The Art of Trying is my little corner of Her Campus at FSU, where I step outside my comfort zone and dive into something new, whether it’s a hobby, craft, class, or trend. I’ll explore what each experience has to offer, sharing all the highs and hiccups along the way. I hope to inspire you to take that first step toward the unfamiliar and experience the art of trying.
Have you ever met someone who speaks multiple languages and immediately thought they were cool? You begin to wonder what languages they speak, how long they’ve been studying them, and why they know them in the first place; it’s all so fascinating.
This is something I hope that one day, other people might think about me. In high school, like many others, I took the necessary Spanish classes, but never kept up with the language after that (much to my regret). I didn’t take it any further than I had to.
Fast-forwarding to a few years later, I suddenly found myself overpacking my two huge suitcases to spend my first semester at FSU studying abroad in Florence, Italy. Italy was a country I’d never been to, home to a language I didn’t know, so I was a little nervous, but above all, excited. I arrived in late August, and simply fell in love with everything.
The city, the food, the people, the clothes, the history, the art and architecture, the language, everything. This newfound desire for learning another language didn’t emerge until after this experience, when I decided to leap from Duolingo to actual Italian classes at FSU. Now, almost two years later, this decision has been nothing short of rewarding.
The Language Learning Experience
I first started my Italian journey in the Spring semester of 2024. Many other students in the class were only taking Italian to fulfill their required language courses, but I was taking it out of the special place that Italy holds in my heart.
Luckily, the language seemed to come to me relatively easily. I did well at remembering the verb conjugations, which verbs are irregular, and the vocabulary words. My grade in Italian was my highest grade overall, and this still continues every semester.
After I finished my first Italian class, I went back to Italy with my friends, as well as to other countries like Greece, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Being able to communicate in Italian, even with the modest knowledge I had at the time, seemed to unlock a whole new world for me.
I ordered food completely in Italian, asked market vendors the prices of their items, and talked with locals; it was amazing. I even had conversations with my friends’ godparents, with whom we stayed at one point, although my vocabulary was limited, and I could only speak in the present tense.
The next semester, my world really started to change when I began Italian II. We started learning past tenses, future tenses, and much more vocabulary, and it felt like I became much more skilled and competent in the language from just one semester. I was longing to use my new language skills in Italy, as I could say much, much more than last time. This semester is also when I decided to get a second minor in Italian; I was very committed!
Fast forwarding to now, I’m in Italian IV, and continuing to dive deep into the language. One of the most satisfying parts of learning a language is having little realizations that you’re getting better, that your language skills are growing, or even that your accent is getting better. It’s one of the most rewarding skills I’ve ever picked up.
Tips for Beginners
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t seem to pick up the language as easily as others might; everyone has different experiences and thought processes when it comes to learning a language. When it comes to learning vocabulary, flashcards are your best friends. I often make flashcard sets on Quizlet, where one side has the word in Italian and the other side has the translation in English. I’ve found this to be the easiest way to learn and memorize new vocabulary.
There are also many ways to immerse yourself in the language you’re learning, and Duolingo is one of the most obvious ways. Although there’s much room for improvement, this is a great first step to learning a new language. You can also listen to podcasts and music in the language, making note of words you don’t know so you can look them up afterward.
Watching movies and TV shows in your desired language is one of my favorite ways to learn, as I already love watching TV and movies in English. You can either pick a show in English to see if they have an audio option in your desired language, put on closed captions, or even choose an actual show or movie filmed in your target language!
Learning a new language unlocks a whole new world. Not only does it allow you to communicate and connect with new people all over the world, but it also improves your attention span, boosts your creativity, and improves your first language knowledge. Knowing a second language also gives you a leg up on your resume in comparison to those who only know one language.
There are nearly an endless number of reasons to pick up a new language, from being able to connect and communicate with people around the world to being just a little bit cooler than your friends who only speak English. So, if there’s a language you’ve always been interested in, I encourage you to start your language learning journey today. Every new word and every small step is part of the rewarding art of trying.
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