Click on the play button above to watch Mr. Nyam and his students explain the ambush. Right click here and select Save Target As to download the video
What would be your reaction if you were shopping at Eastgate Mall and someone comes up and says “Comment allez-vous?” or “Quelle heure est-il ?” or “Vous vous appelez comment?”
If you’re like most shoppers you would probably just ignore the person and go on to your store.
That’s one of the attitudes that students in Roger Nyam’s French class at New Richmond High School along with students from Bethel High School, were Mr. Nyam previously worked, tried to change when they took part in a ‘language ambush’ project in February to promote Discover a Foreign Language Month.
“We wanted to raise public awareness to foreign languages and went to Eastgate Mall and had the students go up to total strangers and speak to them in either French or Spanish,” said Nyam. “The goal was to record the expression on that person’s face.”
The objective of the project is to teach people the importance of learning a second language.
It’s becoming a global world and Nyam said it's important for people to be fluent in a second language.
"The only way to prepare our young people to interact with the rest of the world is to teach them a second language," said Nyam.
Nyam’s students didn’t need any convincing after taking part in the language ambush.
“I had a lot of good experiences with it,” said Michael Steelman, one of three New Richmond students who participated in the project. “I had some people who did not reply at all. We had people who refused to replay. And we had people who knew the language but couldn’t remember it.”
“The project went well,” said Joseph Shepherd. “There were some people who didn’t know the language and some that did. Those were the ones that freaked me out, personally, because I wasn’t expecting it.”
That happened when Shepherd, Steelman and fellow New Richmond student Brian Paskins approached Foot Locker employee Will Hudson, of Milford, who knew enough French to respond to their questions.
“He was asking me my name and who I was. I didn't expect that," said Shepherd.
New Richmond students Brian Paskins, Michael Steelman and Joseph Shepherd talk in French to Eastgate Mall Foot Locker employee Will Hudson, of Milford. It caught the students off-guard when Hudson responded to their questions in French. (Kellie Geist/Community Press photo)
In case you don’t remember your French, the translation to the phrases the students asked strangers were: How are you, what time is it, and what is your name.
The project was featured in a story by Kelly Geist in the Community Press along with a photo slideshow.
