Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2012 - (Page 40)

one step ahead become a Polyglot “O.K. papi, ya está,” said the white-bearded honduran man, telling me that my gas tank was full. “Vale, muchísimas gracias!” i responded. the man smiled and leaned into the window to ask me where i had learned spanish. a small bond had quickly formed between us. i could interact with him in a way that was familiar and even intimate given the setting: a gas station on a busy new Jersey street corner. those few spanish words had transformed me from a faceless customer into a friend. i came to Princeton with several years of spanish training, but still embarrassingly weak in all four areas of mastery: speaking, listening, writing, and reading. despite my weaknesses, or maybe because of them, i yearned to go beyond the high school grammar tests and video series; i wanted to become bilingual. i signed up for an intermediate spanish course and loved it—so much that i decided to pursue a minor in spanish. three and a half years later, my spanish continues to progress by leaps and bounds, and my foreign language proficiency has opened doors to a rich variety of experiences i wouldn’t have had otherwise. as you look ahead to college and consider studying another language, consider these benefits. by david Kurz Proficiency in a foreign language is useful for tasks both large and small. in Barcelona and Panama, my spanish allowed me to successfully barter down the price of goods (such as a soccer jersey and embroidered indian artwork). in Costa rica, while working on my biology thesis this past summer, i often had to obtain permission from spanish-speaking farmers and landowners to conduct my fieldwork in their forest fragments, pastures, and plantations. and even here in the U.s., speaking spanish has helped me be more versatile as a tutor, friend, and student. of course, international job opportunities and increasing globalization place additional value on language training in fields ranging from finance to diplomacy to medicine. Knowing a foreign language opens up amazing study abroad opportunities. my junior year, i spent a spanish-intensive fall semester in Barcelona and a biology-filled spring term in Panama. through my Barcelona semester, i not only studied entirely in castellano (as spanish is called in Catalonia), but also experienced some of the world’s best food (e.g., paella and tortilla española), best soccer (at fC Barcelona’s Camp Nou), and most famous cities (e.g., amsterdam, London, Budapest, madrid). the next semester, in Panama, i grew tremendously as a biologist by doing fieldwork in coral reefs and tropical forests and on archaeological sites and exotic Caribbean archipelagos. my spanish proficiency allowed me to have a lot of fun interacting with Panamanians, within and outside the science world. Both in europe and Latin america, speaking and learning spanish greatly increased my appreciation of the local culture. mastering a new language is the kind of knowledge that will stay with you throughout your life. recent research even shows that being bilingual can improve your brain function, make you more aware of your environment, and protect against dementia later in life. Language also provides a window into new cultures and ideas, places, and people. Being a polyglot will give you the ability to read original literature in other languages, travel to destinations off the beaten path, meet friends from all different walks of life, and think in a whole new way. and you might find opportunities close to home, as i did that day at the gas station, to have a conversation and make a connection you didn’t even know was possible. More languages means more connections. thanks to spanish, i’ve not only impressed my roommates, but also charmed girls in multiple countries, talked to a Chilean author about translating his book, met two of my all time favorite teachers, and discussed theology with a Catalan. it’s amazing how knowing another language can allow you to enjoy connections unavailable to the monoglot. When people see that you appreciate their language, and by extension their culture, background, and lifestyle, it tends to encourage a warm and friendly reaction. sHUTTersToCK David Kurz is a senior at princeton, where he is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology, with a certificate (minor) in spanish. on campus, he is an officer in a Christian fellowship, tour guide, tutor, study abroad student representative, and club soccer player. dave enjoys tennis, worship music, Calvin & Hobbes, reading, coffee shops, and travel. may/Jun 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2012

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/june 2012
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
Building Green
Learn and Build
Tinkerer’s Dream
The Healing Touch
From Jupiter to the Moon
Building a Better Landmine Detector
Designing the Future
27 Pipes
Better Than Wikinotes
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Exploring Our Political Legacy
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2012