How languages changed my life:
I often think that my language learning journey is quite conventional. I grew up in Newcastle and started learning languages at school, taking A Levels in French and German before studying both languages at university in London.
Studying languages at school and university played an important role in developing my abilities in French and German. Learning grammar, conjugating verbs and memorising vocabulary did help me improve. However, when I think about where my interest in languages really comes from, I always think of a world beyond the textbooks and oral exams.
Growing up, my family would go on summer holidays camping around Europe. We would drive from Newcastle down to the south coast and get the ferry to France or Spain. My dad speaks Spanish and I found it fascinating that he could communicate with people using words I couldn’t understand!
My parents would always encourage my sister and I to order in the local language if we went to a bakery or to ask for the bill in a restaurant. On the campsites there was often a football pitch where young people from across Europe would congregate, speaking different languages but playing the same game. It was a great place to make new friends from different places, as well as learn some words in different languages. I think this is where my interest in languages really began.
Through learning languages at school and university, I had the opportunity to spend time abroad. One experience in particular was pivotal in cementing my love of languages.
When I was 15, I took part in a school exchange to Germany and stayed with a family just outside Hamburg in Northern Germany. I spent 10 days speaking German, learning more about life in Germany and experiencing the hospitality of my host family.
My level of German significantly improved in those 10 days but the experience opened me up to a much wider world of language learning than what I had been taught in school. I learned German slang words, discovered German music and gained an insight into German culture. It showed me how languages can be the key to the door of discovery about people, places and cultures. I am still in touch with my German host family even now over 15 years later.
Studying languages at university gave me the opportunity to spend a year abroad, studying at universities in France and Germany, where I was able to immerse myself further into the local cultures.
Languages have also played a role in shaping my career. In my first few years after university, I worked as a translator. Although I no longer use languages in my working life, I try to keep in touch with them through activities such as listening to music, watching films and reading books. These are interests I developed as a result of being able to spend time developing my languages in the world outside the classroom.
I am passionate in my belief that everyone can (and should!) learn a language. I am also a big believer that language learning is not just for the classroom. Knowing only a few words of another language can be the beginning of a life changing connection. Learning languages has given me amazing experiences, lifelong friends and an endless curiosity about the world. From those first camping holidays asking for a “pain au chocolat” and on to school and university, I can truly say that languages have changed my life.
Guy Cowen-Hutton
Skills Project Manager, North East Combined Authority
