Reflections on second language learning

People today co-exist in closer conditions, both geographically and socio-politically, than ever before in history.  The borders, distance and cultural isolation that once separated us have been shattered by rapid technological advances, a universal wave of mass-marketing targeting an international audience, and an economy that has fomented inter-dependence between countries and nations that spans the entire globe. 

In light of the current world situation, language learning has understandably regained importance in the North American higher-ed system.  In a survey conducted by the Modern Language Association in 2006, there were 1.57 million students enrolled in Language courses in US institutions of higher learning, a rise of 13% from 2002.  William Fulbright once lamented that, “Our linguistic and cultural myopia is losing us friends, business and respect in the world."  This trend in both greater and broader interest in foreign languages certainly gives us hope that we can put an end to that myopia.

Learning another language can also enrich our lives in ways that go beyond its practical and economic, political or even academic applications.  In the 10 years that I have been a student of Spanish I have been exposed to a myriad of opportunities that have allowed me, and often times forced me, to transcend my own culture, customs and language to connect with other people on a level that otherwise would have been impossible.  

My experiences range from living in Spain for several years to volunteering as a medical interpreter in an inner-city housing project in the US and caring for children in a South American orphanage.  The Spanish language has caused me to cross paths with people who profoundly impacted my own life, and I believe it enabled me to also make a positive impact on theirs.  It has also provided a window through which I have learned much about the Spanish-speaking world, while simultaneously and auto-reflectively learning perhaps even more about my own. These are just some of the gifts of language that, as an instructor, I hope to make accessible to others.

Sunset at the aqueduct in Segovia, Spain: one of the best preserved monuments left by the Romans on the Iberian Peninsula.

“Those who know nothing of foreign languages

know nothing of their own.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, (1749-1832), German writer and scientist