An event I attended this month was “Live, Love, Languages” with IA third and fourth years. They spoke about language learning experiences for less common languages that are taught in the United States. The languages they spoke about were Arabic, Russian, Korean, and Chinese. I was really drawn to what made them choose the languages they are currently studying. For example, one of the students had an interest in the Korean language through music and now she is a Korean major. I resonated with them when they mentioned enjoying the nature of an engaging language classroom. I believe what makes a language learning classroom much more interesting is “being spoken with, not spoken at” as one of the students mentioned. In addition to the engaging aspects of a language learning classroom, learning about the culture is just as important as obtaining fluency in the language. Language is only one aspect of a specific culture.
The speakers recommended a few resources based on their experiences learning a language here at Ohio State. One of the recommendations was building relationships with professors and sharing what your goals are as far as language learning with them. This is important, because at times some of our goals are outside what you can gain in a classroom setting. Another recommendation was reading books you are familiar with in your target language, since you already have an idea of what the plot is. One of the students spoke about journaling about his day in another language to increase his fluency. Finally, finding funding for language study is also helpful. This is important to keep in mind, because there are a lot of ways to utilize the language you are learning outside the classroom. Overall, I enjoyed listening to everyone’s experiences during the event.