On a rainy afternoon, the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) quietly hums with the familiar activity of a thriving university building. Students pour out of classrooms and office doors stand welcomingly ajar. The newness of the building (construction only finished in 2015) and the bustling student body give no indication that the UK is in the midst of a modern languages crisis.
The UK is the worst country in Europe for learning foreign languages. When speaking to language students at the University of Edinburgh, many felt this was due to the perception that learning a foreign language simply isn’t necessary due to the prevalence of English. However, as LLC Widening Participation Officer Dr. Sergi Mainer observed, this ignores the 80 per cent of the world population who do not understand English. It further ignores the effect that this apathy towards languages has, with a 2014 study estimating that our lack of language skills costs up to 3.5 per cent of the UK’s GDP.
Despite the apparent costs, the situation is not improving. In 2004, Blair removed compulsory foreign language GCSEs in England and Wales, resulting in a dramatic decline in the number of students studying a language for GCSEs and A-Levels. Inevitably, this has had a knock-on effect for universities. In 2021, there were only 23,000 entrants to modern language degrees, down from 27,000 in 2019. This has led to language departments across the UK being shut down. The language department at the University of Aberdeen was only narrowly saved from significant cuts after strikes. Other universities, particularly those with lower entry requirements, remain at risk, the latest examples being the Universities of Kent and Lincoln.
Yet the University of Edinburgh’s language department is ostensibly a haven. Staff observe that numbers of entrants seem as consistent as ever and Dr. Emmanuelle Lacore-Martin, Deputy Head of the Department of European Languages and Cultures (DELC), described the addition or expansion of languages in recent years such as Basque, Catalan, Dutch and Korean. Most language students remarked that they believe Edinburgh is a great place to study a language, reflecting its prestigious ranking.
Nevertheless, the University is not entirely immune. Dr. Guy Puzey, Head of DELC,
described staff concern over closures: “We are part of an ecosystem, and one department closing will negatively affect us all.” This is not just in terms of research, but for prospective undergraduate students, who will now be in even greater competition for a degree which many students already see as inaccessible. Dr. Puzey pointed out that these existing obstacles have been exacerbated by Brexit, which has made travelling harder, the year abroad more challenging, and prospects of working abroad after graduation more difficult than before.
While Dr. Lacore-Martin commended the university for stepping in to support funding for the compulsory year abroad in lieu of Erasmus, Dr. Mainer acknowledged that several students have still struggled with receiving their money too late or with a lack of contacts to help establish themselves in a foreign country, a resource many of their more affluent peers have readily available. The Undergraduate Representative for Japanese Studies confirmed the difficulty of organising a year abroad, particularly the fact that the University states it is not
allowed to help students with visa applications. Additionally, she criticised the University for its response during covid, with language students being some of the last to return to in-person classes.
To address the question of accessibility, Dr. Mainer described how the University is working with the Edinburgh City Council by providing teaching sessions, taster classes and summer schools for secondary students. However, as Dr. Puzey explained, the large-scale revival of languages is ultimately the responsibility of the government. He suggested that the University could facilitate an increase in language study by reintroducing the former requirement of studying a language at GCSE level for any humanities subject, or even as a general admissions requirement. Yet, he emphasised that this would have to be done in collaboration with the government to ensure it did not come at the expense of widening participation or
students with possible exemptions. Many students believed that making a language
compulsory to study at school would significantly increase interest in studying modern languages.
While the University of Edinburgh’s language department is not perfect, it is certainly not threatened by closure. This does not mean it is untouched by the modern language crisis. Instead, if there is not a government-level change, spaces are likely to become even more competitive and modern languages will become even more inaccessible, adding to the discrepancies which already exist within the subject. Comprehensive institutional change must be made to ensure that modern languages do not become a thing of the past for thousands of young people across the UK.
Image via Rayna Carruthers.