Christina Pugliese

Silhouette Staff

Keen on learning a foreign language?

Before hastily reaching for pen and paper, one might first consider availing oneself of an arguably more valuable tool – the power of conversation.

Indeed, it was such a premise upon which this year’s biannual Language Café was based; an event hosted by McMaster’s International Student Services at Bridges Café on Nov.8.

With 15 language workshops to choose from and an array of appetizing vegetarian dishes, the evening served as a venue for both local and international students as well as members of the greater community to exchange knowledge and explore their interests in the realm of language.

An idea put forth by a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Health Science program in March 2010, the interdisciplinary event acts as a foregathering of various student cultural societies, including the McMaster French Club, McMaster Japanese Connection, the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS), as well as individual exchange students from around the world.

During the one hour Language Café, participants were offered basic instruction by volunteer facilitators whose role was to guide conversation within small group settings.

A myriad of language workshops were available for those in attendance, including English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, German, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Punjabi, Urdu, Farsi, Polish, Hindi, Malay, and American Sign Language.

Matthew Kubicki, one of the primary organizers of the event and Polish workshop facilitator, feels that the casual atmosphere encompassing the Café is instrumental in fulfilling its mission.

“Learning a language formally in a classroom can be stressful, whereas here you are learning among people who are your age in a more informal environment. It’s more conversational,” explained Kubicki.

Although one can hardly expect to emerge speaking fluently after merely an hour-long tutorial, Kubicki noted that this is “not necessarily the goal.” Rather, the Language Café aims to “expand people’s views of the world and broaden their exposure to different languages and cultures.”

In this regard, the event served as a springboard for individuals to discover what various cultures have to offer and to learn from their like-minded peers.

Andres Krisch, member of OLAS and third-time Language Café Spanish facilitator, mirrored this sentiment.

“It’s really cool to be able to educate people on the culture and the language, to provide that spark of interest,” said Krisch.

Having come a long way since its inception in 2010, event coordinator Amy Tang hopes to see the Language Café expand in subsequent years.

She further discussed preliminary plans “to create an online database that would allow students to speak different languages and interact with each other.”

Whether a beginner or fluent speaker, “there are many ways [for students] to get involved,” she noted.