About CultureTalk
CultureTalk features video clips of interviews and discussions with people from many different countries and of many different ages and walks of life. Some interviews and discussions are in English; more are in languages other than English. Translations and/or transcripts are given for all non-English video clips.
CultureTalk interviews are conducted primarily by Five College international students who are citizens of the countries included in the project. The interviewers and interviewees choose the topics and are free to express ideas and opinions as they wish. A video’s inclusion in CultureTalk does not represent endorsement of these ideas or opinions by the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages, Five Colleges, Incorporated or its member institutions.
Students should be aware that these videos reflect authentic speech, with all the stops, starts and hesitancies that come with everyday conversation. We have not corrected grammatical errors, and the videos sometimes show highly colloquial language, local slang and regionally-specific speech patterns. At times, we note the preferred or more standard forms in the transcripts. Transcripts and translations are prepared by Five College international students. In some cases the transcripts have also been edited by a language expert.
CultureTalk was produced in two phases. The first phase, “CultureTalk Islamic Worlds,” was filmed between 2006-2010 with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the International Research and Studies Program of the U.S. Department of Education. The project focused on predominantly Muslim countries and on religiously diverse countries with large Muslim populations. The project aimed to highlight the vast geographic, cultural and linguistic diversity of Muslim populations around the world.
The second phase (2010-2012), funded by the International Research and Studies Program of the U.S. Department of Education, focused on an expanded range of countries and populations with speakers of languages that are less-commonly taught and studied in the U.S.
