Mango Languages

Guest Post: Alumni Weekend

Mango Languages is proud to have guest blogger Dick Kuettner write about an Alumni event at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, at which they showcased Mango Languages.

Washington and Lee University, a highly-selective institution of higher learning and one of the Nation’s oldest, has made wise use of its contract with Mango Languages.

Students studying abroad during spring term 2010 had the opportunity to study the language of the country where they would be residing in advance of, during, and after their study abroad experience.  Those studying photography in France learned French.  Those studying business administration learned Spanish to prepare for their stay in Nicaragua.  Italian was the language studied for chemistry students in Italy.  And Greek was pursued for future geologists studying the terrain in Greece.  In all, ten groups studying abroad took advantage of what Mango Languages has to offer at both the basic and complete levels.

But the Mango experience is being taken beyond the classroom as well.  Faculty and staff at Washington and Lee also had occasion to enhance their multi-cultural needs.  During the same contract period, some brushed up on their language skills for languages already under-the-belt, while others enriched their global perspective by undertaking a new language or two.  Especially appreciative were those faculty members traveling or doing research in foreign lands where communicative skills would be imperative.

Even University Alumni got into the act and were given access to Mango Languages after a demonstration during a Modern Languages Alumni Reunion Weekend Open House held at the Tucker Multimedia Center for Foreign Languages on Washington and Lee’s historic campus.  Their participation only proves that languages are essential and the need for skills in this area never dissipates.

Questions about these Mango Languages’ uses and observations can be directed to Dr. Dick Kuettner, kuettnerd@wlu.edu, organizer of the project.