Would you learn a foreign language if you weren't studying abroad?

[emttim]

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And with that question, keep in mind I'm not counting Spanish because obviously that will be used even if you don't study abroad, but I'm not planning on learning that so it doesn't apply. Basically, I want to learn German, but I'm wondering whether there's a point to taking any college classes for it if I don't plan to study abroad in a German-speaking country. And since I'm sure people will ask, reason I probably won't be able to study abroad is time constraints, cost, etc. Just wondering what everyone's thoughts on learning a language essentially for the hell of it is?

 

[jochi1543]

I speak 5, and have studied abroad with 3 of them (technically, my education in the US was study abroad). I've never actively used my Spanish, but it was nice to have some skills in it when I went to LA or when I lived in MD/DC. Japanese (my former major) is definitely the one language I've used the least - it's too hard of a language for you to be able to just pick up a book and read w/o any trouble even after 4 full years of education. Foreign language skills are good for travelling, even if you don't intend to ever travel or live in a certain place - you never know what happens. I recall when my father drove from Russia to Austria one time and had a horrible car accident that left him with multiple fractures in the middle of his trip, in Poland. You bet he was glad to be able to speak Polish at the time, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to communicate with the police or the doctors who treated him.

 

[MahlerROCKS]

I probably won't be able to study abroad is time constraints, cost, etc.

You're only young once, so why you would not want to travel or study abroad makes no sense to me. There is no law that says you have to complete all of your pre-reqs by the end of your third year so you can take the MCAT and go right into med school from undergrad.

If, for some reason, you are telling yourself you'll travel once you're a physician, I honestly feel sorry for you: when you're older you're less adventurous and you have more money. Yes, having more money takes a lot of the excitement out of travel because instead of taking the less worn path (because its cheaper) and organizing your own adventure, you'll most likely book a travel package where they ferry you from one touristy site to the next

Here is why you should learn German and study abroad:
--Have a melange and sachertorte in Vienna and take in the beautiful architecture and analness of the Viennese
--In Berlin... well I can't really say what I want because I'd probably get banned, but lets just say the post-unification architecture is stunning
--In Hamburg... see above
--Visit Cologne for Fastnacht (Mardi Gras/Carnival) and the Haribo factory in Bonn
--Visit a spa in Baden and see Stuttgart
--Get crunk in Munich and see the amazing museums
--Go skiing in Switzerland

However, if you are still dead-set on not studying aboard I would not learn German: you will never interact with a German speaker outside of Germany/Austria/Switzerland who does not already speak English. Another thing, studying abroad gives you the opportunity to further your grasp of the language; simply taking the classes will not provide you with all the opportunities to truly because fluent and understand the language. If you have any questions PM me

 

[Meatwad]

I've so far at least attempted to learn the following languages at some points in the past:

日本語
Suomi
Čeština
Español

A few others (magyar, deutsch, polski, pусски&#108😉 but I never got far enough with them to consider myself as having any real knowledge. As you can see from my list, I don't really care if the language is very useful (all Finns speak English fluently, and I don't imagine I'll be using Czech or Hungarian anytime soon). It's just interesting to learn about other cultures, which languages play a huge role in.

 

[MahlerROCKS]

I've so far at least attempted to learn the following languages at some points in the past:

Suomi

magyar

Don't feel bad, I'm pretty sure there have never been any non-native Finnish or Hungarian speakers

 

[Jolie South]

Haven't really read through the whole thread here but . . .

in my opinion, you can take language courses, but you will never really learn the language until you are fully immersed and forced to use it on a daily basis.

I took French for 3 years in high school and got college credit for it, too. They said I was at "intermediate" level. Then, I went to a French speaking country to live and man it was like "whoa, I really don't know s*** about this language." I could hardly get out greetings let alone convey my needs and feelings to others.

If you want to learn a language, you need to be around native speakers and just talk. Books and classes can only take you so far.

 

[Karen12345]

I speak 5, and have studied abroad with 3 of them... I recall when my father drove from Russia to Austria one time and had a horrible car accident that left him with multiple fractures in the middle of his trip, in Poland. You bet he was glad to be able to speak Polish at the time, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to communicate with the police or the doctors who treated him.

Five languages! If you are actually fluent, that's impressive unless you lived in a place where kids get immersed into several languages from the start.

Driving on Polish roads can be really scary, but what's nice is that the doctors would treat your father even if he didn't know any Polish.

 

[sanchopanza]

I say go for it, even if you can't study abroad. Learning another language (even if just a little bit) is a great way to try to look at things from a different perspective, and you'll learn a lot about another culture just through learning about their language. Just because you might not "master" it shouldn't preclude you from trying it on for size in the first place.

It'd be much more beneficial to your life, your perspective, and your intellect to take German than to take another science class. Trust me.