learning languages

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authenticity of voice, books, english, erin moira ohara, ermisenda interview, graphic, language single shade of colour, languages, learning languages, lost in translation, native tongue, perceive world through, quote, raw language, spanish, stories, writing

I was lucky enough to be interviewed by the lovely Erin Moira O’Hara on her blog yesterday (which is separate to the Blind Sight blog tour that just finished). One of her questions was what would I learn if I could learn anything. I replied with learning more languages. I already have English and Spanish, and learning Dutch on the side. So, why more? Well to read and listen to more stories of course!

Here’s an excerpt of my answer: One thing that I have always wanted to learn more of is languages. I would love to learn them more than just chit-chat with native speakers. I want to learn so many languages inside out, to the point I could translate my novels and re-read them from fresh eyes. I find that with every language (and different dialects) there are histories enveloped in the words. My love of words stretches further than English, and even Spanish. I always think of language as a single shade of colour we perceive the world through. While it may be a tad dramatic, I definitely believe that my experience of knowing more than one language has influenced me and my interactions. I can read literature and legends from Spain and even Latin America in its purest form. Nothing lost to translation.

When you learn a new language you are suddenly open to millions and possibly billions of more people whom you can interact with, whose stories you can read and share. It often saddens me to think there are so many stories I cannot know in their original, raw form simply because of language. I would love to be able to absorb and share the world’s history of stories in their full rainbow shades.