Forsdick honoured with award for outstanding contributions to languages

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Charles Forsdick, Drapers Professor of French in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics and lead Fellow for Languages at the British Academy, has received a special award for his contribution to the field of languages.

On 10 June, at a ceremony in London, the Chartered Institute of Linguists awarded its annual David Crystal Award to joint winner Forsdick.

The award is given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the field of languages throughout their life and career. They may not be a linguist themselves, but languages will have been a constant within their work and life, and they will have used their knowledge and experience to help or inspire others.

“It is a great honour to be one of the joint winners of the David Crystal award for 2026,” said Forsdick. “My contributions to the British Academy languages programme have proved deeply fulfilling at a time when advocacy for languages in UK education and beyond is more necessary than ever.

“I have enjoyed working with a wide range of organisations, including the Chartered Institute of Linguists. At Cambridge, in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, we believe that studying languages goes well beyond acquiring new linguistic skills, but also entails developing a different mindset, an alternative way of engaging with the world.

“As current co-chair of the Faculty, it is a pleasure to collaborate on a daily basis with colleagues and students to make the wider case for languages at a time when linguistic and intercultural skills, across diverse disciplines and sectors, are needed more urgently than ever.”

Forsdick has held many other distinguished roles, including Chair of the UoA26 (Modern Languages and Linguistics) REF sub-panel at the last REF, and is appointed to main panel D for the forthcoming REF as an interdisciplinary expert.

A past winner of the award is Bridget Kendall, who was Master of Peterhouse College Cambridge.

Read more about Forsdick and other award winners who received their awards from Baroness Jean Coussins.