Learning languages began as just a fun hobby, but quickly developed into a way to connect to others, a passion of senior Rahm Sheinfeld.
Sheinfeld found his love of languages during the COVID-19 pandemic by watching shows and films produced in other languages. He also watched language and linguistics (the scientific study of language and its structure) videos on YouTube. His interest developed during the pandemic, but his love of linguistics continued through high school, and he plans to study linguistics at Stanford University, Sheinfeld said.
“I had the opportunity to start learning Chinese [at South],” Sheinfeld said. “I fell in love with how the language works and the study of linguistics in general, especially Chinese linguistics.”
At South, Sheinfeld has taken Chinese and French, and continues to learn additional languages outside of school, including Korean, Swedish, and Turkish through online courses, Sheinfeld said. He also participated in exchange programs through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), a Global Navigator High School Summer Abroad program, Sheinfeld added.
“Speaking people’s [native] languages is an automatic way to break down barriers and get them to have a positive outlook on you from the jump,” Sheinfeld said. “I constantly put myself in spaces and situations in which I get to use my languages to connect with others.”
Developing new languages has opened up new opportunities for him, Sheinfeld said. On an exchange trip to Taiwan through CIEE, he was able to connect with locals through the language, he added.
“I like how a lot of people tend to become more of themselves when you speak to them in their first language,” Sheinfeld said. “There [are] noticable differences with how deeply you connect with somebody when you [speak in their native language] verses [when you don’t]. So, it’s always fun getting to talk to a stranger and have them feel immediately closer to you.”
Learning languages also helped him develop a connection with his cousins who only speak Hebrew, Sheinfeld said. He studied the language to develop a better understanding and form of communication with his cousins and family when they visited him.
“You always love your family, but it’s a lot harder to feel close to them when you don’t speak the same language,” Sheinfeld said. “[It was then] that I realized language learning [is] really powerful.”
