Bringing languages to life
Gone are the days of learning languages by rote with conversation practice confined to a two week summer holiday. Learning a language is not just a matter grammatical proficiency; it’s also about developing an understanding of the culture, philosophy and history of a country. And what better way to get an insider’s view than to perform an entire play in the original language?
Last month, Tutu’s nightclub played host to two performances of the annual German Play, presented by the College’s German and Austrian Society, home to lovers of all things German at King’s.
This year’s play was Urs Widmer’s darkly satirical Top Dogs, which tells the story of the New Challenge Company, a rehabilitation centre for unemployed business managers trying to get back on track both professionally and mentally. Well-received as ever, one student reviewer called it ‘an impressive show’ and praised the actors’ ‘charismatic self-confidence’. Members of the audience were able to follow the action using English surtitles.
The German play follows in the School’s tradition of adding extra dimensions to the language learning experience such as the Greek Play which is performed in the original language every year.
While preparations for this year’s play were underway, a group of final-year students was also putting the finishing touches to the latest edition of Königspost, the bi-annual German newspaper. Launched in 2009, it offers undergraduates an opportunity to make their voices heard, to publish German-language articles and to gain some journalistic work experience.
On the day of the second performance, a group of local sixth-form students was invited to watch the play and participate in a study day which offered them a chance to meet staff and students and get a taste of advanced language study.
Although largely led by the students themselves, both the play and the newspaper are produced with the support of two staff members, Christine Schallmöser and Florian Lippert. For Christine, initiatives like these are important for two reasons: ‘they allow students to put things they’ve learned on their course into practice, so it’s not only useful for assessment but also for real life.’
The sentiment is echoed by student editor Oliver Wilcox, speaking in a new podcast about the Königspost project: ‘the skill set is something you can definitely build on and talk about in job interviews further down the line, and not just in terms of journalism.’