Modern Languages

Overview

Technology, globalization, and an increasingly diverse society have brought more of the world within your reach. Whether you’re looking to connect with others, travel the world, or become more employable, learning another language is a meaningful experience with benefits that last a lifetime. Employers prize fluency in a second language and may increase your earnings potential. Many sectors hire bilingual or multilingual candidates to deliver services to non-English speakers more efficiently and produce or gain access to information unavailable in English. Studying a foreign language isn’t just useful; it’s fun. Studying a foreign language helps you understand your native language better and builds resilience, confidence, and independence.

Elgin Community College’s exceptional Modern Languages faculty is committed to helping you prepare for success in today’s global community by building your language skills and expanding your cultural awareness. Language courses transfer to many colleges and universities and are a sought-after minor. 

Get additional information, including course listings and class descriptions for the following languages:

• Chinese
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese 
• Spanish

Planning to Transfer? Learn more about earning a Bachelor’s degree, earning summer credits for transfer, or dual admissions with a university by making an appointment with an academic advisor. 

Careers in Languages

Language careers include:

• Language Teacher or Professor: teaching languages at various levels, from elementary schools to universities, or teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) abroad.
• Cultural Anthropologist: studying different cultures, traditions, and beliefs and analyzing their influence on language and communication.
• Speech-Language Pathologist: working with clients with communication disorders or difficulties with language acquisition, helping them improve their speech and language skills.
• Linguist: researching language structures, meaning, and usage or working in language preservation and revitalization efforts.
• Interpreter or Translator: working with languages to convert one language to another for clients, businesses, government agencies, or individuals.

How many languages are there?

The exact number of languages spoken worldwide is difficult to determine. However, it is estimated that between 6,000 to 7,000 languages are spoken worldwide. The Modern Language Association (MLA) is an organization that promotes the study of languages and literatures. It focuses primarily on modern languages, including English, Spanish, French, and German.

The study of language, known as linguistics, encompasses a wide range of topics, including the structure of language, its historical evolution, and its social and cultural contexts. Modern language building refers to creating new languages, which can be done for various reasons, such as artistic or scientific purposes. Living in other languages or multilingualism is the ability to speak multiple languages fluently and is common in many parts of the world. A group currently speaks a living language of people instead of a dead language, which is no longer used in everyday communication.

How long does it take to learn a language?

The amount of time it takes to learn a language can vary widely depending on several factors, such as the learner's prior language experience, language learning method, the difficulty of the language being learned, and the learner's dedication to practicing the language.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) suggests that it can take around 2-3 years of study to achieve basic proficiency in a new language, but achieving full proficiency can take several more years of study and practice.

The study of language, or linguistics, has shown different levels of language proficiency, ranging from beginner to advanced. Modern language building, or the creation of new languages, can take several years to develop, depending on the complexity and scope of the language being created.

Interested in Modern Languages?

Modern Languages as a field encompasses various careers that involve studying, using, and teaching different languages and cultures. Some careers, such as language teacher or tutor, may focus on language acquisition. These professionals help individuals learn new languages by facilitating language classes and individual lessons. They may also help individuals improve their fluency in a language through conversational practice.

Another area within Modern Languages is interpretation and translation. Interpreters and translators facilitate communication between individuals who speak different languages by converting one language into another, either orally or in writing. They work in various settings, including business, health care, legal, and governmental organizations.

There are also careers in linguistics and language research, where professionals study different languages' structure, history, and use. They may analyze the development of languages over time, the relationships between different languages, and the factors that influence how people speak and use language. This research can be applied to education, technology, and law.

In conclusion, Modern Languages encompass various careers involving language and culture. Whether teaching, interpreting, translating, or conducting research, professionals in this field play an important role in facilitating communication and understanding between individuals and cultures.