by Oleksandra Volakova

The Language Fair, organized by the Language Ambassadors at the Fries Center and other passionate Wesleyan students, welcomed visitors with music in various languages, and activities to learn more about them. The students could start their exploration by talking to representatives of the Study Abroad office or Wesleyan Linguistics club, writing calligraphy, participating in an Open Mic, or playing board games in any language available. 

The Language Resource Center and Study Abroad offices within the Fries Center for Global Studies had a table set up to advertise all of the programs run through the Center. Study Abroad Ambassador Mark Zheng was ready answer any questions about the countries where it is possible to study, academic programs (summer, semester, or full-year ones) based on individual interests and goals, financial aid and scholarships, and visa hardships. There are more ways in which Wesleyan can support people planning to study in another country, such as by talking about cultural differences, safety rules, and local laws to ensure a smooth intercultural transition.

Meanwhile, Global Language and Outreach Fellow Thais García Bagué helped discuss the various language-specific programs that are administered and facilitated by the Fries Center for Global Studies. She answered questions about the alternative language study options at Wesleyan, which include the Supervised Independent Learning Program and Mango Languages. SILPs give students the opportunity to independently learn languages that are not offered at Wesleyan as full programs through a petitioned mentorship with a native speaker. Each SILP course is a 1/2 credit. Mango Languages is an online program, similar to Duolingo, where students can learn one of over 70 languages online for 1/4 credit. She also advertised on-campus programs such as International Education Week and the Language Buddies, and outside fellowships and scholarships such as the Critical Language Scholarship and the Fulbright program to those interested in continuing their language study outside of Wesleyan’s campus. For more information on these programs, please reach out to her at tgarcia@wesleyan.edu.

Next was the Linguistics table, where the student-organizers of the Wesleyan Linguistic Club told some interesting facts about studying languages and shared the club information. Everyone is invited to join the Linguistics club or attend their discussions, workshops, and guest lectures (from faculty members and students) explaining how languages evolve, are learned, and differ across cultures. 

The calligraphy table was led by the Japanese FLTA Nao Tsujii. It was an opportunity for the students to see the calligraphy techniques and learn how to create characters using authentic tools and paints. Students were not limited to writing only Japanese calligraphy– Chinese or Arabic-speaking students practiced writing in those languages as well.

After that, the students formed random teams to participate in Languages Jeopardy – a fun and casual test about languages, cultures, and linguistics from around the world inspired by the famous TV game show. The topics included Languages at Wesleyan, Linguistics terms, Interesting words in different languages, Guessing a language by its words, and Random facts. Even though it was a competition, the participants strived to learn new facts and discuss them with each other rather than try to win, which created a friendly atmosphere and helped bond people, some of whom met each other for the first time. 

The Language Fair also featured an Open Mic, where attendees could stop by and request their favorite music. Everyone was invited to take the stage to read poetry, tell stories, or sing songs in any language (even the ones they didn’t know). At any point during the event, students could take a break in one of the rooms, chat with friends, and play board games such as Scrabble in English, French, Italian, or Spanish, Mahjong in Chinese, and Codenames Pictures in any language. It was a good way to relax and sharpen language skills through immersive learning.

Even though the Language Fair has ended, the desire to explore new languages hasn’t. Wesleyan still offers countless ways to dive deeper into different cultures and languages through clubs, classes, and events, and everyone is welcome to join any of them to expand their horizons.