To Chris Mansfield (22), studying other languages is about more than broadening your own horizons — it also enables you to build much closer connections with others.
“These courses will teach you how to speak, read and write the language; to listen for it and converse with people who’ve spoken it natively for years,” Mansfield said. “You’ll be able to use it to your benefit and for the good of other people. These systems of expression and meaning connect us all on such a deep level.”
Mansfield earned his B.A. in French and Spanish as a double major at PLNU. He is now working toward his Master of Arts in Teaching at PLNU’s Mission Valley Regional Center, as well as teaching credentials for both languages.
“In the end, I will be an educator who can share an appreciation of two foreign languages. I will be able to foster in students the ability to communicate meaningfully with diverse and unique people from all over the world,” Mansfield said.
Mansfield was inspired at a young age by multicultural media, including foreign language films, anime (japanese animated television shows) and video games set in non-american countries. Although he studied different languages than those spoken in those media, those things helped him develop an appreciation for the life, cadence, and sound of other languages. He also learned from those different perspectives about the universal connections we have across different languages — including the relationships we form with each other and the natural world.
“The accents, words, energy, and passion all inspired me,” he said. “If you watch a lot of media like that, without meaning to, you will eventually reach the point where you no longer need the subtitles to understand quite a few expressions.”
In kindergarten, he attended Longfellow Elementary, a Spanish immersion school that helped him become fluent in Spanish even at a young age. Although he lost some of his familiarity with Spanish over the rest of elementary school, he took Spanish classes in middle and high school and regained much of his fluency. He also took French for one year of high school and found that he could look to his knowledge of Spanish for guidance.
While thinking about his future, Mansfield knew that he wanted to be someone who would make a positive, meaningful difference in the world. So he chose to be a teacher.
“I really appreciated languages, specifically Spanish and French, and I wanted to help people,” he said. “So I thought, why not teach Spanish, and maybe French as well.”
He described life at PLNU as an amazing experience, and viewed double-majoring in two languages at the same time as a positive challenge.
“The first year, it was hard to go from a Spanish class to a French class immediately after,” Mansfield explained. “My mind would have to make a quick switch, and there were times when I accidentally responded to my French teacher in Spanish when they had asked me a question in French!
“It happens, but over time [the languages] become separate. They start to individualize and branch out, but their shared roots and similarities have allowed me to use the knowledge of one for help in the other. Even during final exams in French courses have I asked myself, ‘well, how would I say this in Spanish?’ and found the answer that I needed.”
He discussed the study of literature in another language, and explained that there’s so much more to reading these books than practicing your fluency.
“[You’re learning] to value and reflect on various novels, stories, myths and legends written in Spanish that you will be able to use to connect with other people,” he said. “These stories are also ways that people are able to understand the world and their connection with it.”
Mansfield mentioned that although he wasn’t raised in the religious sphere, he entered college with an appreciation of philosophy and spirituality, and found PLNU fulfilling in that aspect.
“I have grown curious and inquisitive about various world religions. When it comes to PLNU, certain connections and friends that I have met lead me to recognize the possibility that there is something more to everything — that there seem to be paths that I can choose,” he said.
The Spanish B.A. at PLNU requires students to study abroad in a country in which Spanish is commonly spoken. Mansfield went on a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the Spring semester of 2020, studying at the Universidad de Belgrano. Although his trip was sadly cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, he was able to have some incredible experiences.
“The city [of Buenos Aires] is beautiful. Accompanying the tall buildings, many streets are lined by lush trees. The public transport systems are efficient and reliable. And the light, mood and sky were magical whenever the rain falls,” Mansfield said.
“The food is amazing, you wouldn’t have to put any salt or condiments on the meat–actually, if you add some salt or ketchup and the chef sees that, they might [think], ‘is my food not good enough?’ It was all already good enough.”
Students studying abroad may have the opportunity to stay with a family there, and that family might not speak English. Mansfield stayed with a family in Buenos Aires, and when the “father” of the family picked Mansfield up from the airport, Mansfield was immediately struck with how challenging his accent was. He strove to comprehend and match his homestay family’s Rioplatense Spanish dialect.
“I tried to change my manner of speaking so I could fit in better with the people and culture there,” he said.
While on the trip, he also noticed differences in certain vocabulary words from what he had learned in class. However, his training at PLNU was still crucial and created the groundwork to speak conversationally.
“I have my high school Spanish classes and especially the Spanish program at PLNU to thank for helping me form a good grammatical background and wide variety of vocabulary. I never spent too much time on homework while there, so I was able to spend more time with my homestay family, and making new friends. Priceless time spent walking through the streets of a city in which a part of me will always belong.”
Mansfield said that although the trip was shorter than he had hoped it would be, he still learned a lot about Argentina and another beautiful dialect of the Spanish language.
“The time I had there…I’m so grateful for. I saw the incredible Iguazú Falls, in the Iguazú National Park. I still have most of the Rioplatense accent. I met many people in that wonderful country and still keep in touch with some of them. I cherish the memories that I have of that entire experience. I would not change it.”
He encourages students who are interested in Spanish to jump in and become a Spanish major.
“You can’t go wrong with a healthy, growth-based mindset and an appreciation of language,” Mansfield said. “You will find your time with the professors, the content, the other students, all [of it], an incredible, enriching experience that will transform you into the person that you hope to become.”