Language Barrier. Was there every a more apt phrase to describe the helplessness felt when trying to express oneself to someone who speaks another language?
Of course in Taiwan our friends speak excellent English, so there is no real language barrier. But somehow I still manage to feel a bit like the Ugly American expecting everybody else to speak my language. Yes, I know English is the universal language and nobody expects me to start rattling off fluent Mandarin, but what better way to show respect for them and their culture than to at least try to string a few words together?
“Easy” is an entirely subjective term.
Easier said than done. Let’s just say I won’t be hired as a UN translator any time soon.
But it’s also true that words aren’t the only way to express gratitude, friendship, and deep affection for one another. Small acts of kindness and little courtesies can bridge any language barrier.
A guiding arm holding yours as you navigate a busy street; your tea refilled at the instant you look about the table for the teapot; the choice piece of crab meat plopped into your bowl before you can object; an unexpected and perfectly thoughtful birthday gift arriving across the Pacific on the very day.
Our prompt this week was “express yourself.” Have I expressed thanks to you lately? If not, thanks for reading!
Barbara
Silver in the Barn 
I really enjoyed these pictures!! When were you in Taiwan? Yes, definitely somewhat familiar with the struggles of learning another language. I tried to learn Spanish for some time. The words weren’t too hard but the grammar killed me! I can’t imagine trying to learn a language like Mandarin where there aren’t even relatable characters!
LikeLike
Oh, Marissa! I cannot tell you how hard it was. There was nothing to hang my hat on, so to speak. If you’re learning French, you can fall back on Spanish (assuming you know it) and vice versa. Total immersion would be the way to go, I think. We go back in June. Can’t wait!!
LikeLike
How exciting! I’m sure we’ll hear all about it and more great photos to come!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your interpretation of this week’s challenge!!
…. and I’m totally impressed with your attempts to learn Mandarin. Holy cow!!
I think you are amazing at expressing yourself. Judging by the smiles, I suspect your friends think so too!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Xie xie, wode pengyou!! Thank you, my friend. My autocorrect is ready to burst into flames!! COL!!
LikeLike
COL!!! for a split second I actually felt sorry for the autocorrect 🙂
When I was taking some German lessons last spring before our vacation, I could read and write ok, but during the vocal parts of the lessons, the damn software kept whining ‘I don’t understand what you’re saying’. Apparently languages aren’t my strong suit
LikeLike
Sweet post. And for some of us “vertically challenged” folks, 5’9″ is approaching amazon-like heights!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, well, believe me that’s how I felt in seventh grade when my greatest fear was I wouldn’t stop growing. Amazonian, that is.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely interpretation of the challenge. A great way to ‘express yourself’ 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you, Jude, I appreciate it.
LikeLike
This is a great post – heart warming and I recognize the difficulties…I admire your efforts, thinking of the many immigrants I am teaching in school. How they struggle with Swedish…
LikeLike
I am curious, Ann-Christine, are your students from all over the world and do you speak English as the classroom language? And thank you!
LikeLike
Yes, my students come from all over the world, and sometimes English is the only language in common – sometimes we have to use only body language. But, most students I have are ordinary classes in Swedish with Swedish students.
LikeLike
I LOVE the way you express yourself! I took Latin – lotta good that does me! 🙂 Oh – and the stories I could tell about that – for another day and time! Keep expressing your beautiful self – inside and out – just like you are – I LOVE IT! xo
LikeLike
Now I am very curious as to just what hijinks could possible revolve around your Latin classes! I was to take it one year in high school but then we did the usual, and moved! Sometimes I lucked out and managed to escape certain dreaded classes by the constant moving. Hope you’re having a good weekend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will share some day – privately – haha!
LikeLike
The plot thickens….
LikeLike
teeheehee
LikeLike
Even speaking a few words in the language of the host makes for many smiles. Those countries that teach at least one other langauge at high school does the trick later in life for many to be able to have the basics in place when visiting different countries. I loved the photos which speak a language of their own.
LikeLike
Thank you, Gerard. I know you speak at least two languages fluently, maybe even more? Yes, i have experienced the appreciation in foreign travels when I try to converse as much as is reasonable in their language. Mandarin, on the other hand, remains an enigma in actual practice.
LikeLike
Yes, you don’t know what a challenge it is to express oneself in another language until you’ve had to do it. I admire your desire to learn Mandarin. Talk about mind boggling!
LikeLike
An end-result of my own adventures in learning other languages is an immense of patience with somebody struggling with English. As to Mandarin, for sure the average Chinese dog understands more spoken Chinese than I do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww, you’re such a sweet friend! ❤
LikeLike
Not so much, Rachel, but I do have really sweet friends, that’s for sure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aha! You’re sweet and humble, too! 😀
LikeLike
I totally sympathize with the problem of not speaking the language. I studied Mandarin off and on for several years, and never mastered it. By now, I’ve forgotten most of what I did know.
Chinese courtesies at dinner are so delightful, aren’t they.
LikeLike
Chinese courtesies at dinner ARE delightful and full of meaning. Sounds like fodder for a good blog post, Nicki. And it makes me feel better that even having a Chinese husband doesn’t guarantee mastering that language. Did your husband also speak Cantonese?
LikeLiked by 1 person
He also spoke Hokkien.
LikeLike
When you see the word ‘easy’ on any learning device you need to beware…
LikeLike
Now you tell me, Helen…..COL!!!
LikeLike
I took 4 years of Latin… amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant! That’s about all I remember. Lovely post Barbara and a sweet interpretation of the challenge. Love the collage! Oh, and 5′ 4″ this year.. 🙂
LikeLike
5’4″ this year? Does that mean you were once taller? Maybe you just need some more SHOES with bigger heels?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! No heels for me… I am not a dress up kind of gal. I don’t even own a dress. I have always been 5’4″ but all last year at Doctor’s offices they were finding me an inch shorter. This year I am back to 5’4″. Must be my hair is a bit more poofy on top… 😀
LikeLike
That’s it! Added Height by Hairstyle!
LikeLike
Always know a bit of the language before your go:
1. Garcon . . . une autre bouteille de vin, s’il vous plait.
2. Ou est la salle de bain?
3. Je suis fatigue.
LikeLike
I can actually say these things in Mandarin, Nancy. Well, I think that’s what I’m saying but often I am faced with blank stares. As in the time a waitress asked me to please speak Mandarin. BH could not even keep a straight face!
LikeLike
Bwahaha! That’s great. I would have been COL with BH!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Et tu, Nancy?
LikeLike
I have been trying to crack French for 35 years. I can understand a lot of what is being said but still am very shy (not my natural state) trying to speak it. And I live across the river from Quebec! There’s absolutely no excuse. Learning another language is utterly humbling and trying to learn an Asian language where the tones are so different from European languages is SO daunting.
LikeLike
Hello Susanne, I am in a hotel room with tempermental wifi. I replied to your comment and it ended up under Barbara Pyett’s comment. She’s probably wondering what I’m blathering on about! Utterly humbling is exactly the right description. I used to think I was a pretty sharp cookie. HA!
LikeLike
What lovely friends you have Barbara and I am sure they love you for trying to communicate in Mandarin. The photos are great and how beautiful you all are. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
They definitely appreciated the effort, Dor, but they unanmimously felt the only way I would really learn it would be total immersion. Come live in Taipei for a nointh! Sometmes that seems really appealing……
LikeLike
Lovely post Barbara. You deservedly had a wonderful holiday. Everyone likes to be recognised, and learning another language is certainly complementing the hosts. Great photos too!
LikeLike
Hello Susanne. What a discussion we could have about language. I studied French in school and even after all these years, when I would be struggling to find a word in Mandarin, the French word would pop into my mind first. I so understand the shyness. You are so right, the whole experience is utterly humbling.
LikeLike
Hi Barbara, my spotty wifi send the message I wrote to Susanne under your comment. I think my adventures in learning new languages will not go much beyond learning Aussie which is happening through osmosis reading the posts of my all my Oz friends. Chuffed, etc., all great words!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely photos, Barbara. Sometimes language isn’t required to communicate and enjoy the company of others. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I couldn’t agree more. Please and thank you and maybe a handful of other terms can get you through most social situations quite brilliantly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
,Well ! learning another language is easier said than done. Love this post and the photo’s of your lovely friends Barbara, and I must say you are a very attractive lady.. We have lived in Crete for 12 years now and speak just enough of the language to get by on. ,It’s a very difficult language. The ancient Minoan script writing which as you know, I am studying seem easier for me to understand. I think I was from another life somehow.
LikeLike
Rita, truly, I stand in awe of your being able to translate those ancient scripts. And to be able to speak a bit of Greek, is it?, is no small feat either. I sometimes feel that belonging to another life myself! And may I add you’re no slouch in the looks department either!!
LikeLike
I wondered why you had gone quiet, silly Roughseas, WP had unfollowed you. That really annoys the hell out of me.
Anyway, you express yourself beautifully is all I can say. I’ve a drafted post about your generous sprouts share, but looks like you got there anyway. Gotta backtrack now. WP is such a pain sometimes. Sorry for my absence Barbara.
LikeLike
I imagined you had come to your good senses and had had quite enough of my silliness! Awfully glad that is not the case, Kate!
LikeLike
WP is so annoying. I keep having to check round people to find out if they have been unfollowed. Sprout post up next though 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looking forward to it!
LikeLike
Monday, scheduled, cos I will be off line. Sprout pic included.
LikeLike
Hello Barbara, As you have discovered, making forays into a foreign language pays multiple dividends–people appreciate the effort you make, there are more doors open to people who can at least manage the language a little, and the progress you make learning is a lot of fun.
I noticed that your Mandarin exercises used Hanyu Pinyin, the way of writing Chinese using “English” or Roman letters. There was just an article in the news that the inventor of the system, who was interesting for a variety of reasons, just celebrated his 109th birthday! Here is the link:
http://news.yahoo.com/china-linguists-109th-birthday-wish-democracy-041610779.html;_ylt=AwrSyCW9wMNUzSAAblnQtDMD
–Jim
LikeLike
Jim, you know I find stories likethis endless fascinating but this one is particularly so. Wall Street and Princeton, Einstein, Confucious, and Socrates. What an interesting man. I agree with his thought that “pessimists tend to die.” Survivors of the POW camps said much the same thing. Thank you!! Do you read Chinese characters or the pinyin?
LikeLike
I loved your photos, Barbara! My mother-in-law is from Taiwan and I’ve had many experiences of visiting her family (some live in the US and others are in Taiwan or China) and being the only one who is not bilingual. I’ve picked up a few words over the years and so have my children, but it’s not the same as truly studying the language. Do you have plans to travel back their in the future?
LikeLike
Yes!! In June. I am so eager to know more about this. Have you written about it?
LikeLike
Have you learned great dishes from your mother-in-law?
LikeLike
It’s all about the food, isn’t it?! She makes the best vegetable dishes and lots of seafood as well. When she’s in town, I sit back and just enjoy everything she prepares. It’s quite a treat!
LikeLike
These pictures are priceless, Barbara. You found pure joy with your Taiwanese friends. I’m glad to read in ypur other comments that you and your huband are returning in June. Maybe a word or two of Mandarin at a time. But I think your friendship and love will show in your face and gestures, my friend. How could it not?
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so right, Mark. Our affection for them transcends all barriers including language. I will continue to slog my way through my mandarin word of the day.😁😁 you are such a good soul, Mark.💗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Barbara, I have no doubt that you are entirely capable of expressing yourself in any country, no matter what language is spoken there. 🙂 But when it comes to spoken words in another language, that can be a truly humbling experience. And what’s the most embarrassing – to return to the country you were born in and not remember words in your mother tongue that you once knew; and speaking those words you remember with a foreign accent (ask me how I know) 🙂
LikeLike
I know exactly how you know, Annette. My mother had the same problem struggling to find the words of her own native tongue. I think once you make the switch and start thinking and dreaming in the new language for an extended period of time, you just get rusty. You have almost no accent whatsoever, Annette, it is just barely discernible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I have more of an accent when I speak German than when I speak English…
LikeLike
Such a wicked look in your eye in that selfie, Barbara! Excellent point you make.
LikeLike
“Evil cackle….” You see right through me!
LikeLike
That is wonderful that you are learning Mandarin! I think making the effort means so much to people! And a smile, a touch, music, laughter, sympathetic looks, sharing food-all of these communicate so well; I think those things can also help when elderly people have difficulty communicating in words.
LikeLike
What an excellent point you make, Dixie, about the elderly often living in a world of their own whether through dementia of something else and responding to these cues. Everything you list transcends language….also admiring of babies and puppies.
LikeLike
It’s interesting how much you can tell about a person by just observing. Some people simply exude happiness from every cell in their bodies.
LikeLike
That is so true and we are drawn to them then, aren’t we?
LikeLike
same as when i was in peru but werse fer me i’d be lost without a translator ..wowza.. 😎
safe travelzzzzzzzz 🙂 ……
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Quarksire, translators are necessary for most of us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Barbara … The way you pick up on the kindness of strangers – and return the same – does not need a translation. Beautiful photos.
Don’t forget Duolingo.com … I’m using it to learn Italian. It’s free and very helpful. Have a great trip. 😉
LikeLike
Thanks for the reminder on the Duolingo.com. By June, I may know a phrase or two more! Grazie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m working it, Barbara. Prego. 😉
LikeLike
The photos look so wonderful and your friends so sweet and kind in appearance. I think you have such a loving heart, this makes sense you wish to be able to use a few of their Taiwanese words. I feel we all need to at least TRY to use a few words or expressions of the other person’s language. Hugs, Robin
LikeLiked by 1 person
I should have said, “Mandarin words,” Barb!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mei wenti, Robin! No problem.
LikeLike
Hi Robin, it really does pave the way to warmer relations and is a major ice-breaker. Jennifer loved learning the idioms of English….like “You crack me up!” We say things that the foreigner goes “HUH?” What on earth is she talking about? Hugs, Barbara
LikeLike
Kudos to you, my world traveling friend!!! I speak no other language than English, an I’ve just mastered it! I’ll stick to my southern vernacular for now! Y’all ….. LOL!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You never fail to make me Laugh Out Loud, you wild and crazy southern boy. You are a HOOT!! Y’all!!
LikeLike
I think it’s a charming gesture, to learn a few phrases in the language of another. But I’d expect nothing less of you. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you, Sandra, beastly difficult but so worth it in terms of good will!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great pictures. And kudos to you for trying to learn the hardest language in the world (no kidding).
LikeLike