Housed in an attractive and recently refurbished Georgian building and in the new classrooms of the main School building, the Modern Languages Department is, physically and spiritually, at the heart of the School.
We believe that learning a foreign language has never been more important, for the diverse and valuable skillset that it develops, the cultural awareness and sensitivity that it promotes, and the sheer intellectual challenge and stimulation that it offers.
Our Modern Language Department was recognised by Geoff Lucas (editor of the Good Schools Guide) in an article which appeared in the First Eleven and featured in Country Life as one of the departments in the country. This is reflected in the numbers of boys who choose to pursue modern languages beyond Tonbridge: every year, the Department sends boys to Oxford and Cambridge, and traditionally, the second most popular degree course for leavers is either languages or a language combined with another subject.
French
The French are our closest neighbours (geographically speaking, in any case) and so it has always been, and will always be, a very useful skill to be able to communicate effectively in French.
There is a certain je ne sais quoi about the French language and those who have a Francophile penchant can soon find learning the language a raison d’être. If one is en famille in a restaurant and ordering an hors d’œuvre before choosing an entrée from the à la carte menu, it is chic and de rigueur to create a better ambiance by being au fait with French.
Whilst the previous paragraph contains obvious French terms, the majority of this one is also influenced directly by the French language. There are over 50,000 English words that have their etymology in French.
Speaking French well can bring a whole wealth of benefits: cultural, social, political. And – let us not forget – it opens up a lot more job opportunities in an increasingly competitive job market.
The aim of the French Department at Tonbridge is to make learning French fun and interesting whilst building a solid linguistic and grammatical base on which our boys can build and take the language further. And many of them do.
German
What is German like? Sometimes like doing Maths – linguistic puzzles and equations in which everything has to balance. Certainly, it is different from studying a Romance language such as French or Spanish, although links with Latin are clear. Much of the everyday vocabulary bears a strong resemblance to that of English; hardly surprising if you consider that English and German belong to the same family of languages.
German is the most widely spoken first language in Europe, and we believe, as do the CBI, chambers of commerce and successive UK governments, that a knowledge of the languages of our main trading partners is essential in developing the economic links necessary for future prosperity. Germany is the UK’s largest non-English speaking trading partner and has, by some way, Europe’s largest economy. Companies looking for second language skills frequently, therefore, ask for German.
Virtually every year boys leave Tonbridge to do German at university, frequently in combination with other subjects such as history, law, business, engineering, or other languages. Letters and postcards from those on gap years, and news from students doing years abroad as part of a degree course, confirm that German is a valuable and stimulating subject to study.
Spanish
Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world with almost 600 million speakers. It is the first language of 21 countries, and by 2060, the United States will become the second largest Spanish-speaking country in the world after Mexico: almost one in three Americans will be Hispanic. These, and many other statistics, go some way towards explaining the global importance of the Spanish language. Its appeal, however, goes beyond the purely statistical. Knowledge of Spanish provides a gateway to some of the most vibrant cultural artefacts on the planet: from the Nobel Prize-winning novels of Gabriel García Márquez to Frida Kahlo’s striking self-portraits; from the hypnotic rhythms of Spanish and Latin American music to the universal appeal of La Casa de Papel; or from the burritos and tamales of a restaurant in Mexico City to the paella and tapas of one in Madrid.
Taught through interactive and lively classes, Spanish at Tonbridge is not only accessible in the initial stages of learning, but also richly rewarding for those interested in the cultural value of Spanish in today’s world. Through a linguistically rigorous approach to teaching and learning, pupils gain communicative competence and socio-cultural awareness, enabling them to achieve at the very highest levels at GCSE, A Level, and beyond.
Mandarin Chinese
Since Mandarin Chinese was introduced into the curriculum at Tonbridge School in 2006, it has grown from strength to strength. Sixth Formers take the CIE Pre-U Mandarin course, and Lower School pupils take the CIE IGCSE course.
Typically, around 70 non-native boys study Mandarin across the School. A good number of native speakers (mainly from mainland China or Hong Kong) continue their Mandarin with us. Each year many of the boys achieve top grades and go on to study Chinese at leading universities.
Learning Mandarin at Tonbridge not only offers a golden opportunity for our boys to learn a challenging language, but guides them towards understanding the lifestyle, traditions and beliefs of people living on the other side of the world. The course not only gives them the ability to interact confidently in Chinese but gives them a solid foundation from which to build in the future.
There is a permanent link between Tonbridge School and a similar prestigious school, Nankai School in Tianjin, northern China. Every year, boys in the Upper Sixth are able to visit Tianjin and stay with a Chinese family. The experience has proved highly valuable, as it offers a unique opportunity for them to practice their linguistic skills and to closely observe Chinese daily life.
Other languages
We are usually able to arrange private tuition for those who have an interest in a language not catered for in the main curriculum. We currently have Italian, Japanese and Russian tutors who come regularly to the School to give private lessons at all levels. Tuition in other languages may also be possible.
