DeKALB | Students studying abroad may find that learning languages overseas could prove more difficult than learning in the classroom.

Clare Foust, the outreach and programming coordinator for the Study Abroad program, said that a student’s sense of adventure and willingness to make mistakes can affect the amount of success he or she may have when living in a foreign country.

“I think a lot of students are afraid. They’re afraid to talk.They’re afraid to make mistakes so they might be hesitant in speaking and that can limit them and make the culture shock more difficult because they’re not able to engage in the very thing that’s causing them to be afraid,” she said.

The Study Abroad Office has items they use to assist students going overseas to make the transition easier and limit the language barrier they might encounter, she said. Beginning and intermediate level classes which include grammar and conversation are available once a student arrives in the host country, and orientation handbooks, videos, and books are available for students to help themselves before they leave.

“If students are participating in a program directed by an NIU faculty member, then the faculty member is there to offer guidance and assist the group with both language and culture situations,” she said.

Perrine Delcour, a French instructor, said that while students can get by knowing the basics of the language, it is best to try to obtain as much knowledge as they can before living in a non-English speaking country.

“I would suggest to take or audit conversation classes rather than regular pure grammar courses,” she said. “At this point, the student’s grammar skills in that foreign language should be strong enough for him/her to switch to a different level, which is to understand and be able to have every-day conversations when in the foreign country.”

Students can also be more successful if they continue taking courses in the host country, Delcour said. The motivation of having to learn a language in the country it is spoken can cause students to learn much faster. Being around the language every day while attending classes can make the process easier too, she said.

Katrina Basch, a sophomore French business and translation major, is preparing to study abroad in France in order to benefit her major.

“Here, being a French major, I don’t have any opportunities to speak French,” she said. “The only option is to go to France.”

The Study Abroad Office has been very helpful in giving her the information she needs to prepare for her time in France, she said. She plans to take classes in French, though that was not her only option.

“I’m taking placement tests this summer to see which classes I’ll be taking,” Basch said. “Students that don’t know the language have the opportunity to take all their classes in English.”