Preface

PREFACE EDITOR’S NOTE

Dear Reader, It is with great pleasure that I inaugurate the first Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Magazine in our school’s 50-year history. As a French A-Level student, I have witnessed the power of culture and language firsthand and I strive to spread this message across the school. I believe that in a day and age where large scale conglomerates look to recruit individuals fluent in at least two Languages, and 60% of the planet is bilingual, these skills are incredibly important in a real world context. Moreover, speaking another language also helps expand one’s memory and broaden one’s views on the world, be that reading about the Covid-19 pandemic in France or watching a Barcelona game with Spanish commentary. And this is just the tip of the iceberg: knowing a Modern Foreign Language in the globalised world of today is more important than it has ever been. From my interview with Monsieur Davies, featured at the end of the magazine, exposure has been highlighted as the key ingredient for the acquisition of language and this exposure is precisely what this magazine hopes to provide to students. So, what does this Edition Contain? Articles written by our own A-Level MFL students in French and Spanish, handwritten poems in Arabic written by some of our Sixth-Form students along with a Greek article and recipe. This edition also comprises of the aforementioned exclusive interview with MFL Head of Department, Monsieur Davies, where he discusses life in France and how students can expose themselves to different languages.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people responsible for the publication of this magazine. This edition would have not been possible without our dedicated A-Level students who spent hours researching and writing their articles to the best of their abilities and our wonderful Creative Designer, Antonia, who brought this magazine to life with this wonderful aesthetic. I urge you to immerse yourself into the myriad of dialects within these pages and expose yourself to the different cultures around you. I would like to conclude with one of my favourite quotes:

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Nelson Mandela Happy reading! Anika Mehra

Editor in Chief