Local Language Learning
January 31st, 2006 by Snorko.I am a current applicant with Peace Corp. I just wanted to know from past volunteers how much of the local language did you learn. Did you come back fluent in the language and how much opportunity did get to speak the local language?
Thanks so much.
February 1st, 2006 at 10:28 am
With the exception of those headed to Spanish speaking and French speaking countries, most of us have NO prior experience in our language. (Chinese and Arabic may be the exceptions.)
In fact even those who wind up in Spanish/Francophone countries learn the local language/dialect as well.
How “fluent” you are will really depend on how much you study and how good you are at picking up languages. I would say most people come back being able to speak at least conversationally in their language.
If you have one of the 5 major languages (Spanish, Chinese, French, Russian, Arabic) you will probably be able to use your language a lot more than say someone who learned Swahili… However you can always seek out organizations, jobs, populations, etc…
It really depends on what you want to do with it.
Good luck on your Peace Corps application,
Meggan
April 29th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
I too am a new applicant and new to blogging. I submitted my application a few days ago. What region did you select? Have you heard from a recruiter yet?