"Aria" by Richard Rodriguez
Personally, I do not have any family speaking another language and never faced the struggle that Richard Rodriguez did in school growing up. I took Italian from 7th grade to senior year but that was the extent of my own language experience. However, I have seen so so many people in public speaking another language throughout my life. And, I work in the Warwick Mall so I deal with all sorts of customers. Obviously the easiest customers are those that speak English, including tourists that know enough to tell me what they want. These customers I can make conversation with, we can crack jokes back and fourth and understand everything.
The most frustrating ones are the ones who seem to be like Richard's family and are native Spanish speakers, where in many cases the youngest child is in Richard and his siblings place where they know English and parents are extremeness limited so the child is in a translator position. Or no one speaks English and its a game of guessing and pointing, and while I understand where they come these transactions become extremely frustrating for myself and the customers. I feel bad when I don't know their language, while come of my coworkers do and if they can step in to help me out the customers immediately perk up and are comfortable. It would be difficult for me to really learn Spanish at this point rather than if I has as a child like Rodriguez said, but I also feel bad that these people come to America and must be the ones to learn a new language as adults in order to communicate with most others in public.
Personally, I do not have any family speaking another language and never faced the struggle that Richard Rodriguez did in school growing up. I took Italian from 7th grade to senior year but that was the extent of my own language experience. However, I have seen so so many people in public speaking another language throughout my life. And, I work in the Warwick Mall so I deal with all sorts of customers. Obviously the easiest customers are those that speak English, including tourists that know enough to tell me what they want. These customers I can make conversation with, we can crack jokes back and fourth and understand everything.
The most frustrating ones are the ones who seem to be like Richard's family and are native Spanish speakers, where in many cases the youngest child is in Richard and his siblings place where they know English and parents are extremeness limited so the child is in a translator position. Or no one speaks English and its a game of guessing and pointing, and while I understand where they come these transactions become extremely frustrating for myself and the customers. I feel bad when I don't know their language, while come of my coworkers do and if they can step in to help me out the customers immediately perk up and are comfortable. It would be difficult for me to really learn Spanish at this point rather than if I has as a child like Rodriguez said, but I also feel bad that these people come to America and must be the ones to learn a new language as adults in order to communicate with most others in public.
I can totally relate! My family and I only speak English so I never had to go through the struggle that Richard did. I also feel bad for those who don't speak English who feel forced to speak another language to be able to communicate with others.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working at my old job we came had people who didn't speak English come in all the time and they would try so hard to get whatever they were trying to tell me across and I couldn't even imagine how hard it must be. Especially when some people aren't as patient.
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