王梅："你好，你要去公园吗？"
李冰："是的，我正要去，要一块儿走吗？"
王梅："好啊，听说公园里有个冰雕展呢！"
李冰："是的，我就是为此而去的。"
Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to be able to understand this conversation, or any conversation not in English? One of the greatest cross-cultural skills that you can develop in life is to learn another language. In fact, when you take the effort to learn the language of a culture, the people of that culture normally open up and become more interested in interacting with you. This may be one of the most important features of the GO Teams that travel every summer, as each team member tries to learn the language to some extent.
So how can we offer additional languages to students who are already busy taking college courses? Some students do not have room in their academic program to add much else; if a student is already taking 18 credits, how can they find space in their program to take French? With this problem in mind, Northland’s Center for Global Opportunities began a Language Mentoring program in the fall of 2009. This program features languages that are not part of the normal university curriculum, but are offered to students, faculty, staff members, and friends from the community for the purpose of personal enrichment. These courses meet once a week in the evening, and focus on conversational skills. In addition to the class time, each language hosts a “language corner” where students can practice their conversational skills. At a nominal cost of only $50 per semester, this program is an economical way to learn.
For the 2011–2012 school year, the Language Mentoring program will offer Mandarin Chinese and French. For more information about Northland’s Language Mentoring program, please contact the Center for Global Opportunities by clicking here.