Here our content editors will publish fortnightly article suggestions and make articles available for translation… So check back regularly!
If any of these suggestions interest you, you can find our contact details here.
General
1. We’re currently looking for ‘year abroad correspondents’. This role is available for third year students currently on their year abroad, or King’s alumni who are currently undertaking the ELA. The role involves writing regularly (fortnightly/monthly/whatever’s best for you) about your time abroad in the target language. Please get in touch with our Editor Steph if you’re interested in this role.
2. We’re always on the hunt for Photo Diaries. They are very quick and easy to do and can be about where you spent your year abroad, where you live, where you’ve been on holiday…
3. We’re working on a series called ‘Where Are They Now?’ which will detail what King’s language alumni are currently getting up to. If you’re an alumnus with an interesting story to tell us then please do get in touch with our Editor Steph!
4. We really want to up the amount of creative writing pieces we have on the site. If you’ve got a short story, some poetry or anything else you’d like to get published then please do get in touch!
English
1. ‘The number of students taking foreign languages at university is in free fall, with fewer universities offering courses and the enrolment for French courses down by a quarter.’ What do you make of this?
2. Are you watching the Six Nations? What do you think of England’s hopes for the title?
3. Disabled pensioner Alan Barnes was recently mugged outside of his home. A fund set up by a neighbour raised more than £300,000 to help him buy a new home. Do stories like this renew your faith in mankind?
French
1. French politics and French cuisine
Elaine Sciolino at the New York Times has claimed that France’s current political situtation can be read in its attitude to food. What do you think, and do you think there is a significant different between French and ‘Anglo-Saxon’ attitudes to international cuisine?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/24/dining/kebabs-as-a-political-statement-in-france.html?referrer&_r=1
2. Gay rights in West Africa
Last year the then-Belgian president Elio Di Rupo made a plea for Gay rights to African leaders, but since then the situation as been declining rapidly. What is your take on the situation and did you think that Di Rupo, as the second openly gay head of state in recent times, was right to address his plea to other leaders?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/03/belgian-prime-minister-gay-rights-_n_5083117.html
3. Year Abroad
For all those that have been back from their Year Abroad for a while – what are you missing most from the year? The smell of the boulangeries firing up in the morning? The cheap but palatable wine available almost on tap? The French obsession with bizarre quiz shows? Is there anything that you don’t miss – such a almost everything being shut on Sunday (and then shutting randomly during the week as well), or the cadeaux des chiens left in the street?
4. Profile on Madagascar
Madagascar is the fourth most populous French-speaking territory in the world, and as such I’m challenging contributors to write a profile on the island, its history, culture and politics.
5. Talk with the animals
Onomatopoeia varies from language to language: in French babies go Ouin! Ouin!, a fart is prout and saying sssshh is chut. Animal noises are even more varied: French chickens say cot cot cot, cows say meuh (this one is almost hyper-French) and a pig grunting is groin groin. What do you think this says about our relationship with language and language-learning?
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/nov/17/animal-noises-in-different-language
6. Assia Djebar
Recently the Algerian novelist Assia Djebar passed away at the age of 78. Djebar wrote about the experience of Muslim women and was a crucial channel that brought together the experiences of French, Algerian and Berber. If you’re a fan on Djebar then we’d love to see reviews of her films or novels, or a retrospective of her life and the impact of her work.
German
1. “Merkel zwischen den Fronten”, runs a headline on Spiegel Online (here). What’s Germany’s position in the Ukrainian crisis, and what are the prospects?
2. The Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) is in full swing. Give us an overview over the contenders!
3. If you learned German as a foreign language, what have been the hardships and joys, the ups and downs? How does it relate to your other language(s)?
4. The Migration Museum Project is taking a look at Germans in Britain, exploring the experience of Germans coming to Britain. How about going along and writing a review? Have a look at the accompanying video too – to what extent and in what ways does it match or contradict your own experience of a) moving to Britain as a German or German-speaking person or b) with German-speaking people in Britain?
5. The Goethe Institute is screening Die Vermessung der Welt (Measuring the World), the film adaptation of the international bestseller by Daniel Kehlmann,on February 25. Have a watch and let us know what you think!
6. Creative writing challenge: “origins”. What are origins, and what’s originality? What’s more important, where you start or where you end up? Ursprünge and Ur-sprünge. Poems, essays, artwork, stories – get your creative flow on.
Greek
1. Political situation in Greece – What do you make of it? Will there be a Grexit?
2. Photo Diary (Athens)
3. The Greek ‘Family’ (how all Greeks abroad unite)
4. Snowing in Athens – a once in a lifetime experience
5. Recipes for traditional foods
Italian
1. Sergio Mattarella: the new President of the Italian Republic. What are the hopes and the expectations for his mandate?
2. Festival di Sanremo: the most important Italian music competition! Who do you predict will win?
3. Have you ever been to Italy? Tell us about the funniest moments of your trip!
Portuguese
1. Corruption – In Brazil, one of the world’s biggest oil companies, Petrobras, has just been appointed a new CEO, partially due to allegations of corruption, and partially due to encouragement from the EU and US. This company has always enjoyed a very close relationship with Brazil’s state, which has also been receiving increasing public attention due to other types of corruption scandals. Two suggestions therefore come to mind: what should the Brazilian (or any country) state’s relationship be with such a large company? And: why has corruption only recently taken center stage in Brazil? How these two themes compare to the UK could also be interesting.
2. Transgender Rights – In the last few days, Brazilian news has focused on the murder of a transgender citizen. Just a few weeks ago, Dilma Rouseff, the president, announced she would like to create a new law which criminalizes homophobic acts. With such a large LGBT community, it seems odd that such crimes should still be occurring, and that a law is only just being discussed. However, Brazil also hosts a large number of Christian religions and populations, who strongly oppose homosexuality. Just two years ago, an ‘anti-gay’ drug was being discussed. What would this law mean for Brazil?
3. Economy – Portugal has recently announced it may be able to repay a large amount of debt to the IMF, while other bodies suggest their economy is slowing. What is the current situation of the country that has historically been very badly affected by EU financial crises? What would it mean politically and socially if Portugal were to cut such a large debt?
Spanish
1. Flamenco Festival comes to Sadlers Wells in London http://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2015/flamenco-festival-london/
2. 1 year on from the student protests in Venezuela http://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2015/02/13/54dd009e268e3e9a5d8b4576.html
3. Disappearances continue in Mexico http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2015/02/13/actualidad/1423840919_990800.html
4. Día de Sant Jordi : The Catalan (and much more romantic) version of Valentines Day (not on the same date) which has tenuous links with England http://www.spain.info/en/reportajes/la_fiesta_sant_jordi.html
5. Mexican street art comes to RICH MIX in Bethnal Green http://www.eliberico.com/el-arte-callejero-mexicano-llega-londres.html
We have a number of contributions available for translation, both academic and creative. Please get in touch with our editors if you’re interested in doing some translation for The Glossa.
The Glossa 