We’re asking students, recent grads, teachers, and counselors five questions on how languages play a role in shaping personal and professional success…
Meet Meredith—a Hendrix College and London School of Economics grad from Texas, now pursuing a Ph.D. in Politics at Queen Mary University of London.
1. Tell us about your first experiences with language as a child: What motivated you to explore languages and cultures throughout school, and how did you begin?
My family is Cajun, from the Texas/Louisiana border. My first encounters with the French language were in the kitchen of my grandmother’s house where she would use Cajun French words, terms of endearment, and we would hear about her time growing up on a frog farm in Acadia Parish. I became interested in exploring the linguistic side of this cultural heritage so, when I started middle school, I was excited to have the opportunity to start taking French classes.
At the same time, growing up in Central Texas, I was always surrounded by Spanish speakers and grateful to have constant exposure to fantastic food, language, and culture from across Latin America and, most importantly, be in community with those folks.
Through these experiences, I was encouraged to be interested a world beyond Texas and what learning new languages could teach me about my neighbors, my community, and myself.
2. Could you share about your decision to double major in International Relations and French as an undergrad?
In college, I quickly realized that studying International Relations alongside a language was immensely beneficial and, luckily, I went to a liberal arts institution where this pairing was quite organic. My academic and personal interests coalesced around international human rights law and social movement activism where understanding, reading, and speaking French was becoming increasingly more helpful.
As French is the official language of many international organizations and one of the most widely spoken languages worldwide, as I was applying to internships and fellowships in undergrad, having the skill of speaking French was creating exciting opportunities for me. For instance, I carried out French translation work for a public health NGO and interned for the State Department working on community development projects in Niger.
3. Were you able to apply your language skills to fieldwork completed abroad as a student?
Yes! Most recently, I completed fieldwork during the third year of my Ph.D. My research focuses on the narrative impacts of climate change litigation with four case studies: two cases at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and two cases at the European Court of Human Rights.
First, I traveled to Montréal, Canada, where I interviewed research participants. The interviews I conducted were not in French but, of course traveling in a Francophone region, I relied on French often. Second, I traveled to Strasbourg, France, where the European Court of Human Rights is located. There, I worked in the Court’s library to access documents relating to my case studies and communicated in French with the Court librarians and staff. Having language skills in those fieldwork countries certainly made conducting my research much easier!
4. Looking back on your language learning experience, is there any advice that you’d now like to share with your younger self (and other students)?
If you’re a language student, I recommend reading, watching, and listening to as much of the language as you can. This helps not only with comprehension but in gaining a better understanding of crucial cultural elements of language that can be hard to grasp outside of a textbook—jokes, political references, and even how those language speakers write online. I found that this not only helped with immersion, but it really helped with confidence!
This tip isn’t reinventing the wheel, it’s a common one, and was immensely helpful to me: Find music from that country, a Netflix show, a YouTuber, anything!
5. What would you say has been the biggest impact of your having studied French?
As humanities programs are being defunded and devalued across the United States, this could not be a better time to invest in yourself and in your education by choosing to learn a language.
When you learn a new language, it challenges you to confront how other people construct and assign meaning to their own lives. We become new and molded by how we change when we speak a different language, occupying a different world. I like to think that the privilege of learning languages has forged deeper empathy in me, and has encouraged me to challenge myself and remain curious about the world around me.
A lifelong care for French, and the impact of cultural exchange in general, has influenced small decisions like what I read, watch, or listen to, all the way to large decisions such as where I live or what my career is. I’m grateful for the language educators I’ve had over the years and the opportunity to be exposed to new ideas, fresh ways of thinking, and, of course, delicious food!
BONUS QUESTION: Complete this thought: “Learning a language means…”
To me, learning a language means working to understand others. Rather than arriving to language learning with the intention to be understood, aim to listen and practice what others on this blog have highlighted: cultural humility. You are stepping into another cultural world, as a guest, where you ought to emphasize critical reflection, lifelong learning, and empathy.
Approaching learning a language from this perspective will enrich your own experiences!
What's next on Meredith's language journey?
When I moved to London in 2020, I began learning Arabic but stopped during the pandemic. I would love to pick it back up because it is such a beautiful language.
Explore more student & recent grad voices across our blog. And, as always, visit @LangConnectsFdn on social media to share your story with us.