Submitted by Lauren Brooks on the 2022 spring semester program in Paris, France…
The power of language is something not to be underestimated. Coming here hardly knowing any French has been a challenge that I’m working through during my study abroad experience. I’m currently in a class called Communications and Global Competence. In this course, we come to understand theories of how a person adapts to a new culture and how communication styles vary across cultures. This week, we discussed the importance of verbal language in global contexts. When you’re speaking your native language, you don’t often realize the semantics, morphology, and other characteristics of speech that show aspects of your culture. For example, as Americans, we have high values of freedom and individuality rather than collectivism. These values are reflected in a number of our words. Think of all of our words that now have “self-” as a prefix. Self-worth, self-confidence, self-sufficient—the list goes on. The same reflections of culture exist in the French language.
What I’m learning in my communications class further motivates me to do my best to learn the language. I’m participating in an internship in France. While everyone speaks English to me, most business is conducted in French. One of my professional goals for the semester is to improve my networking skills and make valuable connections with my colleagues. Learning and practicing French with them, I believe, will strengthen our relationships and improve my cultural understanding.”