Lost in translation
Lost in translation
Have you ever been lost in translation?
If you have, you will probably know how I felt.
Being in a different country where you don’t speak the language can be very difficult to communicate with others.
I’m going to explain to all of you why I was lost in translation for many months.
I was born and raised in Sonora, Mexico, in a small town named Caborca, where everybody knows each other. My grades in high school in Mexico were OK, except for my English class. Those grades were below 45 percent every semester — and I needed to do something about it, quick!
When I turned 17 years old, finishing my first year of high school in Mexico, I made an important decision that changed my entire life. I decided to move to the U.S. to learn English and finish high school. On the other hand, my English instructor in Mexico advised me not to move to the U.S. yet because I had already completed one year of high school and moving to a different country was going to be tough. He said that it was best for me to graduate from high school, and then move to the U.S. He wanted me to be prepared for tough classes and learn basic English in my town.
Here are some of the difficulties that I went through in high school in the U.S.
Basic English: My first year at Highland High School was very difficult. I was lost in translation in every single class because I didn’t know basic English. I had to translate my homework and all my assignments in order to understand, and of course, I spent more time doing homework or studying than any other student. It took me a few months to learn basic English, and then I was able to handle a conversation with friend and instructors.
Meaning of words: I was also paying close attention to conversations that dealt with words that had the same sound, so I wouldn’t get confused with the meaning. For example, just by hearing the word, “rich,” it could mean a wealthy person or food that has a strong flavor. At that time, anybody who said, “This is too rich,” I thought it was expensive and I would always answer, “No, it is not.” There were many other words that confused me, but once I learned more English, the words became easy to relate.
My English instructor was not kidding about saying that it was going to be tough — even though high school was difficult, I did graduate from Highland High school and I have an associate degree from Bakersfield College as a graphic artist.
Ironically, my husband, Michael and I are now lost in translation with our son.
My son Andrew: My gorgeous son, Andrew is 2 years old and he is trying to talk. He sounds so cute.
Words are not clear yet: Some of Andrew’s words are easy to understand, but others are not. For example, he started saying “mik,” which is actually “milk.” The other word that I think is very funny is when I say to him, “No, Andrew — that is not good,” he will look at me and say, “bae boe,” which, for Andrew, means “bad boy.”
Spanglish:
Since our son is learning both languages, my husband is going through a hard time understanding Andrew. He is lost in translation just like I was, because Andrew will say a few words in English but the rest in Spanish, or vice versa, which we call “Spanglish.”
It is funny watching my husband trying to understand my son. Andrew will say to Dad, “Ven,” which means “Come here” or “Brinca, Brinca,” which is “bouncy, bouncy.” Or, “Viste,” which means “Did you see it?”
My husband is now learning Spanish with our son and with me. To be honest with you, he actually has a pretty good accent.
Summary: Even though it was very difficult to learn English, I enjoyed high school.
Being lost in translation with our son is fun and the cutest experience I ever had.
Clincher: I just wanted to leave you with this advice: Don’t listen to anybody telling you what you can’t do. There is no obstacle that can stop you from reaching your goals. Believe in yourself — and go for it!
— Vivana Baker is a MÁS reader who originally posted this story on a blog at: masbakersfield.com
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