Linguamania

May 29 2020 8 ep. 17 mins 1.2k

Linguamania Podcast artwork

Welcome to the LinguaMania podcast. Produced by researchers from Oxford University-led Creative Multilingualism, the series explores some fascinating perspectives on languages and language learning, asking: Do we really need human translators? Why do we use metaphors and what do they teach us about other languages and cultures? How much of an unfamiliar language can we understand? Would creative language teaching make the subject more popular? Can languages help protect the natural environment? And so much more… So stop what you’re doing and start exploring the wonderful world of multilingualism!

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Diversity in the arts: why languages need to be part of the conversation

May 29 2020 26 mins

Many languages and dialects spoken in British homes rarely make it onto the stage. In this episode of LinguaMania, we explore why linguistic diversity in the arts matters. We speak to Professor Philip Bullock about multilingualism in different music genres and playwright and producer Mojisola Adebayo about the representation of different black voices in British theatre. We also hea

The Multilingual Performance Project: celebrating languages through drama

May 15 2020 16 mins

The Multilingual Performance Project (MPP) showcases and celebrates the multilingual nature of schools and demonstrates how multilingualism can interact creatively with teaching in the classroom, promoting both taught languages and community languages. In this episode of LinguaMania we hear from the project's director, Dr Daniel Tyler-McTighe, about how he has been supporting schoo

Why do we need people to translate when we have machine translation?

May 01 2020 19 mins

Some people ask why they should bother learning a language when there are online apps and websites which can translate quickly and accurately. In this episode of LinguaMania, Matthew Reynolds and Eleni Philippou argue that translation is so much more than just changing words from one language into another. Translation is creative, it's personal, and it can help build communities. C

Languages are in crisis in our schools – could creativity help save the subject?

Apr 17 2020 12 mins

Can a creative approach to the study of languages enhance learner outcomes? Faced with the dramatic fall in UK students learning a foreign language, Creative Multilingualism's Language Learning research team have been exploring different ways of teaching languages in schools. Could there be a way to help students feel more positive about language learning, while also improving thei

How do metaphors shape our world?

Apr 03 2020 16 mins

We tend to think of metaphors as poetic language, but we actually use them all the time in our everyday speech. But how do metaphors in different languages work? And can the metaphors we use affect our thinking? In this episode of LinguaMania, we explore how we use metaphors across the world, looking at the different ways of representing abstract concepts, such as emotion and time,

Why should we read translated texts?

Mar 16 2020 15 mins

This episode explores what we lose or gain when we read a translated book. Are we missing something by reading the English translation and not the original language version? And what can the translation process tell us about how languages work? Jane Hiddleston and Laura Lonsdale from the University of Oxford discuss these questions and also look at what fiction and translation can

Understanding our natural world: why languages matter

Mar 09 2020 19 mins

What role do languages play in helping us understand and protect our natural world? Do the words we use when talking about our local flora and fauna matter? In this episode of LinguaMania, we explore the links between language and nature. There are many endangered languages around the world. If they are lost or go dormant, the heart and soul of many cultures and communities will be

How 'foreign' are 'foreign languages'?

Feb 18 2020 15 mins

Many people think foreign languages are alien to us, unless of course we've spent years studying them. But is this really the case? Or can we actually understand some words in a different language – even if we've never studied that language before? In episode 1 of the LinguaMania podcast, Professor Martin Maiden suggests that languages aren't always as foreign as we think, especi