Tuskan Times October 2013 | Page 15

Agony Aunt

Dear Tongue-Tied,

Most everyone at ISF has been in a similar position to yours at some point. Many of our students are not native Italian speakers. Even if someone is Italian, he or she has still had your same experience because he or she has had to adjust to an English speaking school. Not to mention, there are plenty of new students in your exact same predicament. So you’re in good company! First of all, try to remember that even though learning Italian won’t happen overnight, everyday you’re learning more and more. By living in Florence, you’re constantly immersed in the language (by hearing people speak it and seeing street signs show it), which is extremely helpful in learning a new language. Your beginner Italian class at ISF will teach you fundamental grammar and vocabulary. All ISF Italian teachers are very helpful and very experienced, so you’re in great hands. If you want to put extra time into learning Italian outside of class, consider working with a tutor. Try seeing if one of your friends would be interested in helping you or ask your Italian teacher if they know of any students who would be interested. You can also check the bulletin board in reception for advertisements about out of school tutors. Even if you don’t go through the formality of having a tutor, something as simple as watching some Italian television can help improve your language skills (and who doesn’t like an excuse to watch TV?!).

As far as people speaking it at school, you’re going to understand more and more of what they’re saying as time goes on. For now, try picking up on some of the simple words you’ve already learned. Even knowing a few words can help you get an idea of the general topic of conversation. Your friends would probably feel terrible if they knew you felt excluded by their conversation. When you’re fluent in a language its easy to forget that someone else might not understand it. If you throw in an English comment or two, they’ll be reminded that you don’t speak Italian (yet!) and chances are the language of the conversation will flip to English.

Here’s another key: don’t be afraid to speak in Italian! Whenever you’re out and about, it’s important to try and speak Italian. For language learning purposes, it’s the best practice possible. As a side benefit, when a patron knows you’re actively trying to speak his or her language instead of forcing them to speak yours, he or she is more likely to give you better service (and who can blame them). If someone speaks back to you in English, don’t be discouraged. Try to continue speaking to them in Italian.

So, tongue tied, here are my parting bits of advice: work hard and have patience. The harder you work in Italian class, the better you’ll be at Italian. The same goes for speaking it as much as possible outside of school. It may seem like it’s taking a while, but be patient and know you’re improving every day. Have confidence in yourself—you CAN do this!

Agony Aunt