Ask Anne Taylor

Here is Frances talking about how languages impacted her life. The importance of language skills is something my colleagues at the Regional Language Network (RLN) realise only too well.  They help businesses and individuals in the West Midlands to access language skills and services and generally provide advice and information to anyone with a language or culture-related query.
  Programme Co-ordinator, Frances Pallett, enjoys promoting languages through her work with the RLN.  Having taken A level French at school and proceeded to University to study International Business Studies, Frances’s language learning appeared to be on track.  She was studying Japanese alongside French and was due to spend a year working in France as part of her degree course.  Things did not go to plan, however, and by Christmas of her second year Frances was forced to leave university due to ill health. 
 2 years later M.E. was finally diagnosed and by this time the only contact Frances had with language was helping her younger sister study for her French A Level.  As the illness progressed Frances realised her hopes of working abroad were fading along with her state of health and when she finally pushed herself back to university it was to study something else she was passionate about – English and Archaeology.After a three year struggle, Frances gained her BA honours degree, but was still unable to work full time or take on anything too taxing.  Languages, by this point, had become a thing of the past.  Frances worked part time doing a variety of roles for several years before taking time out to have a baby.  It was on her return from maternity leave that Frances started working for the RLN – combining two of her passions – writing and languages.  She says:
‘Although I am not actually speaking or using languages at the moment I feel as though I am still doing my bit through promoting their importance to others.  I hope that when time and health permit, I will be able to refresh my French and perhaps even learn a new language.’
Just shows what you can achieve if you remain positive!
If you would like to find out more information about the RLN please contact Frances on 0121 329 3297, e-mail frances.pallett@rln-westmidlands.com or visit the website www.rln-westmidlands.com