In June 2013, the University of Salford announced that it would close its modern languages department. Following the local University and College Union branch’s resolution to support colleagues through industrial action, the university suspended this decision and established an independently chaired review.
The review’s report in February was positive, recommending retention of two-language programmes and appropriately designed joint degrees. In addition, it recommended that postgraduate courses in translating and interpreting should be retained in view of the quality and sustainability of this portfolio.
Senior management at the university then instituted a second internal review without an independent chair or representation from languages staff. Staff were told that the final decision was based on this second financial review, although the university has refused to make the review’s details public, citing reasons of commercial confidentiality.
The UCU believes that redundancies will follow, therefore we call upon the university to disclose the evidence and full reasons behind the decision. We remind Martin Hall, the vice-chancellor, that he gave assurances that the review took as its starting point the maintenance of modern languages at the university.
We believe that the potential closure contradicts the university’s strategy of “commitment to the value of global citizenship and internationalisation”.
Elizabeth Andersen
Head, School of Modern Languages
Newcastle University
Mona Baker
Professor of translational studies, School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
University of Manchester
Henk de Berg
Department of Germanic studies
University of Sheffield
Anthony Bushell
Professor of modern languages
Bangor University
Sarah Colvin
Schröder professor of German
University of Cambridge
Mary Cosgrove
Professor of German studies
University of Warwick (from January 2015)
Peter Davies
Professor of modern German studies
University of Edinburgh
Wini Davies
Reader in German
University of Aberystwyth
Lucile Desblache
Reader, director of the Centre for Research in Translation and Transcultural Studies
University of Roehampton
Jorge Diaz-Cintas
Centre for Translation Studies
University College London
James Dickins
Professor of Arabic, deputy head of school, School of Modern Languages and Cultures
University of Leeds
Said Faiq
Professor of translation and intercultural studies
American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Federico Federici
Senior lecturer, School of Modern Languages and Cultures
Durham University
Allyson Fiddler
Department of European languages and cultures
Lancaster University
Steve Giles
Emeritus professor of German studies and critical theory
University of Nottingham
Claire Griffiths
Head of modern languages
University of Chester
Terry Hale
School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures
University of Hull
Theo Hermans
Professor of Dutch and comparative literature
University College London
Amanda Hopkinson
Visiting professor, School of Arts and Social Sciences
City University London
David Johnston
Professor of Hispanic studies, School of Modern Languages
Queen’s University Belfast
Francis Jones
Reader in translation studies, head of translation and interpreting
Newcastle University
Susanne Kord
Professor of German
University College London
Duncan Large
Academic director of the British Centre for Literary Translation
University of East Anglia
Kirsten Malmkjaer
Head of the Research Centre for Translation and Interpreting Studies
University of Leicester
Jeremy Munday
Professor of translation studies
University of Leeds
Bill Niven
Professor in contemporary German history
Nottingham Trent University
Stephen Parker
Simon chair for German studies
University of Manchester
Loredana Polezzi
Department of Italian
University of Warwick
Julian Preece
Professor of German
Swansea University
Anthony Pym
President of the European Society for Translation Studies
Ritchie Robertson
Professor of German
University of Oxford
Margaret Rogers
Emeritus professor
University of Surrey
Eve Rosenhaft
Professor of German historical studies
University of Liverpool
Myriam Salama-Carr
Professor of translation studies
University of Salford
Christina Schäffner
Head of translation studies, School of Languages and Social Sciences
Aston University
Ricarda Schmidt
Professor in German
University of Exeter
Abdullah Shunnaq
Director of Languages Center
Yarmouk University, Jordan
Graham Turner
Director of research, School of Management and Languages
Heriot-Watt University
Robert Vilain
Head of school, School of Modern Languages
University of Bristol
Janet Watson
Leadership chair for language at Leeds, School of Modern Languages and Cultures
University of Leeds
Dan Wilson
Professor of German
Royal Holloway, University of London
