Learning a new language is one of the main benefits of the Global Network University. The promise of developing language skills is part of NYU’s promotional materials as well as our college and study away application essays. While the GNU is a truly incredible and unique opportunity to broaden the list of attractive skills on one’s resume, not all NYU campuses and study away sites offer the same intensity of cultural immersion and opportunities for learning languages.

I had a chance to experience these differences while pursuing a year of Arabic studies in Abu Dhabi and taking a semester of Elementary Chinese at NYU Shanghai. The experience at the two campuses was fundamentally different. While NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai share many resources, including availability of academic support, language education not only differs in terms of policies but — on a more fundamental level — in how the goal of language learning is defined. If the goal were to engage with and get a new perspective on the UAE culture, then we could overcome the hesitancy in our community to learn Arabic with more accessible language courses and activities.

At NYU Shanghai, non-Chinese speaking students are required to attain proficiency in the language before they graduate. While some have to take four semesters of Chinese, others often skip some courses, claiming previous knowledge or studying on their own. Given that the main difficulty of the language hides in the sheer number of character combinations, it is possible to progress quickly without formal assistance. With more than 50 percent of the student body being Chinese by nationality, prevalence of the Chinese culture has a significant impact on community life. Students praise the positive impact of learning the language on their adjustment to campus life; the struggle through the first semesters of Chinese is often defines their four years spent in Shanghai.

On the other hand, NYU Abu Dhabi does not require students, not even study away students, to study Arabic. Taking my fourth course of Arabic this semester, I find its complex grammar and vocabulary challenging the most. Although the Arabic program is focused on teaching Modern Standard Arabic, a foundation of all Arabic dialects, learning this complex language often seems pointless when people never speak it. While studying away at NYU Shanghai requires students to complete at least a conversational Chinese course, in Abu Dhabi one can survive four years only with the occasional marhaba, inshallah and ma’assalama.

The university policy, however, is not the most compelling factor that motivates students to study languages. The real push to start and continue improving one’s language skills is the need to speak the language to be able to communicate. This motivation becomes obvious from the first minute after arriving in China. Signs are rarely translated to English, taxi drivers would probably not say more than “okay” in English and there is even a subtle gap between non-Chinese and Chinese speaking students at the NYU Shanghai campus. Even a just few expressions can make a huge difference in daily situations.

My initial thought that I could simply pick up Arabic by interacting with the locals, without completing any Arabic courses, was crushed during Candidate Weekend. Living in Abu Dhabi presents a fundamentally different situation from that in Shanghai. Speaking Urdu, Hindi or even Farsi can be more useful for bargaining at the market than using Arabic. Similarly to the NYUSH experience, the gap between the Emirati community and the foreigners is obvious from the beginning. While living on one campus provides many opportunities to engage with the Emirati culture and practice with Arabic speaking students on campus, communicating in Arabic on a daily basis can be challenging and often impossible in the city. The best way to overcome this obstacle is through making friends, attending campus events and traveling in the UAE.

It is a common scenario to explain to family and friends back home that one does not have to speak Arabic to be able to communicate in this Arab country. The lack of need to speak Arabic, the absence of a policy requiring students to learn it and the difference between Modern Standard Arabic taught in class and the dialect spoken in the country can be discouraging and demotivating while considering to enroll in Arabic classes. This leads to the question about the purpose behind learning a language. Is it important to make learning the language of the host country mandatory? Or should it remain a personal decision, given that no policy can replace the personal desire to commit to learning a new language? Given that every language represents an important part of a culture and a different way of thinking, one can see learning a new language as a way to explore a new culture and better adapt to it. Learning Arabic is not the only way to learn about Arab and Emirati culture, but it is an effective approach to engage with the local community. Perhaps with practical language activities and non-credit courses that do not require extensive commitment NYUAD could encourage more students who do not want to commit to a rigorous language program to learn Arabic.