A Linguistic Playground in the Capital of Europe
About the author: Jack Schallich ’25 is a Global Studies/FSI The Europe Center intern with the Lisbon Council in Brussels, Belgium. Jack is studying International Relations at Stanford University.
I was thrilled to be accepted as an intern for the Lisbon Council in Brussels. My strong interest in European history, culture, and politics began in middle school. I viewed the Lisbon Council internship as a great opportunity to apply my passion for Europe and the knowledge I’ve acquired at Stanford at one of the EU’s most renowned think tanks. It has provided me with valuable perspective on some of the EU’s most prominent issues as well as the workings of its Commission and Parliament. As a Research Associate, I’m contributing to the evaluation of AI usage and regulation in the EU. It has been incredibly interesting to learn about AI from a European standpoint as well as the projects and policies the EU and its member states are undertaking to regulate it. A huge side benefit of the internship is my immersion in European languages and cultures while living in Brussels. Speaking French in my daily life has been a highlight of my time here.
An avid language learner my entire life (beginning with Mandarin in preschool), I started French lessons when I was 15. Living in the United States, I haven’t had many opportunities to speak French outside of my lessons. I conduct the vast majority of my life outside the classroom in English, despite the many other languages I speak. I occasionally have opportunities to speak Spanish and Mandarin. Brussels presented a unique opportunity to use French as my primary language which was incredibly exciting and a great complement to my recent spring quarter in Florence, where I immersed myself in Italian. Whenever I visit another country, I do my best to learn at least some of the language ahead of time and use it as much as possible. When I visited Lisbon in 2019, I spent about six months in advance of the trip learning (Brazilian) Portuguese. During my quarter abroad, I mostly traveled within Italy, but during the two instances I went elsewhere, Czechia and Spain, I spoke the local languages. In Prague, many people assumed I was Czech until they heard my American accent. Nevertheless, they seemed thrilled to continue to speak to me in Czech. In Barcelona, I did my best to speak in Spanish despite being rusty and slipping in a couple Italian words here and there.
Learning and speaking the local language allows me to have a more authentic experience because the vast majority of people I interact with are pleasantly surprised and appreciative that I make that effort. It also allows me to be a bit more of a local. When I was in Florence, I became incredibly friendly with the staff of a local shop, in part, because I spoke with them almost exclusively in Italian. Most people are surprised that I speak their language, even more so when they learn I’m an American. These reactions have been an integral part of both of my experiences abroad, but especially in Brussels as it is a multicultural and multilingual city.
For example, in Brussels, unlike the US, many of the people working in restaurants serving cuisines from other countries are from those countries. This has allowed me to regularly speak Italian, Portuguese, and Greek while dining at a few of my favorite spots. Additionally, even though I do not speak it in Brussels itself, I still have found ways to practice Dutch by visiting Flemish cities in Belgium and traveling to the Netherlands. While visiting Bruges with my dad, a server at a restaurant seemed a little tired of American tourists when we sat down, but immediately warmed when I attempted to order in Dutch. She was incredibly excited that I took the time to learn some of her language because most people don’t bother learning Dutch, although we proceeded to have a long conversation with her in English.
For a language nerd like me, Brussels has been a linguistic playground. My time here has not only allowed me to freshen up and refine my French, but also test and reinforce my proficiency in other languages. I’m looking forward to using the next few weeks to continue to explore Brussels, Belgium, and Europe, and see what languages I can find and practice with the people I meet through my journeys.
