All posts from 2018

Was there a World Cup without Italy?Was there a World Cup without Italy?

Was there a World Cup without Italy?

The 2018 World Cup came to an end on Sunday having seen many surprises: the elimination of top teams, such as Germany, Spain and Argentina, in the early stages as well as England reaching the semi-finals, and Croatia their first final, losing to France, who won their second title after twenty years.

Posted on: 19 July 2018

InnoConf18: a celebration of language teaching and learningInnoConf18: a celebration of language teaching and learning

InnoConf18: a celebration of language teaching and learning

On Friday, 22 June, we hosted the InnoConf18 Innovative Language Teaching and Learning Conference, titled “New Trends in Language Teaching and Learning at University”.

Posted on: 17 July 2018

Exploring translation, diversity and genderExploring translation, diversity and gender

Exploring translation, diversity and gender

In light of Emily Wilson's translation of the Odyssey, which is the first translation into English by a woman, Niamh Thornton and Lyn Marven reflect on translation and diversity.

Posted on: 11 July 2018

Filming the FootyFilming the Footy

Filming the Footy

If you’re reading this, I guess that, for you, watching big football moments like the Euro Championship or the World Cup, is a cinematic experience. A story told on a screen. At just over an hour and a half the narrative arc of a game plays out across much the same timescale as an average feature film. And although the constraints are very different, cameras are cameras and their vocabulary is structured by their capabilities: to come in close, to sweep across space, to focus on everything in their field or to blur out all but the centre of interest. What is a football game, considered as a film?

Posted on: 29 June 2018

Children at the Mexican-US border: '...a long, dangerous, and harrowing journey'Children at the Mexican-US border:

Children at the Mexican-US border: '...a long, dangerous, and harrowing journey'

The uproar surrounding the detention of children at the Mexican-US border has brought attention to the migration of Central Americans to the US.

Posted on: 21 June 2018

France and football since 1998France and football since 1998

France and football since 1998

France’s World Cup victory in 1998 was seen not only as a sporting triumph, but as a political, social and cultural one as well. In one of the lectures I give on the French Fifth Republic, as part of our first-year Introduction to French Studies module, I always include some discussion of France’s World Cup win. It’s always at this point in the lecture when I start to feel old, realising that our students are either too young to remember the World Cup of 1998, or weren’t even born!

Posted on: 18 June 2018

Germany and the language of footballGermany and the language of football

Germany and the language of football

Veronika Koeper-Saul discusses the linguistic idiosyncrasies that have arisen from perspectives of the beautiful game in Germany: from 1954 World Cup winning manager Sepp Herberger's blunt motivational words, to former Bayern Munich manager Giovanni Trappatoni's infamous press conference rant.

Posted on: 14 June 2018

Five things to do in Merseyside for anyone interested in languages and international cultures this summerFive things to do in Merseyside for anyone interested in languages and international cultures this summer

Five things to do in Merseyside for anyone interested in languages and international cultures this summer

With summer now upon us, you might be looking for things to do in Merseyside before the start of the new term (trust us, this will come around very quickly!). While teaching may be over until September, there’s still plenty of things to do and see in the area that relate to languages: from Chinese to Brazilian culture.

Posted on: 5 June 2018

Slaves of Fashion: Indian textiles, new artwork and French colonial historySlaves of Fashion: Indian textiles, new artwork and French colonial history

Slaves of Fashion: Indian textiles, new artwork and French colonial history

It was in January 2014 that I first met The Singh Twins. They had conceived a project for a number of new artworks that would explore the history of Indian textiles and, having read my work on the French colonial presence in India, wanted to discuss British and French rivalry in India before 1799 as well as the role that Indian textiles played in revolutionising European fashions in the eighteenth century.

Posted on: 9 May 2018

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    Was there a World Cup without Italy?Was there a World Cup without Italy?

    Was there a World Cup without Italy?

    The 2018 World Cup came to an end on Sunday having seen many surprises: the elimination of top teams, such as Germany, Spain and Argentina, in the early stages as well as England reaching the semi-finals, and Croatia their first final, losing to France, who won their second title after twenty years.

    Posted on: 19 July 2018