LL-L "Language proficiency" 2010.06.25 (02) [AF-EN]

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*L O W L A N D S - L - 25 June 2010 - Volume 02
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From: Brooks, Mark <mark.brooks at twc.state.tx.us>

Subject: LL-L "Language proficiency" 2010.06.25 (01) [AF-EN]



Re: funny language switching stories



I still work for the Texas Workforce Commission, but I used to work in the
unemployment claims call center. I handled calls in both English and
Spanish. Some days I would have as many Spanish calls as English. On one day
I began a call in English, and had to put the person on hold to check on
something. When I returned to the call, I began speaking Spanish – until the
man on the line said, “English, I don’t speak Spanish.” So, I apologized and
switched back to English.



I learned both languages in my childhood, but I didn’t begin learning
Spanish until I was about 10 or 11 years old. I began learning English in
the cradle, if not earlier J



Mark Brooks



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From: Sandy Fleming <sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk>

Subject: LL-L "Language proficiency" 2010.06.25 (01) [AF-EN]

> From: Obiter Dictum<obiterdictum at mail.ru>
> Subject: Language Proficiency
>

> Dear friends, I would really appreciate if others Lowlander share
> their similar experiences. I am writing a paper on translation and
> interpretation and arguing against the conventional wisdom that
> ‘speaking/“knowing” another language doesn't make you a
> translator/interpreter yet.’ I am doing a little research for the
> purpose.
> I am positive that many of you have had similar experiences as quoted
> above, and can help me to make my point. (Ron ... I put my money on
> you, especially ; ) Mark, jy ook, noudat ons daaroor praat, oukei,
> jong?)


I remember working in an office in Wales where there were a couple of
Welsh speakers who would speak Welsh to each other and English to the
rest of us. Although I was learning Welsh, being deaf I wasn't really
able to take part in a Welsh conversation any more than in an English
one.

One day some of the English speakers, for some reason I don't know,
wanted to know the Welsh word for "hand", so they asked the
Welsh-speaking girl. After some time she still couldn't think of the
Welsh word so they asked me and I told them. Everybody was a bit
mystified, but after thinking about it I realised that it's not so
strange. She must have learned Welsh and English as two separate
languages, and the connections between corresponding words had never
been made in her brain. Whereas I, who had a whole notebook full of
these correspondences that I studied every day, had no trouble
retrieving one word from the other.

I find that it can be difficult sometimes to remember which language
something was said in, even if one language is a spoken language and the
other a signed language. Sometimes in recalling a conversation I seem to
remember the other person signing it, then realise that it couldn't have
happened because they don't know any sign language; or I remember a
conversation as if it were in English but realise that it was far too
extended and fluent for me to follow in English, so it must have been in
BSL.

I used to have switching problems between Scots and English after I
moved to England: whenever I went home to visit my family in Scotland it
would take a few minutes to adapt to speaking Scots again. Nowadays I'm
used to this and never have to adapt or even think about it.

I have switching problems between BSL and English too, sometimes
accidentally signing to someone who doesn't know sign language because
I've just been signing to some other people. This has become less common
over time as I get used to switching, though. Similarly I've caught
myself accidentally calling after a deaf person because I had just been
speaking English with some hearing people, which is of course a bit
embarrassing.

People I work with tend to pick up rudimentary BSL from me without
formally attempting to learn it, and it's not unusual for them to sit
signing to each other for a minute before realising that they don't need
to.

Another thing that happens in my work is that, since I can't hear
anything, many people speak English to me just by moving their lips
without making a sound, to avoid disturbing people who are working. Once
they break off "speaking" to me, they often then start speaking to
someone else soundlessly as well, sometimes complete with the
fingerspelling support that often goes with that sort of communication.

Sandy Fleming
http://scotstext.org/



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