Table talk with a multilingual twist

At UW's Language Tables, students practice dozens of languages in a welcoming community outside of class.

Lost in translation? Not here. The Language Tables program at UW-Madison provides students and community members a supportive place to practice languages ranging from Arabic to Zulu and 35 others in between. These low-stakes gatherings, hosted regularly across campus, are the perfect setting to develop both fluency and community outside of the classroom.

"Some students need these languages they're studying for their profession, for their career," says Adeola Agoke, director of the African Languages Program. "So it is really important that we have the opportunity for them to not just rely on teachers' assessments, but the assessment of the self."

Ready to pull up a chair? Watch the video below to learn more about the Language Tables from facilitators and participants who practice different languages - including Indigenous and American Sign - but share a common passion.