Welcome to the opportunity to widen your horizons!
The John Speak Languages Scholarship can provide you with complementary funding to assist you to travel overseas to study a language.
Mastering one or several languages provides enjoyment and a wider understanding of the world in which we live. In addition, language speakers are in demand by employers. By applying for a John Speak Language Scholarship, you are stating that you would like to use your mastery of languages in a manner that will benefit the UK economy.
The John Speak Languages Trust was set up in 1924 when a Bradford visionary left significant funds for the purpose of helping students to improve their language skills in order to support the export trade of UK goods and services. This visionary was John Speak, a leading figure in the Yorkshire textile industry.
John Speak anonymously donated these funds to the Bradford Chamber of Commerce as he recognized that whilst English is a widely-used language, long-lasting and strong commercial relationships are more often born by genuinely understanding other languages and cultures.
The trust has funded many scholarships to countries such as wide-reaching as Argentina, Spain, Italy, Japan, China, France, Germany and Burma to name but a few.
Successful applicants will benefit from an average award of £1,870 each. Scholarships last between three and twelve months and can be tailored to individual circumstances.
Interested in applying? Then check out the criteria
After 25+ years in the hot seat, we are saddened to announce that Mark Green has stepped down as Chair of the John Speak Language Trust. We are sorry to lose you Mark but fully appreciate your decision that now is a good time to hand over the reins.
As JST Chair, Mark has dedicated many, many hours leading the Committee, reviewing new applications, interviewing candidates, checking monthly reports as well as sourcing and securing new avenues of funding.
In 1974, Mark had no idea that after receiving a JST Scholarship and boarding a train to South Germany aged almost 18; a six-month trip would shape both his personal life and his future career.
Mark told us “The award of a language scholarship to Germany completely changed my life”.
The Trust will be forever grateful to you Mark for the commitment, passion, knowledge and guidance you have given. You have more than re-paid your thanks to the Trust!
We wish you all the best for the future.
A new Chair …………………
Many congratulations to Jo Dawson on your new appointment of John Speak Trust Chair.
Jo has been a longstanding member of the Trust Committee, having received a language scholarship to France back in 1992.
Jo said “Looking back, I can probably say that the 3 month scholarship was one of the key defining points of my life – something for which I am extremely grateful”.
The Trust look forward to continuing it’s good work under your guidance and expertise.
A new Committee member ……………
A warm welcome to newly appointed committee member Johannes Rosenthal.
Johannes has a wealth of experience to offer, German being his native language but also fluent in English, Spanish & French.
Managing Director of Mailway Packaging Solutions Group, a family-owned business which operates at the intersection between food manufacturers and retailers.
Previously in various management positions at Dr. Oetker UK and in Germany.
An opportunity has arisen for the John Speak Language Trust to offer a language Scholarship to one lucky student. To apply for this scholarship you must be studying textiles/fashion design with direct connections to the UK wool industry.
Are you/do you employ/do you teach a British-born citizen currently learning another language who has aspirations for a career in the wool industry?
Would you/your colleague like the opportunity to study abroad?
Have a desire to work in the export wool trade or related service industry?
If the answer is “yes” to all the above questions, please read on……
The Trust
The Trust, which has been in existence since 1924, was created to assist students to improve their language skills and to further the UK export trade.
For the past 85 years, thanks to the fund, successful students have travelled all over the world to study (and/or work) and learn the language and culture of our trading partners.
The History of the Award
In 1924 Bradford Chamber of Commerce and Industry received an anonymous donation to be used to provide scholarships abroad for suitable students. Many years later the donor was identified as Mr. John Speak, a well-known figure in the Bradford textile industry. Following his death the Fund was renamed The John Speak Foreign Languages Scholarship Trust Fund.
Over the years scholarships have been awarded, many to students from UK Universities who have studied abroad and returned to take their place in the export markets of the UK.
The Trust has funded many scholarships with students based in places like Argentina, Spain, Italy, Japan, China and France, benefiting from an average award of £1,870 each. Scholarships last between three and 12 months.
Applicants for scholarships are interviewed by the Committee (most of who are past recipients of the scholarship and work in the Yorkshire area within export related industries). All are fluent in at least one language and enthusiastically continue to carry on the work of the Trust in accordance with the wishes set out by John Speak in the original Trust Deed.
The Fund also has a Financial Committee, experienced in the Financial Sector and who meet bi-annually to review investments and ensure the continuance of the work of the Trustees.
The Scholarship
The scholarships are awarded following a satisfactory interview with the committee of The John Speak Trust and interviews will be held at Bradford Chamber of Commerce or via Skype. The period of the scholarship can be anything between three months and a full academic year. The grants are usually sufficient to cover reasonable living expenses and in some circumstances, an amount towards the cost of travel.
Application Criteria
Natural-born British Citizen
Over 18 years of age
Have a basic knowledge of a foreign language (Minimum GCSE / A level)
Have a desire to work in the export wool/textile trade or related service industry
Would like to spend time abroad, studying the language, learning the customs and gaining valuable experience to help with your chosen career connected to the wool industry.
To keep in contact with the Foundation during time abroad by sending monthly reports (written in your chosen language and English) detailing your activities and achievements
To obtain suitable employment whilst abroad (within the wool/textile trade) and to find accommodation within the local community rather than with other English speakers.
Submit a monthly report of not less than 250 words to the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.
Successful candidates would receive:-
A financial Award ranging from £500 up to £2,000 towards living expenses
An opportunity to improve language skills and learn new customs
Experience living abroad whilst studying a foreign language
Gain valuable experience to assist in a career within the wool/textiles industry
An individually assessed application by the John Speak Trust Committee
Enquiries to
Debra Patchett – Trust Administrator
West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry
We would like to thank One Global and Web-Translations for their help and assistance over recent months in providing the Trust with excellent translation services.
Both these companies have assisted the John Speak Trust on numerous occasions with the translation of our language students monthly reports.
As part of my undergraduate degree in French and Spanish, I have spent the last six months working in Le Mans, France in order to improve my French language skills. During this time, I have taught English to ages 7-24, allowing me to gain a real insight into the French education system across all ages and abilities.
Despite catching Covid-19 towards the end of January, I have had a fantastic time in France and my language skills have improved massively. I now dream in French! I have been able to visit many areas and monuments of France, such as Versailles, Brittany and many Châteaux in the Loire region of France. I’ve also been able to experience many of the culinary delights that the country has to offer. A highlight was appearing on the news on TF1 (the main TV channel in France) after watching a newly released film at the cinema!
I’m very grateful for the financial support of the John Speak Trust as it has allowed me to fully make the most of my time in France. I’ve been able to visit different regions (such as Brittany) and experience many cultural aspects of the country. Not only my language skills have improved, but my confidence too.
It’s fair to say that I’ve broadened my horizons from this experience, and I am extremely thankful for it. I hope to use my language skills to go into international business, hopefully with an international focus so that I can make the most of what I have learned during this experience!
There are two towers to climb at Stephansdom in the centre of Vienna. While the Sudturm is higher, there are lots of steps and the view is a little disappointing and only visible through grimy windows. Instead head to Nordturm, take the small lift up and gaze at the tiles on the Cathedral roof.
This viewpoint is so famous, it is the current cover image of the Lonely Planet Guide Book for Europe!
Invented by Franz Sacher in Vienna, this chocolate and apricot jam cake is a must have when visiting the city. There are many famous places to try, this photo is from the Hotel Sacher, named after the inventor himself, but Cafe Demel is also a good spot to try.
Well done on receiving John Speak Trust Scholarships. We hope you enjoy your time abroad and good luck!
Thinking of studying abroad? Check out the application criteria and submit your application for a language scholarship – applications open from 1st March 2021.
Унвони ин блог “халқи ош” аст чунки тоҷикҳо барои ош (таоми миллии онҳо) як ҷои махсус дар дилашон доранд. Ош таоме аст ки аз биринҷ, равған, гӯшт, наҳуду сабзиҳои реза дар дег пухта мешавад. Ба тоҷикӣ “restaurants” ва “cooks” номҳои “ошхонаҳо” ва “ошпазон” аст ва вақте ки дар гулӯ ягон чиз аз хӯрдан дар мегирад, бо даст дар пушт зада “ош” мегӯянд … Акнун шумо медонед ки ош чи қадар муҳим аст. Ё тоҷикҳо мегӯянд “баъд аз ош, як дам бош!”
Душанбе, шаҳрест, ки ман зиндагӣ мекунам, шаҳри хеле ҷавон аст. Вақте Тоҷикистон вилояти мухтор дар Иттиҳоди Шӯравӣ буд, русҳо даррав як маркази минтақавӣ барои ин минтақаи кӯҳии деҳоти Осиёи Марказӣ барпо карданд. Русҳо қишлоқи хӯрди Душанберо интихоб карданд пойтахташро бошад (ба забони тоҷикӣ/форсӣ “Душанбе” маъно “Monday” дорад чунки ин қишлоқ аз бозори рӯзи душанбеи маъруф буд.) Ҳозир шаҳри Душанбе тақрибан як миллион нафар дорад ва тез тараққиёт кард. Маркази шаҳрро бозсозӣ шудааст ва боғҳои калон, хиёбонҳо бо дарахтон, ва бисёри биноҳою ҳайкалҳои фарҳангии зебо ҳаст. Метавонед таъсири Русия ин ҷо ҳанӯз ҳис кунед: ҳама ин ҷо русӣ гап мезананд ва фарзандони оилаам ба мактаби русӣ мераванд ва барномаҳои русӣ тамошо мекунанд. Бештари тоҷикҳо ба ман русӣ гап мезананд, вақте аксентамро мешунаванд. Бинобар ин на камтар аз даҳ маротиба дар як рӯз бояд гӯям “мебахшед русӣ гап намезанам”.
Ҷолиби диққати чанд ҳафтаи гузашта дар Тоҷикистон – ба ғайр аз “ош” – ин скутери нави ман буд. Як скутер харидам (номаш Куруши Бузург) ва падари оилаи тоҷикиям ба ман таълими ронандагию таъмир дода истодааст. Мо дар шаб атрофи Душанбе рондаем ва вай дарсҳои бехатарии ҳаракат дар роҳ ба тоҷикӣ ба ман ёд додааст. Як мушкилоти иловагӣ аст ки ба тоҷикӣ фақат як калима барои “рост” (right/straight) аст, ки роҳнаморо мушкилтар мекунад!
Nevruz Palace in Dushanbe
My name’s Sam and I’ve just moved to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, for my year abroad. I’m studying Persian and linguistics at university, and Tajiki is a Persian language spoken in Central Asia, written in the Cyrillic script. In these blog posts I hope to share my experiences of this country, especially as Tajikistan is a country not many people know a lot about!
My host family are lovely and they have a two-month old baby who is so so cute! I’ve already been introduced to so many members of their large family I’m starting to forget who’s who. Last week my host dad took me to a Tajiki village wedding an hour outside the city which was a really interesting experience. Something I found interesting was that here, especially at an event like a wedding, the men and the women are hosted in separate rooms for most of the time.
The title of this blog post is “Land of Osh” because the Tajik people have a very special place in their heart for osh – their national dish. Osh is a rice dish cooked with oil, meat, chickpeas and carrot strips in a big pan over an open fire. Restaurants here are called oshkhonaho (osh-houses), cooks are called oshpazon (osh-cookers) and when you have the hiccups people say “osh” when they pay you on the back … So you get the idea how important this dish is! Or as a Tajik would say “ba’d az osh yak soat dam bosh!” (After Osh, time for a one hour nap).
Dushanbe, the city where I’m living, is a very new city. When Tajikistan became an autonomous oblast of the Soviet Union, the Russians had to quickly establish a regional centre for this very rural, mountainous region of Central Asia. The Russians chose the small village of Dushanbe to be the capital (“dushanbe” in Persian means “Monday”, because this village was named after its popular Monday bazaar). Now Dushanbe is a city of nearly a million people, and has developed fast. The centre has been redeveloped and there are large parks, tree-lined avenues, and lots of beautiful cultural buildings and monuments. The Russian influence here can still be felt: everyone here is a bilingual Russian speaker, the kids in my host family go to a Russian school and watch Russian TV. Most Tajiks start speaking Russian to me when they hear my foreign accent so at least ten times a day I find myself saying “mebakhshed rusi gap namezanam” (sorry I don’t speak any Russian).
The highlight of the last few weeks here in Tajikistan – aside from all the osh – has been my new scooter. I bought a little scooter (which I’ve named Kurushi Buzurg – Cyrus the Great) and my host dad has been teaching me how to ride and fix it. We’ve been going on nighttime drives around Dushanbe where he’s been giving me road safety classes in Tajiki. An added challenge is that in Tajiki the words for “straight” and “right” are the same, which makes giving directions to a learner driver a bit trickier!
As part of my Engineering course in the UK, I have the chance to study in Germany for a year. Germany is renowned for its automotive industry and focus on high quality. Studying abroad would give me a great insight into how engineering is viewed outside of the UK, and allow me to explore the option of working outside the UK.
I started my time in Germany and at the Technische Universität Darmstadt with a month-long intensive Germany course, which gave me a great boost when starting my year here. By doing a wide variety of courses I met many students, both Erasmus students from around the world and German students from throughout Germany. This has been the highlight of my experience – meeting so many diverse people, with different life experiences and ways of looking at the world.
Of course, I have had many great experiences here, from exploring the beautiful city of Heidelberg, to participating in a 3-day hackathon in Mainz to trying the weird sport that is underwater rubgy.
My German has improved dramatically over my time here, particularly my reading and speaking. Studying several engineering modules in German has certainly been challenging, but also enjoyable and has taught me a lot. The monthly reports have been very helpful, forcing me to write in German and being a record of my time that I can enjoy in years to come.
I look forward to another semester here in Germany, with a much more relaxed academic semester, giving me the chance to explore other areas of Germany, improve my engineering knowledge, and of course continue improving my German.
I have made a few great friends from around the world, and will fondly remember my year in Darmstadt. Thank you to the John Speak Trust, whose support has meant I am able to get the most out of my time here in Germany.
After 25+ years in the hot seat, we are saddened to announce that Mark Green has stepped down as Chair of the John Speak Language Trust. We are sorry to lose you Mark but fully appreciate your decision that now is a good time to hand over the reins.