My Life in Languages
By Mike Windsor, Head of the Abingdon Foundation
Languages have always played a big part in my life. Both my parents were linguists, so every summer holiday we would hitch our caravan to the family car and head off to France or Germany, where my parents would encourage my sister and me to try out our school-learnt languages. We generally refused, mortified by the risk of looking foolish in front of one another or our parents.
But when I got the chance to do exchange visits to France and then Germany, something clicked. An introduction to skiing in the Pyrenees, summer evenings by the Rhine, the taste of croissants and pretzels; these all drew me towards the joys of learning languages. I also found myself embracing the intellectual challenges of learning tenses and building vocabulary; the feeling of satisfaction when particular words stuck or when I managed to navigate the tight corners of the subjunctive or relative pronouns.
After studying German and French at university, I went on to live in Italy and loved the chance to immerse myself in a new country and learn a new language (and – oh joy – sample the food).
As my command of these languages grew, I was able to dig deeper into the culture of different countries, whether that was through films, art, history or literature, a passion which continues to sustain and nourish me as I discover new writers and artists.
Key to my love of languages is the sense of connection that speaking another language allows you to develop; the direct line to someone from a different culture and background. Many times, I’ve witnessed the joy (and, sadly, surprise) that someone from the UK is able and keen to communicate in a language other than English, and experienced the bridges that speaking a language can build with other people.
This is of course a particular exciting and fast-moving time for language-learning. On a recent trip to China, I used translation devices to make myself understood when I seemed to be confronting insuperable barriers in conversation. Apps like Duolingo are used by millions of people every day to help them learn languages and the internet has given access to the kind of materials in other languages that I could only dream of when I started to teach. I’ve seen an Abingdon pupil display a translation tool that he had built using AI that delivered translations of impressive accuracy and nuance. Technology is therefore enhancing our ability to communicate ever more rapidly.
So, why bother learning a language at all? For me, it starts with that precious spark of connection that you get when you can communicate with someone in their own tongue. This can be achieved rapidly and without the need for a hugely sophisticated grasp of another language.
Then there’s the intellectual rigour and discipline of getting under the bonnet of another language and understanding how linguistic structures might shape a way of thinking. This can build empathy and flexibility in thinking so it’s no surprise that linguists are so sought after by employers.
It seems to me therefore that it doesn’t particularly matter which language you learn, not least as learning one language helps you learn others later on. During my career, I’ve seen Spanish ascend in popularity while Chinese is now firmly established on the curriculum at Abingdon. We’ve also seen society recognise the value of preserving languages as living representatives of a culture and the growth of Welsh sets an example as to how we might look after potentially endangered languages.
The experiences I’ve enjoyed thanks to languages have undoubtedly shaped the person I am today and I continue to relish the opportunities to learn more. Everyone has it in them to learn another language and the piece of advice I would share is to try and shake off the fear of making mistakes, especially when speaking. I know from my personal experiences learning languages as an adolescent that this is easier said than done, but you will learn and enjoy your languages so much more if you can throw yourself into situations and simply have a go. The consequences can never be that bad, after all, and the results are ultimately life-affirming.
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