<p>im a junior learning both french and arabic and am thinking about studying abroad twice for a year in France and then another year in Egypt in order to become fluent in them. The thing is it would add two extra years on before i'm able to graduate. im planning on becoming a clinical social worker, but also want to be a free-lance interpreter/translator. has anyone ever studied abroad more than once? is it a good idea? should i only go to france, since that is where im more likely to become fluent? if i do egypt, i would have only had 2 years of arabic, versus already being at a high intermediate-level in french.</p>
<p>Are you independently wealthy? If so, this sounds like a lot of fun.</p>
<p>However, it is not necessary to study abroad for a full year. My daughter has a friend who has done two summer programs. Another option is to do one study abroad, graduate in four years, and then work abroad for a year.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t advice it. It could very well damage your language abilities. Languages need constant attention; you can’t ever stop learning a language, if you were to spend a year concentrating on Arabic you will likely forget any French you’ve learnt. The only way to combat this is to continue studying French whilst in Egypt, which rather defeats the point in being there.</p>
<p>Assuming that you’re already reasonably proficient in both, there’s no point going away for two years - four months in each country would do equally well (though you wont become fluent in Arabic, no matter how long you stay there). If you only have a basic level in each language then just pick one to study. If you still want to experience the second country, wait until after you graduate and then work abroad for a year or two.</p>
<p>P.S. How exactly are you going to be a freelance interpreter and a social worker? Interpreting is difficult, stressful and often tedious work, it’s not something you can do part-time alongside another job.</p>
<p>Why not spend a summer, semester, or year in Morocco or another country where both French and Arabic are widely spoken? I know people who studied in Morocco and found it to be a very effective way to practice two languages without having to travel to two different countries. Not to mention that studying in Morocco (or Algeria, or Tunisia) would likely be a more interesting cultural experience than studying in France. Just something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>If you are wealthy, then sure, go ahead.</p>
<p>If you are not wealthy, remember that your life doesn’t end when you graduate from college. You can study abroad in college and then live abroad after college if you would like. You can study abroad in two different places during your junior year, too - go to Egypt one semester and a Francophone country the next, or vice versa.</p>
<p>I disagree with Dionysus. You do need to maintain your languages once you become fluent, but there are many people who are fluent in more than one foreign language. If you study French first, for example, when you go to Egypt you can join a French conversation club or class in order to keep it up. Or you can join such a club for Arabic if you go to France (probably easier to do). Or you can practice on your own in order to keep your language skills up. I know several people who speak two foreign languages and they just continually practice both.</p>
<p>I also want to know his reasoning for why you “won’t become fluent in Arabic, no matter how long you stay there.”</p>
<p>It’s also not true that you can’t do interpreting alongside social work. There are many volunteer positions at hospitals for interpreters, for example - they usually give you a basic course on medical interpreting, but you already have to know the languages and be trained in regular interpreting before you can do that. There are also many placement companies that will place interpreters in one-time or temporary gigs. You don’t have to be a full-time interpreter.</p>
<p>^^ This.</p>
<p>You have one life; live it to the fullest. If it is financially possible, go for it-- college will be there when you are done. If it is not financially possible, remember there are other ways to achieve this goal.</p>
<p>Whether you agree with me or not does not matter, I am still right and anybody who chooses to ignore my advice will probably regret it.</p>
<p>You’re assuming that the OP is already near fluent in French, and that they would only have to maintain that language whilst studying Arabic. The OP is still learning both; it would be very unwise to start learning a new language before reaching at the very least [B2</a> level](<a href=“Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - Wikipedia”>Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - Wikipedia) in the other. Living in France for a year will not give him a high enough level of proficiency to start learning another language.</p>
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<p>From my experience Americans on this board have a far too simplistic idea of what language learning involves, one can not simply study in a foreign country and become fluent. Arabic is a very difficult language and it has many different varieties, none of which you learn at college. Colleges do not teach separate dialects of Arabic, they only teach Modern Standard Arabic and the only place that is used is on news channels. In practical terms this means that once you arrive in the Middle East you will have to start learning as a beginner, no matter how much previous study you have done. If you do want to leave until you’re fluent then get ready for at least a decade in the desert.</p>
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<p>The OP did not say they want to be a volunteer, they said they want to be a freelance translator. That is a full time job - I know this because my cousin is a translator for the EU and she works 10 hour days - it is not something you can do on a part-time basis alongside another job. I have never heard of a good translating/interpreting company which offers one-time contracts to unaccredited volunteers.</p>
<p>Every once in a while, you read a post that is so off-track that it almost doesn’t merit responding. But, for the sake of the OP, I will respond to Dionysus’ assertions. </p>
<p>I have several children who are all multilingual. I have taught foreign language. Both the languages at issue-- French and Arabic-- are among the ones we speak. </p>
<p>First, there is no magic level before which you shouldn’t start a second language. Second, the OP said she was at high intermediate level in French. Third, of course Arabic is not spoken the way it is taught-- but a year in an Arabic-speaking country will get the student much further than if the student hadn’t had a year there, right?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t call answering someone’s questions and correcting a few ignorant assumptions off-track.</p>
<p>Being at a high intermediate-level in French is a perquisite for studying in France anyway, or at least it is for serious people who want to attend French universities and attain a reasonable level of proficiency. After having completed a year in France it would be madness to then go to the Middle East (with only two years of Arabic study, of which much will have been forgotten in the interim anyway) and start the process all over again. </p>
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<p>If you’re learning from home, no there isn’t. But if you choose to learn abroad, in a stressful environment where you are having to learn a lot of material in a small space of time - then yes there is. The OP would be very silly to attempt to learn Arabic in this way right after spending a year in France. She would likely loose much of what she learnt in France, thus rendering the entire exercise pointless. </p>
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<p>What planet are you living on lady? A year is nothing; you may as well not go. In my opinion you need at the very least three years of full time study before you can even think about going abroad, and in the case of Arabic you still wont be anywhere near fluent.</p>