Spanish: Found in Translation

Associate Professor David Wacks
Department of Romance Languages

One of the benefits of attending a research university like the UO is that students take classes with professors who are in the process of redefining their fields. Associate Professor David Wacks is one of those professors.

In his Spanish classes, Wacks regularly introduces new texts and materials that have rarely been taught to U.S. undergraduates. His current research focuses on how a culture’s literature is affected when a society undergoes a mass migration away from its ancestral homeland.

Wacks’ courses act as a laboratory for his research. "It is really fun to have the students working with me on those ideas as they are taking shape," says Wacks. "My absolute favorite thing about this job is listening to students talk about their ideas."

Wacks’ enthusiasm translates into opportunities for undergraduates. One of his students, Sarah Katelyn Mason, completed an English translation of a 17th-century Morisco (late Spanish Muslim) version of the traditional tale of the birth and life of Christ. Even most Spaniards know almost nothing about it, and virtually none of the story had ever been translated into English. Wacks encouraged Mason to publish her translation, and it’s now available in Scholars Bank, the UO's digital research repository.

UO students majoring in Spanish also have a chance to practice the language. The UO Department of Romance Languages offers Participatory Learning Experience programs that place students in local Spanish-speaking volunteer experiences. Many students also study abroad in Latin America and Spain, and quite a few complete international internships throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Wacks points out that a major in Spanish is not just about the language. "A liberal arts education is an opportunity to develop critical reading and communication skills. These skills transfer quite well to virtually any profession or job," he says. Mason, the student who published her translation, is a case in point. She is now attending law school.

Wacks reports that students who major in Spanish have an advantage when it comes to finding a job in the 21st century multicultural workplace. "They are mastering a crucial national language and culture at a time when it is in great demand," he says.

Text by Jennifer Snelling.
Profile photo by David Wacks.
Classroom photo by Jack Liu.