St Andrews Modern Languages

05/10/2026

Call for Conference Papers 'Women and Arabic Theatre' April 21-23 2027. Apply by 1 Dec 2026. More here: https://shorturl.at/HCOj0

International Federation for Theatre Research: https://www.facebook.com/iftrcomms

Arabic Theatre Working Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/atwgiftr?locale=en_GB

05/10/2026

Join Translator Ellen Elias-Bursać for a reading of the translated work 'Celebration', as well as a Q+A discussion about her career journey and what inspires her in her work!

To sign up for the event, please register here: shorturl.at/xDz2l

When: Wednesday 14th October, 6:15 PM in UCO: School 2

01/10/2026

As part of the Festival of Languages, we are highlighting the case studies of some of our recent graduates:

EDI Initiatives: Linguistic Diversity as a Case Study
Ana Ross (Chinese and Russian, Class of 2026) and Alistair Grant (Chinese and German, Class of 2026) explored linguistic diversity as part of an EDI campaign.

Ana’s project examines the political and identity implications of simplified and traditional Chinese characters, while Alistair’s explores accent discrimination and language attitudes in Chinese-speaking contexts. The campaign draws parallels with research on accent bias in English-speaking contexts, highlighting linguistic discrimination as a broader structural issue rather than simply a matter of individual prejudice. Their posters are currently on display at the Byre Theatre as part of the Festival of Languages.

22/09/2026

We are pleased to announce this semesters research seminar events for our Cross-cultural circa 19th Century Research Centre.

22/09/2026

The School of Modern Languages is delighted to celebrate the University’s position as the top-ranked university in the UK in the 2027 Times University Guide.

The ranking highlights the exceptional strength of language teaching and learning at St Andrews. In the subject-level rankings, French, German and Iberian Languages were all placed 1st in the UK, reflecting the dedication of our staff, the achievements of our students, and the School’s commitment to academic excellence.

These results reinforce the School’s reputation for delivering an outstanding student experience, combining innovative teaching, research-led learning and a vibrant international community. The rankings are a testament to the hard work and expertise of colleagues across the School and to the enthusiasm and success of our students.

22/09/2026

The School of Modern Languages is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious Athena Swan Silver Award, recognising its sustained commitment to advancing gender equality and creating an inclusive and supportive environment for staff and students.

The Silver Award acknowledges significant progress made since the School's previous Athena Swan accreditation, including initiatives to improve career development opportunities, strengthen mentoring and support networks, promote inclusive leadership, and embed equality, diversity and inclusion across all areas of School activity.

This achievement reflects the collective efforts of colleagues throughout the School, whose dedication has helped foster a culture in which individuals from all backgrounds can thrive and succeed. The award also recognises the School's evidence-based approach to identifying and addressing barriers to participation and progression.

While celebrating this important milestone, the School remains committed to continuous improvement and will continue to build on this success, ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion remain at the heart of its teaching, research and community engagement.

21/09/2026

Professor Will Fowler’s second novel TRAIDORES has just come out in Mexico.

16/09/2026

We are pleased to announce that the School of Modern Languages has been ranked 3rd in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2027!

https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2026/sep/12/the-guardian-university-guide-2027-the-rankings

Find a course at one of the top universities in the country

14/09/2026

What does the world’s easiest language have to do with anarchists, Scottish modernism, and Brazilian mystics? Why is Esperanto still used in daily broadcasts by the Catholic Church, the Ba’hai faith and the People’s Republic of China?

Simon Ezra-Jackson wanted to know. So, after graduation, he spent two months hitchhiking across a Europe-wide free homestay network of Fiat factoryworkers, linguistics professors and Basque squatters.

Join Simon for a fast-paced potted history of one of the greatest utopian projects that never was — and see first-hand how quickly you too can pick up the international language of peace: The last 20 minutes of the session will be conducted entirely in Esperanto.