For undergraduate student Katherine Trussler, the decision to study languages at UBC Okanagan was rooted in the desire to gain a strong foundation in both French and Spanish, with the broader goal of pursuing a career in interpretation or translation.
“As a Languages major, I learned the basics in French and Spanish and German, with a little bit of Korean just for fun,” Trussler says. “I wanted to get as wide a range as possible because I’m interested in translation and wanted to serve as many people as possible when I move on to the next step of my studies and career.”
In an international job market, being able to communication in multiple languages makes a person more competitive. French is Canada’s second language, which made it an obvious choice, Trussler explains.
“Before I joined the program, I was already interested in learning languages and about the cultures they come from. Getting a formal education allows you to interact more with those cultures and develop deeper connections.”
Learning languages offers advantages on both a personal and career level. Studying languages in an academic setting, offers a deeper connection to the cultures involved.
“It allows you to interact more with that culture… and have more of a depth with that interaction, and I think that it gives you the opportunity to understand people in a more empathetic way.”
In addition to her studies, Trussler has also had other learning opportunities while at UBC Okanagan, taking advantage of the J’Explore program offered through the Government of Canada through the Ministry of Education.
“I took French immersion courses almost every summer and so I’ve gotten the opportunity to go to different places in Quebec with different dialects, different communities interact with my friends in that way.”
She also participated in a Go Global seminar, travelling to Spain in the summer of 2024. “ I spent six weeks in Santiago and so I had the opportunity to also use Spanish every day, which was such a fun and exciting experience.”
Trussler completed her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in languages in the spring of 2025, and to anyone starting out in school learning a new language, she says: “You’re going to deal with imposter syndrome, and that’s normal. Don’t discredit the effort you’re putting in. It’s a process. You’re not aiming for perfection because language is always evolving. You have to be humble when learning a language. You make mistakes, you take critique, and you keep working. That mindset—accepting errors and pushing forward—is what makes the biggest difference.”
For Trussler, her journey is a reminder that language is more than a skill—it’s a lifelong process, a cultural bridge, and a deeply human endeavor.