The UoB Linguist Magazine

The Best Purchase of my Year Abroad

My name is Eleanor Smith, and I’m the Creative designer for the Linguist Magazine 2020/21. I’m a fourth year French and German student, and I had the pleasure of working in Germany as an English Language Assistant on my Year Abroad. When people find out you’re going to live abroad, you’re naturally met with a…

The Hotel on Wheels – The Night Train Experience

I’m Harvey, I’m a Final Year German student, and I’m also the Publicity Officer and German Editor! This time last year, I was en route to the wonderful little town of Tübingen, around 40 minutes away from Stuttgart, to start my year abroad. I decided to take the easy option and fly out in September,…

Dealing with the crisis as a culture vulture

Megan Nicholls I guess you probably don’t want to read another article about Coronavirus, death rates, lockdown restrictions or upcoming uncertainty. We all know these are “unprecedented times” and there is not much we can do apart from stay at home and support key workers. So, if you have a spare moment in between home…

Per Ardua Ad Alta – Through Difficulties to Glory

By Cornelia Sennewald (Originally published in Culture, Issue 17 May 2016) Before I came to Birmingham, I was not the person I am now. I had started studying English and Art at the University of Cologne in order to become a teacher. In September 2015, I was granted the opportunity to continue my studies at…

Appy Travels: How Apps Can Help You on Your Holidays

By Lily King When most people think about the apps they will use on holiday, the first thing that springs to mind is Instagram or Facebook to share their holiday snaps. But this only scratches the surface of how you can use apps to make the most of your holiday. Find food blogs It can…

Welcome to The Linguist Blog

Welcome to The Linguist Blog! A place for contributors to write about all things language and culture, without the pressure of print. Whether you’re on your year abroad and wanting to document your travels, or you’re an avid photographer wanting to share pictures from your latest holiday, we want to hear from you! We’re accepting…

Three top tips for your year abroad in Paris

by Tiana Phillips I’m sure most students planning a year abroad will be familiar with the slightly daunting feeling of uncertainty leading up to their departure. For me, it’s almost a year on from those initial few months of stress and paperwork, and now I’m a mere three weeks away from the end of my…

É possível achar um paraíso tropical…na Europa?

Descubra esta ilha muito subestimada no Oceano Atlântico! Todo o mundo conhece as Ilhas Canárias que constituem uma parte da Espanha, mas um pouco a norte daquelas ilhas há a Ilha da Madeira, que é uma região autônoma de Portugal muito pouco conhecida. Ela foi ‘descoberta’ e reivindicada pelo Navegador Infante Henrique em 1419, e…

La Navidad en Argentina

No cabe duda de que Argentina tiene una cultura muy rica, dinámica y fascinante. El año pasado, pasé tres meses allí y por eso quise escribir sobre las tradiciones navideñas que los argentinos realizan cada año. Cuando se celebra la Navidad en Argentina, es verano. Normalmente, olvidamos que Argentina experimenta las estaciones al revés (todo…

Marchés de Noël d’Aix

Il existe beaucoup de grands marchés de Noël en Europe, cependant certaines petites villes offrent des perles de marchés. Aix-en-Provence est connue pour être « la ville de mille fontaines », mais elle a aussi des milliers de marchés – surtout à Noël. Chaque week-end de décembre apporte un nouveau marché. Le grand marché de Noël à…

An 18th birthday to remember

Hello! I am Emma W, the Linguist’s Food and Drink editor for the upcoming year. My love for food and drink has been lifelong, but my interest in languages largely blossomed because my local secondary school specialised in MFL! Whilst currently a third-year Spanish and Mandarin with Business Management student, I also spent six years…

The joys of being a tourist at home

I’m Elsie and I’m about to enter my final year of a Spanish and Music joint honours degree. I spent my year abroad in Salamanca and had some amazing experiences, although I’m really looking forward to starting a new year in Birmingham! Chances are that your summer plans have changed, whether you planned to travel…

Tips for Thailand

I’m Chloe, a final year French and History student, and the Travel Editor for the Linguist this year. Last summer I travelled around Thailand for 5 weeks, so I consider myself clued-up on what to see, and how to get the best value for money! Therefore, I present my top 10 tips for travelling in…

Why I always seem to end up back in Thailand

I’m Becca, a third-year music student, and I’m taking on the role of the Mandarin Editor this year. People are sometimes surprised that I can speak and understand the language, but I grew up in Singapore, so I thought it made more sense to learn Mandarin over French! One of the things I loved about…

24 hours in Barcelona changed my degree structure, for the better!

Barcelona, what a beautiful city. In fact, ‘beautiful’ is an understatement. I spent 24 hours here, and just could not get enough. I had to go back for another 72 hours a year later. From la Sagrada Familia to Monjuïc, from the Gothic Quarter to Las Ramblas, there’s always something to do in Barcelona. I…

The Time of my Life in St Petersburg

My name’s Georgia, and I am going into third year as a French, Spanish and Russian student! I have continued my role as Russian editor at the Linguist this year, and I’ve also picked up the Life and Style section. I can’t wait to get stuck in! I find it hard to believe that it’s…

Discovering Portugal

Hi, I’m Emily and I’m a final year Modern Languages student. For my first contribution as Portuguese section editor, it seems only fitting to go back to the place where my love for the Portuguese world began: the small and beautiful city of Faro. Having never been to Portugal before, visiting this area was a…