On Thursday 18 July, Sir Trevor McDonald, who chaired the Nuffield Languages Inquiry and is now chairman of the Languages Programme, was presented with the award of Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite by Monsieur Daniel Bernard, His Excellency the Ambassador of France to the UK.

In a lunchtime ceremony at the Ambassador's Résidence, M Bernard outlined Sir Trevor's contribution to raising awareness in the UK of the importance of language and languages.

Present to witness the presentation were members of the Nuffield Languages Programme and prominent figures from the world of languages, including the German Ambassador, Herr Thomas Matussek, and Sr Xavier Gisbert da Cruz, Consejero de Educación en Reino Unido e Irlanda.