1. Is this the first time you’re teaching in Portugal? If so, what has the experience been so far?
No, it isn’t the first time. I have been teaching Spanish in Portugal since 2002 or so. Before I started working for the Language Centre and then in the undergraduate courses of the ESEB, I taught in Mirandela, Mogadouro, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Viseu, etc.
2. What do you think about education in Portugal?
I think that education in Portugal, as in the rest of Europe, and Spain is not an exception, is being distorted due to the prevalence of economic criteria over proper educational criteria. For some reason, governments feel the need to “disguise” the educational reality of its citizens and the access to higher education for all audiences, which should be positive. It is turning into a giant smokescreen which attempts to cover a multitude of sins. The lack of basic skills of many of the students entering University forces us to lower the standard and quality, in order not to lose students. I see a black future. There will be many people with college degrees, though without sufficient knowledge to defend the obtaining of these same degrees. And it will be those people that are going to govern our country in the medium term.
3. What do you think about the IPB?
Well, the truth is that it is the only Polytechnic that I know, so I can’t give my opinion in comparative terms. However, I think it is considered to be one of the best polytechnics in the country, so I guess that, it is a quality institution.
4. What do you think about our degree? What would you change?
The degree in Foreign Languages Spanish-English was a very interesting challenge in my career to which I dedicated myself with passion, because I understood it as the first real opportunity to educate good non-native Spanish teachers in the IPB. I think that the degree curriculum has been well conceived and the subjects are very interesting. One of the things that I would change would be, for example, equalizing the workload in the teaching of both languages. If students are to be teachers of Spanish and English, I think that they will need the same level of training. It is true that English is the main lingua franca in the world, but Spanish is not far behind, and it is unquestionable that what Portugal needs at the moment are Spanish teachers, much more than English ones, and that Spanish should be given the status it deserves not only in our degree, but throughout the Institute. I also think that treating both languages the same way would be a way to end with the quarrels between students who continuously express their preference for one or another language. If you have enrolled in this degree, knowing that these are going to be the working languages, one must respect them and also respect their peers.
5. Would you like to stay some more years teaching in this school? And why?
I’m not working at that school any more.
6. What made you become a teacher? Did you always want this profession?
Well, the truth is no. I studied journalism and I came to Portugal to work as a journalist in a radio and then in a newspaper. I started teaching classes quite by chance, although the Spanish Studies have always been my true calling. In fact, I always wanted to take a degree in Philology; however, it wasn’t an option in the school of my city and my parents could not afford to send me to study in another one, so I opted for journalism. I don’t regret it, because thanks to these studies I acquired general knowledge and that is always good. Since I started teaching Spanish in Portugal, I have continued my education in the Hispanic area, training that I intend to finish this year with the defense of my doctoral thesis which deals with the Spanish language and literature.
7. What do you like most in this profession? And why the choice of the Spanish language?
What I like most about teaching is to transmit knowledge to students and see how, gradually, these skills “take root” in them and how they are developing in the command of the language. It makes me feel especially proud to see how, in a conversation or in an essay, the students use a particular expression or word that I taught them some time ago.
The choice of teaching the Spanish language and culture is related to the fascination that my own native language and culture where I lived makes me feel. For me, teaching Spanish isn’t a job, it is a pleasure, and I think that the students have always noticed that I really enjoy what I do and teach.
8. What do you think about the Portuguese students?
I think that the Portuguese students are highly motivated to learn Spanish, but I also think that the similarity between Spanish and their native language, Portuguese, acts as a deterrent when it comes to studying for the exams. It seems to me that the general opinion is: "Spanish is easy". And this is why they get agitated when they fail. None of this happens when they fail at English, which leads me to believe that, when justifying the failures to their parents, friends or even to themselves, they get too shy to admit that they have not approved at Spanish. It’s as if the whole world assumes that it is easy and not passing Spanish can be a synonym of a disability much bigger than in English.
9. Do you like to live in Portugal?
Yes, I like it, although I have to admit I prefer Spain. Despite being neighbours, from the cultural point of view, they are very different and, although I have been living in Portugal for some years, I cannot overcome the sad feeling of being out of my country. It’s not different from what other emigrants feel, I think.
10. Do you think that people are more familiar with the language and culture of Spain here?
Well, I think the interest in the Spanish language and culture has risen in recent years, not only in Portugal, it’s a worldwide phenomenon. Suddenly, Spanish is no longer considered a second-class language, and has become a universal “lingo”. I think that this change is due to the representativeness that Spain has gained worldwide in recent years, not only from the standpoint of economic development, but also due to sporting success, film, etc,.
In Portugal, I think that many teachers have seen the Spanish language as a professional opportunity that the languages they studied haven’t provided them with and this may justify the increasing demand for Spanish in Universities and Polytechnics.
11. What do you think about the relation between Spain and Portugal? Do you think that there is any sort of rivalry?
Here's a difficult question ... Well, here we go ... the rivalry between border towns is very common and, in the case of Portugal, this rivalry can be due to the fact that Spain is its only neighbour. In Spain, for example, our animosity is directed towards France, for several reasons. This includes Napoleon’s occupation of Spain around the year 1808, which deeply hurt our national pride and was immortalized in Goya's famous painting "The Shootings of May 3rd."
I sincerely believe that Spain has a deep indifference towards Portugal, but not anger or rivalry. However, I get the feeling that many Portuguese feel resentment towards Spain and the Spanish, perhaps motivated by a troubled historical past. I think that in Portugal the image of Spain as colonizer, conqueror, enslaving still persists and they do not react too well when dealing with Spanish professionals, considering our daring, dynamic, passionate and determined character as an attack or threat.
This difference in the conception of the other is well expressed in folk sayings. The only Spanish saying that I know that is related to Portugal is: "You are more formal than a Portuguese", which means that in Spain the Portuguese are seen as extremely polite, while those that refer to Spain are much more aggressive: "From Spain neither good wind nor good marriage” [direct translation from the Portuguese].
Any extreme is bad, I feel that so pernicious is the indifference from Spain towards Portugal as the rancor of Portugal towards Spain.
I'm pretty skeptical about the future; I do not think that things will change in the short term.
(translation done by Rui Ricardo, 2nd year of English/Spanish)
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