How languages changed my life:
I first started learning French when we had our two taster classes in year 5. I was hooked. I loved learning how to communicate with other people and was devastated that I had to wait until year 7 for our regular language classes to begin.
I went to school at Haydon Bridge High School in Northumberland. Back then, the second language they offered was Russian. In year 9, having already studied 2 years of French and shown a certain level of aptitude, I was given the opportunity to study both French and Russian.
Language learning gets easier the more you do
The more I studied one language and its grammar, the more I understood the mechanics of language and it made it easier to quickly learn new concepts. (This now means I can quite easily pick up the basics of most European languages and have dabbled in Spanish, Swedish and currently Germany, when needed for various travel opportunities.)
Through the rest of my schooling, I continued to study both French and Russian, before deciding to study it at University in Edinburgh.
Life is enriched through culture, travel, new friendships and perspectives
During my university courses, we studied lots of literature, films and culture from throughout time. This insight into a language’s culture gave me a greater understanding and context of how to communicate with different people in different ways by using their cultural reference points.
One of the best experiences I had by choosing to study languages at University was spending a year abroad. I spent a semester studying in Geneva, Switzerland and a semester in Moscow, Russia. I met other students from across the world who were also on exchange and some of them became some of my best friends, even now.
I cannot express how brilliant it is to have friends spread across the planet, knowing that you have people to give you travel tips, stay with for a cheap holiday, go on new adventures with or help you out if you have a problem. It also helps you to gain a greater understanding of the world and current affairs.
A career in television and broadcast journalism
When I finished University, I began working in the TV production industry. I am now a TV producer and broadcast journalist and while I haven’t used my languages in every project I’ve worked on, they have been immensely useful in my career.
I have worked on A Place In The Sun for Channel 4 to set up the filming of their episodes in France, I edited interviews with a iconic French singer for Apple Music, I interviewed ex-KGB agents and the former head of France’s equivalent of MI5 for series for the History Channel and for ITV and I set up shoots in France for Channel 5’s World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys.
Most recently, I have worked as a Producer and Broadcast Journalist for Europe’s largest news organisation, Euronews. While speaking French wasn’t a specification for the job, it has helped me to progress rapidly at the company as our headquarters are based in France and Belgium.
One of the most incredible experiences I have had at Euronews was down to my ability to speak French. I travelled to the Sahara desert in Algeria to make a report about a new desert marathon holiday offering for our Travel section.
All of the organisers of the event were French and almost all of the participants were French-speaking, with many of them speaking little-to-no English. I spent a week exploring incredible scenery and meeting extraordinary people, and if I didn’t speak French it could have been quite a lonely experience.
Hannah Brown, TV Producer and Broadcast Journalist
