DON GUANELLA AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES
During his studies in the Gallio College Don Guanella studied German (at the time compulsory since Lombardy was under the rule of the Habsburg Empire) and from the school year 1855-1856 (II class of grammar) until 1857-1858 (IV grammar) the his evaluation is always Eminent, with the last judgment expressed in these terms: «He knows the grammar very well, he is correct and happy in translations».
He then devoted himself to the study of French, probably in the Salesian period 1875-1878, so much so that in 1880 he translated a short meditation booklet. But then, taken by other interests and occupations, he was forced to abandon his linguistic studies, which more than others required regular application. He will recognize it with displeasure, but also with realism and irony, thinking back to the period of his training when he dictated his autobiography in 1913-1914: «[...] but then, lacking the exercise, time was lost, as in the study of German and also of French. If, as grown adults, they reviewed the subjects they studied, they would have profit and not a little satisfaction. But quis est hic et laudabimus eum? [Who is he? We will proclaim him blessed (Sir 31,9)]».
As an intelligent and educated person, he understood the importance of knowing a foreign language and as early as 1907 he instructed the novices of the Servants of Charity to apply themselves to this study. Furthermore, he gladly sent the clerics to the seminary of Chur, where they prepared themselves for the priesthood also with the study of German, necessary for the apostolate in the reformed Swiss valleys.
During his trip to the United States, observing the conditions of the Italians and other emigrated populations, he recognized ignorance of English as one of the main reasons for their difficult conditions and came to a very clear conclusion: «Those who do not know the language of the country will always underappreciated. He asked the Leonori sisters to teach some English to the sisters destined for the United States; to these first missionaries he dedicated a useful vademecum in which an entire chapter is dedicated to the need to learn the language: «Those who repudiate the study of the language [...] should prepare themselves for many humiliations and for being and calling themselves a half-person. It is true that the Italian nuns introduce themselves to take special care of the Italians; but do not let yourselves know that you want to limit yourself to the care and therefore to the language of the Italians, because this would make you less accepted by the civil authorities and also by the ecclesiastical authorities and you could not aspire to be believed to be international religious and even less cosmopolitan nuns, if you do not dedicated to the study and practice of the English language".
Don Guanella thought big for his congregations and wanted them to develop on "international" and "cosmopolitan" perspectives, embodied by people capable of overcoming the boundaries of their original cultural and linguistic belonging to become citizens of the world, capable of relating to everyone peoples above all with the universal language of evangelical charity.