<p>I have recently decided that I want to study foreign languages in college. Language is pretty much the only thing I am interested in. So I was curious about how many languages I can take in college.
All the websites of potential colleges I have looked into have a variety of foreign languages as majors, yet I know that taking on three majors (French, German, and Spanish) would be difficult to keep up with (and maybe impossible?). How do people learn multiple languages in college? And is it possible to couple it with business or economics? Would a minor in some languages put me at a fluent level, or is majoring the only way to go? I'm not so concerned with degrees and things like that (just ieces of paper ...), I just want the knowledge. I wouldn't be opposed to continuing my education after I enter the workforce if I don't know as many languages as I would like by the time I graduate, but I would like to take full advantage of my time in college.</p>
<p>This is where I stand now in terms of my education in language:
I will have a pretty good grasp on Spanish and German (Honors Spanish 4 and Honors German 5) by the time I graduate. I am also planning on taking a summer course in French at a local private college this summer to become acquainted with the language. I will likely continue to learn French in classes outside high school (my schedule is too full for three periods of foreign languages next year), so I'll see where that puts me.</p>
<p>Three language majors? Impossible.</p>
<p>If you want to be actually Fluent, especially in more than one, you’ll need to do abroad. At least in Europe it wouldn’t be that hard to travel around to different countries, though it might take years to get fluent in more than one or two.</p>
<p>Thanks for the quick reply.</p>
<p>So what you are suggesting is that I will probably have to learn some languages after graduation? I would be fine with that, but what would be my best option in terms of majors in college? Should I double major in two? Or should I just couple one language major with a more applicable one such as business or economics? I really am pretty lost, and I’ll be talking it over with my guidance counsellor, but I would like to have an idea of what I should do so I don’t appear uninformed.</p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>It’s great you want to learn so many languages, it’s a valuable skill. But take it from someone who is attemping to become fluent in a fourth - you really have to be around people who speak the language in order to fully grasp it. There comes a point when you can speak Spanish or whatever without actively thinking to speak it, it flows naturally without prior thought.</p>
<p>It sounds like you have some interest in the Business world, undoubtedly being multilingual can help you there. You don’t have to major in a language to learn it. If I was in your position, I would major in Business, or International Relations or Economics if you’re into Liberal Arts, and then couple it with a minor or double-major in 1 other language. </p>
<p>I would personally focus on French/Spanish, easier for an English speaker to learn imo. Study abroad in France/Switzerland or any Spanish-speaking country, that is the best way to learn a language. I studied Italian for 6 years but never felt I could speak it until I did a study program in Italy for 3 months. Being around native speakers and constantly speaking it will help you truly learn. If you can’t afford study abroad, join a French/Spanish/German Club at your school, and take as many language classes as possible. A double major in Business + 1 language won’t be too hard to do, and you sound passionate. You don’t have to major in those languages to learn them, I’m hoping to become fluent in Italian by studying abroad in Italy for another semester and taking more Italian classes, plus I’m in an Italian Club at college. You could major in Spanish for example, and still learn German. Just my advice :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the response. It was very helpful. At least I now know where to begin when I talk to my guidance counsellor!
Did you learn the other languages after you graduated college (considering that you know four)?</p>
<p>Nope, I was raised in a bilingual home and learned English and urdu (south asian language spoken in a couple countries) at the same time, learned Arabic when I was a kid as well. It’s easier to learn a language as a child, there’s no way I would have picked up either as a teen/adult. I don’t really know 4, but I’m trying to lol. It’s harder to pick one up at 18. </p>
<p>Unlike in HS, your counselor won’t really tell you what to do, it’s all up to you. He/she’ll just give you advice about double majoring, what courses you’re required to take, etc. It’s ok if you’re undecided, I think like half of students are when they arrive, plus most people change their mind. A triple-language major would be very very difficult though.</p>
<p>What I would recommend is if you want to do all three, make one of them your major, and then take just the language courses, and not the cultural/literature courses for the other two.</p>
<p>@ the OP: I’m with everyone else, I would major in buisness/international relations with either a double major, or a minor in one. I DEFINITELY agree studying abroad helps a ton.</p>
<p>@ Stargazerlilies: You speak italian also? I’m a fluent italian and lived there for about a year! and i agree it’s easier to pick up a language younger, I became fluent in greek becuase i started learning at about… 3. I’m also fluent in ASL which isn’t very helpful except to me… i’d like to learn a well 4/5 also =)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses. I like the idea of majoring in one language and taking classes in the other languages, yet not taking the cultural-type classes that would accompany a major in that language.</p>
<p>You can do it! Im in the same boat; i take German 3, Completed Spanish AP and got a 4, and completed French AP and got a 4. IF you just sit down and study hard enough you’ll get it. Its not that hard if you just look at it; its kinda like math. Try learning latin also; it’ll be very useful. Furthermore, try learning spain spanish becausa\e if you dont know a word in french, you can always take a cognate a morphe it over (for example, spanish ‘(ella) tiene’ becomes portuguese ‘tem’ cuz -ie- changes to -e- and the final -e is drop for sound purposes, and due to that change the final nasal sound is changed into -m)/ (or spanish haber (once upon a time it meant to have) to french 'avoir"; j ai is yo he (sound almost the same) tu as is tu has (pronounced the same) etc). It goes on! itll help you out a lot.</p>
<p>You can definately do it, but I definately wouldn’t major in three! I was taught English and Sicilian at home, and learned Spanish and Italian in school. Italian is kind of hard lol (even though I know Sicilian). I can understand it, but can’t speak it. So, it’s definately possible, but you have to be around people who speak it all the time. It’s the only way to fully immerse yourself.</p>
<p>I’m fluent in Mandarin and Arabic. But I picked up Mandarin from studying abroad; I’m fairly positive that simply taking courses in it, I would have never picked it up past an elementary level.</p>
<p>Hi, I think if you work very hard you could do it. I know seven languages fluently (English,Spanish,Hindi,Gujarati,Arabic,Persian or “Farsi”,and Urdu) but that is only because of my VERY diverse heritage. I was just wondering if knowing multiple languages helps you get into college.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t try to triple major in them, but taking courses in all three to keep learning wouldn’t be a problem.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t recommend getting a major in language because you really don’t need to spend thousand of dollars on a degree that tells everyone you can speak more than one language.</p>
<p>If you are going to do it, I recommend only doing three western or eastern language, don’t get a mix. Because they complement each other in a way</p>
<p>E.g. German, French, Italian compliments each other much better than say German, Chinese, Hindi</p>
<p>Instead of spending the money on the major, do it in something more useful and do internships/study abroad in foreign countries. You could possibly try to move to one or more of those countries after college and learn the language.<br>
My uncle only studied two in college, but since then has learned four more through self study, working/living abroad, befriending native speakers, etc. There are more ways to learn languages than through university.</p>
<p>I also would advise against majoring in three languages, unless you go to Middlebury or something and have an excellent foreign languages department. Majoring in a language doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll gain fluency in it - especially if you don’t study abroad, and studying abroad in three different countries for a significant amount of time is cost-prohibitive for most people. I mean, my aunt majored in Spanish and today she’s an English teacher and can barely have a basic conversation in the language.</p>
<p>I love languages too and am proficient in two besides English, but I’m bored by language classes AND language majors at my school are mostly comprised of literature courses taught in English (i.e. Dostoevsky in Translation), which I’m not as interested in, and I have a feeling it’s that way at most universities…</p>
<p>you can take as many languages in college as you like as long as you can handle them all. I mean, I took both Japanese and Chinese at the same time a few semesters ago, but since it got to be too much for me, I stopped taking them both at the same time since the hanzi/kanji are the same and I often mixed the readings up. But if you want to achieve fluency in those languages, your best bet is to study abroad.</p>
<p>Well, often times you need to have some basic level of comprehension before you can be permitted to a study abroad program. Studying abroad is a great way to be immersed in a language, but there are opportunities that may exist in your community as well. It could be possible for you to volunteer at a community Hispanic center, for example.</p>
<p>University of Delaware has a Three Languages major program, where you are required to show a high level of ability in 2 or them and a lesser degree in the last. If you look more into it, it may fit the bill.</p>