Maddox: Attorney at Law Leading with French

Meet Maddox—an Associate Attorney at Hickey and Hull Law Partners.

When you open yourself to media in other languages, it creates room for broader cultural understanding and allows you to conceptualize what life may be like outside of your own personal experience.

Languages: French

Grew Up in: Arkansas

Undergraduate Studies: Hendrix College (AR), double-major major in French and English (Creative Writing)

Study Abroad: France & Italy

Did internships and/or study abroad programs enrich your language journey as a student or recent grad? What would you say has been your greatest takeaway from these experiences?

My time studying abroad in France allowed me to develop my language skills beyond what I had obtained during 6 years in the classroom. I was more inclined toward reading and writing in French before my time abroad, but during my time there, my conversational abilities developed substantially. I studied at Tours Langues, which had international students from all over the world, so I got to learn about many different cultures from my classmates. The most eyeopening
experience for me was talking with people from other countries about their ideologies and perceptions of the United States.

How have your language and cultural skills supported and/or enhanced your professional opportunities?

When I began law school, I found that a lot of the terminology we were asked to memorize were just direct French translations, which made studying much easier because I already knew the words. For example, trial advocacy involves a process called voir dire, in which you meet and speak to potential jurors in order to determine whether they may have a bias that could effect their perception of your case. Knowing that voir means “to see” and dire means “to speak,” one
can more easily understand what the process may entail without prior legal knowledge.

What advice would you share with current language learners or those considering studying a language?

Seek out media that was made in your target language! I have loved being able to read primary sources in their original written language, because context often gets lost in translation. When you open yourself to media in other languages, it creates room for broader cultural understanding and allows you to conceptualize what life may be like outside of your own personal experience.

It’s often said that English is the language of global business, and because of that, language skills aren’t necessary to succeed. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

The idea that one could engage in global business while strictly speaking English seems a bit silly to me, because I don’t often get through a single court appearance without coming across someone who doesn’t speak English. I’ve come across many Spanish-speaking clients with translation needs, and while I don’t speak Spanish fluently, I’ve found that once you’ve learned a couple of Latin-based languages, you can piece together the rest well enough to understand
what’s being said on a basic level. That’s how I got by during my time in Italy.

While it may be possible to conduct business in only one language, the nuances and insights that can be gained by speaking to someone in their native language will be lost.

Do you have an interesting, moving, or humorous anecdote featuring your language or cultural skills to share?

My first French teacher was from Brazil. Her native language was Portuguese, and she came to the United States to teach French. I remember thinking she was the most insightful and cultured person I had ever met. She was an excellent mentor to me and taught me that a global mindset creates a new level of personal freedom.

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