Languages for Living: Real Stories, Real Futures

This webpage is for the use of students at school, or teachers wishing to share with their students (especially in Sixth Form, in Key Stage 4 and at Options time in Key Stage 3) ideas about the relevance and usefulness of a language in personal life, as well as in future study, and/or in a range of future careers.

It also suggests some specific interests that students might like to take further:

Cultural exploration
Historical exploration
Geographical exploration
Touristic exploration

If you know of other links like these you think are worth sharing, please send them to [email protected] with the title ‘Languages for Living’.

You’ll find many more Competitions, celebrations and challenges here: ALL Competitions page

• Short film-making competitions
• The ENACT app (ongoing)
• Flash Fiction competition from Oxford University (annual)
• #CelebrateSpeaking (annual)
• UK Linguistics Olympiad
• Stephen Spender Prize (Poetry in translation)
• Mother tongue, Other tongue
• In Essex, the Have your Say competition

There are also competitions organised in individual languages:

• French Pop Video competition (annual)
• Arabic Reading Competition
• Sixth Form Debates

If you know of other competitions, maybe in different languages, that you have enjoyed please let us know – send an email with title ‘competition’ to [email protected]

In this section you can read and hear the views of other language students and young people using their languages in different areas of their life. Click on the name to read more. 

You might like to read about what is happening in the Cities of Languages movement and see if you can get involved: Read more

Portsmouth City  of Languages:  Read more

North East Festival of Languages 

Our Festival is designed to spark curiosity and creativity and open doors to future opportunities, inspiring a generation of future linguists and global citizens: Read more

Volunteering

Have you heard about students in the Sixth Form years, or in Key Stage 4, acting as Language Ambassadors to younger language learners?: Click here

Keeping informed

The Languages Gateway is a signposting website to lots of varied sources of information. You could contribute a Blog of your own?: Click here

Heritage Language: From Home to Horizon

Across the UK, thousands of young people grow up bilingual or multilingual, speaking languages other than English at home or in their communities. Many are described as heritage language speakers — individuals who have developed linguistic and cultural knowledge through family and community transmission. Yet too often this bilingualism remains invisible or undervalued in formal education, seen as personal rather than academic, cultural rather than professional.

If you are a heritage or bilingual learner, you are not a side story — you are a powerful and dynamic part of our multilingual society. From an early age, you may already have developed advanced skills in mediation, code-switching, translation, intercultural understanding, empathy, creative thinking and audience awareness. These are exactly the competencies valued in higher education, research, public service, media, diplomacy and global industries.

Your bilingualism is not just something you “have” — it is something you can actively use and develop. It can strengthen your university applications, broaden your career pathways, and position you as someone who can navigate complex, diverse environments with confidence and insight.

When you recognise your heritage language as a superpower, you shift the narrative from deficit to strength. You affirm your identity, deepen your confidence, and open doors you may not yet have imagined.

Your heritage language is not only about where you come from — it is about the multilingual future you are capable of shaping.

If you love seeing how language works … you might explore here:

Linguistics HQ

National Linguistics Day

Linguistics HQ Services

Linguistics HQ about

UK Linguistics Olympiad

UK Linguistics Olympiad 

In this section we will be collecting some careers focussed reports, articles and references, as well as links to short video and online resources from other young people who have discovered for themselves the personal, or professional, importance of having a language, or languages in your basket of skills as a young adult.

Our intention is that teachers might share some of these at events for students, and/or parents at significant decision-making points.

There are also written testimonies from people, young and not so young.

From North-East Festival of Languages resources (requiring teacher registration)

You may want to follow up on your own personal interests (or discover new ones) through reading and viewing resources about other countries (and maybe in other languages).

Libraries are a great source of inspiration: books have been written on most of the subjects you may be interested in!

Online resources may be more up to date, but have their own challenges, of course.

Do be aware of Internet safety, especially if you are under 18, and check with family members or carers or teachers if you are unsure of your safety: Read more on safety here 

This sort of reading might help you spot a theme for your Independent Research Project if you are talking A-level, but can also give you inspiration for future travel.

Historical events when languages made a difference:

• Accords between different nations throughout history
• How history is written by opposing sides in different languages
• Historical monuments and documentation
• Code breaking e.g. during World War 2

Please tell us what else you would like to see on this page.

Write to [email protected]