Abel Lourau Interview MS Bilingual Programme

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

ABEL’S EXPERIENCE OF MS BILINGUAL PROGRAMME Before the winter break, we had the pleasure to interview Abel Lourau, a grade 9 middle-school student taking courses in both French and English.

Abel is 14 years old and has been at ISB since 2nd grade. He started out in English Language Development and is now taking grade 9 Maths, PE, and his elective in English, Science and Social Studies in French, while also learning Spanish.

GET INSPIRED BY Middle School Languages Enthusiast Abel Lourau

What do you enjoy the most about being able to study in both French and English at ISB? Being able to learn in English and French at ISB is both a challenge and a pleasure. It encourages me to expand my vocabulary in both languages and to explore new horizons. ISB has made it a pleasure to explore these languages because of the quality of education and the emphasis on expanding your comprehension and mastery of these languages.

Which courses from your grade 9 curriculum have you chosen to take in French? Why did you choose these particular courses?

I have chosen to do Science and Social Studies in French in order to preserve my love and comprehension for the language. Since French is my native language, I couldn’t allow myself to lose it or to let English completely take over.

Can you describe some of the challenges you faced studying in English and French simultaneously?

Learning French and English at the same time has not been a particularly deep challenge for me. It has rather made me realise what are the roles each language has for me and where I stand within my understanding and mastery of both. It’s almost like they each have their own personality. French is my reading and imagination language, while English is my logical reasoning one.

Do you consider it important that people are able to speak multiple languages?

You all know the saying “actions speak louder than words” but I don’t always stand by it. I think words sometimes have more impact than actions, because saying something is an action in itself.

Languages are the key to relationships and friendships. Often, in couples or friendships, people learn each other's languages, in order to communicate more efficiently and to be able to better understand each other. Languages are opportunities. They are literally the key to everything. From the moment you have a grasp on at least two languages, life gets so much better.

Given the fast-advancing instant translation/interpretation technologies and the abundance of available language AI tools, many people believe that learning a second or third language may soon become redundant or a thing of the past. Do you agree/disagree and why?

I do not believe that learning a new language is redundant, but I do think that because of modern AI tools, the effort in learning and challenging yourself in assimilating a new language might become discouraging. Languages are key to so much more than just knowing how to speak them.

They are a bridge to learning and understanding people better and AI will never overrule that concept because of its lack of humanness.

Using Google Translate or similar tools is in my opinion very useful and it helps people in many positive ways. However, it is unthinkable that it can replace the pleasure of starting to understand and master a new language. I believe AI will not make languages redundant, but will make them feasible for the larger population, without replacing the importance and impact of assimilating a new language.