Earlier in October, Mrs Norman, from the Languages Department took 3 Year 11s, Akhina, Mirren and James to a Modern Languages enrichment day at Girton College, one of the colleges at the University of Cambridge. We were very fortunate to get places as it was very limited. Students looked at translation, foreign cinema and how to apply to Oxbridge.
Akhina tells us about the trip:
What did you get up to in Cambridge?
First, we had a lecture on language degrees and what it’s like to have a year abroad while doing a language course. Right afterwards we had a translation workshop where we attempted to translate “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll while keeping the rhyme scheme and exact meaning. We resumed after a short break where we were all split up into groups based on different language workshops we were assigned to. We had French as our 2 workshops. In the 1st workshop we watched clips of ‘divine’ and discussed how France is made to be viewed by the world vs the harsh realities. In between the chosen workshops we had an amazing lunch by Girton and got to explore the campus a bit. And this is where we figured out they have a whole museum and an actual mummy called Hermoine!! It was so cool. In the 2nd workshop we studied French painting based on their types, colour schemes used and les point focals (the focus points). We concluded our day with a further insight on the admission and application process and a Q&A with Girton students.
What did you learn?
We were able to gain a huge amount of knowledge on what university is like. It allowed us to realise that college and university life doesn’t have to be scary and how many endless possibilities are out there for us! We also now have a deeper understanding of how even the slightest detail in a movie or painting can have a big meaning behind it.
What did you enjoy the most about the day?
I definitely enjoyed the 1st languages workshop the most because the lecturer was so nice and I felt like her words carried a lot of power and meaning. It also allowed me to get a wider knowledge of how easy it is to believe everything that is portrayed in the media, even when it’s far from reality. The view was also another highlight. It was so calming and just beautiful everywhere you turn your head to.
Has it sparked your love of languages?
Definitely. I’ve realised that I am able to understand lots of unfamiliar sentences in French by knowing a few words and connecting the rest. I have learned so much about not just French but also Anglo-Saxon history and how it has shaped the English language we all use on a daily basis today.
Thank you to Mrs Norman for organising this trip.
