What's the most challenging part about choosing a foreign language as a major?
I am considering majoring in French because I love the culture and I wish to learn more about it while studying abroad. I would just like to know what to expect for when I begin studying for it. #France #bilingual #academic-advising #language #foreign-languages #language-skills
4 answers
Nicole S.
Nicole’s Answer
A couple of things to keep in mind if you want to major in French:
- The tech industry is always in need of people fluent in major languages - If you're willing to work and learn, you'll rocket up the ladder.
- The most difficult thing you'll run into besides actually achieving professional fluency is probably taking Gen. Ed courses that you have no interest in or taking courses like French literature if you're only interested in the practical reasons for learning a language.
Austin’s Answer
Great question. I minored in Chinese while a college student and it was a great choice as it afforded me opportunities that most weren't able to enjoy. I was able to work in China for 2 summers and studied abroad for a semester during my time as an undergrad and they were by far the best parts of my time as an undergraduate student. That withstanding, it was not easy and you should be prepared to seriously work if you plan on studying and mastering the French language. While French may not be as hard as Chinese, to master the reading, writing, listening, and speaking of French you will have to work everyday on it. You may be stronger in one area than another so be aware that you may have to focus more of your time on one skill compared to another. I was really good at speaking and expressing myself in the language as well as reading, but listening comprehension was the hardest for me and I had to really focus most of my time and attention to that skill.
I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck in your study of French!!
Best,
Austin
Ashley’s Answer
<span style="color: rgb(57, 57, 52);">French is considered one of the easiest languages for a native English speaker to learn. The grammar and sentence structure are different from English, but simpler. Because both languages have Latin roots, they also share thousands of cognates – words that sound the same and have the same meanings.</span>