My language learning journey this summer will take me not to a new country but to a new US state – Vermont. There, I will attend Middlebury College’s 8-week Japanese immersion course. While I will still be in the United States, I still believe that this immersion experience will be different from the usual classroom setting that I have known until now. First of all, Middlebury’s program is more intensive and stricter than regular class lessons. We students must sign a Language Pledge® which requires us to “use the target language as exclusively as possible”. Through the pledge, we commit to speaking, writing, listening, and reading only in Japanese. The speaking part is strictly enforced with minimal exceptions (e.g., health issues, family emergencies etc.). This is supposed to challenge us to communicate in Japanese as often as possible without slipping into English. It is supposed to be truly immersive. This is why I expect to use Japanese daily and frequently while I am at Middlebury.
I expect to use the target language and intercultural competences while talking with my Japanese professors. My intention is to learn as much as I can regarding how to talk about Japanese foreign policy. Students are required to make a final 5-minute presentation to the class at the end of the program. I plan to use that time to discuss my dissertation topic. This will challenge me to translate my topic into Japanese and help me to learn the somewhat abstract concepts related to my field.
I think this experience will help me to grow and change in many ways. I am a native English speaker and am only used to speaking Japanese in the classroom setting, but in this program, I will have to force myself out of my comfort zone and conduct all of my conversations in Japanese. I sometimes find it hard to do things that are unfamiliar to me, so this will be a great opportunity to improve my Japanese-speaking capabilities.