Languages Today
Languages Today is our member magazine, designed specifically for language teachers. It is free to members of the Association for Language Learning.
It contains news from the language teaching world; ideas to help with your teaching; reviews of teaching resources; and information about schemes and projects which may be of interest to you. We follow a day in the life of language teachers, trainers and people who use languages in their job, and we find out about how language skills are used in the workplace.
Languages Today: Spring/Summer 2025, Issue 50
'Being a language teacher'
Welcome to Languages Today Issue 50, 'Being a language teacher'.
Being a teacher involves a wide range of activities, sensibilities and responsibilities, and being a Languages teacher has even more! Some of them are explored by our wonderful writers in this bumper edition to celebrate our 50th number! We thank them all, along with the team of proofreaders, some new this time. You will find in these pages articles from people working in different sectors and with different languages, and they all have something you will find refreshing, reassuring or maybe challenging.
To mark the occasion, we have also refreshed the look of your LT magazine, trying to take into account advice on readability. We welcome your views, as well as, of course, your suggestions for pieces for our next magazines: as a follow-up to this edition, LT51 will be titled ‘Being a Language learner’ and we hope for contributions on motivation, multilingualism, travel, careers, learner strategies and aspirations, and what sort of language resources learners seek out for themselves.
Languages Today: Winter/Spring 2025, Issue 49, 'Strands of Learning'
Welcome to Languages Today Issue 49, the first issue of Languages Today in 2025.
We are excited to share this issue with you with a special focus on Strands of Learning and how these can be woven together. We have some new voices and shine a spotlight on Linguistics with Rebecca Mitchell in World of Language and Focus on Transition with Witold Wozniak, Ruth Magee and Tracy Williams.
Along with our regular features:
- President Judith Rifeser reflecting on the importance of weaving, culture and Languages
- Clare Seccombe celebrating the work of primary learners
- NCLE update - an outline of the new Languages Learners Online CPD resources
- A Last Word calling for collaboration across the sector to keep it healthy
As ever we thank our contributors for their time and willingness to share with others. We are grateful too to proofreaders for their sensitive reading and attention to detail. (If you would like to join the proofreading team, please let us know at [email protected]).
Next Languages Today will be number 50! To mark this the theme is Being a Language teacher.
Languages Today: Autumn 2024, Issue 48, 'Voices Heard'
Welcome to Languages Today Issue 48. This latest issue attracted proposals from a wide range of writers, from all sorts of language and sectoral backgrounds. Well done to all! I hope you enjoy all of their stories and consider writing something yourself. We constantly welcome pieces for the ALL website Zones and are now inviting your ideas for the next magazine; Languages Today 49 will take as its theme: Strands of Learning. Articles might include: culture, communication, the language skills, the three pillars, learning strategies, projects that join up learning of different sorts, building linguistic connections…or other themes that spring to your own mind. Send us your thoughts to [email protected]
LT readers enjoy positive stories (about any Language) that inspire their thinking, and remind them of principles and successful practice. This time around you can read in this bumper edition what Language teachers and learners think about Project Based Learning, about their interest in Reading, about the impact of a Primary international visit, about motivational features of lessons, including drama strategies, about teachers meeting up with other teachers, about things ALL members really value, about Student Voice and classroom target language, about relevant research and voices from the past. What a read!
Languages Today: Spring 2024, Issue 47, 'Unique Ingredients'
Welcome to Languages Today Issue 47. This latest edition of Languages Today celebrates the Unique Ingredients of our classrooms and of our subject which bridges international education, communication, culture and the skills of using other languages.
ALL President Liz Black looks back over her period in office and forward to the fruition of projects she has worked to set in place; these include important collaboration with partners, and between the Schools and Higher Education sectors – you can read about some of those in these pages too. She reminds us that, at Language World we renewed our thinking about our shared principles and objectives in opening up the hearts and minds of learners to the rest of the world through diverse routes.
Drop a line to [email protected] to share your ideas!
Languages Today: Winter 2024, Issue 46, 'Impact!'
Welcome to Languages Today Issue 46. This latest edition will follow on from the Language World theme of what makes language learning unique: Encounters with people, with new ways of thinking, with culture or texts or music or food? International travel? Focus on accuracy in writing or speaking? Changing attitudes? Challenging thinking or expectations? Making the most of a small amount if language? Flexibility and empathy? Communicative skills in their broadest sense? Personal development?
If you have a story to tell or a view to express on the ingredients our subject place before learners’ eyes, please let is know: [email protected].
Languages Today: Autumn 2023, Issue 45, 'Getting more skilled'
Welcome to Languages Today Issue 45. This edition contains a bumper collection of articles looking at different aspects of what we mean by Skills – the language skills of course, in the different dimensions of recitation, conversation and debating, translation for examinations and for other curriculum purposes, professional skills of planning, developing CPD, considering social justice issues and understanding new examination arrangements.
For this last theme we dedicate space to a magisterial article from ALL’s own Helen Myers, comparing the specifications for teaching GCSE from 2024 which are so far approved by OFQUAL.
Languages Today: Summer 2023, Issue 44, 'Treasure Forever'
Welcome to Languages Today Issue 44. In this edition of Languages Today (LT) we gather more things we really do treasure and use again and again - or have just rescued from the stockroom! – resources and technology, people and their writing, or talks and ideas which have made a major impact on our outlook or practice.
We encourage readers to make a store of those positive professional memories that keep us all going - those heart-warming messages from our learners and colleagues – and to remember the wealth of resources people have shared in the Association’s publications and recordings online. These do make for magical moments when revisited and true treasures.
Languages Today: Winter 2022, Issue 40
'All sorts of people and all sorts of skills'
Welcome to Languages Today Issue 40, once again packed with content thanks to our members, friends and colleagues who have responded to the theme so constructively. This is again a rich edition covering a range of important areas in language learning: ALL President Elect Liz Black reflects on reading in Ten Best ; elsewhere we focus on students developing their listening, speaking and writing skills in secondary, or discovering the potential for creative translation, and teachers building up their own skills of profile-raising.
ALL Council member Silvia Bastow explores the practice, and associated research, of language retrieval, while two perspectives on transition, and a celebration of the skills of bilingual learners also make for great reading. Collaboration is something we all benefit and learn from and Judith Rifeser, an ALL volunteer and Corporate Member the Goethe-Institut London describe an online work experience project that develops languages skills and learner confidence through film and film-making.
To purchase the latest issue, please visit the shop.
Languages Today: Autumn 2021, Issue 39, 'What's going on?'
It’s fifty years since Marvin Gaye released his seminal album reviewing What’s Going On in 1970s society. In the Language World of 2021, after a year when people have had their heads down dealing with the massive challenges of every day, we planned this update on What’s Going On for our community, and found we needed extra pages in your LT! We hope the wealth of articles from many corners will bring you up-to-date and contribute positive energy to the new academic year.
To purchase the latest issue, please visit the shop.
Languages Today: Spring/Summer 2021, Issue 38
The Big Picture
Welcome to Languages Today Issue 38, once again packed with content, thanks to our friends, partners and members who have responded to the theme of LT 38 : The Big Picture with a wide range of pieces on: Languages Post-Pandemic – languages as an asset to learning, looking at the poetry, dimension, teaching and learning culture and language; we also look at a teacher’s ambitions for her students and how to give grammar a new lease of life - plus so much more. If you are inspired by articles or wish to respond to the ideas they raise, please consider making a contribution yourself in future.
To purchase the latest issue, please visit the shop.
Languages Today: January 2021, Issue 37, Closing The Gap
Issue 37 of Languages Today is on the theme of ‘Closing the Gap’ contains many new articles and discussion points focusing on closing the gap whether it’s within the classroom, curriculum or the local community this issue has been written by members for members sharing their expertise and experiences and make suggestions and offer practical advice on how their strategies and approaches work for learners in their settings on areas such as ability range, social and racial equity, the needs and talents of EAL learners, the professional status of teachers in different contexts. This is a great read!
To purchase the latest issue, please visit the shop.
Languages Today issues
Languages Today Issues 1 & 2: 2009
A summary of the content of the first few Languages Today magazines in 2009. Spring 2009 Using phonics in a fun way, surviving the new secondary curriculum, and partnering an overseas school - a taster of issue 1: Good news for language learning, Trying Life in...