The Many Languages, One World (MLOW) essay contest, co-hosted by and United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) from 2014-2017, challenged university students worldwide to write an essay examining global citizenship, cultural understanding and the role of multilingualism in fostering both. The essay had to be written in one of the six official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish), but not in the student’s first language or primary language of instruction. Winners of the contest were invited to United Nations Headquarters for the Global Youth Forum, where they created and presented action plans for the UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda.
This follow-up series reconnects with the MLOW contest winners to showcase their journeys since the contest and spotlights their reflections on language learning and how it shaped their educational and professional pursuits.
Yelyzaveta Dovhinka was a winner of the contest in the Russian language group in 2016. She is now a Data Analyst at Klaveness Digital, a Norwegian technology company, aspiring to shape the digital transformation of the shipping industry. Read on to find out how the MLOW experience helped Yelyzaveta develop a systematic approach to problem solving.
UNAI: What inspired you to enter the Many Languages, One World (MLOW) contest?
Yelyzaveta Dovhinka: I have always had a special interest in global affairs. With the world being a global village, global issues have always had an impact on local communities and societies. My main inspiration for participating in the Many Languages One World competition was the desire to have my voice heard. There was no better place to project my opinion on critical global issues like the United Nations. The honor to stand and give a speech in front of an audience of eminent persons in the United Nations General Assembly Hall was an unforgettable experience.
UNAI: What was the subject of your essay and which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were reflected?
Yelyzaveta Dovhinka: The title of my essay was “Много языков, один мир (Many languages, one world)”, written in Russian. Back in 2015-2016, I was surrounded by bright young people in Ukraine, but few of them had contact with the “outer world”: foreigners, other cultures and languages. I had just started learning German and had a great revelation on how life concepts differ from one language system to another. There is also a variety of dialects and languages spoken in my homeland. The hostilities caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in 2014 added a political tone to my observations. With a keen interest in expressing my thoughts through the contest, I focused on multiculturalism as a tool for building peace, inclusivity and collaboration of nations. Reflected in my essay were Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions and Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
UNAI: Could you please tell us about your experience studying a language or culture that is different from your own?
Yelyzaveta Dovhinka: I came from an industrialized region in Ukraine where Russian is more prolific, so I learned Russian naturally from the media and my surroundings. I was initially under the impression that Ukrainian and Russian languages were very similar. However, I realized this was not true when I moved to Kyiv in 2013 to start university. I discovered that my peers from other regions of Ukraine could not speak Russian well, and I could speak Russian with greater ease than them because Russian is more commonly used in bigger cities and certain regions of Ukraine. Social and geographical conditions determine the language “kit" a person has at hand, even within the same country. This made me appreciate my own bilingualism more.
During an exchange programme in Germany, I was further exposed to the diverse nature of languages and met with a greater variety of patterns of communication and perception. In the beginning, it was difficult to learn the grammar, but the greater challenge with the German language was also to capture the way German speakers think. Apart from Ukrainian, Russian, and English, I have now reached an advanced level in German and started learning Norwegian. It requires a lot of discipline and focus to store and compartmentalize five languages in my mind. I am constantly confronted by this challenge, as I predominantly use foreign languages in my daily life.
UNAI: Please tell us about the academic or career path that you have taken since the contest.
Yelyzaveta Dovhinka: I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Credit at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. I also did an exchange year at European University Viadrina in Frankfurt and have a Master’s degree in Business Analytics from BI Norwegian Business School. Currently, I am employed as a Data Analyst at Klaveness Digital, a company which aspires to shape the digital transformation of shipping, which is a fairly conservative industry. The environmental impact of seaborne transportation is high on the agenda in our company. I developed a strong sense of responsibility as soon as I was informed about our projects that target CO2 reductions in maritime. I would advise young people who want to create impact to start small. Even the longest journeys consist of small
steps. To contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, we can apply a “think global, act local” approach.
UNAI: How has learning multiple languages helped you in your work and professional life?
Yelyzaveta Dovhinka: Learning languages involves developing cognitive abilities to aggregate and generalize information, as a language is a system of systems. Learning and speaking several languages helped me boost my analytical skills and enabled me to form a systematic approach towards problems, which may be not even related to linguistics. Furthermore, multilingualism taught me that there can be many points of views regarding the same topic. Lastly, I consider language as a tool for societal integration. The more I learn about a language, the better I understand people around me in a new environment, and the easier I integrate into the society.
