Monday, February 22, 1999
Enthusiasts brush up conversation skills with language clubs
LANGUAGES: International, U.S. students can practice speaking,
share cultures
By Linh Tat
Daily Bruin Contributor
After a three-year slump, language clubs at UCLA are gaining
popularity again. The Dashew International Student Center now
offers five conversational language clubs for members of the UCLA
community: Spanish, French, German, Mandarin and Japanese.
"It’s great that the international center can form a bridge
between the university and the community," said Regina Sadono,
director of the French Club.
The center, which once held its office in a building on Hilgard,
relocated to Gayley in the spring of 1994. It changed its location
again to the new Tom Bradley International Hall last year.
Before relocating to Bradley Hall, the organization was unable
to obtain space for the clubs to meet and hold activities. As a
result, the clubs had to meet on campus. Support for the program
also waned as it became more difficult to find volunteers to
coordinate activities.
This year, the staff of the international center witnessed a
resurgence of enthusiasm for the clubs, according to Larry Gower,
executive director of the center.
The idea behind starting the clubs up again came from Mariana
Zavala Corzo, the center’s program director. A former director of
the Spanish Club in 1991, she described the experience as being
both social and educational.
"Each club is set up so that international students can meet
U.S. students who are also interested in the culture," said Jeremy
Wintringer, program assistant for the center.
The clubs are designed particularly for intermediate and
advanced speakers of the languages.
The way the program works is by assigning one foreign exchange
student to work with a U.S. student in coming up with ideas for
club activities.
The clubs offer interested students a chance to explore the
different aspects of a culture while practicing the language
through informal conversations with other people.
Frederick Burwick, director of the German Club, said that this
format allows students to speak a foreign language without the
pressure of a classroom conversation.
"It’s one thing when you’re speaking for a grade; it’s another
thing when you’re having a conversation without being evaluated,"
he said.
In addition to feeling less pressure, students have said that
these clubs allow them to learn more about the language differently
than in ways they are taught in classrooms.
"In a classroom situation, you’re not necessarily taught how to
say things that come up in a normal conversation," said Isaac
Chang, a second-year economics and international area studies
student and Mandarin Club member.
Some of the activities offered by the clubs include music
nights, discussions on slang, guest speakers, cultural dances,
foreign shows, potlucks and holiday celebrations. The clubs have
received the most popular response to cooking lessons in the past,
according to Wintringer.
"I joined the Spanish Club so that I could practice speaking the
language," said Stephanie Jones, a fourth-year English student who
studied abroad in Spain last year.
She said that she expects to see more students come to the
meetings now since they are in the process of applying for the
study abroad program.
Wintringer said that there will be a Brazilian-Portuguese club
next quarter. The center is also considering starting up Southeast
Asian, Middle Eastern, Korean, Hindi, Arabic and Farsi language
clubs in the future.
These clubs are open to students, faculty and alumni. Membership
is free for current UCLA students. Other members pay a $5 quarterly
fee.BAHMAN FARAHDEL/Daily Bruin
Students from a World Arts and Cultures class perform a Spanish
folk dance called the Solea as part of a cultural program for
students in the Spanish Club.
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