Volunteer Your Language Skills

You’ve been studying for a while, and your language skills have improved. Now what? Besides the obvious roads of travel, romance and business, there are myriad opportunities that will give your language and life skills a workout while helping others. Whether you want to open a new chapter in your life or gain experience in an uncertain economy, consider volunteering.

Opportunities near and far

Lorie Singleton, a visually impaired teacher, was an instructor for adults with developmental disabilities in North Carolina. She joined the Peace Corps and learned Slovak in order to teach English in the tiny village of Levoča, Slovakia. She spent three months with a host family, after which she was living on her own and in charge of a group of visually impaired students ages 8 to 19. She describes her journey as life-changing, both for her and for her students, and says fulfilling her dream to teach in another country has helped her students fulfill their dreams, as well.

The Peace Corps (www.peacecorps.org) is a good place to begin your search for volunteer opportunities. You don’t need to speak a second language; training is provided. However, knowledge of French or Spanish will boost your chances of being accepted into certain programs in Central and South America and parts of Africa. AmeriCorps (www.americorps.org) offers domestic volunteer opportunities where Spanish or other languages could be considered an asset.

Frank Wade, development director of the Amsterdam-based Orange Angel Foundation (www.orangeangel.org), says, “Language provides direct access to local resources and both enables and accelerates the effectiveness of the undertaking. Multilingual volunteers provide a broad base of understanding cultural backgrounds and behavior differences and bridging the gaps to get the work done.”

The Orange Angel Foundation was founded after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004. Staffers travel to the Sri Lankan village of Kosgoda, where they build and furnish homes for local people in need. Language skills not only help rebuild devastated communities, but also put minds at ease and build trust.

Wade says, “The true-life emotional impact is a profound connection with hope, with restoring hope to people who had [lost] any sense why they were living and what they would do the next day. When we provided a simple home, a roof and dry floor and walls to protect from the sun's scorching heat, mothers of infants smiled for the first time and young teenagers laughed with their friends.”

Language lifelines

George M. Carter, director of the Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (www.aidsinfonyc.org/fiar), often travels the globe to meet with scientists, activists and volunteers in far-flung locations. He speaks some German and French, and smatterings of Spanish, Nepali and Russian.

“It is crucial to have some familiarity with the language and/or know people who know the language in question intimately,” says Carter. “As a person who speaks other languages, I understand how it can have subtle and fascinating effects on the way it shapes your world and view of the world.”

Imagine not being able to explain yourself to a doctor, nurse or billing department representative, and you’ll quickly understand the valuable link that language speakers provide among hospital staffers, patients and family members.

At nursing homes and long-term care facilities, especially in urban areas where specific populations of elderly people don’t speak much English, volunteers are needed to chat with residents in German, Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, Italian and Spanish. This is most welcome when residents have no immediate family in the area or are alone for much of the week, receiving visitors only on weekends.

Building community through language

Multiethnic community centers welcome volunteers with strong language skills. Their clients often do not speak much English, and the staffers, even if they speak the target language, can be overwhelmed and may welcome speakers of Spanish, Italian or Urdu.

Community gardens offer a great place for a “staycation,” as well as educational opportunities. New York City’s Green Oasis Community Garden “is a three-season hub of activity and attracts members and visitors from many countries, so having bilingual members is a huge plus,” says garden treasurer Pamela Pier.

Volunteering at parks and historic sites offers another chance to practice your language skills. Have a special interest? Some smaller sites, such as historic homes, state parks and tourist attractions, may not have funds to translate material or Web pages into multiple languages, but directors may welcome volunteers.

Conversation partners and language exchange programs, such as those found at Meetup.com, are a growing trend. Meetup’s get-togethers are informal gatherings where speakers of all levels converse and socialize in one language. Language exchange is more like a tutoring trade; you help someone with English in exchange for real-time, one-on-one practice in your target language. Search for language trades at sites like Craigslist.

Where to go from here? From an organic farm in Trets en Provence to historic sites in Verona, from Peru to Kenya to Vietnam, there is work to be done. So volunteer your enthusiasm and your language skills and open up a whole new world of opportunity.

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