Studying in my bedroom

Author: Shelby Ho | Major: Mathematics | Semester: Summer 2023

In the push for further globalization, translation software has and will continue to serve a vital role; however, even with current advancements, these software are still lacking in fully understanding and conveying the depth of a language. Since I wish to research and develop translation software for a career, I decided to apply to the U of A Faculty Led: French in Grenoble program in order to better understand the nuance failures commonly found when translating. Furthermore, I am personally interested in the pedagogy of foreign languages, so I wanted to see and experience the difference between French taught as second language and French lived as a first.

Before this program, I have only learned and therefore experienced French from university classes. So when I boarded the plane from Atlanta to Paris and could barely parse the pilot’s message, I was immediately struck by my disparity in written skills (reading/writing) against my oral skills (listening/speaking). But even just within a span of the month, my oral skills improved thanks to my time in class and out in the city.

With the University of Grenoble Alps, I was enrolled in French Culture and Language at the B1 level where every weekday from 8:30 to 12:30, I took two 1 hour 50 minute classes with the first being Language and the second being split into Culture and Politics with each lasting two weeks. In the language course, grammar was not prioritized in the same manner as classes in the US which makes sense since past the intermediate level, there really are not any substantial grammar points left. Also, the listening exercises improved my listening skills, and I appreciated the variation in the audio clips from news radio segments to conversations of speakers from different francophone countries. In the culture and politics courses, we were taught the aspects of French life that could not be experienced within one month such as the healthcare system and an overview of the French government. I enjoyed the politics section as the French government is similar to the US which makes it easy to learn but different enough to still be new and interesting.

But truly, nothing improved my French more than simply experiencing the language. From going out for lunch every day after class with my friends to the dinner conversations with my host grandma, I picked up some of the vernacular not taught within class, learned and retained the vocabulary I had not seen in class, and mastered the art of circumlocution to work around said shortcomings in vocabulary. I was also enriched culturally by eating French cuisine and going on a weekend excursion to Switzerland wherein I got to visit the United Nations and try traditional Swiss cuisine. Furthermore, Grenoble is known for its scenery, so I had the chance to take in the view of the Isere River while canoeing and see the Alps while hiking the Chamrousse Mountain.

Thanks to this program, I will be complete with my French minor and am now better prepared to take the Test d’Évaluation Française which will greatly open up professional opportunities upon receiving a good score. A month simply is not enough time to fully explore and experience a language, so using this program as a jumping off point to learn more about colloquial French and the more nuanced grammatical differences between French and English in order to improve translation software. On a parting note, an advice I would give to fellow students going abroad, especially to a country where the dominant language is not English, is to practice listening skills if they have only experienced their target language in the classroom. And even if one’s listening skills are not the best, there is no shame in making errors as that is the whole point of the learning process. Besides you only have a limited time abroad, so you might as well make the most out of it even if it means making a few embarrassing mistakes.