Oneida Shushe spoke with Colgate junior Lindsey Johnson.

What languages do you speak/study?

I’m studying the Russian language, and I had absolutely no prior experience with the language before coming to Colgate. 

Did you study any other languages before coming to Colgate?

In middle and high school I took Spanish language classes. 

How has language study been different for you at Colgate than it was in high school?

I think the biggest difference between high school and college language study has just been the language itself. Russian is much more difficult to learn – and easier to forget! But classes meet nearly every day of the week, which helps with retention while taking the class. 

What has been your favorite language class or professor on campus?

I think my favorite language class I took on campus was second semester first year Russian with Professor Alice Nakhimovsky, because it was a small class and a fun learning environment.

What else do you study besides languages? Do you see any crossover between your separate fields of study?

My other major is Peace and Conflict Studies. I have focused on 20th century Russia/Soviet Union, so there has actually been quite a bit of crossover between my two majors.

Have you received any scholarships or fellowships for language study? If so, where have you been able to study abroad?

Last year I received a Lampert Language Fellowship, which allowed me to take the the Summer 2017 Russian Language Practicum at Columbia University. This was in an intensive course that helped me to prepare for my fall semester in Moscow on a Middlebury College program. 

What was your study abroad experience like? How did it contribute to your education at Colgate?

My study abroad was difficult but rewarding, as I had to sign a Language Pledge and all of my classes were in Russian. I also lived with a Russian woman who spoke little to no English. 

Why do you think studying languages is important?

 I think studying language has always been very important, but especially now since we live in such a global world. Moreover, because of the U.S.’s current relationship with Russia, learning Russian can be extremely valuable in many ways – if only to allow us to empathize with the Russian people.

What impact do you see language study having for the rest of your life? Do you have any future plans that involve the language you study?

I am not absolutely sure what I want to do yet, but I hope to do something involving peacebuilding or diplomacy in the future. 

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Student Assistant Oneida Shushe chatted with Justine Hu about family, fluency, and international relations.

What languages do you speak/study?

I study Arabic here at Colgate. I have also studied Chinese, French, and a tiny bit of Spanish and Italian.

Did you study languages before coming to Colgate?

I grew up bilingual; both my parents are from China. I subsequently took 12 years of Chinese Language schooling as a child and an additional 5 years of French in high school. I attempted to teach myself basic Spanish as a personal project the summer before my senior year, and took one year of basic Arabic before coming to Colgate.

How has language study been different for you at Colgate than it was in high school?

Language study at Colgate is super intensive and fast-paced; I have learned so much more Arabic in three semesters than I ever expected.

Do you have a favorite language class or professor on campus?

The whole Arabic department on campus is amazing.

What else do you study besides languages?

I am an International Relations major with a double minor in Economics and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.

Do you see any crossover between the two fields?

There is a great deal of crossover in all these areas; languages are critical to understanding global affairs and engagement as well as global economics. 

Have you been able to study abroad? If yes, what was the experience like? How did it contribute to your education at Colgate?

I went on an extended study trip to Morocco the summer after my first year, and I will also be participating in the Geneva study group in the Spring of 2020. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in Morocco. It allowed me to immerse myself in the Arabic language, and it positively affected my decision to add a MIST minor. I am looking forward to studying in Geneva and picking back up with my high school study of French. I am planning to study both Arabic and French while abroad, as both languages contribute greatly to my future goals as an IR major.

What recommendations would you give to someone who wanted to learn the language you study?

Do it! Arabic can require a ton of work, but it is all worth it with the amount that you get out of learning the language. Learning a completely new alphabet sounds daunting, but once you start studying Arabic, you’ll get hooked.

Why do you think studying languages is important?

Studying languages is critical for communication and understanding. As a child, I initially hated having to study another language because it felt unfair that I had an additional day of school and extra homework. I did not study Mandarin as well as I should have; and as a result, I sometimes have difficulty communicating with my own relatives. While language is sometimes seen as a “window” to a new world, it can unfortunately be a barrier as well. Realizing the limitations in my knowledge of languages also allowed me to realize its possibilities; this past summer I taught English classes at a language school in China, an opportunity that allowed me to better see the huge impact language can have. I now recognize and fully appreciate its power in connecting people. 

What impact do you see language study having for the rest of your life?

I plan to study languages for the rest of my life. I eventually hope to become fluent in at least 5 or 6, but my main goal right now outside of fluency in Arabic is to improve my Mandarin. 

Do you have any future plans that involve the language you study?

Although I don’t have set plans for a future career, I hope to be able to utilize Arabic in whatever field I enter.

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Monica Dimas ’19 spoke with Elizabeth Gonzales about her experience of studying Mandarin Chinese at Colgate.

Did you study languages before coming to Colgate?

No, I did not. My high school only offered Spanish, and I am a native speaker of Spanish. I didn’t have much of an opportunity to learn another language before I came to Colgate.

What language did you start learning here?

Mandarin Chinese.

What has been your favorite language class on campus?

I would say John Crespi’s “Living in Beijing” Extended Study class, because it made me more interested in learning Chinese. After taking the Extended Study and going to Beijing with Prof. Crespi, I went on his Colgate Chinese Study group, and now he is my advisor. I feel like he has been instrumental in learning the language. In the beginning I struggled a lot, but he was always there to help.

What else do you study besides languages?

My major is International Relations (I.R.).

Do you see a cross-over between the two fields?

Language study is a requirement for I.R., and most of the time people take a western language such as Spanish. You have to take a 200 and a 300 level course to complete that part of the major. I think studying Chinese has worked well for my major because I like learning about other languages and cultures.

Have you received any scholarships and/or fellowships for language study?

Yes, a few! Scholarships have been so useful for my language study. I received a Gilman Scholarship, which helped me go to China to study Mandarin, and a Lampert Summer Language Scholarship. I also received the Freeman Asia Scholarship. but I was not able to accept it.

What was your study abroad experience like and how did it contribute to your education at Colgate?

I studied abroad in China, and it was a very life-changing experience. I really didn’t know what I wanted to do before I started at Colgate. After studying abroad, I know what I want to do after I graduate. I’m more confident in myself and just a more independent individual.

Do you have any future plans that involve the language you study?

Yes! As a senior I have been applying to a lot of national fellowships and scholarships – for example, Fulbright, Boren, and Princeton Asia. I want to go back to China to keep improving on my Mandarin, and my main goal is to become fluent in the language. The Chinese culture is also something I really feel connected to and I feel like language fluency will help me make a home and career in China. After completing a national fellowship in China, I hope to attend grad school and then pursue a career in East Asia diplomacy and politics. Hopefully that will one day lead to working for the foreign services or the UN.

Lastly, what recommendations would you give someone who wanted to learn the language you study?

I would just say to not give up! Chinese is a difficult language to learn, and it can often be frustrating. Utilize all the resources Colgate has for language study. I think going abroad and immersing yourself in the language and culture is one of the most important thing when learning a language. After returning from China I felt like I was almost instantly better at my classes and more confident. If you surround yourself with people who are constantly speaking the language you’re trying to learn, then you’ll improve rapidly.

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Keck Center Language Ambassador Oneida Shushe ’19 interviewed Annie Wang ’19.

What languages do you speak/study?

My native language is Mandarin Chinese, I speak English, and I study Japanese. I took one semester of Italian but I can’t speak it. Right now I’m in my second semester of Japanese at Colgate. I started learning Japanese at a summer program in Tokyo, and I also studied Japanese at Middlebury College with a Lampert Summer Language Scholarship from Colgate. Middlebury was amazing and really immersive. You pledge only to speak the language that you’re studying and you meet a lot of different people.

Did you study languages before coming to Colgate?

Just English.

How has language study been different for you at Colgate than it was in high school or in other places?

I actually find it hard to fit everything into my schedule at Colgate – I’m a History major and a Writing and Rhetoric/Asian studies double minor, so I’m sometimes really busy. Luckily I’m able to do intensive study at places like Middlebury so I can come back to Colgate and jump in to higher level language classes. You have to actively organize and seek opportunities in college and planning can sometimes be challenging.

What has been your favorite language class/professor on campus?

I’m in Advanced Japanese I this fall and I love it. I feel like I can slow down and appreciate the subtleties and aesthetic of the language instead of just rushing forward to catch up and learn grammar and basic things. When you learn enough of a language, you really get the opportunity to slow down and learn in a different way.

Have you done any interesting research projects at Colgate?

The summer after my sophomore year I did a project with my friend Priya that we presented at a conference for student researchers from the NY6 liberal arts consortium. We talked about the politics of English as a second language for international students of color on NY6 campuses, particularly in relation to race, gender, nationality, and culture. A language isn’t always just a language – it can be highly political. For instance, US tourists in Japan usually feel comfortable speaking very little Japanese, but Japanese people would not feel comfortable speaking very little English in the US. English is often associated with whiteness, and for non-white and non-native English speakers linguistic performance can be affected by the microaggressions of their environment. If they feel like they’re not in a friendly environment, they might feel less comfortable speaking – and not even just speaking in English, but speaking or contributing in general.

Have you been able to study abroad? What was your experience like?

I went to Tokyo over the summer to do the Japanese program, and I also went to London with my History study group. Colgate offers so many study abroad opportunities and it’s amazing. Part of a paper that I gave that semester was a case study on black theater in Britain, about a production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest that was staged with a full black cast. It was considered a “white play” and their funding application was blocked a lot of times – the company almost broke apart trying to the produce the play, but it was important to them to push the boundaries of “white theater” and “black theater” and to grapple with the agency of what theater should be. I met with the founder of the theater company to talk about her experience, and I had the opportunity to do intense archival work.

What recommendations would you give to someone at Colgate who wants to learn the language that you study?

Go to the Table of Babel every week and speak the language out loud. Try to see the life in the language you’re studying, and see the words in their context and in real interactions instead of memorizing grammar.

What impact do you see language study having on the rest of your life?

I think empathy is a big impact for me. I want to be able to understand people coming from different places, and understand some of the many different ways to perceive and express. You can’t see the world through just one lens and there are things that can’t be explained through a single point of view. I think your motivation for learning languages is really important and can impact the effectiveness of your learning. My motivation is to get to really know others, because sometimes things don’t come across in translation.

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Keck Center student worker and Language Ambassador Tim Mallgrave interviewed Melissa Verbeek ’21 about her experience studying languages at Colgate.

What languages do you speak?

I took French in high school but I don’t take it at Colgate – Arabic’s my primary thing I’m focusing on right now.

How has language study been different for you at Colgate than it was in high school?

I studied French for two years in middle school and then four years in high school, and we weren’t really expected to speak French the whole time in class. Language study definitely wasn’t as intense as it is at Colgate. I did one calendar year of Arabic here and then I also did a program over the summer, so I did two years’ worth of Arabic in one year. I would probably say my Arabic speaking is better than my French ever was, and I had seven years of French versus one of Arabic.

Have you done any interesting research projects at Colgate?

I’m a research assistant for my Arabic professor. He’s working on documents from the Ottoman Empire era, like the reports of a man who was doing recommendations for ways to improve the infrastructure of the Ottoman Empire. His recommendations were fantastic, but the Ottoman Empire didn’t adopt all of them and kind of crumbled. Most of the documents are in English, there’s definitely some sections in Arabic and there’s a little bit in French as well, and I’m mostly doing transcription so that we can get into the research component of the project after the materials have been transcribed. That means looking up the names of the towns that this person visited, trying to track down the people that he mentions, and things like that. It’s definitely going to be a multi-year kind of process.

What professors have you had for Arabic?

I had Professor Abdal-Ghaffar for first year Arabic, and I had him for my Morocco class which was taught in English but included an extended study to Morocco where all the instruction was in Arabic. After I went to Morocco I received the Lampert Summer Language Scholarship from Colgate, and I went to the University of Maryland and did intensive Intermediate Arabic over the summer. This year I have Amany Ahmad for Advanced Arabic. I also work a lot with Ayman, who is the Arabic Language Intern at the Keck Center, and he does a lot with the classes as well.

What was your extended study experience like? How did it contribute to your education at Colgate?

Morocco was really cool. We were kept busy, but we got to see a lot of the country on the very first day. After we landed, we travelled fourteen hours by bus to go to the Muzuka Desert, where we rode camels, saw the sunrise, and danced and sang in Arabic. We were stationed in Rabat and taking classes during the week, but we went to a few different cities – including Chaouen, which was my favorite. It’s called the “Blue City” and it’s beautiful. We went hiking in Akchour, and we went to the cities of Fez and Meknes. We also went to an Amazigh village  – the Amazigh people are the native people of Morocco, and they have their own unique language and culture. Our Arabic language class was with instructors mostly from Egypt because we’re focusing on the Egyptian dialect. There wasn’t enough time to learn the Moroccan dialect of Darija, which is very different from other Arabic dialects. But we did have Moroccan language partners, so they taught us a couple of things to say in Darija Arabic. My favorite is “ana ma diga diga” which means “I’m exhausted.” It’s fun to say and super applicable!

What else do you study besides languages?

I’m a Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and Psychological Science double major. Half of my course load is psych requirements, and the other half is Middle Eastern studies. That includes the Arabic language, CORE Middle East, and electives about Islam and regional studies and things like that.

Do you see any crossover between the two fields? Probably Arabic and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, but how about Arabic and Psychology?

I’d love to do something with mental health and refugee resettlement in the U.S., and potentially in other countries as well –  I could see myself working somewhere in the Middle East in the future. I would probably want to work with helping refugees get situated in the country – like going to doctor’s appointments, doing translation work, helping to fill out forms, or maybe even doing research. I know that the public school system can be really difficult for refugees since they don’t often speak English. I could see myself going off in that career direction and tying my majors together.

What recommendations would you give to someone who wants to learn Arabic at Colgate?

I think at first it can be scary or intimidating cause you don’t know the alphabet. Looking back, it blows my mind. “One year ago, 365 days, I had no idea what these squiggles meant!” But I stuck with it. The professors are really, really great. It’s such a close-knit department, and you’ll become really good friends with everyone in your class and also with your professors. Your professors will know the Arabic activities you’re involved in outside of class and things like that. They’re super involved and they want to see you succeed, so going to office hours and putting time into actually doing the homework every night is important. It is a lot of daily homework. The class is every day, and sometimes we had homework due Saturday nights, things like that. But the program is really well set-up and the professors are wonderful, so I would recommend to stick with it even though it’s hard and unusual and different. Stick with it and put effort into it. Use your peers – study groups are essential! – and practice the language outside of class.

What impact do you see language study having on the rest of your life?

Career opportunities for sure, but also satisfaction with my college experience. I feel like my experience at Colgate would be way different if I didn’t have my language family here. I definitely think I enjoy my classes so much at Colgate because of Arabic and the close friendships I’ve made, some of which I’m probably going to maintain for the rest of my life. Travel opportunities and future relationships with people already have a big impact on my life. When we were in Morocco, there was a really sweet guy who opened up his pizza shop early because we just needed somewhere to duck in and sit down. All the streets were empty, and he saw us and said, “Oh, I can open up early!” in Arabic. We were like “Oh, you don’t have to,” but as soon as he found out that we spoke a bit of Arabic, he was excited to speak with us in Arabic and English and we sat in his shop and talked. It was an interaction that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t speak the language, which was pretty cool. The people I met in Morocco were all super encouraging about speaking Arabic. I think people don’t necessarily expect a tourist to the Middle East to know the language, so they get really excited and want to talk to you when you do. Knowing Arabic has definitely opened up many new conversations and relationships.

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