This language experience, has, without a doubt, provided me with a great amount of needed support and guidance in my own continued study and practice of the Spanish language. While, unlike most of the students in the class, I was not studying a foreign vernacular with the added assistance of the MLC 110 class or a language partner, I still believe that I have made significant and beneficial strides over the course of the semester. For the first time taking matters into my own hands, I truly made a determined effort to improve upon my understanding and corresponding use of the Spanish language. I read more Spanish, I spoke more Spanish, I listened to more Spanish, and I thought, obviously, of a lot more Spanish. As such, although I am still far from the point where I one day hope to be, this MLC 105 class has successfully reignited the necessary fire to fuel my continued excursion into the unadulterated and highly intriguing realms of Spanish culture and language.
Accordingly, there were various examples of language activities that distinctly proved to work well for me over the past few months. For instance, I would have to say the most productive exercise that I practiced would be verbally communicating (only in Spanish) with my fluent girlfriend. Considering how she was actually a drill instructor for the University of Richmond, her methods have truly been a great help to me. Having that kind of one-on-one learning process allowed for much quicker and directed learning, and I definitely feel that I learned certain things faster under her tutelage than I would have on my own or in a Spanish classroom. In addition, I consciously made the decision to watch a great deal of Spanish speaking foreign films. Surprisingly, not only did they help to further familiarize myself with the culture’s language and tendencies, but it also improved upon my overall hearing and speaking skills. During this process, I would listen to the conversation in Spanish, try to translate the words or phrases as fast as I sufficiently could, and then look at the subtitle bar to see if I was accurate. While this was particularly difficult at first, after each movie I slowly but surely found myself improving. Now, at this point, I can usually pick up on all of the slower conversations, but the average Spanish speaker’s tendency to converse fast often makes things especially frustrating. However, not letting such obstacles deter me, I have also made an effort to read a lot more Spanish writing. From poems and novel excerpts to the “Nutrition Facts” label on certain grocery items, I read as much Spanish as I could, continually checking myself with the English translation to make sure I was on the right track. Finally, another exercise that helped me was simply referring to an online translator. Although some of these applications can be faulty, I made a small payment in order to use an advanced model. As a result, I was able to look up accurate translations and word meanings whenever I wanted or needed to.
Furthermore, and concerning the question of which language techniques proved to be comparatively unsuccessful to the aforementioned, I would have to answer that they were basically every, erroneous method I was taught in high school. While their hearts were in the right place, my high school Spanish teachers just weren’t that effective. In those days, we just studied vocabulary words and mindless tables of word conjugations. I don’t know if it was just me, but the whole class essentially depended upon a student’s ability to memorize information. Having a particularly adept memory, I was always able to do well in these Spanish courses. However, I was NOT, by any means, efficient in speaking or writing the Spanish language. Sure, I could translate some basic phrases and words, but I had certainly not learned how to speak Spanish. Actually, the most productive thing we did in these classes were the individual speeches. With these, each student had to write and then deliver a 3-5 page speech without using any notecards or guides in front of them. Once again, much of this came down to pure memory capacity. Yet, I also remember it helping me to learn the nature of Spanish syntax, something that still helps me today.
Continuing along, now that I have considered these previous failed attempts to effectively learn the Spanish language, the question then becomes precisely what I would/should have done differently? As such, I actually believe the answer to this inquiry is rather simple: conduct the classes like Richmond language courses. Speaking of this, once I began taking Spanish classes at the U of R, I finally felt myself becoming truly more efficient with the language. Unlike my high school classes, Richmond’s mandatory rule of having to speak only in that particular foreign tongue was especially helpful. Although it may have been challaneging at first simply because it was something new, this condition forced me to obtain a better grasp on the language as not to look like a fool in public. These professors would often put students on the spot, and being efficient at the language was the only thing that could prevent one from potential humiliation. As a nervous ball of paranoid anxiety, I was willing to go the extra mile in order to avoid such scorn, and my self-conscious efforts fortunately resulted in my rapid, Spanish improvement.
Furthermore, and in reference to this class, our general shift in focus is what I think helped me the most. Rather than simply learning the mechanics of one language, we discovered, through Dr. Grove’s lectures, our class discussions, individual student presentations, and various scholarly articles, effectively how to learn such languages. MLC 105 gave us information and general guidelines on the very process of learning, not just a specific way of learning itself. Because of this change, I believe the class afforded us all with a unique perspective on how we could potentially approach learning our respective languages. To use a boxing metaphor, taking MLC 105 was like finding a more proficient trainer before actually stepping into the ring. The class gave us the necessary direction and inspiration, and then left us to fight the proverbial battle.
Therefore, I can honestly say that this course has helped me in a variety of ways. Not only did it afford me with more effective methods in which to successfully learn a language, but it also proved to inspire me to continue with my own personal studies. As mentioned earlier, while I have not nearly achieved the level of understanding and proficiency that I one day hope to, I definitely believe that I am now proceeding down a more direct, and guided path. Finally, and as I alluded to in my twelfth journal entry, the cultural immersion article also became of increasingly influential use to me. It gave me hope and further supported my inclinations to travel to a Spanish-speaking country. While I have been to such nations in the past, I had never made a determined effort to truly ‘immerse’ myself within their language and culture. Now, and after this class, I believe I am finally ready to go forward with such an endeavor. As such, all I really have left to say is thank you for your time, effort, and considerable support. MLC 105 proved to be a great way to round out my college career, and hopefully my Spanish skills will only continue to improve from here.
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