Being bilingual is quite a blessing… or is it? In the United States, more than 20% of the population speaks two or more languages. If you’re not part of the club, you probably feel that you’re missing out on all the awesome benefits of being bilingual. Unfortunately, it’s not always so rosy on the other side. This article will reveal some of the struggles that bilingual people so often face.
DISCRIMINATION
This is probably the gravest struggle that bilinguals face. Even today, deep into the 21st century, some people refuse to embrace cultural diversity. Consequently, bilingual people can’t always speak languages other than English without facing some form of discrimination. However, the world is changing for the better.
If you only speak English and feel left out of the conversation when around bilingual people, how about you try learning their language? Who knows, you might just become bilingual yourself. To learn more about why you should learn a foreign language, check out this article.
FORGETTING WORDS
We all forget words from time to time. I mean, haven’t you ever felt like something was on the tip of your tongue, and you just couldn’t remember it? Well, for bilinguals, it’s much much worse. A monolingual brain only has to worry about one “maze” (that is, one language). A bilingual brain, on the other hand, has to navigate through multiple languages. It’s no surprise, then, that it sometimes gets lost.
Scientists have proven that people who speak multiple languages fluently experience the “tip of the tongue” phenomenon more frequently. But that’s not all; it also takes more time for bilinguals to ultimately recall the desired word.
This isn’t a big problem if the people you are conversing with speak the same languages as you, but that’s not always the case. When a bilingual person tries to convey something to a monolingual person, awkward pauses and moments of hesitation are to be expected.
USING THE WRONG LANGUAGE
Another awkward situation all bilingual people are familiar with: using the wrong language. This can happen in various scenarios. Say, for example, that your parents only speak Spanish, whereas you speak both Spanish and English. Sometimes, especially if you’ve spent all day speaking English, you may accidentally start speaking English to your parents. It might not seem like a big deal, but it does hinder communication and, well, makes things uncomfortable for both parties involved.
If you’re monolingual and your bilingual friend suddenly says something to you in a language you don’t speak, cut them some slack. They’re not doing it out of malice, I promise.
PARTIAL FLUENCY
This doesn’t apply to all bilinguals per se, but some people who speak multiple languages are only partially fluent in each language.
This is especially true for people who moved from one country to another at a young age. Imagine you’re born in France and have lived there for 7 years. Suddenly, your family moves to the United States. You have to learn English from scratch, while your peers get a 7-year head start. It will take you a long time to be “fully” fluent. At the same time, you’re barely using your French, so your fluency is stuck at that of a 7-year-old. Sounds kinda rough, right?
Of course, as you spend more and more time in one linguistic environment, you’ll eventually reach full fluency. But you will struggle a lot in the interim.
DESIGNATED TRANSLATOR
As a bilingual, you will often end up being the go-to person for translating things between your two languages. This isn’t that big of a deal if it happens once in a while, but when you’re bombarded with constant pleas for translations every single day, you’ll get sick of it.
Translating is not as easy as some people think, especially if the languages are very different. Sometimes, it’s basically impossible to faithfully convey the same concept in two languages, and sometimes it requires a lot of prior explanation. In other words, it’s a hassle.
If you’re monolingual, be mindful of that whenever you ask your bilingual friends for a “quick” translation. It might be more problematic than you think.
SWITCHING KEYBOARDS
This is probably the most benign struggle in a bilingual person’s life. Still, it can be very frustrating. If your two languages use the same alphabet, then you should be more or less fine (though special characters and autocorrect are quite a nuisance). But what if you speak both English and, say, Chinese every day?
Imagine you’re texting a friend in English and suddenly your mom texts you in Chinese. As you go back and forth between the two conversations, you will have to switch to the right keyboard on your phone/laptop/PC. No matter how careful you are, you will end up using the wrong keyboard at least a couple of times. This can lead to some hilarious (or hilariously annoying) situations.
Don’t believe me? Well, here’s what happens if you try to type “Lucy ate pancakes for breakfast” using a Chinese keyboard:
“Lucy阿特盼擦咳嗽forbreakfast”
Yup, I told you.
BUT…
Don’t get me wrong, being bilingual has its perks. If you want to learn more about the advantages that come with it, check out this TED-Ed video.
