Broken English

 

I have a bunch of Chinese and Vietnamese female friends and we get together about once a month.  

They are lovely and kind and sweet and I am not making fun of the way they speak but there are so many times I speak and they do not understand what I am saying and I am politely asked for an explanation. Sometimes Google translate is used to understand the word.  

My name is very difficult to pronounce and difficult to understand for my friends so I am referred to as Gloria or Maria, which is fine with me because I know how difficult my name is to say if English is not your first language.  

Recently I was talking about arthritis in my knee and one lady said “I shrow you exercise” as she bent her knees and swung her arms back and forth. “Very good for knee”.  

Another lady was trying to get my attention and shouted “Maria you like beggies, come eat some beggies”,  

“What is the name of these veggies?” I ask, there is a flurry of Vietnamese and Chinese verbal exchange and I am sure they are trying to find the right English word so I can understand. 

Alas, as most times the response is “I don’t know English word”. It’s OK because I am sure I wouldn’t cook it anyway.  

Learning a foreign language is not in my DNA, I have tried many times and I just can’t get it. So, I understand the difficulty in learning and understanding a new language.  

That being said I do know that in spite of our language differences we care deeply for each other and that is all that matters.

Georgia

Sep 2020