languages

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I would liketo studyArabicMandarin and Spanish. I learn languages pretty well and have always done well when presented with a challenge.</p>

<p>Is there a limit to how many languagesstudentscan take?</p>

<p>Is it possible to become fluent in three languages or would it be better to learn thesethree over time ? 1 in college? Anotherin law school? Another on free time?</p>

2

<p>The more common languages (e.g. Spanish) can theoretically be learned at any time at a community college. So if you cannot fit all of the desired languages into your college schedule, then you may want to just take the less common ones, leaving the more common ones for later.</p>

3

<p>[How</a> Long Does it Take to Learn Fluent Mandarin? | The Lingua Franca](<a href=“http://thelinguafranca.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2008/09/14/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-fluent-mandarin/]How”>How Long Does it Take to Learn Fluent Mandarin? | The Lingua Franca)</p>

<p>“In summary, it took me one and a half years to develop true fluency in spoken Mandarin, and about three years to develop fluency in reading…
If you live in greater China and study with the same dedication an elite athlete applies to a fitness regimen, and you have some native talent for speaking and reading Chinese, you’ll be fluent in spoken Chinese in one to two years; it will take at least two to three years to be able to read.”</p>

4

<p>Becoming fluent in a language usually requires developing some cultural intelligence as well. Plan to spend some of your time studying and working abroad to develop that cultural fluency. It will serve you well in your professional endeavors later. </p>

<p>And although I agree that every community college teaches Spanish, and it’s an easy one to pick up, if you are planning to practice law and work with the Spanish-speaking community, you can’t start too soon. So I guess it depends on why you are learning languages - as a hobby or because you plan to use them professionally.</p>

5

<p>You could do one of the languages in Middlebury’s (or another) summer program. You have to keep in mind that you probably will only have 4 courses a semester, so if 3 are languages you won’t have time for much else. You can also use a junior semester abroad to perfect one of the languages but you’ll have to choose an abroad program with really good language training.</p>