As a University of Salford student I want to express my opposition to the closure of its modern languages courses and explain why I think the university is making a grave mistake.
Salford says the cuts will help it improve, but how can closing some of its best departments achieve this aim? The university is part of the European Translation Network, one of the few UK institutions to have the privilege, and its modern languages courses are well respected and produce high-quality linguists. Such a reputation isn’t built overnight – but it can be discarded that quickly, it seems.
Salford claims that it wants to focus on courses with high graduate-employability rates, even though its own website states that employers “are increasingly looking for graduates who not only have high-level oral and written communication skills in more than one language, but who also have the analytical skills to deal with complex information and carry out mediation tasks in an international multilingual environment”. How does it square this circle?
Salford also fails to mention the other options it considered. Several strategic plans were put forward but all were rejected. What were these proposals and why were they shunned? If applicant numbers are falling, the university should be looking to bolster its marketing and use the good name of its modern languages provision to arrest the decline. Even if the department is losing money, other universities make it work: why can’t Salford?
Paul Hambling
University of Salford