Speaking Their Language: Becoming Multilingual
Before my junior year in high school, my family moved to Paris, France. I went to the International School of Paris (ISP), and all my friends spoke English. We would sit on the grass across the river from the Eiffel Tower everyday, but I felt I was in a bubble. I didn’t know French much at all, and I had difficulty at the time focusing on it as well as practicing the language. Paris is a tough place to learn French due to so many tourists, so I don’t feel too ashamed.
When I moved back, I took more French. I made a decision that I was going to do what I had wished I would have done while living in Paris. After a few years, I was reading a page or two in French everyday and keeping a journal in it. I was able to read Science-fiction in French and a few books by French authors.
In graduate school, I met my wife, and her family is Italian. I knew we would go to Italy and meet some family that only spoke Italian (even some that only spoke a dialect of Italian). I took four semesters of Italian because I am gregarious, and I don’t like being left out in conversations. I didn’t want to ask all the time for my wife to translate, and I enjoy talking for the sake of talking. I also didn’t want to feel isolated as I had in Paris simply due to something I lacked.
This time, for a language, I did far better. I studied harder, and I found some children’s books I had read in English, translated to Italian. The first visit was a little rough as I mixed Italian and French, but we kept going back to visit. I kept getting better and more confident. I fell in love with her, her family, and their town in Italy.
I can now have a conversation in Italian, and I’m not shy to try even when I don’t quite know the words or the pronunciation. One thing that helped happened five years ago when I decided to let go of French. Up until that point, I was reading and writing every other day in either French or Italian. French was so helpful in my initial learning of Italian, but now it stood in my way of improving beyond the beginner level. I could read and write better in French, but I could speak better Italian. Italian was more of a utility because of the family, and it just made sense to focus on one language.
I learned that I had to focus and prioritize otherwise I would be mediocre at both French and Italian. I also learned over the years the required level of effort to be able to speak their language. This gives me an appreciation for people who don’t speak my language as a first language. I know communication at work and life is key, and I work hard to make sure I clearly communicate. That means I work hard to make sure people understand me and I understand them. Communication is a two-way street paved with patience.
Mi piace la lingua Italiana. Per mi, parlare è vivere. Non voglio abitare in un paese senza la capacità a parlare la lingua, e voglio abitare in Italia! Più importante, voglio mangiare in Italia.
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