The Goethe Institute is right to insist that the shocking decrease in the number of A-level students studying German (2,261 nationally) needs urgent remedy (‘It enriches your mind in every way’: the fight to keep the UK learning German, 17 August). Thanks to my former visionary headteacher, Mr ES Kelly, we didn’t have to fight to learn German when his school opened its doors. As well as learning the language, we left school with a depth of understanding and opportunities to last a lifetime.
Back in 1960, I could never have dreamt that I would find myself listening to the historic address of the German chancellor Angela Merkel to our parliament as I sat next to the UK chancellor George Osborne, only to find that he needed a headphone translation while I didn’t.
Here in Stoke-on-Trent, the teaching of German was at such an all-time low last year that we have reached out to our twin city of Erlangen for support. Already one academy, instead of removing German from the curriculum for lack of teachers, has transformed its approach by working closely with the Goethe Institute and renewing our twinning links. And Erlangen’s prestigious FAU university is helping arrange exchange visits. So much more can and needs to be done if we are to value and revive language skills.
Joan Walley
Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, 1987-2015
• How I agree with your article on learning German. I have spent much of my career as a teacher trying to enthuse young people to want to learn German, and used to organise at least one trip to Germany every year. At school, I always wanted to do German at A-level despite having learned French for three years longer. I was determined to study German at Manchester University in the 1960s, which included the history of Germany throughout the three years. My time as a student in Köln (Cologne) was very important, and I made a number of new friends.
When elected to the European parliament in the 1990s, I was very popular with my German colleagues in the Socialist group as I was able to speak to their visitor groups or at conferences in Germany. Indeed, once I was speaking to a multilingual Dutch colleague (in English) when a German colleague came up to me and spoke in German. When we finished, he looked at me in astonishment and said: “But I thought you were English!” He had not come across a Briton who could speak German fluently and grammatically.
I continue to visit Germany as often as I can, having had great experiences of exchanges while at school, and also enjoy visits to Switzerland and Austria. During my career as a teacher, I did my best to encourage pupils to enjoy learning German as much as I did.
Veronica Hardstaff
Labour MEP for Lincolnshire and Humberside South, 1994-99
• I read the article on German with some sympathy. My linguistic skills are based on 1950s tuition, the grammar book slapped on my head if the declensions were wrong. But many years later, with 20 students in tow at a Berlin station and a midnight train to Köln to catch, an attendant refused to accept our booking. I rushed down the platform to find the official with the right badge. Grade 6 O-level German saved the day. This lovely language is still my linguistic Geheimwaffe (secret weapon).
Keith Hayward
London
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