Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
Exploring Culture
An assignment that I completed this semester that helped with my understanding of the Spanish culture was TalkAbroad. In class, we get a great overview of what Spanish culture is like, but it is entirely different to be able to speak with a native speaker, and to learn all about who they are as a person. The clip that I have embedded below is from my first TalkAbroad conversation with a woman from Mexico. We had a very enriching conversation, and after only 15 minutes, I felt like I knew a lot more about her than at the beginning.
My First TalkAbroad Conversation!
This assignment was a little bit challenging for me because I am very nervous whenever I need to speak in Spanish. In my day to day, I sometimes use Spanish when talking to coworkers or friends, but those conversations are not being graded. I often worry if my grammar is alright – did I conjugate that verb correctly? Did my speaking partner understand what I was trying to say? Oh no, I forgot how to say that word!
A big accomplishment that I have made during this semester is an improvement of my confidence. If I don’t know a word in Spanish, I will instead try to describe what it means. In the conversation embedded above, I did not know the Spanish word for “military”, so I instead described what it was, and my partner was able to provide me with the correct vocabulary. This is something that I likely would not have been able to do at the beginning of the semester, and I am proud of my growth.
Engaging in Communities
It is very important to engage with those around you, even if you have never met in person. One of the biggest challenges for me this semester was taking this class online, without ever meeting in person. I enjoyed the discussion boards that we participated in this semester, and I feel like we built a little community within the class. Below I have included a screenshot of a discussion board from this semester.
Interpersonal Communication
I enjoyed the speaking assessments that we had with our professor this semester. They were challenging for me, and I felt like I showed myself what I was capable of when I was under pressure. At the beginning of the semester, I was almost paralyzed in fear at the thought of having to speak in Spanish. I now have gotten more confident, and feel prepared to communicate more in Spanish. I have a couple of coworkers who are Spanish teachers, and I have fun trying to speak with them. They always have great tips on how to get better at the language, and how to build my confidence. Below I have included another discussion board post, showing the back and forth in written Spanish that we practiced this semester.
Presentational Speaking
This semester, I made a video narrating a fictional trip to Costa Rica. Not only was this video visually entertaining, it also gave information in Spanish about the fake trip that I took, and told about the country.
This assignment was difficult for me because I struggle with scripting myself in Spanish. In Spanish classes that I have taken in the past, everything has been improvisational, and we weren’t allowed to script our speaking exercises. I always have a hard time reading the Spanish I write out loud, and I feel like it makes more sense the way that it is written. I have always been uncomfortable on camera, so that makes videos even more uncomfortable for me.
Presentational Writing
One piece of presentational writing from this semester that I am proud of is from Module 15. I wrote a story for the Project in this module, and I like the storyline, and that I was able to create a full composition. This is something I didn’t think that I was capable of, but I am really proud of what I was able to do!
El Gato y Las Indígenas: En las selvas de Costa Rica, viva un gato especial, con magia. Este gato se llama ‘Pedro’, y el le gustan las ratas y los pájaros para desayunar. Pedro es un gato muy grande, y el tiene cuatro pies enormes. Cuando Pedro era un gato joven, él fue a un lago en la selva, y hacía un día muy peculiar. Cuando Pedro fue al lago, él necesitió dormir por dos horas. El viaje fue muy largo, y Pedro había necesitado correr mucho en la selva, porque había personas malas en los árboles. Recuerdo, Pedro es un gato con magia, y las indígenas quería su magia. La magia era solamente para Pedro, y el no tenía extra para las indígenas. A lado del lago, Pedro durmió con paz, y tenía sueños sobre su almuerzo. Cuando Pedro se levantó, él vió unas indígenas, y ¡ellos tenían cuchillos! ¡Ellos querían sacrificar Pedro para tener su magia! La magia de Pedro es muy especial, y él puede volar. Pedro no volía mucho porque la selva con los árboles grandes era muy peligrosa para un gato que podía volar. Para salvar su vida, Pedro voló a un otra selva, y había una vida buena allí, donde no hay personas malas que quieren su magia. Pedro es muy feliz en la selva nueva, y tiene una familia de gatos. Totalmente de sus hijos pueden volar, y Pedro enseña los hijos todos los días. Cuando tú tienes miedo, es necesario que salvar tú vida, y no es importante como te salvas tú vida.
At the beginning of the semester, my writing in Spanish was a lot weaker than it is now. I have been able to relearn old grammar, as well as develop my vocabulary beyond what it was before. Using the correct verb tense continues to be a problem in my writing, especially in the future and past tenses. I am better at figuring out whether to use the imperfect vs the subjunctive, but future tense is still difficult for me.
Interpretive Listening
This semester, the only interpretative listening activities that we did were included in the textbook online. On my own time, I watched several films in Spanish, including a couple of the Harry Potter films.
I thought that it was really fun watching a movie that I am very familiar with in a language that I am still learning. I have seen the Harry Potter movies so many times, that I can probably quote every line! I watched the films with the subtitles on in Spanish as well, so I was able to read while they were talking. I liked how much the preterite and imperfect tenses were used in the films, and it helped to reinforce when to use which tense of verb.
Interpretive Reading
This semester, we read several small stories through Contrasena. One that sticks out in my brain was about an Eclipse, and the interaction of a religious man and the Indigenous.
This activity was helpful for me to be able to read a story, and to glean accurate information from it. When I encountered a word that I didn’t understand, I didn’t shut down, but I instead used context clues to be able to figure out that the word means. Reading a story in an entirely different language is a challenge, because you will not understand everything in the story, but it helps to make sure you are getting grammar right.