Krish Patel - Week #12 - The Power of Languages
As I was doing my AP Spanish homework, I was struck with a deep revelation of what I can use these skills for. I will never communicate in Spanish to someone and if I go to a predominantly Spanish-speaking country, then I could rely on my sister who can speak broken Spanish. It caused me to recall my trip to Cancun where I stayed in an all-inclusive resort and visited the local parts and ate there.
I realized that if I could have understood the language, life would have been a lot easier as we would have not been dropped off in the wrong location or we could have removed the meat from our food as my family is vegetarian. In addition, locals would warm up to us once they heard my sister talk in Spanish about locations or directions or just good spots to hang out and eat food.
In Cancun there are a lot, and I mean A LOT, of people who try to scam you (happens at almost every tourist destination in the world) and the locals told us to avoid those areas and warn us about scammers. Tourists who didn’t understand Spanish were getting ripped off in prices or scammed entirely because the locals had no way to communicate with them and warn them. A perfect example is when a shop vendor tried selling us a toy for almost 3 dollars, and my sister asked a local walking by who told us, the toy was worth less than 20 cents.
As I recalled these memories, it inspired me to learn Spanish fluently and learn about the customs and traditions as there is value in learning it. Spanish has given me the ability to go by myself to any Spanish-speaking country and be able to communicate with the locals almost fluently. The power in languages is truly immense as it allows interracial connections and bonds to be formed just by saying a simple “hi” or “how are you” in their native language.
The Power of Language, https://www.irionline.org/member-programs/education/power-of-language/, Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
Hi Krish! I’m in AP Spanish this year, too, and although I have not yet visited a Spanish-speaking country, I absolutely get the importance of being able to communicate in multiple languages. One thing that strikes me as different between regular Spanish levels and AP is how the latter focuses so much more on expressing one’s opinions in the language. Up until Spanish 3, it was more common to simply translate sentences back and forth between English and Spanish, match up vocabulary words and definitions, and conjugate verbs. This year, though, Spanish is finally less about learning more vocabulary and grammar and more about using what we students already know in order to express the complex thinking that we are so used to expressing in English, such as through email replies and verbal conversations..
ReplyDeleteIn addition, one of my favorite parts about learning new languages is the slang and common terms that native speakers use, which I think connects back to your point about the importance of using language to connect with others. Whenever we go to India and make the obligatory stops to the markets, there are always people bargaining left, right, and center. Your blog post made me realize that I need to brush up on my Bengali so that I can stand my ground against scams like the ones you described, as I usually do just let those conversations wash over me as my mom takes charge of them. Thanks for sharing! It’s really cool how you’ve been able to apply your Spanish knowledge to a real-world context!
Hey Krish!
ReplyDeleteIt was pretty fun reading your blog this week. I’m personally not taking AP Spanish, but I can relate to what you mean. In 9th grade when I had Spanish 2, Mr. Navarette always told my class that we had to speak Spanish in class to practice like we were in a Spanish speaking country. It was annoying and hard, but I understand that he wanted us to learn efficiently and in a way that lets us practice in real life. I went to Cancun a long time ago, maybe when I was in 5th grade. I thought the trip was really fun, and a good amount of people there could speak English too. The scamming part is so true because it is easy to take advantage of people who aren’t native to that place. Do you think the next time you go to a Spanish speaking country, you will be able to communicate well with the skills learned in AP Spanish? I hope you do!
-Colin
Hey Krish, I also take AP Spanish. What a coincidence! There also happens to be a student named Krish Patel in my period too! Jokes aside, I completely agree with the premise of your post. I visited Puerto Vallarta last winter break and my Spanish (though only halfway through Spanish 3 at the time) helped me greatly to communicate with locals. I can only imagine how much better it would be now after one more year of learning Spanish. Language however is not just useful for communicating with locals in visiting countries but also with your own family. My grandparents do not speak English so I have to communicate with them in their language of Telugu. Language truly is a connecting force! Recently I have been binge watching random people on YouTube speaking a language that others do not expect them to speak (ex. Xiaomanyc, a youtuber who is ethnically White but speaks fluent Mandarin). Seeing the smiles of others and reactions shows just how much it means to speak to somebody in their own language. Nelson Mandela's quote really hits this idea straight on: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Krish,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog post about the importance of learning new languages in your day-to-day life to be very interesting. I’m also learning Spanish in school, and although I’m only in Spanish 3, I’ve noticed that the Spanish skills that I’m learning in the classroom are not that directly applicable to Spanish. I can speak to locals/natives both when I travel and right here in Fremont. For example, the cleaners that come to my house every two weeks or so are ethnically Peruvian although they are native English speakers. They find it humorous and applaud any effort I make to converse with them in Spanish. However, the reality is that they mostly treat it as a joke and not really at the level where I could have a full-fledged conversation with a native speaker. They still encourage me to keep pursuing my goal of gaining mastery over spoken Spanish in conversations. In this sense, I can definitely agree with you to the point that learning a new language can be extremely beneficial and useful, and the nature of Spanish classes in school might not always go to that extent. Interestingly, I can also relate to your experiences of people trying to scam you because of your unfamiliarity with the language and culture. It seems no matter where you go, there will always be people trying to take advantage of you!
-Ritwik