Do you have Translate downloaded to your phone? Do you use Google Translate when on your laptop? I know I do. But some girls don’t. In fact, a lot of girls don’t. Montrose actually speaks many languages. Spanish, French, Italian — many girls speak these languages, but there are so many more! Hungarian, Chinese, Vietnamese — these are some of the more unique languages spoken at Montrose. Of course, many Upper School students have become partially fluent in languages at Montrose due to the amazing language courses provided with the help of our amazing bilingual faculty. Some Montrose girls were born in other countries, which is why they know a different language. For example, the Feeney sisters and faculty member Mrs. Horsburgh are originally from Argentina. Many students in the Class of 2031 have parents born and raised in another country, and there are many other students in other grades with family from different countries. Being bilingual certainly has many benefits, but does it benefit your academics? Does knowing another language change your learning experience at Montrose? I asked a few bilingual students and faculty members the following questions: 1) What languages do you speak? Is there a reason why? 2) Do you have a different personality in a different language? If so, what is the difference or change in your personality? 3) Do you think knowing multiple languages benefits or changes the learning experience in some way? If so, how? Ms. Maria Gualandi of the Montrose faculty (Parent of Maria Elena Franchi ‘26 and Caterina Franchi ‘30) shares her perspective on the matter: “First, a quick intro on my experience: I was born and raised in Italy. I never imagined I’d be one of “those” people who knows multiple languages; they seemed so smart and unreachable to me! Plus, I was never a good language learner. Learning English in school was the nightmare of my academic career — I nearly didn’t graduate college because of that final English exam! God, however, has an always a plan for you and also a funny way of testing you exactly where you feel weakest. I moved to Spain for five years to complete my Ph.D. in Education, and then we moved to the USA (Minnesota) in 2011. I was terrified about the move, especially because my English was terrible. (Yes, I passed the college exam, but only because I mastered how to crack the test, not because I could actually speak or understand anything!) 1) What languages do you speak? Is there a reason why? I speak Italian, Spanish and English. I wish I could tell you I always had a passion for languages. But the “why” is entirely due to my personal life path and love for my husband. The only reason I learned Spanish was to move to Pamplona to be with my husband-to-be while completing my Ph.D. The only reason I had to learn English was because my husband got a great job offer here in the U.S. and we decided to build our life here. It really wasn’t a driven academic goal; it was always about following love and opportunity.

2) Do you have a different personality in a different language? If so, what is the difference or change in your personality? I don’t think I have a completely “different” personality, but I feel I modulate different parts of my personality depending on the language I’m using. In Spanish, I feel much more extroverted and I love to joke a lot. I like to play with a wider range of vocal tones and inflections, which helps me be more playful. In Italian, I feel completely at home. Italian as a language, has a huge variety of words available, so I feel I can be incredibly precise about what I want to say and think. I also feel I can speak with less filters as Italian people are just….“less filtered” without hard feelings. I also feel I laugh a lot more when I speak Italian. In English, I am definitely more polite and reserved. I consciously measure the weight of every word and the potential impact it might have on the listener. I use less vocabulary, so I come across as much more cautious and reserved. 3) Do you think knowing multiple languages benefits or changes the learning experience in some way? If so, how? Absolutely! Knowing more languages doesn’t just change how you learn, it literally changes your brain and the way you see the world. It expands your reality: There are some words in one language that are simply not “translatable” to another, yet you understand their meaning completely. Because you know the word exists, that concept then exists in your experience and your world, which is incredible. Also, since language and culture are deeply interconnected, knowing multiple languages opens you up to diversity in a fundamental way—you are literally forced to see the world and people from different cultural perspectives. Another huge benefit for me was that I was forced to learn to be humble. I had to overcome the frustration of not being able to say exactly what I wanted, and I learned to rely on a variety of communication cues (like body language and tone) that were different from just verbal communication.” Maggie Feeney ‘30 tells her perspective on whether knowing another language changes one’s learning experience. “I speak Spanish. I speak Spanish because I was born in Argentina and lived there until I was six. I honestly have no idea whether I have a different personality [in Spanish]. I DO think that being bilingual is a benefit because first it will help me get a good job and into a good college. I also think it helps because it helps me meet new people and be more diverse (if that makes sense). In the learning department I would say that it makes it a bit challenging. This is because first I have dyslexia and it messes me up at times, and secondly when I came to the USA I didn’t know ANY English AT ALL. So I had to learn a WHOLE new language (at the age of 6)” Wow, Maggie! Learning a whole new language at the age of 6 sounds so incredibly difficult. To hear a variety of thoughts on the matter, Heran Wang ‘31 says: “Genuinely I speak fluent Chinese, mainly because my grandparents do and because I just grew up listening to it all the time, especially when talking to my grandparents. My most honest answer for this one is kind of, but not really because I don’t have as expansive of a vocabulary in Chinese so really just no, but the way I word things may be different, but my personality mostly only changes with the person I’m talking to. I think just knowing the language doesn’t change much, but it’s mostly about the traditions, myths, history and heritage that really change the way you think, but it definitely helps in some ways like traveling communication and a whole list of other reasons.” Heran’s perspective on the way Chinese culture changes the way you think is really something special. I think culture really is an important part of being bilingual, and Heran explains this extraordinarily well. Kate Cserny ‘31 shares her thoughts by saying: “The language I speak is Hungarian. The reason why I speak fluently is because my parents are from Hungary and it was my first language. In the Hungarian language, the people who hear me speak it always say that I sound like I am in an argument. Though I don’t think it changes my personality, people who do not understand what I am saying think that it does. Also it benefits my learning because for some reason, doing math in Hungarian is much easier to do than in English.” Hungarian is a more uncommon language to speak, and Kate’s thoughts on the way the language may sound to those who don’t speak the language and the way Hungarian helps her with her math at Montrose is very interesting. All in all, being bilingual may benefit your experience at Montrose along with one’s academic career. It could make your brain think in a different way, which helps you be more creative. However, it could also not change your experience as Maggie said, as it may cause you to have had to struggle earlier on to learn the English language. What do you think? Does knowing another language affect your learning experience at Montrose?

By Catherine Keane ‘31, Features Editor

31ckeane@montroseschool.org