Loyola University Chicago

English and Italian Students Tackle Language Barrier

Loyola Rome Center students and the Italians from Loyola Rome Center English Language School took the opportunity to eat, talk and drink together at a Roman pizzeria and an Irish Pub Jan. 11. The night was one of the weekly events sponsored by the English program whose purpose is to get the Americans to be fluent in Italian and the Italians to be fluent in English, said Dr. Paul Robicheaux, assistant director of the Rome Center and head of the English Language School.

Although few Italians were able to make it to the Califuria Pizzeria, by the end of the night, 70 Americans and 23 Italians from Loyola had attended. Two of the students attending were Fausto Fecchio, the head of maintenance at the Rome Center, and his 16-year-old son, Mario. Both have been studying English at the Rome Center for three months.

After dinner, the group moved to O'Connor's Irish Pub where students had more opportunities to try out their new English or Italian vocabularies. Rome Center student Mary Thackston said, "I think the organization of the American-Italian events is a great opportunity to meet the Italian students and to help us learn their language."