Expression Through Language and Film
November 29, 2012鈥擟omparative literature major Charlotte Japp (C鈥�13) recently won a national contest for her video, 鈥�.鈥�
In her major and minor, Japp works primarily with French and German. 鈥淚 have a strange background. My dad is English, my mom is German, and they met in Paris,鈥� she explained. Japp began to learn French and German as a child in Paris. She spent two years in France before her family moved to New York.
As she learned English, Japp lost her nascent skills in French and German. 鈥淚 decided from a young age that I was going to push myself to regain any sort of language I used to have,鈥� she said.
Japp entered 鈥檚 video contest after seeing a flyer in the . 鈥淢y motto鈥檚 always been to try things out. If you see an opportunity, take it,鈥� she said. The contest prompted entrants to illustrate how language can come alive. Inspired by a film she saw in her Qu茅b茅coise film course, Japp used a Nouvelle Vague style to tell the story of Karine, an American student who struggles to grasp the works of French artists and philosophers.
鈥淭his girl is frustrated that she can鈥檛 understand what she鈥檚 interested in directly, because it鈥檚 all in French, and reading translations doesn鈥檛 really work to achieve the same meaning,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t really considers how important it is to learn a language鈥攖o read something or listen to a song in the first-hand language to understand it.鈥�
The video is narrated in French with English subtitles, a pairing that can help refine language skills. 鈥淭o have the English there brings out ideas more profoundly, which I think is a perfect comparative literature connection. You have the literature鈥攁nd then the ideas and sentiments that come with just naturally watching and listening,鈥� she explained.
Japp鈥檚 focus on natural learning comes from her studies at Georgetown. 鈥淚 found in the here that they really believe in teaching without a textbook with grammar tables and things like that,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭hey want you to read primary source documents鈥攁t appropriate levels鈥攂ut they want you to experience the language and learn the natural way, as if you鈥檙e living there.鈥�
In the short video, Karine learns how language changes the way she relates to others. 鈥淚n terms of language, there鈥檚 so much more than sitting down and memorizing,鈥� Japp said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about connecting people.鈥�
As a comparative literature major, Japp has discovered the depth and richness of foreign languages. 鈥淔rench is such a great example where words don鈥檛 translate the right way, like 鈥榚nnui鈥� and 鈥榓ngoisse.鈥� These sentiments don鈥檛 really exist in English. We could try to figure out the best way to describe them in English, but the feelings are very different,鈥� she explained.
鈥淎s Derrida theorized, words take on meaning by associations they have within their culture and also by association to their literary context. A dictionary translation of 鈥榓ngoisse鈥� will say that it means 鈥榙istress,鈥� but it is not at all the same kind of distress that English speakers think of,鈥� she continued.
Like other seniors, Japp has fielded questions about her choice to study comparative literature. 鈥淚 always tell people that being a comparative literature [major] means you can express yourself eloquently.鈥� She has become a better writer in French and German but also English.
Japp鈥檚 language skills also gave her the opportunity to work in Berlin while studying abroad. 鈥淲hen I was in Berlin, I was able to work at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. I was the official blogger,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 lot of it was in English, but they also needed me to blog in German.
鈥淎s soon as you leave the United States, people expect you to have some sort of idea of different languages,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 really connect with someone if you can鈥檛 talk about literature in common or chat about films.鈥�
Knowing German changed Japp鈥檚 experience in Berlin, allowing her to establish relationships with other students, coworkers, and, most importantly, her grandfather. 鈥淚 got to recreate a relationship that didn鈥檛 exist because I can speak German now.鈥�