A New World: how learning a second language changed my perspective

Karis, Katie and I were standing in a long line for the restroom at the airport somewhere in the Middle East. (It’s funny to me how the women’s restroom is always packed no matter where you go, but you could seemingly walk right into the men’s without any wait.) A woman and her little boy were standing in front of us, and Katie and Karis were trying to talk to the boy.

When he didn’t reply, we just assumed he was shy. After all, these twenty-something-year-old girls who were clearly from another country were trying to talk to him when all he wanted was to use the restroom. Then, when they tried to ask his mom how old he was, she looked confused. That’s when I knew I might be able to help.

I asked her in Arabic what her and her son’s names were, as well as his age, and you could instantly see her demeanor shift. It clicked what we were trying to say to her, and you could see her light up because we had a way to communicate.

I had only studied Arabic for a year at that point - and I’m sure I sounded mixed up and funny - but it didn’t matter. It clicked for me at that moment the impact being able to communicate has on people.

Until I went to the Middle East, I hadn’t yet experienced practical ways to use my Arabic skills. I could write friends’ names (which is a big hit, by the way), but I didn’t know any native speakers or get to practice my skills outside the classroom. 

My major at the time was journalism, and I didn’t yet have plans for using Arabic. I just always loved learning languages and thought Arabic would be interesting and challenging. I ended up loving Arabic, and I prayed God would provide a way for me to use it. That’s when I realized I could go abroad to share the gospel.

The funny thing is that the area of the Middle East I traveled to was one where nearly everyone spoke English. Even the students my friends and I met and befriended were often from other countries and knew more English than they did Arabic. It wasn’t until our last day with the encounter near the restroom that I was able to test my new language skills.

Looking back now, I see that summer mission trip wasn’t the complete answer to my initial prayer. It wasn’t just the mission trip that provided a way to use Arabic. God was transforming my heart and mind to see the world in new ways because of it. 

Thanks to the lovely professors I’ve studied under - in Arabic programs and otherwise - studying another language has helped me to better understand the world and other people. It has given me the opportunity to learn alongside students from different backgrounds, travel to different states and countries, and communicate in ways I had never imagined. I’ve met incredible people and made lifelong friends I wouldn’t have known if not for studying a second language.

Even if you just learn the basics - like saying hello, knowing numbers or asking basic questions - knowing even only part of another language opens up the ability to communicate in ways you wouldn’t otherwise have. It opens your eyes to a completely different - and perhaps even better - world.