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Editor’s note: The Georgia State University Center for Urban Language Teaching and Research (CULTR) is gearing up for its eighth annual Global Languages Leadership Meeting May 19, a forum convening diverse industry leaders from business, non-profit, government and education to discuss the importance of language learning and cultural competence as essential skills for an emerging global workforce.
The event will feature short welcome remarks from Georgia State President M. Brian Blake and a keynote from Aiyana Victoria Mathews, a Japanese-speaking executive with more than a decade of experience in operations management and international business development across a variety of cultures and sectors.
CULTR Director Dr. Hakyoon Lee will be introducing Ms. Mathews and setting the agenda for the event. Global Atlanta caught up with Dr. Lee after CULTR’s last landmark event series, World Languages Week, to discuss the importance of the center’s work foregrounding language learning for up-and-coming students. This interview is provided as part of a sponsored content package purchased by CULTR.
Global Atlanta: October’s World Languages Week was your first as director of CULTR. What struck you when you were moderating or participating in discussions? What threads did you see woven throughout the event at this pivotal moment for companies as they craft strategies to grow their business and build more inclusive cultures?
Dr. Lee: The 8th World Languages Week was my first one as a director, and it was very meaningful to me. I moderated the keynote presentation by Marquis Daly, a consultant at We Are Rosie. The title of his presentation was “Being Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable.”
During this conversation, we learned about his language-learning journey and how his language skills opened opportunities as a student and professional. His story included powerful messages for the audience, especially for the students who can envision themselves in fields that require intercultural competence. I found his advice to students who plan to study abroad or pursue a career in a similar area especially valuable. In all panels, I could see resources and strategies were shared for the students’ success in today’s global workforce.
One of the key ideas brought up repeatedly was “diversity.” The events brought diverse perspectives and helped students envision themselves in the various global professions by pushing their boundaries. Diverse speaker panels covering various topics highlighted the value of world-language capabilities, cultural experiences and a sense of valuing diversity, equity and inclusion for all learners in a global economy.
I’m now more convinced than ever that experiencing such variety and learning how to respond to it will help us solve the global challenges we face and create more inclusive cultures.
With companies facing unprecedented workforce challenges, how evident is it from what you heard that employers are still prizing cross-cultural experience and language ability?
Dr. Lee: All the panels amplified the importance of both intercultural competence and proficiency in a foreign language. We learned from the speakers that it is vital for students to possess these two skills in order to thrive in global workplaces and to succeed on international teams.
More importantly, we think it is essential to hear directly from the employers how important cross-cultural experiences and language ability are and how they will benefit from their employees’ language skills, study abroad experience and cross-cultural competencies.
Why stay virtual with this event even as most things have come back to in-person, and how did you fare in terms of participation?
With this format, we invited speakers from all over the world, making the panels richer and more dynamic. In addition, it increased the national and global impact of the event by making it more accessible to a wider audience. As a federally funded Title VI center, wide access is vitally important. Attracting audiences from diverse fields and regions, the center’s visibility has also increased.
Tolerating diversity is one thing — celebrating it is another. For those learning languages, how do we help foster the embrace of differences that is so key to the perseverance necessary to truly master a language and culture?
Dr. Lee: Studying languages means learning new ways to express ideas and communicate. More than just acquiring new vocabulary, learning a language is a vehicle for self-expansion as learners gain knowledge about new ways of thinking, acting and seeing the world. Learning a new language and culture is like gaining an additional lens through which to see and understand the world. In so doing, students gain increased empathy and the ability to engage with differences.
As educators and advocates of language learning and study abroad, we can support students learning languages and cultures through encouragement, guidance, and passion in the hope that it intrigues our students enough to continue their language-learning journey.