Callum speaks a foreign language for the Bluebirds
WHEN they arrive to play at Cardiff City, French-speaking footballers need someone to translate.
That person is Callum Davies, who says studying languages landed him his dream job working directly with players in the best league in the world, such as Gabon international Bruno Ecuele Manga, French midfielder Loïc Damour and defender Sol Bamba.
The former Treorchy Comprehensive and Cardiff University student accompanies French-speaking players to translate at top-level team talks, debriefing sessions, meetings and press conferences.
“Bruno Manga arrived in 2014 and did not speak much English at all, so I had to hold his hand for a bit and help him get stuck into life in the UK and at Cardiff City,” said Callum.
“Loïc Damour arrived in the summer of 2017 with limited English. When they first arrive, it’s about helping them interpret everything and helping them find houses and cars and set up their finances. I do that for everyone else too.
“Sol’s English is perfect. I work with him as I work with all the team players when they first arrive.”
As well as interpreting, the 27-year-old linguist, who also speaks Welsh and some Spanish, helps players adjust to life in Wales, buy cars, rent homes and even set up National Insurance numbers, finance and bills.
He landed his job as player liaison officer for Cardiff City FC, who have several French-speaking players, in the final term of his French and Welsh degree at Cardiff University.
Callum, who studied languages at A-level and university, said pupils don’t always realise what exciting jobs are on offer if they opt to study languages.
Take-up of modern foreign languages at GCSE and A-level has plummeted across Wales, which he believes is limiting job opportunities.
“My role is to help the players with any issues so that they can concentrate fully on football. It was a dream job for me. Leaving university for this job wasn’t in my wildest dreams, especially with the club climbing to the Premier League. I wasn’t aware of it as a career path.
“I graduated in July 2013 and got the job that month. I was contacted about it while I was doing my finals. The club wanted French-speakers because they were looking to get into the Premier League at that time and were sourcing players and tapping into the foreign markets.
“Everything I’m doing now is thanks to the languages I learned at school and university. Being able to speak another language from a young age can set you up for life, even if you don’t know at the time exactly what job you want to do.
“It’s not just French-speaking players I work with, it’s every first team player. My job is to help all first team players settle in, but having language skills is how I came into that job.”
Callum, who also worked with with former Cardiff City player Frederic Gounongbe before he left the club at the end of last season, admits he wasn’t a Bluebirds fan when he took the job five years ago. But he is a true fan now and hopes his combined love of football and languages will encourage more young people to study languages.
StatsWales figures show the number of pupils in Wales sitting French, German and Spanish GCSEs has fallen from 7,867 in 2014 to 5,626 in 2017, while A-levels for the same subjects have seen a drop from 541 in 2014 to 390 in 2017.
In response, Cardiff and Oxford universities have joined forces to encourage pupils from Wales to study modern languages.
The two universities areholding a Creative Multilingualism Day on Saturday, October 13 to highlight the benefits of learning languages and encourage young people to consider modern languages at A-level and university.
Year 11 pupils will hear from language graduates from both universities who are pursuing inspiring careers, including Callum.
Professor Katrin Kohl, from Oxford University, said: “We hope to open up pupils’ minds to the idea that languages are more than just practical skills – they can be a tool leading to unexpected opportunities in the creative industries and beyond.”