Good foreign language teachers do their best to keep their own language skills to a high standard and try to be aware of changes in language usage. An important part of that, when money allows, is visiting countries where the target language is spoken and being sure to gather information and useful materials while you are there!
Last December my husband and I visited Geneva to see the Christmas market and also to visit the well-known market at Martigny. It is many years since I lived briefly in Switzerland and I was very much looking forward to going back. Unbeknown to us, we had chosen to visit during the weekend festivities to mark “L’escalade”; the attempted invasion of Geneva in 1602 by Charles Emmanuel 1er, Duke of Savoie. The first inkling that something unusual was happening was the sight of people in 1602 style clothing. Then we were stopped by a young person in costume, keen to sell us a pin badge to mark the event. He and his accompanying adult very kindly explained about the event and pointed us in the right direction for a fantastic display of weaponry and weapons of torture. It wasn’t quite the language practice I had been expecting, but I found myself interpreting from Swiss French to English for the benefit of a couple of international tourists as a very knowledgeable man went into rather graphic detail about interrogation methods of the time! (See photo)
Luckily that wasn’t my only opportunity to brush up on my language skills during our trip. The vagaries of the Swiss Railways online booking system provided a chance for an in-depth discussion with a very helpful member of staff at the ticket office and the various seasonal market stalls gave us lots of practice with the transactional language of shopping. I took the chance to pick up lots of real-language teaching material including marketing information, tourist brochures and a couple of local newspapers.
During the rest of the year, as my teaching schedule doesn’t allow for regular trips away, I try to watch target language TV shows and read target language books. For more modern language usage I try to watch new YouTube videos, particularly on topics of interest to my students. Recent choices include news reports of the wildfires, batch cooking and ideas for saving water. I am looking for recommendations of good podcasts and will be asking my teenage and adult learners for their ideas. What do you do to keep your language skills relevant?
Thoughts like this can be what holds a student back from actually using the language that they have spent time and effort to learn. It is natural to be nervous, and yes, you might make mistakes, but if you never try to use the language then your trip may be more complicated than necessary!
As a school student you may have been used to regular vocabulary tests (which seem to be out of favour in some circles now) or to seeing your hard work given a low mark due to grammar and spelling mistakes. As an adult learner, it is important to remember that the key question is whether you are able to communicate your needs and to have them met. For example, if you have a food allergy are you able to make that clear and therefore be sure that the food on your plate is safe for you? If you need to find a public toilet, are you able to get your message across and find the facilities you need?
Naturally, grammar and tenses are a key component to successful use of a language, but sometimes you will get further by simplifying your message so that it can be clearly understood. For example: “Toilet – where?” or “Toilet where? Please” will almost certainly get you the directions you need in the moment.
The photo above is of an informational sign at the 2025 Christmas Market in Montreux, Switzerland. As you can see, it uses a mixture of simple images and single words to inform tourists of the important phone numbers they may need in an emergency. Single words so that you can translate them more easily with a dictionary or app, images to back up the translation.
If you are planning a holiday to a country where you are not confident in the language, maybe consider making some images or message cards of your own. A card with your name, important medical information and an emergency telephone number to keep in your wallet; a card for the children to give name, languages spoken and the parent’s telephone number; a small range of cards with messages about things you may need. Each of these may be useful to you and just need a little forward planning.
As the summer holiday season is upon us, I wish you all Happy Adventuring!
June has arrived and as the school exams come to an end, the time has come to think of other types of client. This month we will spend some time thinking about those who are relocating to another country and who may have an added language barrier to add to that experience!
Relocation is a time for new beginnings – but if that new start includes a new country, how do you make the most of that initial time after you arrive? Should you be planning in advance to deal with any language issues or leave it until you get there and see how it goes?
One of the first goals should be integration. It is really important to find out how to navigate around your new home and also to get to know your neighbours, local shopkeepers, schoolteachers and the others who will be able to help you settle in (or who may get upset if you make mistakes!). The following tips will give you a few things to think about:
1. Think about how well you can get along in the language of your new home. Even if your work colleagues will speak English, others may not. Can you introduce yourself and book a hotel/restaurant table? Can you explain about your dietary requirements?
2. Consider the bureaucracy you may need to deal with when you first arrive – some countries will require you to register where you are living as soon as you have accommodation. Can you get hold of a sample form to practise filling in, using the new language?
3. Do think of your family too. If you are relocating together then spend some time thinking about how your partner/children will settle in, as the success of a placement can be as much about family happiness as it is about the workplace.
a. While children are very adaptable, the first day at a new school will be easier if they can understand simple instructions, say their name and ask where the toilet is!
b. For the non-working partner, it can be very frustrating as it can be hard even to go shopping without a basic grasp of the local language. Look for local conversation groups and classes and consider whether the family should take some language classes before you leave.
4. Make time to find out about the customs in your new home. For example: did you know that in Switzerland you are not allowed to do noisy housework on a Sunday? So, no mowing the lawn, washing clothes or getting the vacuum cleaner out.
5. One really good way to make new friends is to join a club or society. You could choose a hobby you already like or pick something new. This is a great way to get out of the house, have something to look forward to as well as meet new people and practise your language skills.
Planning is key to making a success of your new home. Spending a little time on research and preparation should help you all to feel at ease more quickly and to really enjoy that time away. If you have recently arrived in the UK, or are considering relocation to another country then why not give us a call at Language Learners to see how we can help you and your family with your language requirements?
Translation from target language to English, and vice versa, is now a well-established part of the GCSE MFL syllabus. Interestingly this skill does not currently feature at IGCSE.
When revising, remember that the Reading Paper has the target-language translation into English, and the Writing Paper has the English to target-language translation.
Here are 5 tips to help you score well in these translation tasks:
· Read the WHOLE text before you start. Preferably twice. It is really common to rush straight in with the first sentence, but this can mean that you don’t have an understanding of the whole text, and this can lead you off onto a tangent, away from the real meaning.
· Annotate the text before you try to translate it. Highlight the tenses. There will be at least two, probably three different tenses. After you have finished check that you have used more than one tense (and that it is the right one in each case). If you have only one time frame, then you have missed something. Go back and check!
· Watch out for the little words that change the meaning. Things like “often”, “always”, “not”, “never”. Take particular care with words that are very similar but mean different things. One example which has tripped several students during practice this year is the German example “kein” vs “klein”. There is a big difference between “We have a small cinema” and “We have no cinema”.
· Take care over word order. Make sure that the word order you have in your final version is correct for the language you have translated into. For example, in French we would say “la table bleue” but we don’t say “the table blue” in English. In German, verbs often get sent to the end of the sentence, but this may not be the right way to do it in English.
· Proofread your work at the end. Check for any words which have crept in which are in the wrong language. Make sure your verb endings are correct. Have you translated each idea or concept, including the adjectives and adverbs?
I hope that these tips help with your translations. What advice would you give to another student?
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