Lingua Franca - Salem State University

Lingua Franca
A Bi-Annual Newsletter Published by
Foreign Languages at Salem State UNIVERSITY
Volume 10 • Issue 1 • Fall 2012
salemstate.edu/languages
Massachusetts Senator Elect Elizabeth Warren
to Be Foreign Language Advocate in Washington
An interview with the Massachusetts senator elect by foreign language professor Nicole Sherf
Warren to be an Advocate page 1
Nicole Sherf: Did you have the opportunity
to study a language in K-16? If so, what
language and how was your language
learning experience?
Faculty News
page 2
Department News page2
Hope Award 2012 page 2
Elizabeth Warren: I studied French in
MaFLA Conference page 3
eighth grade and Spanish in high school and
college. I wish I’d had more opportunities
to be exposed to a foreign language and to
understand why learning other languages
is so important. At that time, we didn’t fully
understand all of the economic and national
security implications of studying a foreign
language. There’s no doubt in my mind that
every student should have that experience.
Professor Minervini interview page 3
Nicole Sherf: Department of Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta constantly speaks
of the national need for competency in
multiple languages. Do you agree?
As Advocacy Coordinator of the
Massachusetts Foreign Language
Association (MaFLA), I have served as
the official delegate of Massachusetts to
a conference that is held in Washington
DC every May called the Joint National
Committee on Languages (JNCL) and
National Council on Languages and
International Studies (NCLIS) Delegate’s
Assembly and Legislative Day. Through
this conference, I am updated on foreign
language friendly legislation and initiatives
and charged with seeking MA Senator
and Representative support for them. We
now have an important ally and strong
foreign language supporter in Senator Elect
Elizabeth Warren. Warren’s views on the
importance of foreign languages as a core
of a world class education are outlined in
an interview that I conducted with her for
MaFLA, an excerpt of which can be found
here. For the full interview, please go to the
National Advocacy page of the MaFLA at:
mafla.org/advocacy-2/national-news
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Elizabeth Warren: I agree that the ability
to communicate in foreign languages is
desirable personally and is becoming
increasingly necessary both for economic
and national security reasons. American
businesses need more people who know
foreign languages in order to gain critical
access to overseas markets, and our
government needs more people who know
foreign languages in order to further our
foreign policy agenda and protect our
national security.
Taking Risk page 4
Learning Vocabulary page 5
Does Franco-America Exist? page 6
Quebec Summer Program
page 7
Cineglos page 8
Romney Wrong About Spain page 9
Travel Study Seminar
page 10
Volunteer Experience page 10
Focus on Speaking page 11
The Hispanic Vote page 11
Reflection on MaFLA page 11
Poemas
page 12
Study Abroad page 12
Editors:
Jon Aske
Kenneth Reeds
Web Publication:
ssclinguafranca.wordpress.com
Nicole Sherf: Many agree that proficiency
in other languages is critical to our national
security and global prosperity. Have you had
an opportunity to use other languages in
dealing with these or other concerns?
Elizabeth Warren: As a teacher, I’ve had
the opportunity to interact with students
from many different linguistic and cultural
backgrounds. I’ve seen the benefits of
speaking multiple languages first-hand,
and I’ve watched some of my bilingual and
multilingual students go on to make a real
difference in the world.
JOIN SALEM STATE’S
LANGUAGE CLUBS’ MAILING
LISTS & FACEBOOK GROUPS
Visit This Page:
salemstate.edu/languages
and go to “Clubs & Groups”
Foreign Languages
Tel: 978.542.6258
[email protected]
continued on next page
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Nicole Sherf: Many states have foreign
language graduation requirements or
have established exit foreign language
proficiency levels for graduates. Though
Massachusetts is known nationally for
providing high quality education, we have
not yet adopted this type of mandate. What
role do you feel foreign languages play in a
world class education?
Elizabeth Warren: Learning a foreign
language is very important to a world-class
education. I agree with the Department of
Education’s position that foreign languages
cannot be seen as just an “add-on” in
either K-12 or higher education. Part of
what we need is a shift toward a view that
learning a foreign language is a core part
of a well-rounded education. Knowing a
language benefits students in so many
ways: it broadens their outlooks, sharpens
their critical thinking and writing skills,
prepares them for serving the country, and
enables them to compete in an increasingly
interconnected world.
Faculty News
Elizabeth Blood, along with Elizabeth
Duclos-Orsello (IDS) and Susan Edwards
(Library), received a grant from the Mass
Humanities organization this semester to
complete work on the Franco-American
Heritage Project in Salem.
Anna Rocca has been recently voted to
serve as Director of French & Francophone
Language and Literatures at Northeast
Modern Language Association (NeMLA).
Kristine Doll is on sabbatical this
semester. She has travelled to Poland and
Spain and has presented her own poetry
as well as her translations from Catalan to
English at several poetry.
Fátima Serra presented a paper at
the XLVII Congreso Internacional de la
Asociación Europea de Profesores de
Español in Gijón, Spain, in July 2012.
She also published a chapter in the essay
collection La incógnita desvelada. Ensayos
sobre la obra de Rosa Montero.
Amanda Minervini published an
introductory article for Once Upon a Time, a
book by radical German artist Hans Haacke.
Michele C. Dávila Gonçalves recently
gave a workshop about our assessment
activities at the NEEAN 8th Annual
Academic Assessment Summer Institute.
She has also given two guest presentations
at about Contemporary Puerto Rican Poetry
at Roanoke College and UMass Lowell. She
was guest editor of a monograph with the
title Puerto Rican Contemporary Literature
70s, 80s, & 90s, which can be read online.
Several members of the departmental
faculty, graduate students, and
undergraduates participated in varying
ways at this year’s Massachusetts Foreign
Language Association conference. See
article in this edition of Lingua Franca.
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¿Qué pasa? Quoi de neuf? Novità?
Department News Abounds
Departmental News
It’s official! The department will be changing its name to world languages and cultures
beginning in September 2013! We will also launch our new BA in world languages and
cultures at the same time. Students can still concentrate in Spanish (Secondary Ed,
Elementary Ed, Professional, or a new interdisciplinary Spanish track), but can also choose
to concentrate in either French or Italian! We are already enrolling students in the new
major. See Elizabeth Blood ([email protected]) for more information.
Scholarships for Summer Study Abroad: The department is now offering four $250
scholarships for students participating in one of our department-sponsored study abroad
programs in Spain, Italy, or Quebec in Summer 2013.
Eligibility: Undergraduate Salem State students who enroll in one of the summer study
abroad programs listed above for Summer 2013. Students must have submitted their initial
study abroad application to the Center for International Education (8 Harrison Road, South
Campus) by February 15, 2013.
How to apply: Submit a photocopy of your study abroad application and a personal
statement reflecting on the following questions: What initially inspired me to learn this
language or to study abroad in this country? How does my study abroad program relate
to my future professional, academic and personal goals? Your personal statement may be
submitted in one of the following formats: (1) Essay: 500 words, (2) Video: 2:00 minutes, or
(3) Photo Montage / Power Point: 20 slides
Submit your materials to: Prof. Elizabeth Blood, Chair, Foreign Languages, Sullivan
Building 203A Scholarship application deadline: February 15, 2013
New Course in French! The department will offer FRE 450 “French Experience” in Spring
2013. In this course, students will gain practical experience using French by completing a
community service project, internship, or travel experience (students can choose their own
projects or participate in one of the projects arranged by the professor). Prerequisites will be
waived for students who have earned at least a B in FRE 202 or have native speaker ability
in French. See Elizabeth Blood for more information.
HOPE Award 2012: Second Place Essay
“You must be the change you want to see in the world”
The foreign languages department annually awards the HOPE Award to a student
who writes an essay responding to a quotation meant to explore the relationship
between community service, education, and leadership; particularly in the context
of how these can improve the world. The essay can be written in English or any of
the seven languages that are taught by the department. The first prize is $150 and
publication of the winning essay in Lingua Franca.
The 2012 winner was Ashley Taylor who wrote in response to a quote by Mahatma
Ghandi about her desire to educate the world about autism. Her essay was published
in the last edition of Lingua Franca (ssclinguafranca.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/hopeaward-2012/). The second place winner was Paris Beckett and runner up was Ryan
Viglione. Below you will find Ms. Beckett’s second place essay.
Hope is something that thousands of souls do not have. Every day a large number
of lives are lost. However, despite what many think, this is not because of hunger or
disease or even war. These lives are lost because there is no room for them; every year
an estimated three to four million shelter cats and dogs are euthanized according to
the Humane Society. That’s millions of lives wasted only because there is no room in
shelters. If people were substituted for animals in this case it would be considered
genocide, but instead it is a reality, and every day thousands of these unfortunate
souls are lost.
There is a prejudice against these animals; that they are unhealthy, or not good
pets, or that there is something innately wrong with them. These are myths that
people subscribe to willingly. The Humane Society does behavior tests on all of its
animals, and these tests are also performed by smaller local shelters. Health-wise
the “mutts” frequently come out on top because of genetic diversities that pure
breeds and animal breeders cannot achieve.
To read the remainder of Ms. Beckett’s essay visit the online version at:
ssclinguafranca.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/hope-award-2012-second-place-essay
Francamente: An
Interview with Amanda
Minervini
By Kenneth Reeds, foreign languages
The latest
addition to the
foreign languages
is visiting assistant
professor Amanda
Minervini. An
Italian native and
fluent speaker
of German and
English, Ms.
Minervini has
recently finished
writing her PhD
thesis at Brown
University. During this academic year she
has been teaching Italian language and
culture classes to, what we hear, are great
reviews. Lingua Franca recently sat down
with her to ask a few questions.
What are your first impressions of
teaching at Salem State University?
Dr. Kenneth Reeds, coordinator of the
MAT-Spanish program, at the Salem
State MaFLA table
Nicole Sherf with MA Teacher of the
Year, Kathleen Turner, a French teacher
from Sharon, and MaFLA President
Tiesa Graf, at the Advocacy Booth in
the Exhibit Hall
SSU Foreign Language Department Participated
Actively in the MaFLA Conference Again This Year!
By Nicole Sherf, foreign languages
The biggest state gathering of K-16
foreign language teachers is held at the end
of October every year in the western MA
town of Sturbridge at the Host Hotel and
Conference Center. The Foreign Language
Department faculty routinely presents at
Annual Conference of the Massachusetts
Foreign Language Association (MaFLA)
and this year was no exception. It is a
requirement that Dr. Nicole Sherf’s Methods
students attend at least part of the threeday conference and they enjoy seeing
the familiar names of their professors
throughout the conference schedule! This
year Drs. Aske, Blood, Rocca and Sherf
presented sessions on a variety of topics.
Dr. Reeds held a booth to promote the
Master of Arts in Teaching Spanish and other
language programming to attendees in the
Exhibit Hall.
Also in the Exhibit Hall, manning the
Advocacy Booth, were MaFLA Advocacy
Interns and MAT in Spanish program
graduates Jessica Clifford (Spanish teacher
at Saugus High School) and Christina Berry
(Spanish teacher at Arlington High School).
They coordinated a variety of advocacy
efforts including the taking of pictures of
attendees with 2013 Massachusetts Teacher
of the Year Kathleen Turner (French Teacher
at Sharon High School) to be published in
district newspapers to highlight conference
attendance locally. They sought out cosignatures of attendees for a letter written
by MaFLA Advocacy Chair Nicole Sherf and
President Tiesa Graf to Commissioner of
Education Mitchell Chester and the Board
of Education to seek to strengthen foreign
language programming in the state. 650
signatures of foreign language teachers of
all languages and levels were attached to the
letter sent after the conference. The Interns
distributed tools, resources and advocacy
ideas at the booth and at an Advocacy
session.
I did my BA in a State University in
Southern Italy, and at SSU I felt at home
since the first day. I remember walking in
my very first class, fifteen minutes before 8
am, and being very surprised because most
of the students were already there, ready
and alert. The students here at SSU strike
me as dedicated, very hard-working and
with an excellent sense of humor! I only
wish they came more often to office hours.
What’s it like to study Italian in
Professor Minervini’s class?
I have asked my students this very
question! The replies were anonymous:
“the atmosphere is relaxed, and given the
many occasions for group interactions, we
make new friends. We also act, draw, listen
to music, and watch videos of crazy Italians
speaking at the natural speed, which is
usually well above any conceivable speed
limit.” The students say that Italian grammar
is “difficile” at times, but in class we spend
time domesticating it, and placing it in
context so that it is easier to remember.
Placing grammar in context is also a good
occasion to learn about Italian culture.
For instance, we learned how to describe
people starting from the traditional Italian
masks of the Carnival: since it was the week
of Halloween, we also compared the Italian
Carnival and the American Halloween.
Needless to say it, there were treats, or
“dolcetti.”
In Italian Conversation we went to an
exhibition about Venice at the Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, read a graphic novel
and interviewed the author via Skype, and
had a lunch and dinner together. During
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the first week of December we will have a
“gnocchi lab” where we will learn how to
make potato gnocchi and then eat the fruit
of our efforts with two different sauces.
Mmhhh! We are all looking forward to it!
to study Spanish, French or Italian.
Considering that you’ve dedicated a
good part of your life to studying
language and culture, what would
you say to a student who might be
interested in the new major?
You’ve learned several languages
during your life; how do you think this
has changed you?
The new major in Italian is a terrific
opportunity for our students – and I can
proudly say that one of my students of
ITL 101 was the first one to sign up! Being
exposed to new cultures makes you think
about your own culture very differently
and more broadly. Italian culture is very
important in the United States, not just
for heritage students, but for anyone
who would like to work in the fields of
translation, food, tourism, fashion, and
design. Italy has such a rich culture. Every
day I meet people of various ages who have
studied Italian and would like to improve it,
and when they discover I am Italian, they ask
me all sorts of questions about my country.
The enthusiasm for Italian culture will never
stop to astonish me. I think that besides all
the other benefits, our future Italian majors
will be able to share this great feeling.
Thank you for this great question. I
am sure you agree with me that studying
languages makes people more receptive
to nuances and to completely new
concepts, from both real life and literature
(Jouissance! Schadenfreude...). I think that
learning languages taught me not to rest
on habits but to think differently, including
different perspectives in my own thoughtprocess. Every new language has really
opened up a new world to me and I am still
eager to learn new ones. I also have learned
to appreciate the child-like feeling of being
at the beginner’s level, when you have to
struggle again to say simple things, but
then comes the absolute pleasure of having
become able to do it. From my love for
learning languages, I got the idea to become
a language teacher, and am so grateful for
this strike of genius.
At this stage you’ve lived in the US for
Nine years, what are your impressions?
The department is currently enrolling
students in the new world languages
major which includes the option
There are noticeable differences between
New England and California (where I also
lived), and I am still sorting them out.
But if I had to generalize, my long-lasting
impression with the US is a diffused
workaholism, an absurd health system,
and a peculiar dating culture (in Italian
there is no proper word for “dating”).
However most Americans do not perceive
these things at all, and this is why I warmly
advise an immersion in other cultures.
What do we need to know about Italy
that most people seem to miss?
First of all: one would have to be crazy
to put all that garlic on a bruschetta [a
word my students can pronounce to
perfection!] Second: there is no such thing
as “Italian Dressing” in Italy. Third: Dante
and the Renaissance have left us incredible
works of art, but Italy has been continuing
to produce great minds and masterpieces
of which most people here know nothing.
Despite the current strangling economic
crisis, there is a considerable artistic and
philosophical ferment in Italy right now,
but only very few books are translated
into English, and it is only very rarely that
a film, not to mention a theater piece,
makes it to the US. Italy is also a country
traversed by inexplicable contradictions
and weakened by a low birth-rate and
a continuous drain of “minds.” In my
classes, I put every effort to open up
these lesser-known sides of Italy to my
students. I consider it my mission.
The Power of Taking a Risk and Leaving Your Comfort Zone
By Evangelia Ventouris, Spanish major
Evelyn and Guille in Costa Rica
Throughout life, everything you thought
you knew was going to stay the same,
may change. Decisions you thought you
were going to make end up not happening.
Friends you thought would be there forever,
end up fading through the cracks. You
knowing yourself may change to you losing
yourself. Losing yourself will lead to tears
and struggle, but just know that it’s okay to
feel that way. It’s okay to change your mind,
to meet new people, to lose others, and to
lose yourself. This is all a part of life that is
4
worth experiencing. It will lead you to new beautiful people and even places.
I can safely say that college has brought so many changes into my life that I can’t even
begin to fathom. I lost so many friends and I gained even more. I majored in Spanish and
learned more in two semesters than I had in four years of high school. The experience that
changed my life the most was making the decision to study abroad in Costa Rica in the
summer of 2012. The scenery was breathtaking, the people were warm hearted, the culture
was not like any other, the food was mouth-watering, and the language was and still is
beautiful. Little did I know, this decision to study abroad would change my life in such a way
that I would never return to the United States as the same person.
Attending school at the Universidad de Latina in Costa Rica I learned so much. The first
week was a headache because there was just so much thinking involved since I wasn’t used
to hearing the Spanish language all the time without any breaks. I believe I used the phrase
“me duele la cabeza” [“my head hurts”] more than I imagined I would to the point when my
host mother couldn’t help but laugh at me. It’s crazy to realize that when we speak English,
we do it without even thinking. It’s natural and it flows. However, leaning another language
is difficult because we literally start off like we are babies again; making sounds that later
form into words. Then we use words that eventually become sentences. Studying abroad only
made this process quicker for me, and I came back to Salem State University taking advanced
Spanish courses.
Learning a new language and most importantly studying it abroad will open up so many
doors in the world. Costa Rica opened my eyes to a new way of life. A life that is not as fastpaced as it is in Massachusetts. The people of Costa Rica, better known as “Ticos”, live every
day with smiles, laughter, and no rush. I began to realize how fast I picked up this way of life,
how much I began to smile setting aside the migraines I had from learning the language. I
began to experience and feel the Costa Rican famous saying “Pura Vida” which translates to
“pure life”.
In the process of all of this, I met two beautiful people that changed my life. Their names
were Guillermo and Rosaly. I made the closest friendship with them when I was there and I
continued on next page
am so grateful for everything they taught
me. Guillermo taught me always to be
happy, and have faith in people. We spoke
Spanish to one another, and I remember the
smile he had on his face every time he saw
me. He has such a pure soul, filled with so
much love to offer the world. Before I knew
it, Guille’s smile began to reflect off of me. I
began to open up my heart and take in the
true beauty of Costa Rica. I found a part of
myself there, with him. Rosaly also taught
me to be happy but at the same time to
accept myself for who I am. She accepted
me for who I was, and did not treat me like
a foreigner. They both had patience with me,
with my Spanish. They corrected me when I
was wrong, but most importantly gave me
reassurance that I was learning when I was
frustrated the most.
It wasn’t until my last day in Costa
Evelyn and Rosaly in Costa Rica
Rica that I realized how much these two
beautiful people had changed me. They
opened my eyes to a new world and a new
me. They showed me that I was stronger
than I thought I was. It truly takes a lot of
courage to leave your comfort zone and
study abroad. I will never forget everything
they did for me. How welcoming and
loving they were. The fun times we had
going out and laughing the night away.
Hugging one another every five minutes for
no reason at all. We enjoyed one another
and experienced happiness together. We
lived “pura vida” together and we were
sharing a part of our lives with one another.
In between all the frustration, migraines,
complaining and tears I met two of the most
beautiful people that showed me how to
open my heart to the world. They will forever
have a part of my heart.
Studying abroad is a very scary thing,
but it’s one of the best decisions I have
made in my college career. It allows you to
appreciate the people and things you have
in your life and it allows for you to expand
your knowledge in ways that I can’t even
begin to explain.
When I left Costa Rica, I left a part of my
heart there as well, a part that is waiting
for me to return and continue my life there.
Like Gandhi once said, “Our fingerprints
don’t fade from the lives that we touch”.
This decision forever changed me. I am so
thankful for it all and I just can’t wait to do
it again!
Learning Vocabulary Incidentally and Deliberately
(with the Help of e-Flashcards)
By Jon Aske, foreign languages
Any language student will tell you that learning words (vocabulary) is a very important part
of learning a language. Sure, you have to learn the grammar too, and the pronunciation, and
so on, but without knowing words, you cannot make sense of what you hear or read. Some
researchers have even argued that knowing vocabulary is more important than knowing
structural intricacies to make sense of a text.
But language instructors typically put little emphasis on the teaching or learning of
vocabulary. Vocabulary has been typically “undervalued” and “neglected” in the field of
second language acquisition. Instructors seem to figure that their time is best spent teaching
the grammar and pronunciation and other things, and that the vocabulary is something that
students can learn on their own, by memorizing lists of words and through actual reading and
listening, the way native speakers do. The trend in second language acquisition (L2) studies
has been lately to assume that learning of vocabulary will take place, as if through osmosis,
from context, by encountering the word through reading and listening to “comprehensible
input.” This kind of incidental word learning is known as “contextualized vocabulary learning”.
One thing that is often left out is that each word will have to be repeatedly encountered,
for learners must encounter or be exposed to a new word ten to twelve times on average
through reading before they actually learn the word well enough.
What exactly is meant by comprehensible input? What makes a text comprehensible?
Basically it means that a learner can make sense of the text—he or she knows most of the
words and can comprehend the grammar, i.e. the way the words are put together. It means
that the text is comprehensible to a very large extent but with enough new stuff in it to be a
source of learning. This is what Stephen Krashen, one of the most influential recent scholars
of language acquisition, has argued for a long time. The idea is that if we are to acquire a
language as adults, we should mimic the way a child does it (and not treat it as an intellectual
enterprise, the way we learn—as opposed to acquire—other skills).
Although all this sounds very good in theory, it still leaves one wondering how students
are supposed to reach the level at which they can comprehend most inputs or texts, with all
the vocabulary that that entails. Remember it takes a child years of 24/7 exposure to reach that
level or learning in his or her own language.
In the area of vocabulary we may wonder how many words should a student know to be
able to understand most realistic—or non-simplified—texts. Actually, it turns out that we are
not talking about all that many words. It is also more or less the amount of words with which
children start school in their native languages.
Researchers have determined that for the purpose of reading for meaning, to receive the
minimum score in comprehension tests one has to understand 95% of the words in the text
or 19 in 20. For the purpose of reading for pleasure, on the other hand, in order to really get
most of what one reads, one must know about 98%, or 49 in 50, of the words in the text.
This results in what researcher James Coady has called a paradoxical situation for
beginners, for [h]ow can they learn enough words to learn vocabulary through extensive
reading when they do not know enough words to read well?”
When we say that you must know 98% of the words in a text to read for pleasure, this may
seem like a lot of words. But in actuality they are not so many, since some words are quite
frequent and many others are quite infrequent.
A fairly large dictionary of the English language contains something like 54,000 word
families. However, a child beginning school knows just around 4,000-5,000 word families and
a college graduate knows at most 20,000 word families. Furthermore, it has been determined
that the number a language learner needs to read comfortably for pleasure, understanding
texts quite well, is 1/10 of the total, or about 5,000 word families, which is approximately the
number of word families that a native speaker knows when he or she starts school.
We should clarify what it is meant by a word family. In other words, we must talk about
what counts as a “word”. A word family consists of a base word (e.g. friend) and all inflected
forms (e.g. friends) and derived forms made from affixes (e.g. friendship, friendly), as long as
their meanings are predictable. So friend, friends, friendly, and friendship are all four word
forms which form part of the friend word family. For English there are on average 1.6 word
forms in each word family.
Researchers have found that learners of English as L2, knowing 3,000 word families—or
about 5,000 word forms—is enough to understand 95% of most texts, which is enough for
pretty good comprehension, or reading for meaning. This will “allow reasonably successful
guessing of the meaning of the unknown words.”
For reading for pleasure, and thus pretty much for full understanding, all you need to know
is 5,000 word families, or about 8,000 word forms . That’s only about 1/7 of all the words in
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. Similar proportions apply to Spanish and other
languages.
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5
The idea here is simple: some words—
high frequency words—are more frequent
than others and we should concentrate
on learning the most frequent words first.
The most frequent 2,000 words will give
you about 85% coverage of written English
and even more for easier texts and for
spoken English. That means that 1 in 10
words will be unknown, which will hamper
comprehension quite a bit. Knowing 5,000
words is closest to the desirable ideal for
reading for pleasure since it gives you about
98% coverage, that is, 1 in 20 words will be
unknown.
Some researchers and teachers of
languages nowadays think that whereas
the least frequent words can be learned
slowly through reading, in context, the same
way most adult people learn words in their
native language, it is important to make it
a point to deliberately teach and learn the
3,000-5,000 word families that will provide
the tools for reading and listening (and
thus the tools to have meaningful input),
to get the student up to speed and able to
comprehend most inputs. This should be
done by any means necessary, using any
learner’s trick available, not just by reading
and listening to contextualized input, as the
experts might have it (one cannot read well,
after all, until one knows these words). In
other words, there is room for the language
learner to engage in deliberate and, if
necessary, decontextualized word study.
Contrary to what has been argued by
contextual acquisition only proponents,
words are indeed remembered when
studied in a decontextualized way.
Although learning a word’s use in
context is important, one can argue that
learning the underlying concept out of
context is a good way to start knowing a
word, although no doubt the learner can
subsequently acquire the word’s nuances
from context. Furthermore, one can
argue that when one studies a word out of
context, there is no reason why one cannot
learn at the same time some contextual
aspects of the word, such as grammatical
information, collocations, constraints on
use, and sample sentences.
With deliberate word study of the most
commonly occurring words, the learner
can concentrate in learning high-frequency
words which will give him or her the ability
to comprehend most naturally occurring
language inputs and this will result in more
access to contextualized input, which will
result in further acquisition.
Again, nobody is denying the value of
indirect, incidental learning of vocabulary
from context through listening and reading
of natural language. However that kind
of learning comes easiest after a certain
level of acquisition and it is perhaps best
for the purpose of increasing or deepening
the knowledge of words already known.
As Paul Nation has argued, the direct
and purposeful learning of vocabulary
with minimal or no context results in the
following desirable outcomes:
• it is efficient in terms of return for time
and effort, much more so than incidental
learning, especially during the first
few years of study, until the student
has acquired enough words to use the
language like a native speaker
• it allows learners to consciously focus on
an aspect of word knowledge that is not
easily gained from context or dictionary
use, and
• it allows learners to control the repetition
and processing of the vocabulary to make
learning secure (remember one needs to
encounter a new word at least 10 times
before it is securely learned)
I would like to propose the reintroduction
and expansion of the use of one
traditional study aid for vocabulary in
foreign languages, namely the flash card.
Flashcards can help a student remember
and retain vocabulary (but also other facts
about language, as we shall see). I will
argue, like others have done before, that
flashcards should have an important place
in language learning. We will also see
advances in flashcard technology which
make this tool much more powerful than its
original counterpart. Also, we will see that it
is important for one to be trained in how to
use this powerful tool and students should
not be left to their own devices when it
comes to learning vocabulary.
To continue reading this article, go to the
online version at ssclinguafranca.wordpress.
com/2012/11/30/learning-vocabularyincidentally-and-deliberately
Does Franco-America Exist?
By Elizabeth Blood, foreign languages
For many in the United States, the term
“Franco-American” recalls memories of a
canned spaghetti product consumed during
childhood, a product that has no connection
to the Franco-American community of
the Northeast. The Franco-American
ethnic group, one of the largest and least
well-known in the U.S., is comprised of
descendants of French-speaking immigrants
from Canada, most from the province
of Quebec, who fled economic hardship
and cultural discrimination during what
Quebecers call le Grand exode (the Great
Exodus). Between 1840 and 1930, nearly a
million French-speakers migrated across the
northeastern border of the United States
into New England. Families settled near
mills and factories in neighborhoods called
Petits Canadas (Little Canadas) in cities like
Salem, Lowell, Worcester, and Fall River in
Massachusetts, Woonsocket in Rhode Island,
Lewiston and Biddeford in Maine, and
Manchester in New Hampshire. By the mid
20th century, Franco-Americans were one of
6
the largest ethnic groups in New England,
yet the epithet “Franco-American” never
acquired wide recognition as an American
identity in mainstream U.S. culture, even
though other contemporary immigrant
communities like Italian-Americans or IrishAmericans became popular in media, film
and literature. There is no Franco-American
equivalent of The Godfather or Jersey Shore.
The local bars are not flooded with revelers
drinking blue beer on St.-Jean-Baptiste
day, like they are with green beer drinkers
on Saint Patrick’s Day. Sure, some people
know Jack Kerouac, a Franco-American
writer from Lowell, or have heard of Robert
Goulet, but few identify these figures with a
coherent ethnic identity.
The reasons for the relative invisibility
of Franco-Americans are complex and
hotly debated by historians and literary
scholars in the field. Perhaps it is due to the
unique experience of Franco-Americans
who are twice removed from the European
country of origin expressed in their name,
or perhaps it is because Franco-Americans,
though in close proximity to the Canadian
homeland they loved, came from a region
of Canada where they suffered over
a century of cultural and linguistic
discrimination and economic
marginalization. Many theories have been
proposed to explain this phenomenon, and
although mainstream America may have
never had a clear understanding of FrancoAmerican identity in the past, scholars and
historians agree that Franco-Americans in
New England have maintained a strong
sense of their own identity and this identity
is currently experiencing a quiet renaissance
in New England.
Franco-Americans have a rich literary
tradition and continue to produce literary
and cultural texts today. Authors like
Normand Beaupré (nrbeaupre.com) and
Rhea Côté-Robbins (fawi.net) have made a
great impact on Franco-American literature
in the 21st century. Many organizations with
online forums now exist to connect Franco-
Americans with each other and with
those interested in this community.
The Franco-American Connection
(francoamericanconnection.com) is
a hub for current literary and cultural
production by Franco-Americans. CôtéRobbins’ Franco-American Women’s
Institute (fawi.net) offers an e-zine and
promotes writing by Franco-American
women. In addition, many educational
institutions and cultural centers in
states like Maine and New Hampshire
are collaborating to organize cultural
festivals and programs to promote the
French language and Franco-American
identity. The Maine French Heritage
Language Program (uma.maine.edu/
mfhlp), for example, offers French
language classes to school children with
a curriculum rooted in Franco-American
culture.
So, does Franco-America exist? The
answer is “oui!” and Franco-Americans
are reviving and redefining FrancoAmerican identity in the 21st century.
Who knows, one day you might even
find yourself drinking a blue beer and
singing “Gens du pays” on a late
June evening?
SSU’s Québec Summer Program
By Cristina Urquhart, French student
The five week study abroad trip to Quebec sponsored by Salem State is something which
people should take advantage of. Students attend the oldest university in Canada, Université
Laval, located in Quebec City. While at Laval, they are enrolled in three classes entirely in
French. This forces them to completely devote themselves to learning French.
At Université Laval students live in the residence halls on campus. Living in the halls
provides a chance to get acquainted with one another. Living with other students also allows
for people to converse frequently in French with both classmates and locals.
The University is located in the new part of Quebec City; just down the street from the
school are a series of large mall complexes, a grocery store and restaurants. However, it is
only a short bus ride from Old Quebec where there are many historic places to visit.
Students are placed in different classes based on their knowledge of French. There are
levels for beginners as well as more advanced French speakers. Along with taking three
classes per day, the program requires that students take two workshops each week. The
first workshop is a mandatory conversation workshop which meets once a week. Students
converse with one another in French and are corrected by Quebecois Université Laval
students. The second workshop is the choice of art, dancing, music, film or board games.
These workshops differ for varying interests.
Aside from the classes and workshops, Laval sponsors many excursions each day.
Students are offered to go to places such as Cabin au Sucre, where they can see how maple
syrup is made and have a meal of all maple products. Other excursions include water parks,
hikes, restaurants at discounted prices, and whale watching. The last week of the program
a boat cruise is held for the students. The cruise offers dinner, dancing and a chance to be
together a last time before leaving the university.
Studying at Laval for the summer provides the opportunity to complete some or all of
the required language credits, as well as learn the culture of Quebec. The culture of Quebec
differs greatly from the Anglophone areas of Canada, which are the places most Americans
are familiar with. Studying abroad for the summer is a fun way to pick up a second language
and experience a different culture.
7
Cineglos
By Kenneth Reeds, foreign languages
It is said and written so often that it is
certainly a cliché, but it is indeed true that
the internet has changed our world. That
understood, it also needs to be admitted
that a great number of the webpages that
exist are entertainment at best, if not a
complete waste of time. With this in mind,
it is nice to share a project developed by
Bridget Franco, Sheila Coursey, and Kelsey
Smith, faculty and students at the College of
the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.
Called “Cineglos” (college.holycross.
edu/projects/cineglos), it will be of interest
to anyone who enjoys cinema; particularly
those interested in Latin American and
Spanish film. As its name implies, it is a
glossary of cinema terminology. However,
instead of a simple discipline-specific
dictionary, the developers have taken
advantage of technology to include easy-toplay examples of whatever term you have
searched for.
For example, if you go to the term
“pantalla partida” (split screen) you will find
a written definition on one side of the screen
and, on the other, excerpts from two films
that illustrate what a split screen looks like.
Created with a Spanish-speaking
audience in mind, it is easy to imagine this
webpage being useful for language teachers
and students. Perhaps the best part of all is
the potential to expose us to numerous films
we have not seen and may never have heard
of. It is wonderful to see the internet being
put to such a good use.
Poemas en español –Poetry by Spanish Students
The following two poems were written by students in Professor Serra’s Spanish 402
Mi Dulce y Amarga Canción
por Jeleiny García Rijo
Poema I
por Brian Kibler
Amor, Dolor, Angustia y Pena,
Desgaste, Victoria, Lujuria y pasión,
Egoísmo, Delirio, Tú, Yo.
Recuerdo el sabor de tu piel,
Tus besos en mi cuello,
Tus dedos en mi alma.
¿Donde está la vida? ¡Cómo dueles cada día!
Mi mal necesario, mi dulce veneno, mi eterno amor secreto
Por lo que sufro, por lo que rio, lo que me asusta y por quien espero
Mi complemento y mi yugo, Mi orgullo detrás del murmullo
El primer adiós.
El segundo adiós.
El tercero. Sin ti.
Pecado sin perdón que sólo crece con esta tentación
Un trago amargo al corazón, el milagro a mi pasión
El lado oscuro que ilumina mi piel
De tu alma seré tu fe y de tu cuerpo seré tu piel
Entrégame tu amor, calma con tus caricias mis deseos, mi
futuro prohibido
Mi pecado ha sido amarte, llenar el vacío entre el sentimiento
y la razón
Mi corazón duerme contigo, mis ganas te las has bebido
y lo único que pido es que seas sólo, insaciable, inevitablemente mio.
8
Entre tus brazos
Y los versos que pido;
Entre un corazón inconstante
Y un cíclico dañino;
Con el amor que ha muerto
Y tu cuerpo que me falta
Amarte y perderte sí,
Y nunca tenerte.
Me siento como los pelos
de la nariz
Arrancado.
Pues, no tendría un amor
diferente.
Entre la alegría que me causas
Y la distancia que me atormenta.
No eres mío, lo sé.
Pero, aún así,
Soy tuyo.
Romney Was Wrong about Spain!
By Fátima Serra, foreign languages
Spain, well-known as the land of fiesta and siesta, started to get the
world’s attention at the beginning of the 21st century. Spaniards’ capacity to
enjoy themselves seemed to be matched by great economic success, as the
following 2008 figures suggest:
Spain: Some Economic and Socioeconomic Realities (May 2008)
Global Ranking & Description
Top 10 Eighth-largest economy in nominal terms and seventh in
purchasing power parity terms (ahead of Canada)
Top 10 Seventh-largest recipient of foreign direct investment
Top 5 Fourth-longest life expectancy at birth along with Australia,
France and Sweden
Top 5 Second largest tourist destination in terms of visitors and receipts
Top 5 Third largest producer of cars in Europe after Germany and France
Top 5 World’s largest international manager of infrastructure
Top 5 Fourth in development of renewable energy
Top 5 Biggest producer and exporter of olive oil
Top 5 Biggest producer and exporter of sparkling wine (cava)
(Source: IMF, Economist Intelligence Unit, UN Human Development Report
2007/2008, World Investment Report 2008 (UNCTAD), ANFAC and World
Tourism Organisation.)
However, four years later, in 2012, Spain is dealing with an economic
crisis, record unemployment, protests over austerity measures and forced
home evictions. What happened?
During the first presidential debate Governor Romney gave his answer
to America and the world: “we don’t want to go down the path of Spain
a country spending 42% of their total economy on government.” In
other words, according to the former Republican presidential candidate,
Spaniards ate far too many tapas on the government’s account and now
the whole country is gone to the dogs. However, Spain’s government
spending is lower than most European nations—Germany and Scandinavian
countries level of spending is higher and have healthier economic prospects
(Huffingtonpost.com 10/7/2012). Taking into account that salaries in Spain
are much lower than in most European countries, the Spanish government
Spanish protest. The group FLO 6x8 and passers-by
collected less in taxes and Spaniards enjoyed fewer benefits than their
disrupt bank activity to the rhythm of Rumba Rave
neighbors.
If it was not Spaniards savoir vivre and the government’s unruly
Well, today there is no more belt
spending, then what caused the dire economic situation, the 25% unemployment rate, and
to be tightened. Whole families are
tragic evictions?
returning to their parents’ homes,
A new law in 1998 was responsible for allowing construction in much of Spain’s rural
because grandpa is the only one
land, areas that were formerly classified as for agriculture only. This caused the beginning
earning an income, a pension.
of a construction boom never seen before. In 2005, Spain built more homes than France,
Young educated adults are leaving
Germany and Italy together. The construction boom created employment and demand for new
the country and others are opting
construction, which caused an increase in prices. Spanish salaries still were not that high,
for suicide before facing an eviction
but the prospect of abundant employment and easy credit made people embark in home
notice (El País 11/9). Considering all
purchasing they could not afford. While in Germany the limit of a mortgage was 60%, in Spain
of this, it should not be surprising
it was possible to find 80% or even 100%. Prices were astronomical compared with Spanish
that the ‘occupy’ movement
salaries and the banks lent money to people who could not afford to borrow it.
started in Spain with the name Los
When the 2008 financial crisis in the US spread to the rest of the world, banks stopped
indignados “the outraged ones”.
lending, people got scared, and stopped purchasing consumer goods. The result was a
Works cited
contraction of the economy. Today there is enough housing stock to last for the next 15 years.
Image and Reality: Contemporary
This means that construction, which until now had been the main motor of the Spanish
Spain by William Chislett 11/5/2008
economy, will not be running for a long time.
Real Instituto Elcano
Private sector debt, by individuals and by the banks, is what caused the bubble to burst,
huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/07/
not government debt. In other words, this was not caused by extensive spending by an
mitt-romney-spain_n_1946468.html
overprotective government of pampered, lazy Spaniards. It was the banks irresponsible
By Bradley Kappler10/07/12
lending that caused the crisis. The same wealthy people reluctant to extend benefits to
politica.elpais.com/
struggling families are the ones who gave low salaries while making fortunes in real estate.
politica/2012/11/09/
They are the ones who granted unstable mortgages and paid low taxes. They are the ones
actualidad/1352452631_706772.html:
who evict people from their houses, but still demand the mortgage payment for life (in Spain
Javier Rivas 9 NOV 2012
after losing your home you still owe the mortgage). They are the ones who beg to bail out the
banks and ask everybody else to tighten the belt. They are the 1%.
9
TRAVEL STUDY SEMINAR,
SPAIN, JULY 2013.
Join Salem State’s foreign languages
department for a 12 day trip to Spain, July
7-18, 2013, with Professor Fátima Serra.
The trip package includes roundtrip airfare,
10 nights’ accommodations, breakfast daily,
private air-conditioned motor coach, English
speaking bus-driver, and entrance fees to
visited sites.
You can receive credit for one of the
following courses:
• SPN710 Seminar on the Cultures of Spain,
or
• SPN415 Spanish Civilization and Culture,
or
• SPN203 The Spanish-Speaking World I (by
permission of coordinator)
You may alternatively earn Professional
Development Points.
When: July 1-18, 2013:
• Classes at Salem State University:
July 1-July 3
• Travel Days: July 7-18, 2013
Where: We will visit the cities of Málaga,
Granada, Sevilla, Córdoba, Madrid, and
Gijón.
This study/travel seminar provides students
with a unique opportunity to experience
Spain from South to North. We will visit
the most remarkable sites of Islamic Spain
in Sevilla, Granada, and Malaga. We will
explore the Museums at Madrid’s Avenue
of Art. On our way north we will admire
the ingenuity of Roman architecture, will
rest at Castillo de la Mota and reach the
green lands of Celtic Spain and its natural
beaches. We will also have time to enjoy
Spain’s wonderful food and friendliness of
its people.
For more information go to salemstate.edu/
academics/schools/24721.php
10
My Volunteer Experience in Guatemala
Chris Logan, Spanish student
In 2006 and again in 2011 I volunteered a
week at a time to the program Safe PassageCamino Seguro in Guatemala. I went both
times with my grandmother, who is is
involved in a Rotary club. While looking
for an international project to participate
in, they came across this program, which
they really liked. Safe Passage offers aid to
children and their parents who live near the
Guatemala City dump. All the children in the
program have parents who make a living
scavenging for recyclables in the dump
to sell, as well as for whatever supplies
or necessities they can find. The motto
of Safe Passage is “combating poverty
through education;” they help the children
of these families receive an education by
offering aid for school uniforms and books
and by providing mandatory after school
programs (Guatemala only offers half day
schooling) that make available tutoring
and extracurricular activities. Through
education, they hope to equip the children
of the program with the skills to find a
career, to escape the overwhelming poverty
that surrounds them. Last year, they were
ecstatic to announce their first two students
to move on to college.
Due to my general lack of Spanish
speaking ability (I am currently enrolled
in Spanish 101), I was primarily able
to contribute to the youngest children.
This consisted mostly of playing games,
helping with basic work, distributing meals
at lunch and snack times, and aiding the
teachers with classroom preparations and
cleaning. The experience was tremendously
rewarding. On my second trip, another
volunteer pointed to a child she said was
having difficulty adjusting to the program
and making friends. She asked if I would
spend time with him and try to make him
comfortable, so I kept him company and
tried getting him involved with the other
children. By the end of the week he was
participating in the classroom and had
made a friend. I never thought I could make
such a difference, even for just one child,
in only a week. My volunteer work was eye
opening, to both the extreme poverty in
much of the world and what little effort it
takes to make a substantial difference.
Find out more about Safe Passage
and about how you too can contribute
at safepassage.org.
Increased
Departmental Focus
on Student Speaking
Performance
By Nicole Sherf, foreign languages
In the spring 2012 issue of Lingua Franca,
we announced that the foreign languages
department had been recognized with
accreditation from the National Council for
Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
through the American Council on the
Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Although this specific accreditation is
for the departmental teacher preparation
programs, it would be fair to say that
the resulting positive effects and focus
on high standards have been felt in all
the departmental programming from the
language sequence courses, to the minors
to the other concentrations of the Bachelor
of Arts in Spanish. This is because one of
the accreditation mandates is that foreign
language teacher candidates acquire a
specific level of proficiency as one of
the required pieces of evidence. This
requirement has led to a faculty discussion
about what the various levels of speaking
performance represent as outlined in the
nationally accepted standard called the
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.
The full- and part-time faculty of the
department have held various retreats to
discuss how work together to increase
student speaking performance over time
in our various programs with a focus on
in-class activities and assessments as well
as programmatic and advising strategies.
The discussion has resulted in interesting
cooperation and collaboration, and
ultimately, higher speaking performance
in our program completers. An interesting
positive benefit of the focus on speaking
performance is that students are
participating in more service learning and
study abroad experiences. Our departmental
experience with this accreditation process
has been a positive one in spite of the
occasional tedium of the report and the
documentation of evidence. And you, our
students, are the beneficiaries of stronger
overall programming. In fact, we have
recently discovered that SSU is the only
university in Massachusetts and only one of
seven in New England to have earned the
prestigious NCATE accreditation through
ACTFL for the Spanish licensure programs!
The Hispanic Vote
By Kenneth Reeds, foreign languages
In the wake of the 2010 national
census, the press (and Lingua Franca )
focused for some time on the country’s
growing Hispanic population. This count
demonstrated that the number of Hispanics
had grown to reach 16% of our total
population and, perhaps more importantly,
they accounted for half of the country’s
population growth. This last statistic points
to the fact that every year the Hispanic
population grows at a faster rate than
any other. Building upon these statistics,
the Pew Research Center projects that, if
current trends continue, by 2050 Hispanics
will be 29% of our population.
Analysis of voting from the recent
presidential election indicates that
Hispanics are not just a growing portion of
the country, but that they are also working
to make sure their political voice is heard.
The Washington Post provides us with
some raw data:
National exit polls showed that 10
percent of the electorate was Hispanic,
compared with 9 percent in 2008 and
8 percent in 2004. Those numbers take
on more significance when combined
with results: Across the nation, 71
percent of Latinos voted for Obama,
compared with 27 percent who chose
Mitt Romney.
Despite the large majority that voted for
Obama, it would be a mistake to believe
that this voting block is a homogeneous
voice. Indeed there were as many reasons
to vote for Obama as there were people
who made up that 71%. That understood,
the fact that such a large majority went in
one direction suggests that some issues
must have been capable of uniting the
disparate group that we too often reduce
to simply ‘Hispanic’. Immigration seems
to have been the most important of those
bonding issues. While the president’s
record was widely considered less-thanstellar (he even went on Univision Spanishlanguage television to apologize for not
pushing harder on reform ), his challenger
was perceived even more negatively
(perhaps because he embraced the idea
of “self deportation” in regard to Arizona’s
controversial –and often called racially
biased- immigration law ).
In the coming months both political
parties and the press will make a lot about
these numbers. One thing, however, is
abundantly clear and needs no further
analysis to see: the Hispanic population is
increasingly an important part of the United
States and it is here to stay. With this in
mind, the question quickly becomes: why
haven’t you enrolled in Spanish classes for
next semester?
Reflection on
MaFLA 2012
By Vilma Bibeau, graduate student in the
MAT-Spanish program
Graduate student Vilma Bibeau
recently attended the Massachusetts
Foreign Language Association’s annual
conference in Sturbridge, MA. Writing
from the point of view of a professional
educator and graduate student, the
following is her reflection on the
experience.
Despite having attended several
Massachusetts’s Foreign Language
Association conferences (MaFLA),
I find it each and every year to be a
new experience. Yearly, the MaFLA
conference offers different activities,
which are presented in unique ways
by academic representatives from
secondary schools and universities
throughout the state of Massachusetts
and beyond. I like to attend the
conference because it exposes me to
new and/or revisited topics, concepts,
and material. The conference, in its
isolated setting that is only dedicated
to the teaching of foreign language,
also provides me with the opportunity
to share ideas, discuss thoughts,
and collaboratively explore teaching
methods and material with colleagues
and friends, many of whom I would
otherwise not have the opportunity to
meet with.
This year I was able to attend two
of the conference’s three days and
observed a presentation for each section
on Friday and Saturday. The daily
schedule is broken down into sections,
which offers several presentations in
each in both specific target languages
and in the common language of English
where non language specific teaching
concepts are covered. With these
sections two or three hosts usually
dedicate one hour and fifteen minutes to
each presentation.
This year I found the topics to be
very interesting and relevant to both
my graduate studies and the languages
that I teach. In totality I attended
eight presentations, two of which
were dedicated to Spanish, two were
dedicated to Italian, one was dedicated
to French, and three were relevant to
teaching technology. Although I enjoyed
all of them, I found that three really
captivated me and sparked my interest.
To read the rest of Ms. Bibeau’s
article, see the online version
at ssclinguafranca.wordpress.
com/2012/11/30/reflection-onmafla-2012.
11
Above: Salem State students in the Spanish immersion program in Heredia, Costa Rica, July 2012, while on a hike to Poas Volcano
Study Spanish Abroad
By Fátima Serra, foreign languages
This past summer foreign languages,
in partnership with Sol Education Abroad,
enjoyed four weeks of Spanish Immersion
in Heredia, Costa Rica. Students earned
six credits at the Universidad Latina,
participated in cultural activities and
travelled across the country. Cooking
Lessons, toucan rescue parks, volcanoes
and city tours were part of the experience.
Check out some of the pictures.
This coming July we will be going back
to Oviedo, in the north of Spain, for our
summer Spanish program. All students,
regardless of their major or minor can
earn 6 credits of languages. The program
12
is affordable due to our relationship with
the University of Oviedo. Students can also
apply their financial aid to the program.
If a month-long experience is too short
for you, the Universidad de Oviedo also
has a very affordable semester program.
Students may take up to five course of
Spanish language and culture at three
different levels and/or some business or
English courses.
For more information on both programs
follow this link: salemstate.edu/academics/
schools/7257.php
And if you are ready to graduate and
are interested in both living abroad while
building your CV with valuable experience,
we recommend the Cultural Ambassadors:
North American Language and Culture
Assistants in Spain. The Ministry of
Education of Spain will provide over 1,000
grants for American students to be English
Teaching Assistants in Spanish schools.
It does not cost any money and you get
a monthly stipend, sufficient to live on.
Applications for the 2013-2014 academic
year will open in early December 2012.
You don’t need to be a Spanish Major
to apply for one of these assistantships.
Four Salem State students have already
participated in the program. Currently,
Valerie Del Villar is enjoying her experience
working abroad.
For more information: educacion.
gob.es/eeuu/convocatorias-programas/
convocatorias-eeuu/auxiliaresconversacion-eeuu.html