By Julia Parmley
At the age of 17, Andrew Brown, B.A. ’06, M.P.A. ’08, began what he called a “search for purpose.” During this time, Mr. Brown learned more than 20 different languages, volunteered at a safe house for women and children in Dubai, and participated in charity and volunteer efforts for more than a dozen organizations across the world.
“In my search I came to realize that nothing was as meaningful to me as teaching people to communicate in a foreign language, that I was blessed with a gift for learning and teaching languages, and that I should use this gift to help people,” says Mr. Brown. “From my experiences abroad, I also realized that without the ability to communicate with people in their language it’s difficult to solve the most basic problems, let alone to truly understand their needs and earn their trust.”
In 2005, Mr. Brown founded a student organization that in 2008 became The Global Language Network (GLN), a not-for-profit that provides language training to the Washington, DC community. Currently, the organization offers more than 30 classes in 20 to 30 different languages and serves more than 1,000 students each year. The organization annually receives more than 2,400 class registration requests.
“In today’s global society, the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in multiple languages is more critical than ever, and yet, according to national reports and surveys, Americans are suffering from a lack of foreign language skills,” says Mr. Brown. “Less than 5 percent of the world population is born speaking English…if Americans want to understand and cooperate with the other 95 percent of the world, we will have to learn to communicate in languages other than English.”
Students in GLN range widely in age and background. Mr. Brown says many work for the U.S. government, The World Bank or other international organizations based in the District and are looking to develop or strengthen their language skills, while others are interested in learning a language for travel or to reconnect with family abroad. Once they enroll, students are asked to make a deposit of $150 which will be returned in full if they miss no more than three classes in the semester.
GLN Assistant Director Zarko Palankov, M.A.’08, says GLN teachers, who are all volunteers and native speakers of the language they are teaching, come from a variety of backgrounds as well: some are former students, spouses of embassy employees or GW international students. The volunteers participate in training where they are aided in creating a syllabus and encouraged to incorporate their own native knowledge in the classroom.
“Our volunteers not only enjoy teaching but also gain management, leadership and interpersonal skills,” says Mr. Palankov. “They typically manage a class of 15 students, so they have to know how to lead and structure class and to engage everyone.”
Mr. Palankov, who is from Bulgaria and has taught Bulgarian in GLN, says the organization’s most popular classes include Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian. For Mr. Palankov, GLN is a “unique” organization because of its diverse teacher base, its approach—classes are interactive and discussion encouraged—and, of course, the fact that it’s free.
“We encourage full immersion, so students really pick up speaking skills and basic comprehension in the classes,” he says. “We enable them to communicate even after first few classes, which is no small feat.”
This ability to communicate with others—and thus build trust—is a theme of GLN.
Jennifer Carpenter, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, was interning on Capitol Hill in spring 2008 when she enrolled in GLN to learn Albanian for a documentary she filmed in the Balkans. “I loved going to class with a small group of fellow Balkan enthusiasts, and Aneta Xhiku, our teacher, was so passionate about her country and her language,” says Ms. Carpenter. “There was no pressure, no competition. Everyone just wanted to share.”
Last year, Ms. Carpenter won a 2009-10 Fulbright to study young people and politics in Albania. With the help of her GLN teacher, Ms. Carpenter made contacts in Albania, met members of Ms. Xhiku’s own family and secured an internship with UNICEF. “If I hadn’t met Aneta I wouldn’t be interning for UNICEF right now and I wouldn’t have discovered Albania,” says Ms. Carpenter. “Aneta become a great friend and mentor, not only in terms of my career as a documentary journalist, but also as I continue to grow as a compassionate, global thinker. She has truly changed my life.”
“I only know of three places in the entire country where you can take formal Albanian classes,” she adds, “and GLN is one of them.”
“When students learn a new language, they become diplomats of some sort, as the most basic way to find out more about someone is by talking to them,” says Mr. Palankov. “When you speak someone’s language, especially if it’s a rare or difficult language, you immediately earn their trust because you show them that you care.
“This is how global understanding is achieved,” he says. “But in order to achieve it, people have to speak the same language.”
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