Sabina Wien

V: From your experience, why do AUBG-ers sign up for language courses?

There are different reasons, and I cannot generalize for everybody. But certainly, a lot of freshmen sign up for language courses because they think that when they come to this new environment, foreign languages would help them develop. Another reason is that our students plan to find a job not only in America, but also in Europe. In Europe it is not exceptional to know at least two languages—it is normal.

V: Do you see interest among AUBG-ers to study foreign languages?

Yes, I do.

V: Are the courses offered now enough? If not, should more courses/more sections of the existing courses be offered?

No, the courses are absolutely not enough. The problem is that many more students would take language courses, if there was a special credit system. I have talked to my colleagues many times about having the courses accepted as general education courses, or having a special language requirement.

There should be a general reform in the way AUBG treats language courses. I think that students should be more encouraged to take such courses and they should be part of every major or minor, so that students do not see them only as a loss of credits. To AUBG-ers, to non-Bulgarian speakers: “Come learn Bulgarian!” 

More different courses should be offered, as well as more sections of the now existing courses. The pure materialistic reasons for that are the requirements of the marketplace. On the other hand, as a language teacher I could say that learning a new language would open a new world and would make you see everything in your life from a new perspective. So I think that learning a language develops both one’s mind and the soul.

Yavor Gueorguiev:

V: From your experience, why do AUBG-ers sign up for language courses?

Young people realize that it is very important for their future career to know more than just English and their native language.

V: Do you see interest among AUBG-ers for studying foreign languages?

At least in Spanish, yes. Actually last fall we had one extra section of Introductory Spanish I, which is a big sign of students’ interest.

V: Are the courses offered now enough? If not, should more courses/more sections of the existing courses be offered?

The courses are not enough, and more sections of introductory Spanish should be offered. More types of courses should be offered as well. At least from my viewpoint, we need more specialized subjects, like Business Spanish or Spanish Literature.

Diana Stantcheva:

V: From your experience, why do AUBG-ers sign up for language courses?

Most of my students want to study in Germany or in Switzerland, where they need to know German. Besides, they know that in the European Union every worker needs to speak two foreign languages beside the mother tongue. These are the two main reasons that make students sign up for my courses.

V: Do you see interest among AUBG-ers to study foreign languages?

Yes, I do see interest among students. Last semester there were about 80 students in four courses, [compared to] 35 in 2005, when I started working here. So I think that the interest is growing.

V: Are the courses offered now enough? If not, should more courses/more sections of the existing courses be offered?

Language [courses] are never enough. No matter what we do, we will always need more courses. I remember that language courses were given three times a week in 2005, and now they are just twice a week. I don’t know the reason, but students need to learn steadily. But with the financial crisis, it is not the best time to ask the administration to reform the system. The difference that could be done now is in the students’ minds. They think learning a language is of secondary need, while it is not.

Krastanka Bozhinova

V: From your experience, why do AUBG-ers sign up for language courses?

I have a large number of students majoring in Europen Studies [for whom language courses are required]. Besides, a lot of students, especially those who study business, say that learning French would be very important for their future careers.

From the beginning of the last semester I started asking my students why they chose this course, and the majority said that one of the reasons was that French sounds beautifully. But I also have a lot of students that have relatives in France, or want to go there for a Master’s degree and it would be a lot easier for them to adapt [if they know French]

V: Do you see interest among AUBG-ers for studying foreign languages?

There are a lot of students signing up for the introductory levels. During the second semester, when Introductory French II is given, the numbers are going down. Sometimes, students have time conflicts with French and choose the course that is more important for their majors. However, I have a good number of students in the advanced levels.

V: Are the courses offered now enough? If not, should more courses/more sections of the existing courses be offered?

My dream is to have the opportunity to teach more hours per week, because 30 hours per level are nothing. I see that all courses here, at AUBG, are taught the same number of hours per week. But learning a language is a long process that requires time.

Most of my students come from language schools. When they compare how persistently they have studied the language at high school to two hours per, they do not see a reason to continue. It is very difficult, because they must study hard by themselves at home. I usually give a lot of online sources, so that students can study during their spare time. I also try to assist them in this process when students are motivated and want to improve their level.

I cannot say that the courses we offer are not enough, but I would like to develop the advanced level we introduced last year.