Language Brokers

I am surrounded by them every day, Monday to Friday.  They are constantly calling me, emailing me, and knocking on my office door.  One of them even accosted me on campus last night while I was attending an event in the Student Commons to ask me about his cousin's visa situation.  And yet, I could never come up with a concise word or phrase to describe these dynamic individuals who are so prevalent in my life.  At last, Dr. Mazak has provided me with the perfect name:  language brokers!

As a professional in the fields of International Education and English as a Second Language, interacting with language brokers is an inevitable reality in my job.  In many ways, I could not do my job without them. As the Admissions Coordinator for the ESL program and a Designated School Office (DSO) for United States Immigration, it is imperative for me to be able to communicate with students both to obtain critical information and to keep them informed about policies and procedures.  VCU has students from over 100 nations, and it is not possible for office staff to communicate with every single person in his or her native language.  That is where the language brokers come in.  Some of them are academic advisers who work at the embassies of their respective countries, while others are professional agents, paid by the students to act on their behalf.  Still others are international students who work part-time in our office.  However, the vast majority are friends or relatives of the individuals, and many of them are by no means bilingual.  The situation is quite similar to the one that Mazak describes in her article.  Often times the language brokers only have a slightly greater understanding of the situation than those that they are assisting.  One time I actually had a whole group of language brokers (all students from our program), who came to the office with one friend who wanted to transfer to VCU.  All of the language brokers were in our beginning level class with very limited functionality in the English language, but as a group they were actually able to explain the full situation to me, helping each other when someone got stuck.

There are both pros and cons to working with language brokers.  On the negative side, the individuals that they are helping basically relinquish their agency.  Sometimes the language brokers, who are at least partially cultural insiders, make decisions on behalf of the student that do not necessarily reflect his or her wishes because they think they know better.  They also may not have access to all of the personal information needed to complete certain transactions.  This may put both parties in an awkward situation, depending on how well the language broker knows the student, and sometimes I end up getting wrong or confusing information as a result.  However, on the positive side, they provide a valuable cultural and linguistic bridge that may not otherwise be possible.

By the way, language brokers will be making an appearance in my and Carol's 1-2-3 project data.  And now I actually know what to call them!  (The phrases that I put together before were much too long and confusing.)  :-)  

Should There Be an ‘Other’ Language? Or Is There More Power to be Found in the Multilingual?

With thanks to Lisa and her post, my mind is overflowing with thoughts of an international language.  A language that is decided by factors that are often beyond us; and yet resisted perhaps by those that are just like us.  Resisted for reasons that we seek to understand.  I loved Annie’s comments regarding the complexity also possibly playing a part.  I appreciated Dr. Muth’s points regarding presentation in a language understood by many as opposed to few; and yet the resentment that may be felt by others because the speaker isn’t required to know the ‘other’ cultures, traditions, languages, etc.  I have always been interested in other cultures, traditions, experiences and language.  This post and all of its comments truly caused me to consider my own lingual abilities and perhaps the literary and educational limits I may have created for myself as a result.

As a true melting pot, our country prides itself on being a nation of diversity and inclusion.  There are policies and procedures in our work life, rules and laws for the everyday as well as social expectations regarding topics such as microaggression.  But does true appreciation of the value that can be found in our diversity and various Discourses truly provide enough opportunity or drive to really appreciate this idea of ‘all’?

I consider all of the recent articles that we’ve read of late that talk of education in other countries and their opportunities (often requirements) to promote an educational tradition of bi- or multilingualism. I also ponder that while we have options in the U.S. for learning other languages, I wonder why so many (and how many?) in our country (including myself) still stand as monolinguals?    I myself have always wanted to learn to speak and read another language, but recognize that my desire has never been fueled by necessity due to travel or any set requirement.  I did elect once to give it a run when I was in high school; but, much like Lisa perhaps, gained more skill in memorization than true understanding of the language.   This realization now also causes a new sort of perspective on what bi- or multilingualism may provide an individual as well.

Over this past school year, my family and I have gotten to know another family from my son’s class.  They are a lovely couple with similar interests and we have a fantastic time (don’t you love it when the kid’s play dates turn into grown up ones too??).  This past weekend we had an opportunity to visit their home and enjoy some much needed ‘friend’ time.  As we toured their home, I was intrigued by the various artifacts that she had received from family and friends in Cuba.  She proudly, and patiently at times, told each one’s stories and answered our eager questions.  I learned a lot in just a few hours about values, the country, her culture, the difference between Mexican and Cuban food as well as how much I apparently ADORE Cuban coffee.  Now I will be the first to admit that this short education in no way makes me a new found expert.  I also recognize that their Discourse could provide a different perspective than someone from the same country, but differing Discourse.   But the brief open window to her experiences and culture made for such an amazing opportunity for me; an opportunity that was enriched even more by a brief parental moment during my ‘education’ session.  

Her son was acting up a bit at one time during our conversation and, as she later advised she often does, she turned to him and began fussing/correcting him in Spanish.  My son, who was standing near him, watched her completely intrigued and yet perplexed.  After she’d finished speaking with her son, my son, never shy, asked her “what language were you just speaking?”  At her reply, he stated very matter-of-factly, “Oh, I had absolutely no idea what you were saying.”  And with that, ran off to finish playing.  This somewhat hysterical, and yet slightly enlightening, moment gave me a new appreciation for what the knowledge of many languages can provide.  Upon further discussion, I discovered that she often choses to use her primary language with her family or friends (even when able to say the same things in English) because it provides her an additional level of privacy when in public.  At times, like when she speaks with her mother, she also choses Spanish over English when it is more comfortable for the receiver to use and/or understand.   

So as I consider these few examples, I cannot help but wonder if taking time to learn other languages could not only provide monolinguals such as myself flexibility in communication for instances needing more privacy; but I wonder too if it would also provide opportunities that we have not yet considered? Like being able to communicate with someone else that we may not have been able to before.  Would it also allow us to have some insight into other cultures and traditions that we have not before been privy too; as we’ve previously been depending instead on someone else’s interpretations.  An empowering position perhaps; one that may cause pause in considering one’s definition of power when it comes to our world….could proposing a nation of multilingualism provide more power than this push for an international language?  Imagine how much more insight and appreciation we could have for another culture if we were able to read books, magazines, websites, etc. that we normally may not have access to due to our limited language abilities? 

As I end my ramblings, at least here in the blog, please understand that I am not attempting to pose an argument against finding a language perhaps that can speak to many, at least in the regard that similar educational opportunities can be understood by ‘all’ or more.  I am instead asking if we should consider the possibilities that an enlarged literacy and language lens could provide for an individual as we seek to enrich our own lives.  Consider how much we’ve learned in just one semester by reading wonderful (sometimes provocative) articles and texts available to those that speak the English language?  Now imagine just how many more we could discover should we arm ourselves with the language that allows us to see them.

A bit of self-criticism

Bitcoin model

I recently learned about something called Bitcoin, a virtual currency described as "one of the first implementations of a concept called crypto-currency, which was first described in 1998 by Wei Dai on the cypherpunks mailing list. Building upon the notion that money is any object, or any sort of record, accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context, Bitcoin is designed around the idea of a new form of money that uses cryptography to control its creation and transactions, rather than relying on central authorities" (bitcoin.org).

At first, I thought the Bitcoin model was something like Paypal, a secure system of online payment transactions.  I  thought bitcoins were something like Euros, a currency backed by, and used within, a system of governments.  I also considered Bitcoin to be some kind of credit system.  All in all, my narrow, linear thinking was once again completely off-base.  I had to climb out of my ideological model to question what money actually is, and from where it derives its inherent value and security.  I had to let go of the image of gold bars sitting in a steel vault in Fort Knox, KY.  I had to let go of the notion that, somehow, those gold bars guaranteed my concept of security and value.  "In God we trust" really means the paper (or coin or credit card) I give you is valued and secured by our mutual assumption of what those gold bars represent.  I suspect danah boyd would describe this model as atom-ic. 

Bitcoin is a new model that invites us to take a completely different view on the creation and security of an economic system whose "rules are enforced collectively by the network."  It creates and secures "money" with technology (bits) rather than steel and gold (atoms).  The fundamentals of the Bitcoin system are laid out on its web site, however,  I don't think the basic economic principles are what frightens me.  I think there are 2 basic threats that this new Bitcoin system brings: 1) it challenges my assumptions of security by guaranteeing value with bits rather than atoms, 2) it creates a new power structure that challenges my assumption of the status quo.

It's a revelation for me to recognize myself as the one who feels threatened by Bitcoin; in this scenario, I am the one whose assumptions seek to maintain the status quo!  Gulp.   I want to be the rebel, but I can't be the one who advocates change without first recognizing my own, threatened position.  I suppose this blog post is a preview of my presentation this week.  Hopefully, I will be able to show you how my espoused theories were in conflict with my theories in action.   It was both wonderful and awful to recognize this in myself. 

By the way, Bitcoin has come under attack in the news this week.  I am neither for nor against Bitcoin, I used it as an example to make my point.  It is interesting, however, to dissect the challenges to Bitcoin.  Valid or otherwise, I can see the threatened powers-that-be behind these attacks.   

I hope I haven't convinced you I'm crazy.  This has been a very interesting week for me.  Thanks for listening to my madness.  Susan

   

A Speaker of English

    I am a speaker of English.  This was not by choice; it was simply native.  In high school my choice was Russian.  The teacher was dynamic, lively and spoke the languages of the cold war; after six months a new teacher came in, rigid and uninspiring and I needed a tutor to survive the three required years.  Since then it is more of a novelty to tell people that I was going to save "us" during the cold war and a Russian tutor had to save me instead.  What I remember of the language is minimal; what I learned from the language is a great deal of respect.

    My recent experience with Spanish was more painful.  Maybe the high school pain of sitting with a tutor has faded over the years, but since then I have developed a fiercely competitive spirit to do my best at everything and in Spanish I had found an insurmountable challenge.  Two semesters later I finished with eight credits and a B average.  I’d never worked harder at anything in my life and I couldn’t speak Spanish now, five months later, to save my life.  I survived by memorizing, deleting and memorizing again.  It didn’t stick; I wasn’t truly committed to the language to save my life.  I wonder if I needed Spanish for my livelihood if I would have learned more, but then it’s not an experience I can fathom for I have English.  I have what many think may someday be the “common language”.

    I take a great deal for granted; English being one.  Many native English speakers do.  I understand English is the second most popular language (behind Mandarin) if we are looking at populations of native speakers, but many countries encourage their children to learn English as a secondary language which I imagine distorts the statistics, putting English near the top of the list of spoken languages.  How many international English conversations truly involve an English native I wonder?  Yet, with Spanish on the rise, will English survive as the common language?  I don’t know the ever-changing statistics.

     Why does the world consider being an English speaker so powerful?  Are great thoughts not thought in other languages?  Are we trying to separate cultures and language with the growth of English as a common language?  Are "we", the native English speaker trying to take some sort of control?  A person’s language is an integral part of who they are as a human.   Who gets to decide what common language gets used?  If we create a mainstream sort of society have we not lost many great thoughts across the language barriers?  Don’t we always lose something in a translation?

     Perhaps a common language is necessary to share knowledge, but with it so much is also lost.  I am jealous of those that can think/speak successfully in multiple languages.  They have the abilities which allow them to translate ideas to more people.  They also have the abilities to learn more from others.   I remain just a speaker of English.