Why learning languages (MFL) is still relevant and rewarding in the 21^st Century

(Talk presented to Worthing High School)

I studied English, French and German at A’  Level. Why? Well, mainly because I found languages easy for some reason, so in a way it was the lazy option. Some people can draw and others can’t; some can do maths, but I could ‘do’ languages. I loved languages and literature, and I was fascinated by different cultures I encountered on school trips and holidays to France and Germany.

I went on to study French, German and linguistics at university. I had an inspirational tutor called David Crystal who is now a world-famous linguist. As part of my degree, I spent a memorable year as a teaching assistant in Avignon, in Provence, France.

After university, I took a one-month TEFL course in London, then I went to Singapore where I taught in a language school. I stayed for three years and I got to travel a lot in South East Asia and beyond: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Australia. I almost went to live and work in Australia.

Much as I loved teaching, I realised that my main interest was in materials development. I loved writing and designing my own materials  –  and that was before we had computers, so involved endless cutting out, gluing, tippexing and photocopying!

Back in the UK, I got my first job in book publishing and was trained as an editor. I couldn’t believe the variety and creativity this job entailed – from liaising with authors, editing their texts, meeting with designers to choose illustrators and design book covers. After a few years, my job also involved research trips, which had me travelling to Mexico and Spain to visit schools and talk to teachers about their needs, then commissioning books to suit them.

I spent several years working as an in-house editor before leaving to go freelance. As a freelancer I gradually found myself writing more than editing and so began my writing career. Writing EFL books involves a lot of methodical grammar and exercises, but there’s also considerable creative leeway with stories and songs, video and audio scripts.

I’ve been a writer for many years now and have spent a lot of time WFH with my dog under my desk, but I’ve also had numerous of opportunities to travel, whether for research or on author tours to promote my books. These have taken me on unforgettable trips back to Mexico and Spain, and also to Egypt, Argentina, Morocco, China and Japan. I never tire of re-telling anecdotes about these trips, whether it’s the man with pet lions, the train that broke down in the night, the meal in the Bedouin tent, or the rat I met in the loo just seconds before giving a talk!

The job of an ELT writer is always changing as trends in education change, and with Ed tech now we’re writing a lot of online materials. I’ve recently worked on a collaboration between Pearson and Disney on a language course that uses Disney artwork and videos to teach English. Sometimes it’s hard to convince my family that I’m working when they come into my office and see me watching Finding Nemo, but am, honestly!

So, I’ve had a great career that began with language study, but that’s not the only advantage of studying languages. Learning a language opens doors to other countries and cultures and helps you understand your own. People who understand other languages tend to be more open-minded and accepting of other cultures and people’s differences, which is an important life skill in itself. If I had my time again, I’d go for languages every time. No doubt about it!