On September 18, I conducted an interview with Acting President of the renewed Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Society, Diego Carrillo and Acting Vice President Natacha Patrick-Vienneau. If you missed them at the clubs and societies fair or the student-faculty mixer at Tweedie Hall, and are interested in what the society has to offer, here is a quick introduction for you!
Want a no-pressure introduction to the Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Department? The Modern Languages Society welcomes students from all programs. If you are wary of the idea of learning a new language or simply want to see what a language society might look like, come and check out the society! Students are not required to be in the modern languages program nor any language course offered at Mt. A. “If you want to come just for fun, to hear a language, practice a language, or learn more about a country or its culture, this is a place for you to do that in full confidence that you won’t get judged for not knowing anything or hardly knowing anything, or anything of the sort along those lines,” said Patrick-Vienneau. At its core, the function of the society is to introduce students to the many languages and cultures that exist across the world as well as the ones that we may witness in everyday life here in New Brunswick.
Two different types of activities can be expected from the society, those with an active learning approach and those with a passive learning approach. “They could be active practice such as conversing with people that also speak the language, but as well… students can also expect activities where it is more of a passive way of learning, where maybe it is all in English or maybe just watching a movie in another language,” said Carrillo. No matter what your level of experience is with modern languages, the society has a little bit of something for everyone!
Stay tuned for a potential icebreaker event in the coming weeks. “It would be multilingual introductions so either you introduce yourself in one of the languages you’re studying or you introduce yourself in one of the languages you know that someone else is studying to kind of help them practice, and also even just to get practice in for yourself,” said Patrick-Vienneau.
Other events in the works include bilingual movie nights, trivia, bingo, board games, and cultural nights to introduce students to the various cultures across the world. Interested in sharing a language and culture that is not taught at Mt. A? Pitch a cultural night to the executive team!
To stay up to date on information regarding events, open executive positions, and more, you can email [email protected] to join the mailing list and find the society on Instagram @mllc.mta.
