Promoting understanding one class at a time
The late president, Nelson Mandela, once said if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
MBOMBELA – Learning a second language can be a daunting task that requires time and energy.
However, a group of students, most of whom are professionals, are determined to make that experience a remarkable one.
Last week they enrolled with Bothabile, a company that helps people who are willing to learn other languages such as Sesotho, Setswana, Afrikaans, isiZulu and siSwati.
Marie-Louise “Nthabiseng” Botha, who is the brain behind Bothabile, said having an institution like this has been a long time coming.
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“Bothabile started in 2013. It was born out of a lifelong dream to actively be part of uniting the rainbow nation and using my talent for languages and passion for people. The vision of Bothabile is to assist South Africans in understanding one another better by being able to converse in more than their own home language,” said Botha.
The name Bothabile is made up of Nthabiseng’s surname and “thabile”, which means happy.
There are many benefits of learning a new language, from boosting your attention span to improving your multitasking abilities. It also gives you the advantage of connecting with people on a whole new level.
Marina Erasmus, who works at Sanca and is a student of Bathabile, said she looks forward to learning siSwati as an extra language. “It was my heart’s desire to learn any other African language. I want to connect better with my fellow Africans. This will also give me the ability to communicate better with clients, since most of them speak siSwati,” she said. Echoing Erasmus’ sentiments was Magda Streuders, her colleague.
“About 40 per cent of our colleagues speak siSwati. These classes will help me to communicate with them better. It will also reduce the miscommunication among ourselves,” said Streuders.
Most of the students said learning siSwati will assist them in communicating better in their work environment, whether with clients or colleagues.
They had fun when their teacher, Nompumelelo Khunga, showed them their new African names.
The classes take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 17:30 at 8 Hope Street at Sanca’s offices.
