Foreign Tongue

Whew...it's been a hectic weekend. Here's a blip for this moment:

How do I feel when I interact with a person who speaks a native language other than English? Do I treat the person differently than when I am speaking to a person whose first language is English? What assumptions do I have about linguistically diverse people?

I have had many students in my class who did not speak English. In fact, I have one right now. At first, I looked up common Spanish phrases so we could communicate. I was also fortunate enough to have several other students who speak Spanish in my class to translate - they were a HUGE help! I try to learn as much as I can to help them transition easily. Within a few weeks, they are able to communicate better and it is easier for us to understand one another.

When it comes to adults, most often I only meet with non-English speakers at parent conferences in which case I have an ESL assistant to translate. I don't think I treat them any differently, but I'm sure they are aware of my uneasiness. I am uncomfortable not knowing what is going on (that goes for any situation) so I just try to listen and pick out as many familiar words as I can to piece together what they are saying.

I think it would make my life easier if I were linguistically diverse. I would be able to understand much more than I can now. I would think that people who do know multiple languages have an easier understanding about languages in general and could probably pick up just about anything. I would also think they would have an easy time finding a job with a very high status because they would be able to communicate with people around the world. They would be in demand quite a bit!