Taking Classes in Multiple Languages: My Experience and Advice

Now that I have been keeping up with this blog for over three months, I decided that I would write a more personal blog post of what it has been liking taking advanced level courses in 4 different languages. I wanted to share my current schedule, so that I could inspire others to do so, showing that even busy, tired college students can successfully reach a high fluency and level in more than just one language. As a disclaimer, I had already taken 3 languages at once for 3 years in high-school, so it was not as hard of a transition for me as it could have been if had I not done so.

From 9:30-10:20 am, I have Russian 102, which helps me wake up in the morning. Since Russian is by far the most difficult language that I have ever studied, I love having it first thing in the morning five days a week. I have noticed that I have made leaps and bounds in terms of progress with Russian this semester. We have already reviewed all 6 cases and have slowly, but surely been hearing less and less English in the classroom. 

Since our professor is a teaching assistant from Russia, we have been able to gain a lot of insight about Russian culture, Russian norms, and about the Russian mindset. Our professor has been very patient with us when making mistakes, but expects that we put the work in in order to do well in the class. This has pushed me out of my comfort zone, making me want to truly understand what we have already learned and what we are learning in class. I love the emphasis that she has on speaking, especially because that is the skill that is most important to master when you are a beginner.

From 11:30-12:45 pm, I have Italian 231 on Mondays and on Wednesdays. The Italian course that I am currently taking is a writing-intensive course, but has also been vocabulary-intensive. We have already watched La Meglio Gioventù (a six-hour long Italian film) in clips and have had to memorize up over 100 words a week. I can now comfortably use idiomatic expressions, and more technical vocabulary when speaking and writing. Our class is also a hundred percent immersion, which has kept me in an Italian versus an English mindset, helping me not only to feel, but also to talk like an Italian. 

What has been most helpful about this course is the fact that we have learned a lot of idiomatic expressions and vocabulary that you cannot find in a textbook. We have learned how Italians truly think, feel, and speak, instead of only learning the grammatically correct way of speaking it. We have started mastering colloquial language and can more comfortably talk about historical and cultural events that happened in Italy, as well as talk about abstract and difficult material. From 3-4 pm on Mondays, we have an Italian lab, which has helped us review grammatical concepts from last semester, while expanding and deepening our knowledge about Italian grammar.

From 1:30-2:45 pm, I have French 246: Introduction to Francophone Cultures. Since I did not have the opportunity to take a French course last semester, I decided that I would communicate with a French professor and ask her if I could skip a few levels of French in order to take this course. After taking the placement exam, I found out that I could take this course, as long as I had the permission from the professor and got an override. Despite the fact that I did not take several courses that are required for the major and for the minor, I do not have any regrets taking the last 200 level French course offered at my college. 

I went from struggling writing 10 perfectly grammatically correct sentences in AP French as a senior in high-school to being able to write 7 pages of an analytical paper about colonialism in French. In this course, we have already watched over 5 films, have read 3 novels from three different countries, have had 3 presentations, but, most importantly, I have learned how to think critically, how to think outside of the box, and how to elaborately write about historical events in a language other than my other tongue. Another way of thinking about what I have been able to accomplish so far is that I no longer have to stop and think about every grammatical point in my head: I now know how to think in French and can easily switch into that mindset when writing, reading, speaking, and listening to my professor talk about controversial, yet important historical and cultural events in Francophone-speaking countries.

Lastly, from 1:30-2:45 pm on Tuesdays and on Thursdays, I have Spanish 295: Introduction to Latino Studies. This course has been extremely rewarding and has been the most personal course that I have taken so far. Before this semester, I had not had the opportunity to take a course taught completely in Spanish since fifth grade. I had not realized how much I missed having a native Spanish instructor and having to read and speak with others in my mother tongue. I am beyond blessed that I am in this course, because it has allowed me to meet several other students whose mother tongue is also Spanish, as well as students who are passionate about Spanish and Spanish-speaking countries. 

We have already talked about Hispanics in the United States and have extensively talked about Mexican-Americans, Puerto Rican-Americans, and Cuban-Americans in the American context. We have read 3 novels, have presented, and have had intellectual discussions and conversations about these topics. I have also been able to rekindle my love for my own culture, as well as learn about others who have similar, yet completely distinct experiences from my own. I have also been able to strengthen my sense of worth and my identity by taking this course.

Now that I have shared my experience taking 4 intellectually challenging courses, those who are currently taking, or who are planning on taking courses in more than one language (whether that be courses in your mother tongue(s), or in foreign languages), I have already written a post that gives you several tips on how to successfully learn multiple languages at once. Feel free to read my post titled “How to Learn Multiple Languages At Once” if you want to gain some words of wisdom about what I have personally noticed works and what does not when approaching language-learning.

The most important piece of advice that I can give you is to not let what others tell you that you cannot do get in the way. Besides my parents, I have had many people tell me that it would not be feasible or healthy for me to take courses in more than two languages, but have never let that affect me. Instead, I have surrounded myself with positive influences and with supportive friends and family members who are there for me no matter what. I try to be as involved in all of the language departments of which I am a part and have many international friends. There truly is no secret formula. The only secret is perseverance. Passion. Never giving up and following your dreams and never letting anyone, or anything, get in the way from achieving your goals.

How Does Language Change Your Brain?

Have you ever wondered if individuals who speak more than one language see the world in a different way than monolingual speakers do? If you answered yes to this question, then I will hopefully give you many reasons why languages not only change your brain, but also change your perspectives on life. The video that I attached down below answers one of the most interesting, and relevant questions about language learning: How does language change your brain?

Some of the most fascinating facts that were presented in the video were that whenever you speak more than one language, specific parts of your brain will get bigger. That is to say that you brain grows in size for every language that you learn. For anyone who falls into this category, he/she has improved cognitive function, better concentration, and attention span than monolingual speakers, showing that speaking more than one language is good for your brain. In my opinion, this is the case because your brain has to be comfortable getting out of its comfort zone whenever it encounters something that is unfamiliar. It has to think really hard, and make connections with patterns, and ideas that it has already learnt. Studies have also shown that children who learn more than one language at an early age have better cognitive function as an adult, which helps slow down brain aging. You are less likely to have diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and have a healthier brain.

What exactly can be shaped by language? Culture is a huge component, because it is with what you grow up, and with what you are surrounded. It teaches you what is culturally appropriate, and what you should do in many different situations through the use of language to express these ideas. If you grow up in a household where more than one language is spoken, or speak more than one language, you know that languages differ in what they convey. Languages determine how you think about what is around you. They help shape your world, and make images in your head vivid, rich, and colorful. The man in the video also says that we ascribe ideas of words based on our own language, which is very true. For example, some English speakers have a harder time understanding the concept that most languages have feminine and masculine words, and, sometimes, neuter words. I have always associated objects as masculine, feminine, or neuter, and see my world through those lenses.

My favorite part about this video is when he says that languages are a “prism in which we see the world.” Because of my ability to speak many languages, I dream in them, am more culturally aware, am less sensitive to talking about concepts that would be seen as uncomfortable or not culturally appropriate in our culture, and, best of all, have expanded the size of my brain in the process. It would be interesting to see which parts of my brain have changed over time, and how they have affected my ability to retain grammar, and words in more than just my mother tongue. Do you fit into this category? If so, have you noticed having the benefits stated above? Feel free to think about these questions. 

5 Reasons Why You Can Learn Any Language

•  1. Most of the best language-learners are teenagers, and adults.

This means that if you are a teenager, or an adult, you will have an equal playing field. The theory that you can only learn a language well if you are a child has already been disproven by some of the most famous polyglots around the world. Although it can give you an advantage early on, you do not have to have any prior experience, or be bilingual in order to do this well. In fact, as Benny Lewis (a well-known polyglot) has said, adults have the advantage of knowing how they learn best. Teenagers, and adults have had years of learning, and have had many different experiences. Children, on the other hand, have had very few years of learning, less experiences, do not understand grammar rules, and are not as focused on the mechanisms that build up a language. Therefore, teenagers, and adults are more likely to distinguish patterns, and can compare their mother tongues to other languages that they speak, in order to learn information quickly.

• ·     2. Once you find the learning-style that bests suit you, and your needs, you will be unstoppable.

As you all know, everyone has preferred ways of studying, or to go about retaining new information. The same pertains to language-learning. There is no wrong way of doing so. Some people like to study flash-cards with words in their native tongue on one side, and the words in their target language on the other. Some people like doing traditional grammar exercises, while some like to be completely immersed as much as possible. Every language learner retains information differently, but is ultimately capable of achieving mastery, or fluency in a language.

• ·   3. No matter how different a language is from another; most languages have similarities.

It may seem hard to believe at first, but I have experienced this first-hand. Before starting to learn Russian, I thought that it would be impossible to retain vocabulary, but as time has passed, I have realized that Spanish and Russian share some words that are identical, but that are pronounced differently. 

                                           For example,

Atmosphere = atmósfera, атмосфера

Music = música, Музыка

Opera = ópera, опера

System = sistema, система

This especially holds true if you are learning a language that belongs to the same language family group. Even more so than in the previous example, it will be more likely that these languages share similar grammatical structures, vocabulary, and, oftentimes, expressions. Let's take German, and English as an example:

Bed = Bett

Fish = Fisch

House = Haus 
Warm = warm

As mentioned in the comparison of Spanish and Russian words, the German and English languages also share words that are similar, or identical, but that are pronounced differently. This can make language-learning more enjoyable.

• 4. There are many free applications, resources, websites, and videos that are just as good, or that are even better than paid ones.

I have found that some of the best resources that I have used to maintain 7 languages have been free of cost. Many of them have complete courses, links, and tips on how to learn what is essential in each level of language-learning: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. A common myth is that you have to spend a lot of money on textbooks, workbooks, courses, audios, or CDs in order to become fluent in a language. Although it would be a good idea to own at least one of these, it is not necessary. We have information right at our fingertips with a simple click of a button, and a search on Google, or on YouTube. The best part about all of this is that you can spend less than an hour a day using free resources, and achieve satisfying results, as long as you are consistent with your learning.

• 5. You do not have to have a “good” memory in order to learn a language.         

I added this bullet-point, because I cannot stress it enough. I have personally struggled with learning vocabulary, and memorizing information all of my life. I would often find myself spending countless hours trying to cram information into my brain, and not retaining most of it. Luckily, there are several simple solutions to this problem. Spaced-repetition, which is a method in which you review information in intervals, allows your brain to remember words, and concepts in the short-term, as well as in the long-term (stay tuned for a blog post on what I do in order to learn vocabulary, and expressions). You can also learn how to be confident in what you are saying, or learning from the very beginning, and get much better results.

Although there are more reasons why anyone can learn a new language this year, I decided to write about the 5 that I think are the most important, and that are rarely mentioned. If you thought that you could not learn a language before reading this post, I hope that you thought about that a little differently. Have you started learning a new language recently? If so, which obstacles have you faced?