for the love of language, and why you should.

by - Date posted: 2012-10-02 - 47 comments

Love is a pretty awesome feeling, let’s admit it: not only to be loved, but to really love. I’m not talking in the romance sense, either. Just straight lovin’: friends, family, places, things, food, you name it.

 
I met my first German friend here at Oktoberfest. True story. Who knew you could walk out of one of the biggest drunk fests in the world with a new best friend, but it happened.  Simon and I got along spectacularly at the Wiesn (did you know that’s what Germans actually call Oktoberfest?) and decided to keep in touch. The first time we spoke after our day at the beer tent was over the phone on my train ride home. I remember the two of us laughing at ourselves because the communication barrier was steel reinforced. Didn’t we understand each other yesterday? Oh, liquid language courage, you trickster! So, during the initial stages of our friendship we had our fair share of communication challenges. We understood each other, sure, but it became a personal challenge to completely express ourselves in more elementary terms. Then, one day Simon said something that really hit me:

“You’ll never really know me because I cannot be myself in English.”

It’s true. Despite considering him a best friend, I did not know him like I knew my friends at home in the USA. How can you truly know someone when they cannot express themselves the way they would in their mother tongue? Sure, maybe they can learn yours, but what about the sort of love that can’t reciprocate? You know, the loves that cannot learn your language? You don’t have to want to marry it (like that woman did the Eiffel Tower) – just that love you feel when you care, crave to know more, and want dig deeper.
 
I love Germany. It can’t love me back, I get that. But in order to truly love Germany, to truly know this lush green land of pretzels and punctuality, I have to speak its language.  Translations are no substitute; words and phrases exist with no translation. In German, the word “doch” comes to mind. This simple word is wildly common in Deutsch, yet there are no words like it in the English language. I can’t even explain it to you now.

How can you understand a country if you cannot understand the people that make it what it is?

One year later, I can effectively say the language barrier between Simon, my other German friends, and myself is gone. I still cannot be myself in German, but my German friends can be themselves in English and it’s A-W-E-Awesome. When one person does not know the word, the other does and seeing others and your own improvement is a rad feeling. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud of myself as when I realized I actually understand so much and when I put pride aside, I can even speak it! So here, language learning has provided me with another important love: love for thyself.
 
To sum it up: If you want to know someone or somewhere, and I mean really know, learn the language. Without really knowing, you cannot really love. When learning a language, you can fall in love with more, and who doesn’t like that lovin’ feeling?
 
My advice: Don’t wait six months to start learning, start today. Start before you get there. I took Spanish for seven years in school and made straight As but could not speak it. I’ve been in Germany for one year and am worlds ahead. Give it a try. You might surprise yourself, be proud of yourself, or even love yourself more, too.
 
Lastly, I find it kind of cool that I wrote this on the train to Munich to visit Simon for Oktoberfest. I’ve really come full circle in this country, yet my true experience here is just beginning.

http://kaplaninternational.com

This post is my personal entry for the Kaplan International Colleges – Inspire Language Learning competition. I appreciate your vote. Voting begins October 29.



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47 Comments

  2. Nice post & seemingly straight from the heart. You will definitely get my vote, if I could figure out how? I clicked the link, but was unable to find a ballot. Help!

    Love you, proud of you, miss you.

    Love always,

    Daddio

  3. You’re welcome! Are you planning to remind your readers about voting, or shall I mark my calendar?

    Just kidding.

    Love you, miss you, proud of, and for, you.

    Daddio

  4. this makes me happy as i’m heading off to argentina for 3 months.
    i barely know anything but i need to put my embarrassment aside and just try it!
    thanks for the inspiration!!

    xo the egg out west.

  5. Well you know you’ve got my vote and you know I am behind you 100% on loving language learning!!

  6. I couldn’t agree more! I’m kinda proud of that fact that before moving to Mexico my Spanish was pretty much “hola.” Now I can go to the grocery store, pharmacy, butcher, restaurant, gas station, etc and speak Spanish. And they understand me!

    Great post!

  7. Everywhere I go, people ask me why I chose German as a second language. I just tell them that there’s something about that country, and I’ve loved it since I was five years old – it only made sense to me to learn how to speak the language. I could go on for days about why everyone should learn a second language and experience another culture, but… I won’t.

  8. That’s the biggest frustration of the language barrier… people not really ‘knowing’ me. Gotta keep on learning and we’ll get there :)

  9. I love learning German so much. I had forgottem quite how much until my first lesson kn England again on Monday. It might be a bit slow outside of the country, but i would’t be without it. I can’t wait to talk to my almost inlaws and boyf as an equal!

  10. Oh I will definitely vote for you! I love this post! Sometimes I still can’t really express myself the way I want to in English and then David completely misunderstands me. It can be tricky! And “doch” was one of the first words I taught David. He loves it and uses it all the time!

  11. You inspired me.. I want to learn Farsi. I can’t move to Iran though. Any tips?

  12. Such a great post/ the infographic is awesome! I definitely need to brush up on my spanish skills!

  13. ugh. i know. i keep saying i want to learn french. i just need somebody else around that wants to learn to… and then other people who speak it to converse with me… and maybe Rosetta Stone ; )

  14. that’s good, from someone who travels a lot and obviously lived in a dozen of different places. Yes, language represents a race/country and there’s nothing quite like being able to speak the language to get close to a race.

  15. Isn’t it the most empowering feeling to communicate with people in a language thats not your mother tongue! Especially when you know how how damn hard you worked to get there.
    LOVED reading this post and can relate in so many ways.

  17. What Simon said is so true. Sometimes even with my husband is can get tricky because he often thinks in another language. I’ve picked up most of it but I still have trouble. This post is so accurate in the way it talks about language and representation.

  18. Alex, this is the best post I’ve ever read on your blog! It’s so true, and I feel like that when posting in a foreign language. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be married to someone without either one being perfect in the other’s language. It’s hard enough if you both speak the same language!
    Something gets lost when you translate, and there are thoughts and concepts that I can’t convey in any other language!

    Ha ha, and I totally knew that German wouldn’t be among the sexiest accents ;-)

  20. Pingback: Inspire Language Learning Blogger Competition | Kaplan International Colleges

  21. I love this!!! So well written. After what feels like eons of learning French on paper, I now live in country where they speak it and I finally have to use it. At first it felt like my head was spinning, but slowly, so slowlyyyyy, I’m getting it! Things just pop in my head in french without me having to translate them…learning another language is so exciting.

    the only problem is that the bizarre west african-french accent I’m picking up probably isn’t going to help me much in France…oops.

    miss you! sending hugs, hope you win that super cool competition! you deserve it.

    adios, ciao, au revoir, etc.
    catherine

  22. This is brilliant. I love that “doch” comes to mind as an untranslatable word – couldn’t agree more. English sooo needs a word like doch! And “egal”. It’s so much easier to just say “mir egal” than “I’m not bothered/I don’t mind”. I THINK I’ve voted for you, but the number didn’t actually change so I’m not sure. maybe it takes time to update?!

  24. I love this post! My husband and I moved here (in Deutschland) about 1.5 years ago, and I started to learn the language about 2 months before we moved. And now that you pointed it out…. The more I learn the more I fall in love with this country. We live in a predominantly American area here in Germany and many are so afraid to learn/speak so a lot of the Germans in the area speak English. BUT I notice that the Germans appreciate and enjoy it when I apply what I’ve learned and speak to them in German! :) They are also very patient if you try! I think also one has to be brave and just start speaking. If my pronunciation is a little off, I’ll get corrected, and the next time I will say it right!! :)

    • So good you are making the effort! I know how hard it is when most everyone can speak English and so many other want to speak English, but it never hurts to know another language and the more I find myself understanding, the more I love living here!

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