Author Archives: aflsadmin

Colloque 2023: appel à contributions disponible

L’appel à communications du colloque annuel de l’AFLS a été lancé. Le colloque se tiendra à l’Université de Lille du 7 au 9 septembre 2023, et aura pour thème ‘Le français et ses frontières’. Les trois conférencier·es invité·s sont:

Prof Richard Huyghe, Université de Fribourg, Suisse
Prof. Gudrun Ledegen, Université de Rennes II, France
Prof Christina Lindqvist, Université de Göteborg, Suède

Des propositions de communication ou de workshop (4 présentations, 2 heures) seront considérées. Les résumés de 300 mots maximum (incluant titre et références bibliographiques) sont à déposer par mail. Pour vous renseigner plus, veuillez consulter le site du colloque 2023 et le document ci-dessous.

AFLS 2023 Appel à communicationsTélécharger

Cahiers est devenu Research Notes dans la revue Études de linguistique française

L’Association des études en langue française (AFLS) soutient depuis 1995 – avec sa revue Cahiers de l’AFLS – la publication de recherche innovante et accessible (surtout la recherche des chercheurs en début de carrière) issue du monde entier. Afin de pouvoir garantir la viabilité, la progressivité, et la rigueur de cette revue, le comité exécutif a travaillé en collaboration avec Cambridge University Press, et, dès 2021, Cahiers paraîtra dans le revue Études de linguistique française sous le titre de « Research Notes ». Ces articles se limiteront à 4000-6000 mots, références non comprises. Les Notes ne sont pas censées apporter une solution aux problèmes qu’elles soulèvent, pourvu que leur pertinence soit établie pour la langue française. Ces brèves contributions contiendront une introduction à un sujet empiriquement ou théoriquement important pour le français, ainsi qu’une présentation succincte de résultats de recherches ou de nouvelles méthodologies. Les notes aux auteurs sont désormais disponibles sur le site web de la revue. Pour ce qui concerne le catalogue de Cahiers, les numéros resteront disponibles sur le site web de l’Association. Le comité a hâte de recevoir des soumissions de la part de la communauté.

Site en construction

Nous renouvelons le site de l’Association en ce moment – revenez bientôt pour retrouver toutes les fonctionnalités auxquelles vous êtes habitué·es !

Atelier « French Studies and Employability » en ligne University of East Anglia (Norwich), 23 avril 2021

A half-day workshop on French Studies and Employability supported by AFLS will take place online on 23rd April 2021, between 9.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The event will be on Zoom.

This is a free workshop – please send an email to Claire Cuminatto (c.cuminatto@uea.ac.uk) to register before April 9th.

Are we preparing our students for the professional work? In his foreword to Employability: a Handbook, Mike Kelly reports that “recent research for the ‘Born Global’ project suggests that languages are not identified as a priority by employers at the time when staff are recruited. Applicants for jobs need to satisfy other priorities at that point. The language advantage comes into play at a later stage”. Fluency in French is of course a prerequisite for industries such as translation or MFL teaching, but many graduates will not use French at the beginning of their future career. They will, however, certainly use the acute problem solving, proofreading, public speaking and many more skills they also developed while at university. They might also use some technical skills developed during their French degree, such as video/audio file editing, or text analysis tools.

During this workshop, colleagues will present activities/projects they run in class with a particular focus on transferable skills awareness, or on the development of technical skills, and/or research on French and Employability. The morning will end with a discussion on how, in the context of the pandemic, we can help students of French adapt to the new world of work, and on learning points for the future.

Programme:

09:30 – 09:40

Opening remarks

9:40 – 10:10

Paper 1: Using the CEFR to talk about employability

Barbara E. Hanna and Alicia Toohey | The University of Queensland

10:10 – 10:40

Paper 2: Language for Professional Communication: Using the project-based approach to enhance employability of language students

Sabrea Oughton | University of Portsmouth

10:40 – 11:10

Paper 4: Authentic language learning through partnerships with businesses: project with final year undergraduate students of French

Claire Cuminatto and Ilse Renaudie | University of East Anglia

11:10 – 11:20:

Comfort break

11:20 – 11:50

Paper 3: Career entry of French Studies graduates: A research study

Rosamond Mitchell | University of Southampton

11:50 – 12:10

Paper 5: Public Service Interpreting: collaborating with local professionals

Claudine Tourniaire | University of East Anglia

12:10 – 13:00

Questions and discussion: French Studies and Employability – helping students of French adapt to the new world of work. What learning points for the future?

Organisers:

Ms Ilse Renaudie, Associate Professor in French Language at the University of East Anglia

Ms Claire Cuminatto, Associate Professor in French Language at the University of East Anglia

Reference

Corradini, Borthwick and Gallagher-Brett (ed.). 2016. Employability for Languages: a Handbook. Research-publishing.net.

AFLS-Funded Workshop on French Studies and Employability

University of East Anglia (Norwich) – REPORTÉ à vendredi 27 novembre 2020

Appel à contributions – DATE LIMITE REPORTÉE à mercredi 1er juillet 2020

Are we preparing our students for the professional work? In his foreword to Employability: a Handbook, Mike Kelly reports that “recent research for the ‘Born Global’ project suggests that languages are not identified as a priority by employers at the time when staff are recruited. Applicants for jobs need to satisfy other priorities at that point. The language advantage comes into play at a later stage”. Fluency in French is of course a prerequisite for industries such as translation or MFL teaching, but many graduates will not use French at the beginning of their future career. They will, however, certainly use the acute problem solving, proofreading, public speaking and many more skills they also developed while at university. They might also use some technical skills developed during their French degree, such as video/audio file editing, or text analysis tools.

A workshop on French Studies and Employability will take place at the University of East Anglia (Norwich) on Friday 11 September, and are looking for contributions from colleagues who could either present a research paper on the topic, or an activity/project they run in class with a particular focus on transferable skills awareness, or on the development of technical skills.

If you are interested, please send a 200 word abstract in French or English to Claire Cuminatto (c.cuminatto@uea.ac.uk) before Friday 20th March.

Déclaration en faveur de la participation continue du Royaume-Uni au progamme Erasmus+

The Association for French Language Studies wishes to express its strong support for the UK’s continued participation in the Erasmus+ programme. Erasmus+ offers extensive international mobility opportunities for a wide range of participants, including higher education students and staff, vocational students and apprentices, teachers, youth workers and volunteers. Since its establishment in 1987, the programme has seen growing numbers of participants with wide-ranging benefits for language learning, personal, social, intercultural, academic, educational and professional development.

The Erasmus+ programme helps all UK students benefit from international experience by spending a period of study in another country within their programme of study, with the majority of UK university students who study abroad doing so through the Erasmus+ scheme. In the case of language students, Erasmus+ is critical for the opportunities it offers to language learners to spend time in a country where the target language is used. A wealth of research points to the linguistic benefits that accrue to participants, not solely at a linguistic level, but in life-changing ways at various levels. At a time when various reports highlight the critical need for foreign language skills among Anglophone speakers, Erasmus+ is a crucial means to enhance such speakers’ foreign language skillset. Foreign language proficiency is a lifelong skill which can be drawn upon in all aspects our lives, and a crucial component in the educational training of our students. Indeed, as further highlighted by employer reports, the UK’s foreign languages skill deficit has significant economic implications – the development of such foreign language skills carries highly positive economic implications as an asset that contributes to further economic development. Thus, continued participation in the Erasmus+ programme reflects an overall commitment to the critical importance of foreign language learning in our global world for the individual, but collectively for society as a whole. It is also crucial to highlight that beyond language students, many non-language students also avail of the opportunities offered by Erasmus+, thereby reflecting an awareness of the significant impact of such international experience in their educational training, as they discover new cultures and languages, and which they draw upon in their future personal and professional endeavours.

Taken together, Erasmus+ facilitates two-way exchange opportunities for a wide range of participants in both the home and host countries, with significant implications for mutual interaction, understanding and dialogue, as well as societal and economic development. At a time when internationalisation is a key strategic priority for universities, continued participation in Erasmus+ is imperative as a means of maintaining ties with European partners, providing international opportunities to students and colleagues at a teaching, learning and research level, and enhancing the international reach of our universities. The Association for French Language Studies strongly supports the UK’s continued commitment to this programme.