Learning a language is now as easy as listening to the radio, thanks to an initiative between UQ’s Institute of Modern Languages (IML), the School of Languages and Comparative Cultural Studies (LCCS), Modern Language Teachers Association (MLTAQ), and 612 ABC Brisbane.
The idea originated in LCCS, where staff have been working on a range of ways to restore the position of language study in Australia.
Professor Roly Sussex, UQ's Professor of Applied Language Studies, suggested the idea to 612 ABC Brisbane, with the lead role in realising the idea taken by the IML’s Director, Georgiana Poulter.
In what is believed to be the first collaboration of its kind in Australia, the IML, LCCS and MLTAQ have joined forces with 612 ABC Brisbane to offer a language each month for the next 10 months.
For half-an-hour each Monday at 10.30am, on Madonna King’s radio show, IML teachers discuss common phrases and nuances of languages, beginning with Spanish in February 2007 followed by Indonesian in March.
The project has been dubbed Language of the Month or LotMo and will involve around 25 IML and LCCS staff throughout the year.
“Throughout the month, there will also be 30 ‘drops’ – 90-second sessions refreshing listeners on aspects of the spotlighted language,” Ms Poulter said.
IML is Australia’s biggest University-based language training organisation, offering courses to the general public in more than 30 languages, and is one of the country’s most comprehensive translation and interpreting services.
Professor Sussex said the collaboration was the first step in raising the profile of languages in the community.
“We’re living in a mono-lingual cocoon in Australia, which doesn’t augur well for our future business and cultural interactions with other countries,” said Professor Sussex, co-host of ABC Radio’s ever-popular Language Talkback program for the past 10 years.
“Latest figures show that compared with other states, Queensland is bottom for numbers of secondary students learning a second language in Year 12. For example, more than 20 percent of Victorian Year 12s are learning a second language, compared with just 5.8 percent of their Queensland counterparts.
“In some European countries, school students learn up to four additional languages.” And such students, in countries such as Finland, rank very strongly in international assessments of student competence, Professor Sussex says.
Ms Poulter, herself a learner of six languages other than English, said learning a second language greatly increased cultural awareness and LotMo was a way of “reaching out” to the community.
“Even the different ways people greet each other offers an insight into what is important in that particular society,” she said.
“For example, in Chinese and Vietnamese, a common greeting translates into ‘have you eaten yet?’ reflecting the value of food and hospitality. Touching somebody when first meeting them is a real no-no in Sweden, whereas for Spanish speakers, greetings commonly involve a kiss and a hug.
“If you are buying something from a business in Germany, it is perfectly acceptable to conduct the transaction in English, however if you wish to sell something, German is increasingly the language of choice.”
Going on current trade trends, Australians should start learning Chinese urgently. After all, there are 300 million Chinese who are learning English, according to Professor Sussex.
Media inquiries: Professor Sussex (3365 6896), Ms Poulter (3365 6487), or Shirley Glaister at UQ Communications (3365 1931).
