(I have no idea where to post this thread, if there’s a better place please move it).
I’m a student at UNC-CH and working on a degree in Environmental Science. I have a good knack for languages and took up to intermediate Spanish here, but I really want to be fluent in a language, so I’ve decided to do more with Spanish. However, I’m a bit late in my undergrad career (sophomore) and I don’t know that I can complete the Spanish minor here without running into issues with the core classes for my major.
I’m also not super fond of how language courses are taught here. I got A’s in all my Spanish classes, but I don’t think there was enough emphasis on speaking, so it was hard to improve.
If I self study Spanish (and find a good way to practice speaking–I have a few ideas), are there ways to prove fluency, like some kind of exam? That way it can have some benefit for a resume without possibly running into issues fitting classes around my major?
There are different organizations that offer testing/certificates on language fluency. I don’t know if some are better/more highly regarded than others, but someone here on CC may know!
Unfortunately I can’t really study abroad, due to time constraints, but I’ll try to find a way to do some sort of immersion thing regardless, I know those are crucial.
I do, though I’m not sure how I’d approach that. “Hey, can I speak Spanish with you sometime so I can improve my speaking skills?” I feel like people might get annoyed at that, but I don’t know, maybe it’s more common than I think?
I do have a friend who’s a nonnative Spanish speaker (but she’s like in a way more advanced Spanish than I am) and I speak with her in Spanish sometimes : )
I know people who were fluent in Spanish and they were always willing to speak Spanish with me (even though I don’t speak Spanish!). I don’t think it will be much of an issue if you know the person because most friends will likely to be willing to help you out. If you don’t know the person well, it still doesn’t hurt to ask. If they say no, then it’s not like you’ve lost anything.
At my school, there were language tables where native and nonnative speakers would get together over lunch and speak a certain language. Perhaps, you could see if there’s something like that at your school. Or if you know anyone who’s Spanish speaking, offer to get them a coffee or something in exchange for chatting with you in Spanish. I know people who volunteered with the international center, helping international students improve their English. Does your school have an international center or good number of international students? Maybe they could help match you up with someone from a Spanish-speaking country. You could help them improve their English, and they could help you improve your Spanish. There’s also the option for tutors, if you have the money to pay for one. I know there are people who pay for ESL tutors where you mostly just help them practice speaking English. Could you get together with other students from your Spanish class to help each other practice? Have you tried asking your Spanish professor for advice or suggestions? Maybe she knows of former students or grad students or something who would be willing to meet up with you to help you practice Spanish every once in a while. Maybe there’s a club with a lot of Spanish-speaking students that you could join.
Would you have time to go abroad during a break or part of the summer? I know it might be hard time-wise to go abroad during the year, but my school had programs during school breaks or summer break where students could study or volunteer abroad. That might help you get some immersion without devoting an entire semester.
Have you looked for classes outside of your university that are geared more towards adults or working professionals? In my experience, those courses are typically more focused on improving speaking skills, rather than academic skills like writing, reading, and analysis. They also tend to be less intensive in terms of time because many adult students have to work them around their working schedule. I took a class like this in college that met one evening a week and focused mainly on speaking skills.