{"id":143275,"date":"2026-02-04T12:15:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T12:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/143275\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T12:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T12:15:08","slug":"ditch-duolingo-learn-a-foreign-language-at-usf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/143275\/","title":{"rendered":"Ditch Duolingo. Learn a foreign language at USF"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>Language learning apps pale in comparison to the cultural and social value that in-person classes provide. ORACLE PHOTO\/VIOLET VASQUEZ PIMENTEL<\/p>\n

Your Duolingo streak is nearing the triple digits, yet you feel like you haven\u2019t learned anything.<\/p>\n

But it isn\u2019t for lack of trying \u2014 these apps simply aren\u2019t designed to facilitate higher-level learning.<\/p>\n

While language learning apps are good for memorizing basic phrases, they struggle at relaying more complex conversational skills, according to a 2019 New York Times article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Luckily, Madeline Camara, a USF professor of Spanish, believes you\u2019re already at one of the best places in the world to learn a language \u2014 a college campus.<\/p>\n

Camara said she strongly favors a \u201cface-to-face\u201d method of teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuman contact is vital for the learning of a foreign language,\u201d Camara said.<\/p>\n

And USF is perfect for this, offering undergraduate classes in French, Arabic, Russian, among many others, according to the Department of World Languages\u2019 course flyers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

USF students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts are required to complete eight credit hours of the same foreign language to graduate, according to USF\u2019s Degree Requirements<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still, other degrees simply need to fulfill the basic foreign language entrance requirement<\/a>, which consists of two units of a language in high school or an equivalent, also according to the degree requirements.<\/p>\n

But even if it\u2019s not required by your degree, taking a foreign language class at USF is still absolutely worth it.<\/p>\n

Related: USF prepares for major changes to gen ed curriculum by 2026<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

I started Beginning Spanish I<\/a> this semester \u2014 at first, just to meet the requirements for my Literature degree \u2014 and it quickly became one of my favorite classes I\u2019ve taken at USF.<\/p>\n

The best part of the class is \u2014 like Camara said \u2014 the opportunity to practice complex, one-on-one Spanish conversational skills with other students.<\/p>\n

In just three weeks of classes, I feel more proficient in the language than I did after several years of on-and-off Duolingo use.<\/p>\n

This focus on conversation has also made this class one of the most social I\u2019ve ever taken.<\/p>\n

In many of my other classes, students remain awkwardly distant throughout the entire semester.<\/p>\n

But the atmosphere throughout Beginning Spanish is always alive and talkative, even after the mandated Spanish conversations end.<\/p>\n

I now consistently look forward to the class every week.<\/p>\n

But the biggest benefit of taking a foreign language is broadening your cultural horizons.<\/p>\n

Kaityln Dawes, a junior international relations major currently enrolled in Russian II, said the class has given her insight into Russia\u2019s cultural norms.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy professor is Russian and has done a fantastic job teaching us not just the language, but the culture and everyday life of a Russian citizen,\u201d Dawes said. \u201c[And] with wanting to work in the foreign affairs and policy area, with one of my regions of interest being Russia, it just made sense to take Russian.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Dawes said the information taught in the class is still relevant even if you\u2019re not aspiring for a career in international affairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would definitely recommend that other students take this class,\u201d Dawes said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely a hard class, but the professor sets you up to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Professor Camara agrees \u2014 the cultural exchange is what makes learning a language so important.<\/p>\n

Related: OPINION: Attacking international students, staff won\u2019t make Florida stronger<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Camara said that teaching Spanish helped her get by in the U.S. after immigrating from Cuba in 1992.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the years of initiation in surviving the cold weather and navigating the foreign sounds of the English language,\u201d Camara said.<\/p>\n

But Camara\u2019s students are often also in unfamiliar environments when learning Spanish \u2014 something she described as a bonding experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI taught elementary Spanish and sometimes early classes in the chilly mornings,\u201d Camara said. \u201cStudents were not happy to be there too. I believe this mutual uneasy situation was the key to mutual solidarity \u2013 we both needed to overcome these challenges. Crossing the bridge between our cultures was the way to success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Camara said she believes that learning a second language has become a \u201crequirement\u201d for all citizens in the modern world.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, many of the most intensive majors lack the flexibility for a foreign language elective.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Balancing between 4000-level classes and several labs is stressful enough without adding a language into the mix.<\/p>\n

But if you do have the space, taking a foreign language is a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

The cultural and social benefits are invaluable, and in-person feedback from peers and professors alike puts it miles ahead of Duolingo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Language learning apps pale in comparison to the cultural and social value that in-person classes provide. ORACLE PHOTO\/VIOLET…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143276,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-143275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}