Joana Fehr

My professional journey

My journey is a little different to others, as after completing my BA Modern Languages (French, Spanish, Italian) in Birmingham, I got accepted for a postgraduate degree. I am currently completing an MA in Language and Communication (Linguistics) at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where I am further developing my interest in multilingualism within the context of international politics. 

A day in my life

I usually wake up around 7:30am, go for a run, and then bike to class. Depending on my schedule, I have two to four hours of lectures, after which I work on readings, assignments, and my thesis. In the evening, I coach and teach German online to students around the world.

My Birmingham experience

While my studies at Birmingham are not directly applicable to my MA at Georgetown, several aspects of my BA in Modern Languages gave me a good foundation from which to build on. Above all, my three years at Birmingham helped me develop a strong work ethic and an effective approach to organisation that I continue to rely on.

The steady submission of assignments during my degree prepared me well for the demands of postgraduate study, where multiple pieces of work are due each week, allowing me to maintain a steady and sustainable workflow. Overall, my BA degree taught me that careful preparation really plays out well in the end, and getting ahead of your assignments early and working on topics that are related to your interests is the best way to be successful academically.

Birmingham’s impact – scholarships

Throughout my time at Birmingham, the scholarships and prizes I was awarded definitely boosted my confidence in my abilities and work ethic, and motivated me to continue striving towards my goals.

They also helped me realise that I could aspire to far more ambitious opportunities than I had previously imagined, such as pursuing my MA at Georgetown, and remain achievements I continue to be very proud of!

My achievements

I really loved my degree at Birmingham, especially studying languages! My favourite module was Communicative Skills, as speaking has always been the part of language learning I enjoy most. Because of this, I appreciated the focus Birmingham placed on pronunciation, expanding vocabulary, and developing the ability to construct increasingly complex and nuanced arguments.

I also particularly valued how Birmingham integrated language practice and grammar with the study of politics, history, and culture in the countries where those languages are spoken. With the encouragement and guidance of my lecturers, who were always generous with their time and open to meeting outside of class to discuss my academic interests, I was able to explore how language functions within society in greater depth. Their support helped me strengthen my work, refine my academic interests, and think critically about my future including the option of doing a Master's, ultimately sparking an interest in language and politics I have since continued to develop on a larger scale at Georgetown. There, my MA focuses on applying sociolinguistic theory to real-world social and professional contexts.

During my time at Birmingham, one of my proudest achievements was working as a Research Assistant on a Hispanic linguistics project. In this role, I collected and evaluated data on language workshops for 120 Latin American immigrants in the UK and Italy and contributed to the creation of a research corpus on immigrant language use. This experience allowed me to apply what I had learned at Birmingham in a meaningful, real-world setting.

My advice for Modern Languages students - becoming an accredited hyperpolyglot

There is no single formula for becoming a hyperpolyglot. You just have to love languages and be committed to continuously engaging with them, including taking a real interest in the cultures, histories, and societies in which they are spoken.

Immerse yourself as much as possible! Read key literature, watch internationally produced, curate playlists in your target languages, and, where possible, visit or live in places where you can emerge yourself in them.

It is also worth seeking out opportunities beyond the classroom, such as conferences, talks, or specialist lectures on multilingualism where other hyperpolyglots will be present to network with (such as the HYPIA association).

If you are on the path to becoming an accredited hyperpolyglot, be proud of yourself! Multilingualism opens doors to a wide range of academic and professional opportunities. And finally, be prepared that once you have acquired more than around three languages, it becomes difficult to stop. I am at 7 now, and excited to see where this journey will lead me next!