From Bristol to CNN: How studying languages helped me stand out in journalism

From an early career opportunity in Paris to reporting on international stories for the BBC and CNN, Ivana shares how studying languages helped her stand out in a competitive industry.

Her language skills gave her a distinct advantage in a global newsroom, opening doors to stories, experiences and opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach.

Where languages can take you: From Bristol to CNN

I'm a digital video producer for CNN. I write, produce, edit and present digital videos for the CNN website, social media channels and YouTube on anything from the breaking news of the day to longer feature stories that I've spent more time researching and investigating.

The videos can range from anything from 40 seconds to 7 minutes long. I love the variation in what I do, and I like feeling as though I've become a (kind of) expert in a new and different topic at the end of each day.

Why I chose languages at Bristol

I knew I was good at them and didn't know what I wanted to do career-wise, so thought choosing to pursue something I'm good at wouldn't be a bad decision. I chose the School of Modern Languages at Bristol because I liked the atmosphere of the small classes and the choice of different modules that satisfied my interests particularly in history and art.

Standing out in international journalism

When the Taliban regime regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the story was of huge interest to the BBC and the UK given the country's history fighting there.

A friend from the BBC Uzbek service (a language spoken in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan) came to me with a story he wanted to pursue about two Afghan professional cyclists who had fled the country and an Italian ex-cyclist in the north of Italy who had taken them in. He came to me as he knew I could speak Italian and he needed a producer to liaise and approach the Italians to let us do the story.

We went to cover the story a few months later and to this day it was one of the best experiences of my career, and I learnt so much.

From Bristol to Paris, the BBC and CNN 

From Bristol to Paris 

Straight after Bristol, I went to City of London University to do a Broadcast Journalism MA. While I was there, a French TV channel came to interview any students who spoke French for an entry-level role in their HQ in Paris.

I had no intention of moving to France but realised it would be silly of me not to apply since only six or so people in the year spoke French. I interviewed and got the job and moved straight after finishing the MA and stayed in that job for three years.

From the BBC to CNN 

I had to do all sorts of night shifts, weekend shifts and they sent me out last minute on breaking news. After that I returned to London to work at the BBC World Service for four years as a TV producer and after that I moved to CNN and made the jump to digital video.

Learning through challenge 

During the COVID-19 pandemic I felt like I got stuck in my role as a TV producer and found it hard to move, progress and develop skills due to the lack of movement and opportunities due to the pandemic.

I tried to do as much as I could within that role, spoke to people from different departments to see how I could help out or learn something new, made new connections and that eventually helped me out in the long run to add some digital video skills to my CV – which eventually led me to the role I'm in today. 

Skills beyond the classroom 

Studying languages helped me develop a range of skills that I continue to use today, both professionally and personally. In particular, I gained:

• Confidence and communication skills - which came largely with my year abroad.
  
• Mediation and diplomacy - which comes from trying to work out what someone is saying in another language and trying to get them to be patient with you as you get your point across - as well as working and studying on the year abroad.
• Cultural awareness and a deeper understanding of different backgrounds and religions.
• Resilience.
• Problem-solving skills.

How Bristol and languages have shaped my life

I loved studying at Bristol and have the best memories there. The size of the classes and year groups helped me to come out of my shell and to not be too overwhelmed when I first started. Some of my best friends now are my friends I met at Bristol and all of them happened to study languages with me.

Studying languages has made me stand out in certain, key moments when I need to step up and use my language skills. But it's also made me a much more open, understanding person with a real interest in learning about different cultures and backgrounds. It's also made me open to living abroad throughout my career and life.