SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Bridging gaps between cultures with words: That’s the focus of the Second Annual World Languages Day at the University of Scranton on Tuesday.
Over one hundred students from six local high schools immersed themselves in a linguistic journey, proving that human interaction is the key to mastering a new language.
On Tuesday morning, the halls of the University of Scranton buzzed with the sounds of languages from around the globe as students from Valley View, Riverside, Western Wayne, Wallenpaupack, West Scranton, and Scranton High Schools gathered for an educational experience.
Hacking the Power of Language is an event that showcases diverse languages and cultures, ranging from Arabic to Mandarin and even American Sign Language.
“We have eight different languages going on in the background today, and we wanted people to come with a sense that all of those languages can be really powerful,” said University of Scranton Language Learning Center Coordinator Amy Kuiken.
Each 15-minute session was a rapid dive into a new language, complete with interactive discussions led by scholars and university faculty, allowing students to personally experience diverse cultures firsthand.
“Professor Wu just went up there and got me really interested in Taiwan. Like it was really interesting,” Western Wayne High School Senior Katie Skirpan stated.
“It’s really exciting seeing other languages because I’ve only ever really learned Spanish,” Julia Wehrmann, a senior at Western Wayne High School, explained.
This unique approach to learning reinforces the importance of human elements in education, showcasing that while technology can assist, it cannot replicate the experience of real interpersonal communication.
“I think it actually helps way more to have somebody else who’s actually showing you how to pronounce it cause, like, yeah, AI can do a bunch of stuff, but I feel like with languages, it’s really a human thing,” West Scranton High School Junior Carmela Cordero said.
“There’s those tasks where knowing how to reach out to a person in a situation, and knowing what the right word to use is to help them, those are things that I think humans are still really good at,” Kuiken added.
The event also included cultural booths where students explored more about each language’s corresponding culture, taking home not just new words but a broader understanding of the world.
