Judith Garcia Obrador

I am from Barcelona, where I earned a degree in Translation and Interpreting, a Master’s in Proofreading (UAB), and a Master’s in Language Teaching (UB). Before coming to Sheffield, I taught English, Catalan, and Spanish in secondary schools in Barcelona and Perpinyà, and I also taught Catalan and Spanish for four years at the University of Glasgow.

A key area of interest for me is inclusivity in the classroom. I do believe in inclusion as fundamental for the good functioning of any classroom of any type, and I strongly believe in respecting all the individuals involved in the process of learning and in giving everyone the same opportunities. This is why I have dedicated my scholarship project to developing more inclusive materials not only for my own teaching practice, but also in the wide community of language teaching. I particularly focused on gender-fair language and direct non-binary language.

I also integrate cultural content into teaching through activities involving literature, cinema, and translation. These initiatives not only enhance students’ understanding of the cultural context of the language but also introduce them to potential professional pathways. In collaboration with a colleague from University College Cork, I co-authored an article on a teaching project designed to introduce students to the field of audiovisual translation for dubbing (available in Catalan at: https://raco.cat/index.php/resercle/issue/view/32446/1132).

Teaching Catalan has given me the chance to highlight the value of minoritised languages and, in my lessons, I encourage cultural awareness and empathy, aiming to build bridges with lesser-spoken but equally significant languages.