Said & Done

Sato Moughalian and Ryan Nazari, both Ph.D. students enrolled in Armenian classes at Columbia, speak about their experiences and reasons for learning the language. They discuss the complex background of Armenian, which forms its own distinct, independent branch within the Indo-European language family. They also detail how their own personal and family stories intertwine with histories of genocide, forced migration, music, art, ceramics, weaving, and what it means to be Armenian today.

To learn more about Armenian at Columbia, check out https://mesaas.columbia.edu/armenian-studies/

The music featured on this episode is from the Perspectives Ensemble's album Oror/Lullaby: Armenian Music for Flute and Harp, featuring Sato Moughalian and Alyssa Reit

In this episode of Said & Done, Denzell Ivery, a master's student at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, talks about learning multiple languages—including Turkish, Russian, Azerbaijani, and Hungarian—and how his background as a musician has shaped his approach to communication. From the concert stage to deployments abroad with the U.S. Marines, he's found that sound and meaning follow the same patterns of play, discipline, and discovery.

In this episode of Said & Done, Leyre Alejaldre Biel, Lecturer in Spanish at Columbia, speaks about her Intermediate Spanish course, Afrolatinas en Estados Unidos. The class centers the voices and experiences of Afrolatina women, as students research and learn about members of this community.

The episode also points to how this project extends beyond the classroom, with student-created podcasts available on Spotify and student-generated content relating to the class on Instagram.

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If you'd like to see and hear more of the student work, visit Afrolatinas en Estados Unidos on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5tneZgWTsNUQO7Xw7xAv67

And Afrolatinas in Spanish on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/afrolatinasinspanish/

Emma Kaneira, a 2025 graduate of Barnard College, shares her experience learning Sinhala at Columbia through the Shared Course Initiative, which brings this language to Columbia from Cornell University. She reflects on her progression through the language sequence, how her studies inspired her to apply for and receive a Fulbright award, and how she envisions her knowledge of Sinhala shaping her future career in the legal profession.

Learn more about the Shared Course Initiative: www.sharedcourseinitiative.org

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Francisca Aguiló Mora is Senior Lecturer of Spanish in Columbia University's Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures and co-director of the Spanish Language Program. In this conversation, she discusses how the Climate Humanities can take a central position in the L2 classroom, and how she has begun to put this into practice in her own teaching.

We also discuss a recent article, "Climate Humanities in the L2 Classroom: Radical Hope for an Uncertain Future," which she co-authored with Almudena Marin Cobos in the journal Radical Teacher as part of a volume dedicated to critical DEI. The article is accessible here: https://radicalteacher.library.pitt.edu/ojs/radicalteacher/article/view/1273/906

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Like & Subscribe for More Language Stories! #climatehumanities #climatehope #climate #sustainability #humanities #languagelearning #podcast #WorldLanguages #LanguageTeaching #Columbia #ColumbiaUniversity #Education #linguistics #polyglot #podcast

Video version here: https://youtu.be/trl-j5ulOLw?feature=shared

Ever struggled with Mandarin pronunciation or stroke order? In our latest podcast episode, Ling Yan and Yike Li, both Mandarin Chinese instructors at Columbia, reveal how they tackle these common learning hurdles. They've developed a dedicated First Year Chinese Learning Hub that helps new students build confidence in pronunciation, tones, character writing, and more. Curious to hear their insights and teaching strategies? Tune in and discover how their innovative approach can boost your (or your students') Chinese proficiency!

Kim Edmunds is the Educational Technologist at the Columbia University Language Resource Center. She is also a TESOL teacher trainer at The New School and an ESL instructor. In this conversation, Kim reflects on the similarities and differences between TESOL/ESL and world language teaching. We discuss key areas of focus, including pronunciation, cultural perspectives, motivation in language learning, and the role of technology in the classroom.

Maria Dewi Rosari (Rosi) is a Fulbight Language Teaching Assistant at Columbia in the 2024-25 academic year. She is also an English language lecturer in Indonesia. Gading Auliya is currently a masters student at Teachers College in Adult Learning and Leadership, and is also a facilitator for youth empowerment in Indonesia.

In this conversation, Rosi and Gading explore the Javanese language, focusing on its unique system of speech levels. They highlight the differences between Ngoko (informal) and Krama (formal/polite), along with other registers that help speakers express politeness and navigate social relationships. Additionally, they compare different geographic varieties of Javanese, pointing out their similarities and differences.

Benjamin Williams, a junior at Columbia University in 2024-2025, is double-majoring in French and Francophone Studies, as well as German Literature and Cultural History. In this episode, Ben talks about his passion for languages and shares his experiences learning German, French, Italian, and Ancient Greek. He also reflects on his work in an advanced French course, where he collaborated with Francophone asylum seekers in New York City. He then discusses his volunteer efforts at Afrikana, an organization dedicated to supporting Black, Arab, and Muslim newcomers facing challenges in accessing legal aid, shelter, employment, and benefits.

https://www.afri-kana.org/

Michael F. Moore is a translator and interpreter who has translated numerous works, including The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi, Live Bait by Fabio Genovesi, and Agostino by Alberto Moravia. His most recently translated Spatriati by Mario Desiati, which in 2022 won the Premio Strega, Italy's highest literary award. In addition to his translation work, he serves as an interpreter to the permanent mission of Italy to the UN. In this conversation, Michael recounts his path to learning Italian and becoming a translator and interpreter. He discusses the nuances and challenges of translating Alessandro Manzoni's Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed), and helping the English-language reading public to discover it as one of the great works of European literature. He also talks about his recent translation of Mario Desiati's Spatriati, as well as a translation seminar that he is teaching at Columbia in Fall 2024.

The Betrothed: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/107406/the-betrothed-by-alessandro-manzoni/

Spatriati: https://otherpress.com/product/spatriati-9781635424034/