Taking a language class is a requirement for getting a degree at most universities. Here at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, most students come to school with the ability to speak Spanish due to the 99% Hispanic population.
So, most students opt to go for taking a Spanish class because it would be an easy A for them. I’m not trying to knock out the fact that being bilingual is already amazing on its own, just that our university offers so many different options for languages and you shouldn’t be cheating yourself on learning just because the class would be easy.
Currently our university, offers German, Mandarin, Korean, Arabic, French, Russian and Portuguese. Learning any one of these languages would be a great asset to add to your resume. Also, on top of that, learning new languages allows you to see the world in a new light.
As Americans, we have a skewed ethnocentric view of the world around us. We tend to travel to foreign nations, and instead of engaging in the culture and diversity, we put on an American lens and see things and compare them to our culture rather than immersing ourselves in their culture.
Learning new languages allows you to gain an understanding of how other cultures think. Speaking that new language means you get to effectively engage with the community.
You can make new friends who are interested in teaching you about their language and also learn about the language you speak. This exchange in culture is a fundamental value that makes us utterly human.
We as humans are lucky to have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in new environment’s and change who we are. Currently, I have taken Chinese, Korean, German and French. I’ve learned so much about others cultures.
I’ve been lucky to be able to see the world in a different lens. To experience the world from a culture unlike the one you grew up with is just amazing. I’m met so many good friends throughout my journey in learning different languages.
I encourage and challenge you to shed the typical American ethnocentric ideology and learn a new language so you can see the world for what it truly is.
再見. Tschüß. 안녕. Au Revoir. Adios. Good Bye.