It’s easy to agree that speaking more than one language is an asset in any environment. It opens up a world of opportunities, connections and experiences. Still, being bilingual/multilingual can bring its own struggles, so for anyone who speaks more than one language, this one’s for you.
As a first generation Mexican-American, I grew up speaking Spanish as my first language up until the age of 5 when I started school. I can vividly remember me “practicing” English by taking words in Spanish and just using an American accent because I thought that was English. It was frustrating at times, due to my limited vocabulary and having no one to guide me as I was the first to learn the language. The only phrase I knew for the longest time was, “Is almost time go home?”
Thanks to the English as a Second Language (ESL) program in school, I was never truly behind in any classes and was able to learn the English language and grammar at the same pace as native speakers. Now that I was bilingual, my skills were often put to the test by teachers, parents, and of course, other students. “Can you translate this?” or, “How do you say _____?” and even, “You speak Mexican? Say something?” were things I often heard at a young age.
To maintain my fluency in both languages, I spoke and continue to speak Spanish at home primarily and English elsewhere. Still, there were times where I was told to not speak Spanish because we are in the United States, which is something many who speak something other than English are often faced with. As I grew older, I also came to realize that although I could speak, read and write in two languages fluently, they’re far from perfect.
When it comes to Spanish, I tend to mix a lot of English words, but because my parents know me so well, they are able to fully comprehend what I am saying. Regardless, one of the most frustrating things as a bilingual is forgetting how to translate a word from one language to the other. When it comes to speaking English, I tend to pronounce things wrong…a lot. An example is the word pizza. I went on for years pronouncing it as pic-za because that’s how my Spanish speaking family says it. I never realized I was saying it wrong until my friends corrected me. I was so in denial, I searched up the pronunciation which said it was pronounced peetsa not pic-za.
Additionally, I’ve studied French for 10 years, and although I wouldn’t declare myself as fluent, I am pretty conversational in the language. Since it is a romance language like Spanish, a lot of words look a lot alike, making it easy to read and understand. When it comes to pronunciation and speaking, Spanish holds me back due to the entirely different accent.
Speaking and learning more than one language is difficult, but it’s truly a blessing. Not only does it keep you in touch with your culture, it may also bring another side of you. Although I’ve had my bits of frustration and even embarrassment, I know that knowing more than one language is something to be proud of and you should be proud too. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!