Language Proficiency Before Studying Abroad: A Personal Journey
My first experience with studying abroad was in France, and it occurred when I was 13 years old, which was already a remarkable milestone given that I had skipped a year and began attending primary school at the age of 5. French was not a challenge for me, as Belgium is bilingual, and I had already been studying it for five years. However, my knowledge of German was quite rusty. Despite the language resembling my native Dutch, a great deal of its popularity had diminished due to the World Wars, and it was typically a subject we only studied just before the exam.
The Crucial Role of Latin
Fortunately, I had chosen to study Latin, which has a very similar grammatical structure to German. Despite my limited knowledge of it, I was forced to immerse myself in the language for four or five days before embarking on an exchange program in a rural area of the reunified German Bundesrepublik. After those crucial days, I managed to have a conversation with a still-communist exchange student from my university. He reassured me that the result of my efforts was clear, and the knowledge of the grammatical system borrowed from Latin to create a Bible that every German could understand was a significant advantage. Essentially, all I had to do was fill in the gaps with the appropriate vocabulary and language structures.
English as a Foreign Language
English is not as universally spoken on the European continent as native speakers often believe. The language only became accessible to me in my mid-to-late teenage years, when I was 15. That year, I had missed several months in the hospital, and Belgium's small size meant that we could watch television in eight languages since the 1960s. Today, my digital device broadcasts content in at least 20 languages. As such, I was able to practice my English within just 10 days!
It's fascinating to note that English shares many roots with Dutch, including Old Norse, Frisian, originally Germanic dialects, Anglo-Saxon dialects, and Gothic. Comparatively, German or Ancient Greek, which resemble modern Russian to some extent, may seem like languages for children. I had already become familiar with much of the 'Vulgar Latin' that had evolved into Middle French and had been incorporated into the English language by the Normans. Additionally, our exposure to English was quite extensive, as we frequently listened to songs and movie dialogues in ten different languages on the radio and television.
The Language Advantage Over Peers
A few years later, when I managed a hotel, English-speaking businesspeople staying overnight at my establishment often marveled at our ability to effortlessly switch between six to seven languages. However, I always advised them not to be envious of our language skills and instead to focus on areas where they already excelled. Studying languages they might never need could be more beneficial than trying to compete with our multilingual abilities.
In conclusion, my journey through various languages underscores the significance of early exposure and practice, especially when studying abroad. My experience with French, German, Latin, and English highlights the importance of understanding grammatical structures and vocabulary, even when knowledge is rusty. Early language learning can provide a strong foundation, enabling one to become proficient in multiple languages, a skill that can be both rewarding and advantageous in a globalized world.