Is Learning a Language Worth Continuing in College?

Language courses are some of students’ most dreaded courses. Students tend to put minimal effort into their language courses, don’t understand the purpose of language courses as well as sometimes don’t continue their language courses in university. Frequently, we hear people emphasizing the importance of knowing more than one language and the benefits it can bring in the future when trying to find a job; however, is continuing a language you started really all that important?

The full IB diploma offers 3 different levels of language courses a student can take. Ab Initio, as described by the official IB website, is a course designed for “students with little or no understanding of the language.” When a student is initially learning a second language, ab initio tends to be where they begin, as it offers the fundamental skills needed to interact in the language being learned. Language B, offered in both standard level and higher level, is described by the IB as a “language acquisition courses for students with some previous experience of learning the language.” Students who have the basic skills needed to communicate and are able to maintain a conversation using simple language will tend to take a language B course. Both levels of the course focus on connections between the language and surrounding cultures, but higher level students focus on literature while standard level students do not. Lastly, language A holds the focus of giving native speakers of a language the opportunity to progress in the language and literature component of their language. The students taking this rigorous course tend to focus on literature from various periods, while also expanding their skills using complex vocabulary. Language A courses are identical in rigor and content to our English-language courses at AISG.

I spoke to a variety of students from different levels regarding whether or not they would continue learning the language in university. The senior Nina Y. mentioned that although she takes Language A, she doesn’t feel the need to continue it in university. She said, “I think language to me is a tool to communicate better with others; I am not planning on writing novels so I don’t think I would want to major in language and literature.” However, she continued, “It would not hurt to keep on learning and becoming more fluent in a language.” On the other hand, senior Tanya K, who takes Language B Chinese and is planning on going to Hong Kong for university, gave a different perspective on continuing with Chinese. She said that she believes her Chinese is good enough, but in university, she will have to “focus her energy into learning Cantonese over Mandarin.” She also mentioned that if she is unable to prove that she is good enough at Mandarin in a test condition, she will have to take a course for it. With this being said, continuing a language that you started is substantially more beneficial if you are in an environment you are able to use it in.

Learning a language and continuing a language is a choice that is completely up to each of us to make for ourselves. Many universities offer programs for bilingual students as a way to continue a second language or even a mother tongue. Speaking more than one language can help you get a job in your home country or even abroad. As cliché as it sounds, languages open doors and opportunities.