By Heather Forsyth
“Learn a new language and get a new soul,” a Czech proverb says and through the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, students are doing just that.
A variety of reasons leads students to choose to study a new language and whether it’s a program requirement or an elective, the benefits of a new language are easy to see. Facilitating travel, opening up job opportunities and promoting cultural understanding are among the top reasons why students pursue languages beyond their mother tongue.
Srdjan Stojcev chose to study Spanish as part of his undergraduate degree in International Business at Carleton. Stojcev has also studied German and French and encourages others to study a new language because “through cultural interaction one not only learns about the new culture but also about oneself.”
“I appreciate having a better understanding of the language and culture,” agrees Michelle Beimers, BA/06, Beimers took Mandarin in her first year. Interested in learning a language that was completely unlike English, Beimers explains that if she becomes an ESL teacher that “having a basic proficiency in a language that would undoubtedly be a first language for a lot of my potential students would be an advantage.”
James Tompkins studied Spanish as a requirement for his program, Bachelor of International Business, at Carleton. Studying abroad in Viña del Mar, Chile, Tompkins says, “I expect that my international experience and third language will open up a whole range of jobs in the marketing field that would otherwise not be easily accessible.”
Opening up new opportunities is a key benefit of learning another language and through studying German at Carleton, Patricia Reid was able to spend a year abroad at the University of Leipzig in Germany where she took all of her courses in German and became fluent. “Speaking German really helped me experience Europe in a way that I couldn’t have if I only spoke English,” she says. “I was able to understand all that was going on around me and participate fully in European life. I made great friends and had amazing experiences on my exchange year, and it really changed me.” Returning to Carleton as a German TA, Reid put her language skills to use and is looking for a job in an international setting so that she can continue to do so.