Language Stories

Everyone has had their own personal experiences with language, whether it be watching a child learn his or her first words, visiting a foreign country, or taking a new language class. The members of the Language Island team encourage you to share your own stories with us, as we'd like to do with you. Email Lindsay@languageisland.com with your experiences, thoughts, moments or anything else you'd like to share and we'll post it in one of our "Language Stories" blogs. In the meantime, here are a few anecdotes from our team...

When I was in elementary school, my family moved around quite a bit. By the time I was seven years old, I had already lived in seven different towns, and attended four different schools. I was constantly the new kid, the one that people stared at, whispered about and in the worst cases, ignored. That didn't change when I started second grade in a new school in Providence, R.I.

I can still remember that first day, waiting by the corner for the bus, knees quivering, lip trembling and tears threatening to spill out of my eyes the moment my mother let my hand go. The big yellow school bus pulled up our street and slowed to a stop - just as I was readying to make a break for it--I couldn't do it again, not another school. The bus door clanked open, and I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the inevitable pointing and laughing by my new peers. But instead, I heard a loud and cheerful, "Comment allez-vous?"

I couldn't believe what I'd just heard - what did that even mean? My mother gave me a nudge, urging me towards the bus, and the little red-headed woman who now stood before me. She wore a bright orange reflector vest, a tan skirt with matching blouse, and a huge smile. She was the bus monitor. "D'accord. Allez avec moi." She urged me toward the bus steps, and my mother nodded in approval, "Merci!" I couldn't believe it - the adults in at this school appeared to speak some strange form of gibberish, and even worse - my mother understood! What was going on? What were they saying? Were they talking about me? Would the other kids speak this language as well?

My head swirled with confusion and curiosity, and I was momentarily distracted enough to forget some of my fear. Rosa, the strange red-headed woman, seated me right up front, beside her. She held out her hand. "Bonjour, comment allez-vous?" I tried to make out the words - "Comma talley voo?" She grinned even wider. "Bien! You just spoke in French!"

This was my first exposure to the French language, a language I would go on to study for six more years in high school and later college. Rosa, who continued to greet me every day that year en Français, turned out to be a beloved staple of my childhood, and an inspiration later in life when it came time for me to decide which language I wanted to pursue in school. I still find myself remembering Rosa's smile every time I hear the phrase "Comment allez-vous," or as I later discovered "How are you?" in French. If Rosa were here to ask me the question today, I would grin back at her and say "Je vais bien. Merci, beaucoup." Thanks to her, I now know what that means.

-Lindsay, The Language Island Team


English is the dominant language in America, and because of that, I grew up with a false sense of security regarding my ability to interact in the world around me. This became very clear when I started one of my first jobs as a waiter at a fine dining Italian restaurant.

Ironically, it wasn't Italian that I needed to know to get by, it was Spanish. The majority of the kitchen staff spoke Spanish, and with orders piling in and food flying out, I was thankful I had taken a few Spanish courses in high school. I was by no means fluent, but I could get by. Sometimes it was as simple as saying "Lo siento, amigo" or "Gracias." It was all about being part of the same team. Spanish helped me convey what I needed more easily, resolve conflicts more quickly, and maintain co-worker support that few others on the waitstaff, who did not speak Spanish, could have.

You may recall interactions you've had in your life where a little bit of conversational Spanish could have made the difference between communication and miscommunication. Even though I grew up with the notion that English would be enough, I know now that there will be times when knowing a second language will create opportunities for my career and for friendships.

-Nick, The Language Island Team


During the summer of 1998, I spent one month in Salamanca Spain studying Spanish at the TASIS School. I had studied Spanish in one form or another since the 5th grade and yet I could not come close to considering my speaking skills proficient. During my month long experience I studied in language classes similar to those that I had been exposed to throughout my life, perhaps in longer durations, but the classroom formula was virtually identical. By the time my trip concluded I could consider myself very proficient in my conversational and grammatical skills.

What was the difference?

The immersive experience. Everyday after leaving class our school would have organized trips throughout Spain or we were allowed to venture on our own. The more capable we were in grasping the language the more opportunities presented themselves. The FUN was the driving force that led us to work harder in the classroom. Since that trip I have studied Spanish in other immersive programs, and the experience is always the same; it is the application that make language learning so fun, and without it, it just feels like work.

You don’t have to go to Spain, but there are places and things you can do to make language learning a really fun experience: watching movies and television, listening to music, visiting cultural venues, events, and locations, having a pen pal, and much much more!!! So don’t limit yourself to the work.

-Tucker, The Language Island Team