If I’m learning all these languages, why do I write my posts in English?

I live in the United States, and a large amount of the population is monolingual and only speaks English. An American seriously learning a second language is a minority, and someone like me learning multiple languages is unusual. There are many reasons to learn other languages (maybe I’ll delve into that in another post), but there are so many benefits! It really is important to be able to understand other cultures, and try to “walk in their shoes” as you speak their language.

When I’m abroad, I have to make an effort to continue to speak with others in the language of the country instead of English. Even if I speak the language well (*cough* French in France *cough*), people often want to practice their English or assume it will be easier because English is such a global language. I love learning languages and trying them out when I’m traveling. It feels respectful to follow the local customs and traditions, to try to fit in with the culture, and to properly thank people in their own tongue.

When I was thinking about starting this blog, I seriously thought about what language I wanted to write in. I could have taken turns with my stronger languages and wrote the posts between French, Spanish, and Italian until my other languages caught up, and then one day I would have been able to add Chinese, Polish, and Icelandic as well.

In the end, I decided that I really do feel the most comfortable expressing myself in my native language. I enjoy writing and ranting and expounding about my thoughts in other languages too, but I’m not fully bilingual with another language. English is where I feel the most at home when I write. I may still write the occasional post in other languages, or in a kind of bilingual/translated manner, but in general my posts will be in English.

C’est la vie, as they say!

xx