transient travels

One thing I have learned from communicating in English with someone who is speaks English as a second language, is that I probably learn more about the English language than the other person.

I am a fast, get to the point kind of talker.

But I have found that when you have no choice but to slow down, let the words come to your head naturally and then insert them into sentences smoothly without having to retract and begin again – which leaves your sentences choppy and full of superfluous jargon – it is amazing what you can come up with.

Having to slow down also forces you to rely on facial expressions and mannerisms- allowing you to connect on a much more personal level.

When I was in Central America with my friend Sue, who is fluent in Spanish, and her friend Francisco, who is less than fluent in English, communication was perfect until Francisco and I found ourselves without Sue for a brief moment. As much as I had practiced Spanish before I arrived, I found that the seemingly most insignificant word can ruin a perfectly good conversation.

I couldn’t remember the word “downstairs” when explaining Sue’s location to Francisco and we looked like two crazy people playing charades in public as our awkward phrases fell out of our mouths with uncertainty. The people around us most definitely wondered why we would choose to travel together. And when Sue returned, things went right back into place.

Despite the confusion, we taught each other because we learned where each other struggled by our confused looks, long pauses and excessive use of hand gestures.

English is difficult.

In college I worked at the the Writing Center where I helped fellow students with writing assignments and papers. I worked with many ELL students that pushed me to think about aspects of the English language that I had never questioned. For example, one of the most challenging parts to grasp is the difference between definite and indefinite articles, when to use which and when to use any at all. I found myself explaining this almost every week and I by now I have a ton of great examples in my back pocket.

What is most interesting about languages is that misinterpretations exceed language barriers.

When I first went to Philadelphia for college I had never heard the Philly/South Jersey accent in my life. My first foray into communication with my new friends did not come without confusion and lessons learned.

In my freshman year suite, when someone was in search for a ‘towel,’ the only thing I heard was ‘tail’ and the word ‘water’ existed only in the form of ‘wooter.’ I took the Septa a lot to visit Mike over at Temple University and when a friend asked me to explain where a certain stop would let her off the train, I told her that the stop didn’t exist. In reality, I passed through the stop once a week, I just had no idea what she was saying.

I wouldn’t say that I have a Boston accent. However, after a drink or so I would say that I begin to talk like my dad, who is the epitome of a Bostonian, accent and all.

When I went to Ireland, I went to the place that has the thickest accent of all Irish cities – Cork. I was told that even Dubliners have trouble understanding someone from Cork, where people speak, and walk by the way, even faster than I do. They also insert “like” in between almost every word. But beyond the accent, phrases and expressions were what threw me off the most.

When a friend told us she should could “collect ye for training” she meant that she would “pick us up for practice.” And when someone yelled “sorry” in a crowded room, they weren’t apologizing, they meant the same as “excuse me” and just wanted to get by.

I also found that perception is everything until you clear up the stereotypes. When my Irish friends would jokingly make fun of me and my U.S. friends, they would say words like “dude” and act like a stereotypical Californian. It didn’t matter that then, Ireland was the furthest distance I had traveled and California was just as foreign to me as Ireland had once been. On the other hand, no one in Ireland sounds like a cartoon leprechaun.

I chose a profession of which communication is the backbone – public relations – but just when I think I am perfecting an aspect of my communication “skill,” I realize I am only opening the door to more to learn.