Many young Brazilians dream of living and studying in beautiful italy, not only because of the ancient culture of this country, but also because of the opportunities to study and work on European soil.
The problem is that, if there is no longer a culture of studying the international language in Brazil, English, the chances of learning a third language in Brazilian territory, such as Italian, are even lower.
According to a 2015 survey by the world leader in education Education First, Brazilian proficiency in English has been considered low since the institution released its first survey on the subject, in 2011.
The best position Brazil achieved was 41st out of 70 countries.
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LEARN MOREIf a foreign language is one of the main barriers for Brazilian students, is it possible to study in Italy without speaking Italian?
Nina Teixeira said yes, but with reservations. Master in Physiotherapy, she studied part of her master's degree in the boot. More precisely, in the stone of boot land, corresponding to the region of Sicily.
Despite mastering other languages, he faced many challenges as he did not know anything about the Italian mother tongue.
Do you want to know how she ended up there and how she turned around? Check out the exclusive interview with journalist Nathália Honci:
Why did you choose to study in Italy and not in an English or Spanish speaking country?
It wasn't really a choice. I already had a regular master's scholarship in Brazil, from the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (FAPESP), and, therefore, I was able to apply for an Internship and Research Abroad scholarship (BEPE).
During the master's degree, it is very important to have the opportunity to spend time abroad to learn about the reality of another research laboratory and work with recognized researchers around the world.
Postgraduate programs encourage this practice and, therefore, it is essential that the regular advisor in Brazil already has contact with a foreign researcher, to facilitate the process. In my case, the contact was with Italy.
As I depended on a scholarship approval process to travel, my next steps were uncertain – the scholarship was denied on the first attempt – so I didn't study Italian in Brazil. I'm fluent in English and I've already taken a Spanish course, which made me believe I was more than enough to communicate, but it wasn't that easy.
How did you manage to study in Italy without speaking Italian?
I went to Sicily, which is in the south of Italy and found very few people with whom I could communicate in English, only within the laboratory where I carried out the internship. However, Italian has the same origin as Portuguese and having already studied other languages made learning the new language much easier, already on Italian soil.
In the beginning, it was very difficult. People were talking and I didn't understand anything, mainly due to the sound of the words, which seemed to me to be recited in anger, as they are always well intoned and with a harsh air; but, when you start to understand the written words and know the sounds, everything becomes easier.
What helped me at the beginning was the Google translator. It was a very complicated dialogue, because I typed it on my cell phone, he translated it into Italian, but I didn't know how to pronounce it properly, so people didn't understand me.
In a second attempt, I would let the person hear the application itself speaking. In the end, don't even ask me how I understood their answer! (Laughter).
What message do you have for those who want to have a similar experience?
I believe that when deciding to go on an exchange, you must be prepared for what you will find and ask yourself why you chose that country, city, language and culture.
It is extremely important to keep your goals in mind, so my advice is to research, look for information, prepare yourself for what you will find – and this includes learning at least the basics of the new language –, because that was my failure.
You can be sure that, in this way, difficulties and surprises will be minimized and the learning, of course, will be unquestionable.
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