Fluency for the Future
A look inside the language department
Photo: Ethan Matsubayashi
The language department displays a collection of projects from various Chinese classes.
Taking a language is required during all three years of middle school and at least three years of high school at University Prep. As students are preparing for the real world, knowing another language can be very beneficial.
In a survey by Forbes, 35% of those responsible for hiring or managing people reported that an employee’s proficiency in another language resulted in them offering an interview, or position, or recommending a promotion or pay raise. At UPrep, knowing another language can also be beneficial when taking a semester away and creating connections with different cultures.
Currently taking “Literatura y Cine Del Mundo Hispano”, senior Sarah Burns felt well prepared while studying abroad in Spain last spring.
“In comparison to students from other schools across the country, and as someone who did not already speak Spanish in their home, I was one of the most prepared students,” Burns said.
According to Spanish teacher Elena Tello Portoles, the department’s focus in comparison to other schools is on teaching students how to speak.
“I know that some schools focus on grammar, but that’s not necessarily going to be useful when you want to communicate,” Tello Portoles said. “Sometimes you focus so much on grammar that students still cannot have authentic or spontaneous interactions with someone.”
Though Burns felt as though Spanish classes prepared her well for the most part during her time in Spain, she struggled with being able to understand Spanish that was actually spoken to her.
“One thing that I think the school could have done a better job on was rather than giving me tests every single year about the difference between ‘ser’ and ‘estar,’ maybe have us practice more auditory listening so that you can like decipher words when people speak really, really quickly,” Burns said.
Head of the Language Department and French teacher, Isabelle Rio, believe that once students reach a certain level or class, they should be able to speak and communicate in that language.
“I mean my classes speak fluently,” Rio said. “You know, French IV, V, and VI should be total immersion. If they are not, that means the foundation is off and maybe the pandemic has been some obstacle along the way.”
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Senior Chris Polhman has been taking Chinese since sixth grade and is now in Chinese VI. Despite having taken the language for seven years, Pohlman does not believe he would be able to hold a conversation with a native speaker.
“I think I would be able to pick up on some basic words but would struggle if I had to have a conversation with a native speaker,” Polhman said. “I think Chinese is a hard language that requires more immersion to actually become fluent.”
Tello Portoles agrees with Polhman that immersion is the best way to truly learn a language.
“Real fluency happens when you’re immersed in the language and culture and when you have real-life problems that you have to solve in that language,” Tello Portoles said. “Students that seek immersion outside of the classroom are the ones that achieve the highest levels of fluency in high school.”
Rio also emphasized how learning a language allows you to connect with new people and places.
“We want you to feel good about another culture, to get to know the culture and I think that’s key for future success,” Rio said. “We also recommend that you continue with the language of your choice your whole life in high school, college and beyond.
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