Nicole Tognarina, Campus Carrier copy editor

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), there are around 7000 official languages in the entire world. At Berry, we have the option to learn three of them – Spanish, French and German. With our college constantly pushing for more diversity and representation in both the faculty and students, adding a broader selection of languages to learn is a quick way to attract a wider group of possible professors, each of whom could bring their own unique perspectives to our campus. 

As a student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree, I know that I need three semesters of foreign language classes before I can graduate. However, with Berry’s insistence to stay true to our reputation as a “small classroom size” college, this quality sometimes makes it difficult to get the classes I need, including these language courses. By adding a few more options, it can ease the pressure of getting required classes on time. However, class registration isn’t the only reason to add languages. 

With the internet now a permanent feature of society, people in college and younger are now making friends outside of our geographic location, many of which may not speak English as a first language. Having these diverse online friendships inevitably leads to an interest in their mother language, and thus an increase in desire to learn it. While online language programs like Duolingo and Rosetta Stone are convenient and relatively cheap, in-person language classes not only give people an opportunity to make more connections to people in their own community, but it also provides a clearer structure for constructive criticism and teamwork. 

Adding language courses such as Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Latin and Greek have significant benefits. First, languages like Latin and Greek are extremely common in medical sciences. These languages are already something many medical students will have to learn passively through their classes, so adding a dedicated Latin or Greek class can only benefit these majors. Courses on Mandarin Chinese or Arabic will give students an opportunity to learn about non-Western parts of the world. As much as one may enjoy tostadas, croissants or Belgian waffles, French, German and Spanish culture is already familiar to us. By teaching languages from outside the West, Berry students will be able to enrich their lives and cultural understanding. It can also bring more students to study abroad in those countries. Having a series of classes to grow our knowledge and understanding of the world. Overall, having more languages classes can only benefit Berry both as a community and an institution.