A Foreign Language

I went to junior high school in Durango, Colorado. Spanish 101 was a required class. 

My teacher, Mr. Hernandez, worked overtime helping me learn the language. After school, I went to his classroom and picked up armloads of 45-rpm records, recordings of elementary Spanish lessons. 

The beads of sweat on his upper lip and the way his fingers combed through his thick, dark hair told me he was worried about my inability to learn a language that came naturally to him. 

I passed the class, but only because Mr. Hernandez had mercy on me. 

Now I am helping a friend learn English as a second language. She and I are members of the same Toastmasters club. 

I do not have 45-rpm records she can borrow, but we take walks or sit across the table from each other in the library discussing her next speech. 

My friend has a much easier time learning English than I had learning Spanish.

What troubles her the most is what goes on inside her brain when she is giving a speech. Sometimes she thinks of the word in her first language, Portuguese, and then has to quickly translate it into English. 

Heteronyms, words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently, also give her difficulty. Sometimes, when she practices her speeches, she will pronounce “object” as the noun, OB-ject, when she means the verb, ob-JECT. 

As her friend and teacher, I do not feel beads of sweat collect on my upper lip and I do not run my fingers through my hair. Instead, I look forward to seeing her large brown eyes, wide smile, and to breaking down the language barrier with our laughter. 

Why Bother? 

Why bother understanding a foreign language? Language is how we reach each other. My friend’s courage in speaking English, one heteronym at a time, reminds me that understanding someone starts with patience and a little laughter.