Language StorieS | Language and Culture Learning Center | University of Illinois Chicago

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Language StorieS

This ongoing project celebrates the wonderful linguistic and cultural diversity of UIC students, staff, faculty, and alumni.

Read about how their experiences with speaking, learning, teaching, and understanding language(s) have shaped their lives, and share your own story.

Have an interesting story to tell? Please share it with us in the link below! Scroll down to see the stories!

UIC Language StorieS Heading link

Ekaterina, M.A. in Polish, Russian, and Lithuanian Studies, expected December 2024

Thursday, June 8, 2023

It was a pleasant surprise to discover words borrowed from German in Russian. It also sometimes made learning German easier. And then I found a new dream – to learn German and go to Germany someday in order to investigate rich German culture!

Kai, Biology major (pre-veterinary), expected May 2023

Monday, February 27, 2023

I have studied and thoroughly enjoyed Japanese at UIC. I had first grown into it through Japanese media, such as anime and music, and decided to give formally learning it a try because I had the opportunity to take it at UIC.

Aniela, Integrated Health Sciences & Polish studies Major, Chinese, & Biological Sciences Minor, Spring 2023

Thursday, February 23, 2023

I have aspirations to go to medical school after I graduate from college in Dec 2023. I want to become a Family Physician to provide care for Polish patients in the Chicagoland area.

Megan, UIC B.A. in Germanic Studies, Spring 2023

Friday, January 6, 2023

As a Germanic Studies major, I have been able to explore my interest in German both inside and outside of class

Sadie as a child holding a medal (left), Sadie as a child ice skating (right), Sadie's Language Story, B.A. in Applied Psychology, May 2023

Friday, April 1, 2022

I started taking figure skating lessons when I was six years old, which prompted me to also take ballet at the same time. If any of you have experience with ballet, you will know that every ballet term is in French!

(Left to right) Nat with her family in Paris; Nat holding a large snake; Nat with her family in Chicago

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

When I was six years old, my parents moved me to Paris, France for work. I had to learn French from scratch, as did they. But while they got to take beginner college classes, I had to learn by immersion in French public school.

Eliza at Le mur des je t’aime, Montmartre, Paris, France

Monday, March 28, 2022

In 1st or 2nd grade a Romanian immigrant had come to my school and I was asked to come have a conversation with the new student, but to my disappointment I realized I could not.

Kinga, BA in English, May 2020

Monday, January 10, 2022

I gave my own meaning to words that simply existed within textbook examples, conjugated and defined but stilted and removed from life. That act of spoken creation felt like the bigger thrill of the day.

Charles Lafon, B.A. expected 2024, English and Architectural Studies

Friday, January 7, 2022

But it is interesting how taking a trip abroad, and being a little adventurous while you're there, can totally change the course of your life.

Susy, UIC Teaching of French major, Spring 2022

Monday, November 22, 2021

I'm currently pursuing a major in Teaching of French and working on an English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement because I wish to advocate for languages in our future generations.

Lori, Associate Director, Health Sciences Communication at UIC

Monday, October 25, 2021

My father didn't teach my sister and I German. My grandmother always spoke in broken English to us, so we rarely needed to speak German. My father translated into English whatever my grandfather said.

Valeria, UIC MA in Teaching of Spanish, 2015

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Like many newcomer students, for me school wasn’t just about learning English to understand the material. Learning English meant that I could bridge the language gaps for my family as we made the US our new home.

Angelica, UIC B.A. in Psychology, 2011

Friday, May 7, 2021

I was born in Estonia, so my mother tongue is Estonian. It is part of the Finno-Ugric language group, and very similar to Finnish.

Margaret Miner, Associate Professor, UIC French and Francophone Studies

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Growing up in Cheyenne, WY, I couldn't begin studying French—something that for no particular reason I'd always been eager to do—until I was twelve, in seventh grade. Fortunately, I was then blessed with a very gifted teacher named Keith Norton, to w

Jorge Mena, Associate Director, UIC Latino Cultural Center

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

I learned English by reading Goosebump books after leaving Mexico abruptly in the middle of third grade and landing in Dallas, Texas along with my mother and younger sister. Up until then, as an 8-year old boy, I spoke no English other than "yes/no."

Chris, B.S. in Math and Computer Science, 1985

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

I liked French and continued with intermediate French literature classes at UIC. I still have the novels I read in those classes!

Isabelle, UIC B.S. in Biology, 2024

Monday, March 22, 2021

Since I grew up bilingual, my mind was always switching on and off the two languages subconsciously, and as a little kid this sometimes was hard for me when I was at school.

Elma (left) and Khobar, Saudi Arabia (Right), where she grew up

Monday, March 15, 2021

When I am with my family, I speak Arabic with them; my siblings and I however always speak French together. I have many friends, some I speak Arabic with, some English, some French and some all three at the same time!

Valeria at the beach in Barcelona and a photo from her trip to China

Thursday, February 4, 2021

It cannot be explained with words just how happy people become when you speak their native language with them. The connections you develop with others are unlike any other, and the experiences that result stay with you forever.

Gabrielle, History student at UIC, meets family in Germany

Monday, November 30, 2020

I think a lot of people are stopped in their language-learning journey because they are afraid that people will not understand them or that they will make a mistake. But the best piece of advice I ever received is: “just talk to people.”

Luana Language Story

Monday, November 9, 2020

Coming home from after my trip it was clear that my language skills has gone from barely acceptable to incredible. I became an asset to the classroom and my language class (which usually stressed me out) became the easiest part of my semester.

Felipe Language Story

Monday, November 2, 2020

I plan on going into the medical field, so knowing different languages is something that I hope to apply when interacting with patients whose native language may not be English.

Julia Language Story

Monday, October 26, 2020

As a trilingual teacher, I will understand bilingual students and appreciate their efforts to learn English as a second language, because I know it is not easy to learn a new language.

Deborah Language Story

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

So, what inspires me to just pick up new languages? It’s more significant than just a simple hobby. I have always been passionate about all things global—global health, global relations, and global languages.

Sofiia

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

When I came to UIC my attitude towards language really changed since before UIC I didn’t actually realize how cool it is to know three languages.

Elizabeth

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

When I noticed that being bilingual gave me the opportunity to help others, I decided to minor in Spanish at UIC.

Dylan

Thursday, April 9, 2020

I am so grateful I am able to have all these memories all because I continued to take Spanish in my education career. I definitely will be able to use Spanish as an elementary educator.

Andrea

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

"I love the Spanish language not only because it was my first language but because I sort of fell in love with it all over again."

Kei

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

I am rather insistent that my children have the same opportunities I did to become bilingual and bicultural. So one of my priorities is to ensure that they can speak Japanese fluently to ensure that they can explore both American and Japanese culture

Ranya

Friday, February 28, 2020

Knowing Spanish and Arabic has allowed me to translate customer needs at work, help people express their concerns when they need a translator, and has opened many opportunities for me to make bonds with people and engage in conversations.

Miroslava

Monday, February 24, 2020

My children are multi cultural and understand French and Bulgarian. One of my children studies Spanish in middle school. Languages are so important for our brain development and for our viewpoint on the world.

Zoological Garden area in Berlin

Thursday, February 20, 2020

My favorite word in German is “Vergangenheitsbewältigung”: overcoming of the past. I reflect on that word a lot as I proceed through my German coursework.

Marcia in German Tracht Clothing and making tortillas in Mexico

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

With all these clues to an ethnolinguistic past, why didn’t we know we were German American? The answer lies in U.S. History, specifically in World War I.

natz our peer tutor

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Through learning French I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone and learned to communicate with others in a language that was not my native tongue.

Alma at the Willis Tower in Chicago

Friday, February 14, 2020

I love my accent, wherever my accent comes from, it may just be a melting pot of an accent as far as I’m concerned!

Irma in Beijing, China, 2019

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Because of my experiences as a child, and my love for my own language and culture, I became a high school Spanish teacher.

Rebecca at Las Setas in Seville, Spain

Monday, February 10, 2020

There was an appeal to speaking other languages–they were the keys to new ideas, cultures, and understanding. I then set on a quest to learn as much about/as many languages as I could.

Tabitha in Beijing's Forbidden City

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Ever since I can remember, I have always helped my parents when they need help in translating and vice versa.

Sarah leaping in front of the Eiffel Tower

Friday, January 31, 2020

I decided that working in a French educational setting would be the best way for me to use my skills in the language while inspiring other young people to adopt a passion for French like me.

Oksana at the Colosseum, Rome

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Not only did we learn to speak Italian, but also became interested in and respectful of other cultures and languages. Professor Iusco inspired us to travel to widen our outlook and acquire new communication skills.

Nuria with her sisters and the Amazon Rainforest

Monday, January 13, 2020

When I was a baby, my mother taught me the Arabic, English, and Urdu alphabets and primarily spoke to me in Urdu.

A recent piece by Brian and Brian in Zakopane, Poland

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

I was organically acquiring bits and pieces of Russian, Polish, and Serbian through song lyrics, but had not yet had any opportunity to learn in a controlled setting.

A screenshot from Assassin's Creed 2

Thursday, December 5, 2019

What inspired me to take Italian is strangely enough my exposure to Italian culture and language through a video game called Assassin’s Creed 2 that takes place in cities such as Florence and Venice during the Renaissance.

Alicia in Seville, Spain

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

I worked in a sales role at a retail store where I found myself constantly communicating with local Spanish speakers, I could hold basic conversations, but I wanted to learn faster and I knew the only way to do that was to go live abroad.

Caleb conversing in Chinese

Thursday, November 21, 2019

My Mandarin has opened up many opportunities my life and led me to a plethora of wonderful experiences, including teaching Mandarin to students at my high school and surrounding schools.

Savannah and her amazing husband in Old Montreal

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

I am grateful for my language skills, and proud of my career as an educator. I have had several students pursue their own careers using French and Spanish, and I always love to hear their stories too!