Language has something to do with speaking... and with people.

The director of the Language Learning Institute (SLI) Dr Agnes Bryan and the wide range of courses on offer for students, academics and citizens of the Bergisches Land region

I am. Ever heard of it? It's the youth word of 2017 and is a corruption of "it's me" in the so-called Vong language. How do you explain such word changes to a foreign student attending the language teaching institute? Dr Agnes Bryan, head of the central facility at the University of Wuppertal, has an immediate idea: "You always have to explain the puns in context, perhaps looking for different examples in the foreign language of the other culture and translating them into our own. You can never translate it one-to-one."

The language teaching institute is an organisation with multiple tasks. In addition to offering a total of 10 foreign languages, which can also be booked by citizens via the guest student programme, the staff also prepare students for international certificates (TOEFL or TOEIC) *.

Learning foreign languages just for credit points is learning without commitment

English is still the most popular language. Bryan comments: "No matter what context you work in today, English is absolutely essential." However, Spanish has also become increasingly popular since the turn of the millennium, displacing the runner-up - French. However, the language researcher emphasises that anyone who wants to master a language at a good level should attend several courses. "You really have to distinguish between two groups of learners. Some really want to learn the language and stick with it. And then there are always the students who are only interested in the credit points. And they often come and take different foreign languages at beginner level because they might get up to 20 credit points for it. Then they can't actually speak any of the languages at all, but have only acquired basic knowledge and can't take part in communication."

Approximately 110 to 120 hours, including attendance time, preparation and revision, are required to reach the next level, e.g. from A1 to A2 (basic knowledge) or from A2 to B1 (advanced language use). "It's labour-intensive," says the English graduate, "but it's well received."

Career changers just as good as teachers

Agnes Bryan selects her lecturers very carefully. Ideally, applicants should have a degree in the respective language or a comparable professional qualification. However, career changers who have spent a long time abroad and have the relevant qualifications also have a chance, because "the important thing is whether the lecturers get on well with the participants and can communicate well. They need to build a rapport with the group and enjoy the culture and the teaching. And some career changers are just as good as teachers."

Learning languages means having the confidence

Anyone who is still unsure about taking part in a language course is recommended to take the so-called C-Test**, which allows you to check your own language skills online in advance. However, Bryan encourages anyone interested to take the plunge: "My teaching philosophy is that you have to use the language in the first place. The teachers then take care of the grammar and vocabulary."

The likeable scientist attests that women in particular enjoy learning. "I can't explain it, but the women are more committed."

In future, she would also like to promote the guest student programme more. She sees the added value in the different perspectives of the respective course participants. "The exchange is interesting. For the external students, because they experience students, and vice versa, students experience the perspectives of outsiders." Bryan knows that the SLI offers high-quality language courses and could also focus on other areas if there were more courses on offer.

Online courses cannot replace face-to-face language teaching

When asked about the introduction of online courses, however, she is cautious and can give reasons for this. "Digitalisation is an important topic - we know that too - but I'm still a bit conservative when it comes to language learning. Language learning always has something to do with speaking." Although the SLI also works with the learning platforms Moodle and Mahara, "self-discipline when learning languages," says the lecturer, "is very limited." In English, the term 'spoon-feeding' is used to describe this learning attitude of many students. In our experience, learners like to be spoon-fed and only become active under pressure. This can be seen in the fact that courses are not taken because students are often under the misapprehension that a frequent exchange of English via the media does not require a language course. Others forego attendance phases in a language centre in favour of online modules and self-determined online course times. This can be done and Dr Bryan also sees a point in online courses if "I need a system in which I can learn vocabulary in a structured way, repeat grammar and consolidate knowledge that I may have acquired elsewhere." But for the dedicated leader, the question always arises: "What can I do afterwards? Don't I still need this face-to-face communication afterwards? A person I can talk to! That's actually my motto: language has something to do with speaking and with people. That's why I would always prioritise the face-to-face phases, always give them priority and say: digital modules complement and support them. But they cannot replace language lessons and face-to-face language teaching."

Internationalisation can only succeed through collaboration

The SLI is certainly making its contribution to internationalisation, but Bryan believes that it will only be successful across the board if networking works.

"When it comes to networking, the various players should come together at one table."

Although the SLI works well with various partners, such as the International Office, "sometimes I get the impression," says Bryan, "that the faculties are too busy with their own subject. They may have international collaborations and sometimes don't even know that there is an SLI." Dr Bryan is aware of the foreign-language courses in which it is possible to study in Wuppertal without knowing German, for example, and emphasises: "It must be clear that language skills are important and we have students who need them. And there is the language teaching institute where they can learn German."

Etiquette, applications and negotiations abroad are different

In addition to the traditional topics of everyday communication, teaching culture and regional studies, there are of course a number of other language specialisms. Bryan offers courses in technical English (Technical English), business English (Business English) and the six-module short course series "English@Work". "This is shorter than all other series because it teaches specific skills," she says, citing the topics of business and culture, team meetings, negotiation practices and the large area of internationalisation as examples. Questions such as: "How do I behave?", "How do I present?" or "What do I say in which contexts?" as well as knowledge about Asian or South American mentalities, for example, are also covered, as well as small talk etiquette or behaviour at business meals.

There is also room for further qualification measures at the language teaching institute, which could be opened up to outsiders. For example, one module deals with job application practices in English-speaking countries. The course participants quickly realise that English job applications have a completely different focus. Reduced to the two meaningful formats of cover letter and CV, they largely dispense with thick reference and certificate folders, for example. The "Meetings and Negotiations" course could also be an interesting incentive for Bergisch companies. The right negotiating behaviour alone in the presence of a project partner with a different cultural background can make the difference between success and failure.

Matchmaking or learning in tandem

The fact that the language teaching institute can also be inventive when it comes to new learning concepts is demonstrated by the "learning in tandem" programme, which has been successfully adopted for Asian languages. "Tandem means that native speakers of two languages, e.g. German and Chinese, meet regularly twice a week. They then alternate between their mother tongue and the other language, i.e. one hour only Chinese, the other hour only German." Communicative skills are learnt in the foreign language. The language partners are put together via the SLI. The experts call this "matchmaking", which is another form of partner exchange. The meetings take place informally at locations chosen by the participants themselves. And if help is needed, a lecturer can help out at fixed times at the university with suggestions for topics to talk about.

Incidentally, Bryan can expand the range of languages offered by the SLI at any time, as she has proven in the past. She concludes: "I know where to look, I know where to find lecturers and I know how to organise a course, even if I don't speak the language. That's something that comes with experience and qualifications."

And there's a youth word for that too: isso***

Uwe Blass (interview from 08/03/2018)

* (TOEFL) Test of English as a Foreign Language

(TOEIC) Test of English for International Communication

** A C-test is a written cloze test to determine general language proficiency.

*** "(it) is so", agreement, affirmation

Dr Agnes Bryan studied English and Comparative Linguistics at the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen. She then worked as a research assistant at the English Department of the Faculty of Philosophy in Tübingen and came to the University of Wuppertal in 1997 as deputy head of the AVMZ (Audiovisual Media Centre). In 2003, she took over the management of the newly founded Language Teaching Institute.