Author Archives: abgrant

My Experience with Spanish

I remember the moment I fell in love with Spanish: It was sixth grade and I had just changed schools yet again. My first Spanish teacher’s name was “Julias Siesar” which always made everyone laugh. When I started at this new school the class was already three weeks into a unit on verbs. The first word I learned in Spanish — other than the minimal Spanish my grandmother had learned from my long-deceased abuelo — was “escalar”. I can’t say as I use “escalar” with any degree of regularity but it is the word that started what would become the focus of my high school and college academics.

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The Versatility of the Spanish Major

If you’re a Spanish major you’re likely familiar with the question, “Oh, so are you going to teach or interpret?” In fact, you may have been asked that question so many times that you start to believe teaching and interpreting are your only options. My focus started to narrow to interpreting or teaching just a few weeks into starting college, largely because of this question. By the end of my second semester, I had decided on medical interpreting and enrolled in Spanish interpreting classes. Interpreting seemed like a good option given the current job market and average salary but at the same time, I just wasn’t sold. While I find the level of skill and language proficiency of interpreters admirable, I could tell it wasn’t the professional field for me. I also already knew I had no interest in being a teacher so I was left feeling like my choice in major was pointless. Continue reading