Mentioning second languages in SoP

[sillyrabbit]

Hey all,

 

Just curious about how best to approach this. I've heard that it's good to mention any language proficiency in your SoP, especially for certain subfields (i.e. Latin for Medieval English). Is this true for all applicants? I feel like secondary languages are less important for my interests (20th/21st c. American literature, queer theory, Asian American literature). 

 

I do have Spanish language proficiency from college. Should I mention this specifically in my SoP, or should this be evident in a transcript (and, thus, be enough to make Universities feel confident that I can pass their language exams)? I feel like mentioning my Spanish language proficiency would be an add-on, since it's not directly related to other parts of my SoP.

 

[unræd]

Hey all,

 

Just curious about how best to approach this. I've heard that it's good to mention any language proficiency in your SoP, especially for certain subfields (i.e. Latin for Medieval English). Is this true for all applicants? I feel like secondary languages are less important for my interests (20th/21st c. American literature, queer theory, Asian American literature). 

 

I do have Spanish language proficiency from college. Should I mention this specifically in my SoP, or should this be evident in a transcript (and, thus, be enough to make Universities feel confident that I can pass their language exams)? I feel like mentioning my Spanish language proficiency would be an add-on, since it's not directly related to other parts of my SoP.

 

There are roughly ten thousand people on the forum more qualified to answer this than I, but since you brought up medievalists, I'll give my two cents: I don't know if it's at all true for all applicants, but I have a hunch it isn't.

 

For example, I go on at great length in my own SOP about my language preparation, but that's both because absolutely none of the literature I want to work on is actually in English, and also because it informs the (relatively) philological approach I take. In other words, I talk about my language work/abilities not because it just checks the adcomm's language box (since they have the language information on the online application that they can use to do that), but because it's an integral part of my package as a (hopefully, knock on wood, and pray to the gods/goddesses/chthonic forces of not getting shut out) future scholar. But that's not true (and nor should it be) for everyone--different fields have different emphases.

 

If mentioning your language work feels to you like something that's just added on/shoehorned in and not something that comes up organically as a prerequisite piece of preparation for the kind of research you want to do, then I'd say to trust your gut: it's not vital.

Edited November 6, 2014 by unræd

[Dr. Old Bill]

I don't have much to add except for a unilateral endorsement of Unraed's comments above.

 

I have a line in my SOPs about my plan to "learn Italian prior to matriculation, which shouldn't be difficult given my current reading knowledge of Spanish." Or something like that. It's just a line, but what it does is remind them that I already have one language, and show that I'm aware that learning Italian is almost essential to my proposed course of study. It also has the subliminal aspect of showing them that I'm proactive, and am not just going to wait until I start their program before I begin to learn the language.

 

But if languages aren't a big part of your proposed studies, it's probably not too important to highlight any you can read / speak as -- like Unraed says -- it's all going to be in front of them on the form portion of your application anyhow.

[lyonessrampant]

For your interests, if you knew Mandarin or Korean or Japanese (not sure if you're specifying with Asiam American lit), then it would definitely be worth addressing your language skills.  Since it is Spanish, though, and not directly relevant to your research interests, I wouldn't include it in the SOP.  If a language is/will be obviously needed and you don't have that yet (as in Wyatt's case), it can be a good idea to address that, but they can tell you've got Spanish from your transcripts so I wouldn't use space in the SOP to address languages.  Most English programs anticipate you'll need to do a reading X language course to cover one or sometimes even both of the language requirements.