poem in their Mother Tongue and to submit it into the competition along with short explanation of the inspiration behind the piece, where it comes from, or why it is important to the person submitting it. (No more than half a page). This part must be written in English and is the part of the entry that the student will be judged upon.

The Other Tongue category of the project encourages students learning a second language to write an original poem in a language that is not the first language spoken by the person writing it and to enter it into the competition. The languages students write in should be studied in their school and can be any of the following: French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Italian.

Workshops are designed to help your students prepare entries for either the Mother Tongue or Other Tongue categories of the competition while also exploring other aspects of poetry, identity, multiculturalism, languages and creative expression. They can be held for any classes from Year 4 to Year 13 in schools within the North East region.

For more details about the national Mother Tongue, Other Tongue project click here.  For details of the Mother Tongue, Other Tongue North East regional competition (and to enter some of your pupils into the competition) please click here.

Running as part of the national competition led by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Routes into Languages North East are delighted to announce the return of the Mother Tongue Other Tongue poetry competition for 2014!

***DEADLINE NOW EXTENDED UNTIL MONDAY 9th JUNE for all paper and/or digital submissions***

Routes into Languages North East will be providing a range of free Mother Tongue, Other Tongue poetry workshops to local schools over the coming months while the regional competition is now open to all primary and secondary aged pupils in the North East of England who can enter as individuals or groups of any size. The competition comprises two distinct categories:

The Mother Tongue category of the competition consists of two parts, the first of which is the poem itself. This can be an original, creative piece, or a poem or song that is ‘remembered’ (i.e. something in your first language that you recall, or that has been told to you by a relative) and can be in any language other than English. The second part should be a short explanation (no more than half a page) of the inspiration behind the piece, where it comes from, or why it is important to the person submitting it. This part must be written in English and is the part your entry will be judged on.

The Other Tongue category requires entries to be an original poem written in a language that is not the first language spoken by the person writing it. The languages you create your poem in should be studied in your school and can be any of the following: French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, BSL and Italian. 

There’s an added twist this year, however: as part of an additional optional category, we would like your pupils to showcase their creations using digital media. Entrants for both categories are welcome to create a short video of their poem being read aloud accompanied by images, film or text on the screen to be housed online, so get your cameras at the ready! Good old paper only submissions are equally welcome, though, and will also be featured digitally via an online blog. The deadline for entering the competition is now MONDAY 9th JUNE 2014.
 

Please email all entries to sophie.stewart2@ncl.ac.uk or send via post to:
Routes into Languages North East
Room 6.3 Old Library Building
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU

Winners will be shortlisted by 12th June and will be invited to attend the National Celebration ceremony at Manchester Metropolitan University on Friday 27th June from 12.15-4.00pm. It will be a fun-packed day of cultural activities ranging from South Asian drummers to Arabic dance and, of course, a prize-giving ceremony including performances from winning pupils. Teachers: please do keep this date in your diary if your pupils are entering!

Please see the flyer provided below for full details of how to enter the competition. If you have any queries about the competiton please email Sophie Stewart at sophie.stewart2@ncl.ac.uk or Thomas Snell at thomas.snell@ncl.ac.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!

This one day event will introduce your students to the world of interpreting and possible careers as future interpreters. Students will take part in hands-on sessions with the chance to learn interpreting techniques and practice speaking in their target language.

They will also receive presentations from and have a chance to pose questions to:

Andrew Simpson (Simultaneous Interpreter at Newcastle United Football Club):
Life as a Professional Interpreter (in Digital Interpreting Suite 3.20)

Andrew Simpson is a locally based interpreter who currently provides French > English & English > French interpreting for NUFC (including appearances on BBC Match of the Day) following their influx of French players. Before leaving for the training ground for the Friday Press Conferences, he will talk about his experiences and the benefits of a career in interpreting and how your students may choose to develop their language studies in this area.

Noël Muylle (Honorary Director General of the European Commission):

The Importance of Conference Interpreting to Cross-cultural Communication & Diplomatic Relations (in Digital Interpreting Suite 3.20)

Noel Muylle is a former conference interpreter at the European Commission whose career includes interpreting English > French and French > English in private meetings between British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and French President Francois Mitterrand. He will welcome your students to the event and explain the importance of interpreting to international organisations in the modern world, drawing on experiences from his long and successful career as a top class interpreter at the forefront of diplomatic relations.

Prof. Claudia Angelelli: The importance of Community Interpreting & Public Service Interpreting (in Digital Interpreting Suite 3.20)

Professor Angelelli is one of the world’s leading translators/interpreters. Her areas of expertise are: legal (civil, commercial, criminal, insurance and labor law), scientific (medical and biochemical) and technical (telecommunications, computers, software, engineering) interpreting. She has over twenty-five years of experience providing translation/interpreting to businesses that have included Motorola, IBM, Castrol, and Hewlett-Packard.

Our fantastic Festival of International Culture returns to Newcastle once more!

The Festival will comprise of all sorts of different activities to raise awareness of the need for language learning in the UK. We will focus on the fun, active and practical side to learning new languages and cultures.

The event will last for the full school day and take place between 9:30 and 15:00. It will be split between language taster sessions and practical introductions to new cultures and practices such as dance, art and music.

The purpose of the day is:

1) To introduce the idea of learning a new language to school pupils.

2) To show the students the benefits and opportunities that language learning can offer.

3) To give them an idea of what life in higher education is like

The Festival this year is open only to groups of Year 8 or 9 pupils who will NOT have taken their GCSE options before 4th April. The number of students per group is limited to 15. Priority will be given to those schools who have not previously engaged with Routes into Languages events.

Each school group will have the opportunity to explore two completely new languages and take part in exciting cultural activities such as world music, dance and calligraphy with workshops provided by GemArts. They will have the chance to meet new people and discover the importance and joy of language learning in a university setting.

Please direct any queries to Project Manager Sophie Stewart at sophie.stewart2@ncl.ac.uk.

*Space for one more school due to a cancellation!*

Our fantastic Festival of International Culture returns to Durham once more!

The Festival will comprise of all sorts of different activities to raise awareness of the need for language learning in the UK. We will focus on the fun, active and practical side to learning new languages and cultures.

The event will last for the full school day and take place between 9:30 and 15:00. It will be split between language taster sessions and practical introductions to new cultures and practices such as dance, art and music.

The purpose of the day is:

1) To introduce the idea of learning a new language to school pupils.

2) To show the students the benefits and opportunities that language learning can offer.

3) To give them an idea of what life in higher education is like

The Festival this year is open only to groups of Year 8 or 9 pupils who will NOT have taken their GCSE options before 2nd April. The number of students per group is limited to 15. Priority will be given to those schools who have not previously engaged with Routes into Languages events.

Each school group will have the opportunity to explore two completely new languages and take part in exciting cultural activities such as world music, dance and calligraphy with workshops provided by GemArts. They will have the chance to meet new people and discover the importance and joy of language learning in a university setting.

Please direct any queries to Project Manager Sophie Stewart at sophie.stewart2@ncl.ac.uk.

Our fantastic Festival of International Culture returns to Teesside once more!

The Festival will comprise all sorts of different activities to raise awareness of the importance of language learning in the UK. We will focus on the fun, active and practical side to learning new languages and cultures.

The event will last for the full school day and take place between 9:30 and 15:00. It will be split between language taster sessions and practical introductions to new cultures and practices such as dance, art and music.

The purpose of the day is:

1) To introduce the idea of learning a new language to school pupils.

2) To show the students the benefits and opportunities that language learning can offer.

3) To give them an idea of what life in higher education is like

The Festival this year is open only to groups of Year 8 or 9 pupils who will NOT have taken their GCSE options before 31st March. The number of students per group is limited to 15. Priority will be given to those schools who have not previously engaged with Routes into Languages events.

Each school group will have the opportunity to explore two completely new languages and take part in exciting cultural activities such as world music, dance and calligraphy with workshops provided by GemArts. They will have the chance to meet new people and discover the importance and joy of language learning in a university setting.

Please direct any queries to Project Manager Sophie Stewart at sophie.stewart2@ncl.ac.uk.

Sunderland University will be hosting a Spanish Film Day for AS & A Level students from 10:00-13:00 on Wednesday 4th June*. This will include a Spanish- speaking film followed by an interactive session to encourage pupils to develop their Spanish language skills and learn a little about the Spanish speaking world. For further details please email jenny.hayes@sunderland.ac.uk.

*Please note that this is a revised date - it was previously scheduled for May 28th.

Sunderland University will be hosting a Chinese Film Day for Key Stage 3 pupils from 13:00-16:00 on Wednesday 5th February. This will include a Chinese film with sub titles followed by a fun and interactive session to encourage pupils to develop their Chinese language skills and learn a little about Chinese culture. For further details please email jenny.hayes@sunderland.ac.uk.