It’s never your fault – Seeing the world differently in Spanish

  Throughout the years, I have studied several different languages – Japanese, Ukrainian, Latin, German, French and of course, many years of Spanish. Each language has its own structure, and each country has its own idioms, unique collections of sayings and phrases. One example of an idiom is “por mis huevos.” Word for word that translates to “for my eggs” which makes no sense, right? However, it means “because I said so” – something a mother might say to her child.  

  A local expression might be something like calling someone “Catrina,” which someone did to me. La Catrina is the elegantly dressed skeleton of Mexico, and so I was wondering if I actually looked like a skeleton, until it was explained to me that calling someone Catrina means they look elegant.

  I have been taking private Spanish lessons twice weekly, and through conversation my teacher sees where I need help. I also am sometimes called upon to translate letters from our local students to their non-Spanish-speaking sponsors, and through these two activities I have come to realize that I need to see my world a bit differently to become accustomed to a new way of speaking.

  One example is, “Me encuentro en el segundo semestre” - I find myself in the second semester. I had no idea how to translate that into proper English and consulted with the administrators of the literacy project. Turns out, a proper translation is “I’m in the second semester.” I explained that “to find yourself” in my experience in the U.S. means that you are unexpectantly in a place or situation, as in “I was wandering around town and suddenly found myself in an unfamiliar neighborhood.” 

  Another way of thinking that needs to be turned on its head is “gustar” or to like something. In English I can say “I like chocolate.” In Spanish I need to say “Me gusta chocolate” – or Chocolate pleases me. When it gets complicated, as in one or more persons liking one or more things, I still need to think of it in English first in order to translate it properly, even after living here for eight years.

  And now for the explanation of the title – It’s never my fault. ”I forgot my keys” becomes “Se me olvidaron las llaves” – I didn’t forget the keys; they forgot me. Not my fault. ”La taza se cayó” – the cup fell itself. Still not my fault. 

  

  I’m sure you understand now that sometimes when translating you need to do some mental gymnastics, but it is good exercise for the brain and I have heard that it keeps you young. I have been helping three people with their English every week and I find that giving classes in English also helps with my Spanish, so we are actually helping each other.

  Learning a new language is best done when you are young, when your brain is like a sponge. The younger you are, the better your accent and ability to automatically understand the language. However, you are never too old to start learning. Although I had studied various languages at different ages, I didn’t begin studying Spanish until I was in my 50’s. Learning a language also exposes you to different ways of thinking – the mental gymnastics I mentioned – and gives you insight into different cultures, which explains why some expressions, jokes and ideas are difficult or impossible to translate accurately into your native language.

  Anyway, for those who love languages, I hope this was enjoyable and for others, I hope it was at least a little bit interesting. 

  ¡ Nos vemos !