Ellie Stocks
D
uring the February half term, I was offered
the chance to attend a conference at Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge University called 'Germany in 2015' with Sarah
Craddock and fellow German students, Lottie Jones
and Geri Blackburn. This predominantly consisted of
mini-talks given by undergraduates who study German
from around the UK and discussions between professors of esteemed universities, including Cambridge,
and the audience that mostly contained other undergraduates. The conference was filled with interesting
information, but I think the two main issues emphasised were the year abroad - or Erasmus, if you're not
studying a language - and the career prospects of studying languages.
The year abroad is widely known to be a unique and
highly useful part of a languages degree where you can
be immersed in the target language and improve your
language skills. However, it’s not only language students that can take a year abroad, thanks to the Erasmus programme. The speakers at this panel were final
year undergraduates who just returned from their year
abroad. They spoke eagerly and emphasised how important it was for speaking more proficiently. This interested me personally; however, the information and
advice would also be useful for people thinking of taking part in Erasmus.
The Cologne Cathedral in Germany
Additionally, there was a panel on the careers that
studying German had been used for, mainly in business
and journalism, and how it’s a tool becoming more
employable and versatile, especially since there is a
shortage of people that speak a second language. So
even if you are not interested in becoming a teacher or
interpreter, learning and studying languages will prove
to be much more useful that you realised!
This experience was particularly useful for me personally, as I was unsure whether I should carry on studying
German next year as a part of my chosen degree, however this has swayed me since I was shown what people have used their degree for and how important German and Germany is in the world of work.
Overall, though this day left me feeling slightly like a
fish out of water – since the conference was mainly
comprised of undergraduates and professors, I would
greatly recommend attending a day like this at a university, especially if you’re thinking of studying modern
languages. ■
Gonville and Caius college, where the conference was held
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