International Education Week: UH Hilo international students make series of short videos teaching their languages

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Mini language lessons are available on demand on the International Student Association YouTube channel. Learn Sonsorolese, Uchinaaguchi, Japanese, Swahili, Turkmen, Swedish, Kosraen, Mandarin, Nauruan, Serbian, Korean, Palauan, and Kapingamarangi.


Above, UH Hilo students (from left) TinTin and Kristy conduct a mini language lesson on Sonsolorese, one of the languages spoken in their homeland of Palau.

Jim Mellon
Jim Mellon

In recognition of International Education Week, students at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo have produced a series of short videos teaching the basics of their languages. The project is sponsored by the UH Hilo International Student Services and International Student Association.

“We invite you to take a few minutes to learn some conversational words and phrases and information about the many languages our students speak,” writes Jim Mellon, director of international student services and intercultural education, in an email sent out today to the university community. “Our students have created short (5-15 minute) videos introducing you to their language. This project is also aimed at recognizing the United Nations’ upcoming International Decade of Indigenous Languages.”

Mini language lessons are available on demand on the International Student Association YouTube channel. Learn Sonsorolese (spoken in Palau), Uchinaaguchi (spoken in Okinawa), Japanese, Swahili, Turkmen, Swedish, Kosraen, Mandarin, Nauruan, Serbian, Korean, Palauan, and Kapingamarangi (spoken in Pohnpei State, Micronesia).

UH Hilo currently enrolls about 200 students from 37 countries. In addition to the diverse perspectives and backgrounds these students contribute to campus that enrich the educational experience for all, the financial contribution of international students to the state and Hawaii Island is estimated at $185 million and $5.7 million, respectively, for last year. Nationally, international students contributed an estimated $41 billion to the U.S. economy last year.

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