It's tough being an international student
Claudia Tordini, WG'07
Issue date: 9/25/06 Section: Perspectives
One of the most shocking moments at the beginning of my first year was to realize that I was not the same person in English than I am in Spanish. Unexpected and weird to say, but my personality is not the same in my native language as in a second one.
After digesting this new concept and talking with other international students, I found out that many other people were going through a similar experience. The main issue at that moment was how to handle a situation that had a strong impact on me and on other people - international and local students.
Let me first clarify this concept of different personality. Language does not change who a person is - his or her values, capabilities, characteristics, beliefs and other aspects that constitute him or her - but it does change the person's strengths and weaknesses and, therefore, the perception of who that person is.
For a student with no previous working or living experience in the US like me, there is almost no spontaneity in English. Even if it takes only a few seconds longer to process what I have just heard, by the time I come up with the exact meaning, it's already too late to react spontaneously, especially if it's a group conversation.
The student I am listening to is probably on to the next sentence, or someone else has already reacted. It gets worse if they are talking about undergrad experiences in an educational system completely different to the one you had in your own country; jokes are mostly impossible to catch, not only because of the slang but also because most of the content is culturally or socially related.
It's also very hard to make a joke in English either because you don't have adequate vocabulary to deliver the punch line, or because the other people do not share your cultural background and could not understand the essence of the joke.
Limitations in vocabulary - especially technical or business vocabulary - and the difficulty of understanding the multiple different English accents, just make it more challenging to follow a discussion and be able to participate fully.
After digesting this new concept and talking with other international students, I found out that many other people were going through a similar experience. The main issue at that moment was how to handle a situation that had a strong impact on me and on other people - international and local students.
Let me first clarify this concept of different personality. Language does not change who a person is - his or her values, capabilities, characteristics, beliefs and other aspects that constitute him or her - but it does change the person's strengths and weaknesses and, therefore, the perception of who that person is.
For a student with no previous working or living experience in the US like me, there is almost no spontaneity in English. Even if it takes only a few seconds longer to process what I have just heard, by the time I come up with the exact meaning, it's already too late to react spontaneously, especially if it's a group conversation.
The student I am listening to is probably on to the next sentence, or someone else has already reacted. It gets worse if they are talking about undergrad experiences in an educational system completely different to the one you had in your own country; jokes are mostly impossible to catch, not only because of the slang but also because most of the content is culturally or socially related.
It's also very hard to make a joke in English either because you don't have adequate vocabulary to deliver the punch line, or because the other people do not share your cultural background and could not understand the essence of the joke.
Limitations in vocabulary - especially technical or business vocabulary - and the difficulty of understanding the multiple different English accents, just make it more challenging to follow a discussion and be able to participate fully.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
GoalMBA
Neha Awasthi
posted 9/28/06 @ 7:04 AM EST
I loved your post! I am going through the same phase in life. I work in an communications driven field in an English speaking country and my native tongue is not English. (Continued…)
philso
Phil
posted 9/30/06 @ 2:21 PM EST
Great essay! You're very articulate and perceptive. I am an international, too, and understand what you're going through. From my experience, I found very damaging the fragmentization and comparison of one's self into "new self" vs. (Continued…)
Kristen
posted 3/06/08 @ 6:15 AM EST
I love love this article!!I'm still struggling in speaking English...
DjLau
David
posted 3/28/08 @ 8:11 PM EST
Although I am a native English speaker, I often find that I prefer to converse with foreigners. When given attention, they are usually much more articulate and sincere in the ensuing conversation. (Continued…)
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