The Language of Life: Practice makes perfect!

Angela Jackson, GLP Founder with students a PS 368

The old adage that "practice makes perfect" has never seems more true than when it is applied to parenting. A commonly shared keen observation - or even a funny "urban legend" of sorts - is how a first child in a family is cared for completely differently from how the following children are raised. Constant surveillance of every move child No. 1 makes is soon replaced with a top-of-the-line video baby monitor for child No. 2. And often, with the arrival of child No. 3 and onward, the overly cautious steps are no longer taken and the constant vulnerability is replaced with a firm sense of confidence.

This confidence often is created not so much by the experience of parenting, but the actual parenting practice that varies from child to child. The experience of parenting lasts a lifetime, but the practice of parenting is often for a more limited time, during the developmental stages of a child's life. And parenting practice has somewhat of a definitive end, when you can say you have indeed "parented," and you watch your child to journey into adulthood.

The process of learning a language is very much like the process of parenting, as it relates to experience versus practice.  

To read the complete article please visit my new column on the News Tribune:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/09/23/2800570/the-language-of-life-practice.html

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/09/23/2800570/the-language-of-life-practice.html#storylink=cpy

In Love with Language and Culture in My Cincinnati

Julie Tolbert, Childcare Enrichment Specialist

Julie Tolbert

When I was growing up in the 1970’s, Cincinnati was a different place.  I would look around and see that most my classmates were either  German ancestry, Irish ancestry or African American.  At least from my vantage point, Cincinnati was very small and did go past these three cultures.  

Cincinnati, at that time, did not seem to me to grow culturally, but I did.  I grew more and more interested in the fact that Ireland and Germany were not the only countries out there.  I would watch Wide World of Sports on TV, mainly the winter sports like downhill skiing and figure skating.  I would see a flag next to the athlete’s name on the screen and the name of the country.  I would imagine what Switzerland was like and where was Austria?  This began my interest of other countries and cultures, I was around 7 and this passion is just as strong today at age 43.

I went to Xavier University my freshman year.  This is a university in Cincinnati but the whole universe opened up to me that year.  I met people from Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Columbia, Japan, and Thailand.  The friends from Thailand invited me to come visit them for the summer.  I saved and worked hard all school year and had my plane ticket.  I learned a few Thai phrases and I was off.  It was my first plane trip and I was by myself.  The traveling to Thailand is another story and I can write a book on what NOT to do when you are travelling.  I fell in love with Thailand seeing it through the local inhabitants’ eyes. 

I finished up my education at the University of Cincinnati with a B.A. in Geography.  The geography department takes a spring trip to the Yucatan Peninsula Mexico every year.  One day at class, the Professor asked if anyone wanted to work at a resort in Chichen Itza, Mexico, that was one of the places that they stopped on the trip.  They needed someone on staff that spoke fluent English.   I was the only one that raised my hand.  I spent about a year there working at a resort in the middle of nowhere.  But you would hear German, French, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish of course, and at night the staff would speak a form of Mayan.  What a great experience to live and experience Yucatan culture and the importance of Mayan culture and language in the modern age. 

So now I sit here in Cincinnati and marvel, not only have I grown in terms of culture and languages but Cincinnati has too.  My small Catholic grade school is now Su Casa and the church is San Carlos.  They both serve as a welcoming point for Hispanic families.  I work at the International Welcome Center and we helped people from 20 different countries last year.  Cincinnati, Ohio even hosted the World Choir Games last summer and many different languages were heard there.

Cincinnati 2013 is so different from Cincinnati 1977.  The diversity has only made our fair city…Stronger.

When I was growing up in the 1970’s, Cincinnati was a different place.  I would look around and see that most my classmates were either  German ancestry, Irish ancestry or African American.  At least from my vantage point, Cincinnati was very small and did go past these three cultures.  

Cincinnati, at that time, did not seem to me to grow culturally, but I did.  I grew more and more interested in the fact that Ireland and Germany were not the only countries out there.  I would watch Wide World of Sports on TV, mainly the winter sports like downhill skiing and figure skating.  I would see a flag next to the athlete’s name on the screen and the name of the country.  I would imagine what Switzerland was like and where was Austria?  This began my interest of other countries and cultures, I was around 7 and this passion is just as strong today at age 43.

I went to Xavier University my freshman year.  This is a university in Cincinnati but the whole universe opened up to me that year.  I met people from Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Columbia, Japan, and Thailand.  The friends from Thailand invited me to come visit them for the summer.  I saved and worked hard all school year and had my plane ticket.  I learned a few Thai phrases and I was off.  It was my first plane trip and I was by myself.  The traveling to Thailand is another story and I can write a book on what NOT to do when you are travelling.  I fell in love with Thailand seeing it through the local inhabitants’ eyes. 

I finished up my education at the University of Cincinnati with a B.A. in Geography.  The geography department takes a spring trip to the Yucatan Peninsula Mexico every year.  One day at class, the Professor asked if anyone wanted to work at a resort in Chichen Itza, Mexico, that was one of the places that they stopped on the trip.  They needed someone on staff that spoke fluent English.   I was the only one that raised my hand.  I spent about a year there working at a resort in the middle of nowhere.  But you would hear German, French, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish of course, and at night the staff would speak a form of Mayan.  What a great experience to live and experience Yucatan culture and the importance of Mayan culture and language in the modern age. 

So now I sit here in Cincinnati and marvel, not only have I grown in terms of culture and languages but Cincinnati has too.  My small Catholic grade school is now Su Casa and the church is San Carlos.  They both serve as a welcoming point for Hispanic families.  I work at the International Welcome Center and we helped people from 20 different countries last year.  Cincinnati, Ohio even hosted the World Choir Games last summer and many different languages were heard there.

Cincinnati 2013 is so different from Cincinnati 1977.  The diversity has only made our fair city…Stronger.

The Increasing Value of Language Skills in the US

Gustavo Acosta, Linguistic Resources Coordinator, TransPerfect Translations

Gustavo Acosta, Tahrir Square, Cairo

Throughout my grade school years studying Spanish I never quite comprehended the true value of learning a second language.  I knew that it was treated as a core class in my school, and that the Cuban half of my family wanted me to love the language, but I didn’t. That was because I didn’t know what I would ever want to do with the language and opted out of Spanish classes altogether as soon as I had the chance. In an ironic twist of fate and my pursuits, I’ve made the business of languages my profession not only as a recruiter for people with multilingual skills, but also as an Arabic specialist at one of the world’s largest translation services companies.  I utilize my language skills in communicating with linguists, and get to see just how many ways language skills can be used as a profession.

The utility of multilingual skills goes well beyond simple dialogue between people, and are used in almost every field of work.  As new communication technologies emerge, and globalization increases, so does the market for linguists, whether it is from a need to translate a drug patent into Korean, an Android phone apps into Chinese, or help a global company create it’s customer support line in 20 different languages.  These are all relatively new aspects of the translation industry, and call for more specialized linguists familiar with new and unique terminologies and technologies. 

         Having the task of recruiting freelancers for company that provides services ranging from on-site interpretation to soft-ware design means that I work with a very diverse cast of people.  While many of them have taken up translation services as a career, others have used it as a supplementary skill that has helped them achieve different careers goals, such advertisement professionals looking to get into foreign markets, and US auto workers that translate engine manuals from Japanese.  Language skills can help get ahead in competitive fields while also offering  a reliable means of gaining supplemental income for freelancers.  

         Foreign language classes in the US are typically geared towards making the students want to travel to the countries where the language is spoken, yet this still misses half of the skill’s value.  While there are certainly great opportunities to use language skills abroad, students should also see the valuable opportunities for linguists here in the US.  With the United States having the world’s largest immigrant population, consumer market, and as the largest benefactor of foreign direct investment, other countries are looking to bring their ideas here, and need native English speakers with knowledge of local culture and informal norms to help them do so.  With the US being such a diverse place already, there are tremendous amounts of ways to apply language skills in a career path for those that aren’t looking to move abroad.  Looking back at when I was a High School student and relinquished my Spanish studies out of disinterest moving to Latin America, I wonder if I may have been invigorated enough to stick with it had I only seen a fuller picture and just how valuable such a language skill in the US can be.

The Power of Words

Sherice Guillory Torres, Senior VP of Nickelodeon Consumer Products, and GLP Board Member

Sherice Torres

I went to public school in Northern California. When I made it to junior high, like most kids of my generation I had to choose a foreign language. While the rest of my friends chose Spanish (a practical skill to master on an increasingly multicultural West Coast), I decided to go with French – a language of romance and intrigue, reminiscent of distant lands filled with magical monuments. It was also the language of my Haitian grandfather (although his was more of a Creole pidgin, not that “good French” as he called it). But, if I really think about it, my choice was really driven by my desire to be different – to choose my own path rather than going with the crowd.

I loved French, and continued my studies throughout high school. When I entered college, I was sure that I would be able to ace the exemption exam for language with 6 years of straight A French classes under my belt. I went into the exam hall filled with confidence, ready to check the test off of my list and move on to more exciting things. The written exam was a piece of cake. Then came the verbal portion of the test. The instructor rattled off a sentence so quickly that I had no idea what language she was even speaking, much less what the words actually meant. The second sentence was no better. By the time she streamed on to the third, I was convinced that I had magically been transported into a different classroom and was taking the oral exam in a language that I could not have possibly studied for the past 6 years.

What I learned from that mind-blowing exam was that I was taught French in the public schools of Northern California the very same way that many subjects are taught in schools across the country today. While we may have consumed classic French literature like Les Misérables and began each class with La Marseillaise, the classes mainly focused on teaching to the test. The strategy was rote memorization of vocabulary and grammar rather than using the language in a practical way – by actually mastering the art of French conversation.

After I failed the foreign language exemption exam, I went on to take 4 more years of French in college followed by 2 years of Spanish once I went on to business school. Now as an executive in a global business, I understand the power of words and the critical importance of mastering a language – many languages – other than your native tongue. Being able to speak with a friend, a teacher, a business contact in their own language is an irreplaceable, powerful and valuable skill. As a mother of two young boys, I have made it my mission to instill the importance of immersion in language and global cultures from early on. We speak English, Spanish and French in our household and my 6 year old has chosen Mandarin as his foreign language for elementary school.

I became involved with Global Language Project because it is filling a critical business and cultural need for the youth of our country. By emphasizing language mastery and cultural education, rather than simply teaching to the test, GLP is preparing countless students to lead our increasingly global marketplace. I only wish that I’d had this approach when I was preparing for my college language exam….

Sherice Torres recently joined the Board of Global Language Project. She currently serves as Senior Vice President of Nickelodeon Consumer Products. Torres also serves as BadAssMama-in-Chief of BadAssMama Enterprises, Inc. – a lifestyle management brand for working mothers. She is also the founder of her own blog, The BadAssMama Chronicles.  Among her many honors, Sherice was chosen as one of Black Enterprise’s 75 Most Powerful Women in Business (2009) and Top 100 Black Executives (2008). Torres received her MBA at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Management. She currently lives in New York with her husband and two sons. 

You’re Never Too Young to Start Learning a Second Language…

Julia Pimsleur, CEO, Little Pim

Julia Pimsleur

       I was no different than any other eager six-year old girl when I walked into class on my first day of first grade. Except that in my classroom, the teacher spoke only French, the kids were all French, and I was the only American.

         Over the summer, my father, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, who created the groundbreaking Pimsleur Method language learning system, had moved our family to Paris to teach at the Sorbonne. My brother and I were enrolled in a local public school though we spoke only a few words of French. Within three months we became perfectly bilingual – it was a matter of survival!

This early immersion experience, and the two years we lived in Paris, changed my life forever. Speaking French fluently was the greatest gift my parents ever gave me; it provided me with an advantage in school and paved the way for scholarships and jobs.

Years later, it was this ease of learning that I wanted to recreate when I came up with Little Pim. Our in-home immersion language teaching method is designed to introduce young kids to a second, or even third language, before the age of six. Both of my children have used it (and star in the videos!) and so have millions of kids around the world.  

Little Pim Spanish flash cards, books, and plush

Our goal at Little Pim was, and is, ambitious: to change the way young children learn languages. As a mother, filmmaker, and daughter of a language teaching pioneer, I wanted to create the first program that was effective and fun, specifically designed for young children. I spent more than two years perfecting our Entertainment Immersion Method®, working with a leading neuroscientist, educators, and language experts. The method teaches children their first 500 words in a second language, and makes learning a new language easy. Children watch the core video series and the vocabulary they learn is reinforced through toe-tapping CDs, beautifully illustrated flash cards, easy to follow books, and interactive apps. Every aspect of the method is designed for use by parents who don’t already speak a second language, with phonetics and tips throughout.

The uber goal of Little Pim is to democratize language learning, thereby making learning another language accessible to all children. I realized that not all parents can afford expensive language classes or foreign-born nannies; but if millions of families can, and do, buy DVDs, why can’t they use that same screen time to teach their kids a second language? Little Pim was intentionally created as affordable and scalable digital content, costing about the same as any entertainment DVD. All the content is available online at iTunes, Amazon, and the LeapFrog app store, and is free at the public library.

Foreign language instruction isn’t mandatory in U.S. public schools, which puts our kids at a disadvantage on the global stage. At Little Pim we are getting kids started on their language learning journey as early as possible, since research shows that’s when kids learn best. And, as I experienced way back in Paris, it’s when they learn most effortlessly, too.

 Julia Pimsleur is the CEO of Little Pim, the leading language teaching method for children. Little Pim has won over 25 awards, has sold more than 1.5 million products, and is now in 11 languages, including Chinese, Arabic and Russian, with Hindi slated for release in 2013. The series is the most comprehensive and fun way for young children to start learning a second or third language. LittlePim.com

Enacting Empathy Through Language

Ronnell Perry, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, 2009-2011 (Costa Rica and Paraguay) & MSc, PPM

Ronnell Perry

Gary, Indiana was once known as the murder capital of the nation. It is home to one of the most famous families in the world, the Jacksons. It was hardly a place anyone would think was ideal for developing one’s linguistic and cultural competence skills. But, it happens to be the place where I was first introduced to cultural competence through language.

Over the span of four consecutive summers during my preteen years, my father enrolled my twin sister and I in a program run through the Gary Public Schools Corporation called Study Alternative International Languages (SAIL). The four-week program introduced black kids to cultures and languages not traditionally offered in urban schools such as: Chinese, Japanese, German, Arabic, and Russian. By the end of these four-week sessions, we could sound out words, carry on basic conversations, sing traditional songs, and understand cultural concepts. Through my education at SAIL, I developed an immense appreciation for cultures other than my own. I learned that there was value in understanding someone in the same way that they understand themselves: through their language, values, and heritage.

My SAIL days prepared me to navigate a world outside of my primarily brown community. I learned to not flinch or laugh when I heard unfamiliar languages spoken in public. I didn’t point when I saw people dressed in traditional clothing. In fact, I grew a thirst to surround myself with more ethnic and linguistic diversity, and to personally know and understand those who lived outside the bounds of my own community

I have seen what language learning and cross-cultural education can do for youth who may not have had the chance to leave their own neighborhoods and experience other ways of life and communication. In my life, practicing and becoming fluent in Spanish has forced me to both seek out my own identity and to become comfortable sharing it with others. When traveling through Latin America, for example, Spanish-speakers often want to speak English with me! And they want to know who I am and what culture I represent. There is a clear intersection between both of our desires to learn more about each other, which opens the door for a deeper kind of connection. These are moments that I embrace and look forward to in my travels.

In grad school I had classmates from all over the world. In one of my class workgroups, I told my Chinese friend that I knew a folk song in Mandarin. She did not believe me until I started to sing the song that I had learned during my SAIL summers years ago. She stared at me with simultaneous excitement and disbelief and even began to record me singing the song. Though my pronunciation was a little unrefined, the experience helped us bond in a different and more profound way. She often struggled with speaking and writing in English, toward which I was totally empathetic. To be able to communicate with her through this song, to be able to express my appreciation for her identity, was a mutually beneficial gift.

In sum, when one hears, sees and practices a language other than one’s native tongue, one learns more than just sounds, intonation, and grammar. One seeks to understand the emotions represented. One seeks the personal stories and conversations that act as cross-cultural connectors. Most importantly, one becomes fluent in human relationships and empathy. 

Communicating Connections: Breaking Down Barriers Through Language

Amani Ahmed, Summer Intern, Global Language Project

My name is Amani Ahmed and I am a summer intern here at Global Language Project. When I was asked to write a post for the GLP blog, I encountered some trouble figuring out a suitable topic. Previous posts on the page were written by GLP staff and guest bloggers who had something unique to contribute—what could I, a college student only at GLP a few weeks, contribute? In thinking about what to write, I realized there were a number of things that interested me about what GLP was dedicated to promoting—education, language learning, global citizenship, successful non-profit work, children’s development; the list goes on.

Scene from Temple in Changsha, China

I decided to write about what initially attracted me to GLP—its mission of teaching and learning languages. My own experience with learning languages has been challenging, but so incredibly rewarding and eye-opening. I just completed my second year of Arabic, but before that, I studied four years of Mandarin in high school. In my junior year of high school, I traveled to both Beijing and Chang’sha, China as part of a student exchange program. Before going, I hosted a Chinese student, Jingjing, and she, in turn, hosted me in China. To this day, we remain very good friends. 

But, the exchange process itself really put my knowledge of and dedication to Mandarin to the test. I realized how difficult it was to actually communicate in a language I had studied for years. However, I soon got the hang of things with Jingjing, and eventually after this full-immersion experience, the connections I made while in China were much more personal because I had spoken to the people I met there in their own language, as opposed to in English—a language that many in China do understand and speak. As Nelson Mandela once said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” Some of my favorite moments while in China were spent bargaining with various vendors and sales people I encountered.  The sense of pleasant surprise at the sight of a non-native speaker speaking familiar words, filled the face of a man selling me a silk scarf. This is a sight I will never forget.  

            The little time I spent in China made the seemingly tedious time spent studying Mandarin in high school well worth it. Hundreds of flashcards, hours spent writing characters over and over again, and countless moments of my Chinese teacher angrily correcting my tones were certainly not fun in the moment. However, the ability to communicate with another group of people and to fully immerse oneself in the life of a people that might seem so different, yet in actuality is quite similar, is one that I hope I can maintain.

            Nowadays, in my new study of Arabic and in attempting to maintain my Mandarin, I always say that I wish I started studying language at an earlier age. Languages take time to learn and the older one gets, the harder it is for one to pick up a new language from scratch. This brings me back to GLP. Not only do I see value in teaching languages to children at an early age in terms of the increased job opportunities it affords them, but also in terms of the connections that languages make between people of different ethnicities and cultures. GLP prepares its students to be citizens of the world—an identity that is so important for individuals to inhabit as the world is becoming more and more globalized. GLP’s proactive approach in building bridges and breaking barriers between the young people of the next generation is one filled with hope and promise.