Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
Introductions
The reason I chose to continue Spanish was my experience living and studying abroad in Argentina. I loved and enjoyed my experience in Argentina and wanted to enhanced my Spanish. After my time in Argentina, I really wanted my Spanish to improve. Taking Spanish 201 has enhanced the Spanish I have learn in Argentina and help me understand it better.
Experience
While I have yet to apply my Spanish skills to the workforce, I have applied my Spanish skills when I was studying abroad in Argentina. A vast majority of people in Argentina do not speak English and since I am in another country, I need to adapt to them instead.
Discipline
A class I taken in Argentina was social business in Latin America and it emphasize how important knowing another language is and how to communicate with local communities especially communities that are not connected to the rest of society. Learning another language to help others communicate is very beneficial because we can communicate with communities that can not express their needs to others. Many times poor communities do not get opportunities to learn languages and it prevents them from reaching out for help due to a language barrier. Learning Spanish will allow me to communicate with communities about culture and representation when designing a game to prevent any discrimination or false information.
Transfer
While I am actively seeking job opportunities where I can apply my Spanish skills that fits with my major in Game design, I have not found any opportunities yet. I am still currently searching for a opportunity. I am hoping to apply my Spanish skills at my current job. Because I chose a career path that many people do not follow, I understand that there are not many opportunities that appear for this. I do think that when a opportunity for this appears, it will be a unique and a one of a kind experience.
Integrated Communications
Exploring cultures
In Argentina, people greet with the kiss on the cheek, and it is a normal thing for them unlike in the United States. There are certain things that the Spanish culture do that is not common in the American culture. Taking this course has allowed me to dive further into the Spanish world and learn more.
Speaking and Pronunciation
The ability to speak Spanish clearly with the correct pronunciation is just as important to understanding. I was assigned two speaking assignments where I had to use the TalkAbroad program to speak and discuss certain topics in Spanish. These assignments gave me more confident in speaking Spanish.
Interpretative Listening
Lingrolearning, TalkAbroad, and my time in Argentina has help me develop my Spanish listening skills. Each one of these played a crucial role in helping me develop my listening skills for Spanish. For example, Lingrolearning had these listening assignments where they would played a word in Spanish and I had to figure out if the word is spelt with a “j” or a “g”.
Writing in Spanish
The projects that I had to do for this class has really help me improve my ability to write in Spanish. These projects have allow me a better understanding in sentence structures in Spanish. For every unit we did, we had to write a 200 word paper project at the end. For example, one of the units we learn was about immigration and emigration. This unit included a story about a girl named Finita and her life as a immigrating to the United States from Cuba. For the project, we had to write a story about what we thought happen to Finita when she return to Cuba to revisit her old life.
Interpretive Reading
Reading Spanish is as important to understanding and speaking Spanish. For example, we had a unit focusing on all types of art. My instructor gave us a few short stories and poems to read and had us read in pairs. We all took turns reading but we also had to understand what was happening in the short stories because our instructor would ask us questions after each story.
Interpersonal Communication
In this class, I had a lot of interactions with my instructor and my fellow classmates in Spanish. We would practice in Spanish during class about the things we had just learn. For example, in order to help us understand the past tense, my instructors would write questions in the past tense in Spanish and we would talk in pairs or a group so we can practice.
Engaging in Communities
The time I spent has allowed me to engage with the Spanish communities. My program volunteered at a school to teach young children about the United States. My fellow students and I worked together to create a PowerPoint to highlight certain thing we have in the United States that are not found in Argentina like the holiday Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, in the United States, I have no engaged with the Spanish communities.
Self-assessment and Reflection
This course has gave me a better understanding of Spanish and has greatly help me. The way Spanish is taught in Argentina is different from the Spanish taught at ODU. I felt that the Spanish I learn at ODU gave me a better understanding of the Spanish I learnt in Argentina. Argentina teaches Spanish at a faster pace than ODU. Because I am learning a new language, I prefer to learn slower so I can understand better. This course has given me that. My instructor was patience with us because she wanted us to learn and understand Spanish. Learning a language is not easy but this course has help me and taught me a lot helping me understand Spanish better.