Languages, Culture and Translation courses in UBC's continuing studies help students get by in foreign countries

Former high-school French teacher Nina Parr says that studying a language offers so much more than being able to communicate with people from other parts of the world. “I’ve learned so much about other things,” Parr told the Straight by phone. “I’ve learned history. I’ve learned about music. I’ve learned about culture and geography that I never would have known if I hadn’t pursued studying a language.”

Parr is now program leader in Languages, Culture and Translation Programs in UBC’s continuing studies, which offers conversational classes in 10 languages as well as American Sign Language. Courses typically run for two hours, once a week, for nine weeks from fall through spring.

“We really want our students to use the language in the real world,” Parr said. “You don’t achieve that by doing grammar exercises. So we really get our students speaking and interacting from the beginning.”

That’s not to say that students don’t learn grammar. But the overall objective is helping students figure out what to do in the language, whether it’s ordering a meal in a restaurant, shopping, or introducing themselves.

“You don’t have to worry about making mistakes,” Parr stated. “It’s a really safe place to practise those skills that you are gaining every class.”

Certificate programs are available in French and Spanish, which are the first- and third-most-popular languages offered through continuing studies. Mandarin ranks second, according to Parr, and it’s possible to earn an award of achievement in this language.

“It’s sort of a smaller version of the certificate,” she said. “It’s for people starting right at the beginner level and they’re able to get to a good, basic functional level. The award of achievement shows that they were able to achieve that.”

Most of the classes offer face-to-face instruction, though there are also online courses for those solely interested in reading and writing.

All instructors are native speakers in the language they teach. This helps ensure that students are exposed to the cultures of the teachers’ countries of origin.

“You can get really competent with the mechanics of a language, but unless you have the context that the language is spoken, you’ve only gotten partway,” Parr said. “It’s really important to learn what’s culturally suitable in terms of gestures or how you use different components of the language.”