Being Bilingual: and the good and the bad that comes with it

We use language everyday. It is something that inherently forms as a part of our identity, shows who we most identify ourselves with, and expresses our culture. People are born with what is known as their native language, any additional languages after one's native language turns them into a bilingual, trilingual, or for three percent of the population speaking four or more languages, qualifies them as a polyglot. A person who only speaks their native language is known as monolingual, approximately forty percent of the population is monolingual. In today's modern world where generations now have knowledge and resources at their fingertips, but also where intercultural relationships are becoming increasingly more common, the result of this is a world that is dominantly bilingual. Forty three percent of the globe's population is bilingual in comparison to monolinguals forty percent. 

If you are someone like me who grew up between two cultures and were spoken to in two languages growing up, you can understand the perks and struggles that come with being bilingual. On the one hand, you have another world of options with each additional language you learn, new friends, job opportunities, and social skills. Being bilingual also comes with a plethora of cognitive and health benefits from slower cognitive aging, better memory, and all the pros of speaking a second language as Marian and Shook explains, ”Bilingual people show increased activation in the brain region associated with cognitive skills like attention and inhibition[...]Higher proficiency in a second language as well as earlier acquisition of that language, correlates with higher gray matter volume in the left inferior parietal cortex. This is the part of the brain where language switching is managed.” I along with other bilingual friends have noticed that when we speak our second language, our personalities change. Just like how the version of yourself that you show to your parents is different to the one that you show to your friends, it's the same concept with speaking multiple languages. 

On the flip side, bilingual people can also be the targets of prejudice. As for me, I am Mexican American, but I happen to be very white. I speak fluent Spanish, I even use all the slang a Mexico City or “Chilang@” person would use. But every once and a while the sound of my English accent peaks through. My accent is due to sounds and rules of English and is a concept that van Hout explains well, ”No matter how many languages you speak, you will always be dominant in at least one of them. It’s tough to keep your language skills in both languages at its absolute best [...] It can happen that native speakers look down on you if you have a foreign accent. People have definitely treated me differently because of my accent. It’s frustrating when they assume you’re not intelligent because of it.” I have been the victim of prejudice, xenophobia, and racial bias whilst I lived in Mexico for 13 years, despite being Mexican. People look at me and are shocked when I speak spanish. Having dealt with this treatment all my life, I was surprised when one day I made a phone call. In my Intercultural Communications class we had to make a presentation about our culture and were encouraged to bring in “authentic food.” The next day I called several local Mexican tiendas in search for ingredients. I asked them my questions in Spanish and got very warm, respectful responses. I realized that since they weren’t able to see how painfully white I was, they just took me as another Mexican woman speaking Spanish with them. The treatment I received on the phone was very sobering for me and caused me to do a lot of reflecting.

Another struggle that happens for bilingual people is sometimes not being able to find the right words or translations in one language. There are words in both English and Spanish that I can never explain clearly to my monolingual friends as van Hout reinforces, “Certain idioms or phrases that only work in one language may slip through the cracks when speaking the other. I have done this countless times. And often, I don’t even realize it until one of my friends or family members corrects me.”

Despite the hiccups one faces while juggling two languages, I love being able to switch in and out of English and Spanish whenever I want. If you are someone who is considering learning a second language, I would highly recommend it. It is bitter work, but from my experience the pros heavily outweigh the cons. 

Works Cited 

Marian and Shook, “Cognitive benefits of being bilingual.” Future Learn, © University of Groningen, 2012. futurelearn.com/info/courses/multilingual-practices/0/steps/22658#:~:text=Bilingual%20people%20show%20increased%20activation,the%20presence%20of%20background%20noise. Accessed 8 July, 2023.

“Multilingual People.” Ilanguages.org, Copyright © 2018 ILANGUAGES.ORG, 2018. /ilanguages.org/bilingual.php#:~:text=Monolingual%3A%20A%20person%20knowing%20only,(13%25%20of%20world%20population) Accessed 8 July, 2023. 

Van Hout, Nele. “The Disadvantages Of Being Bilingual.” navigatio, © The Navigatio 2017 – 2023, 5 July, 2022. https://thenavigatio.com/cons-of-being-bilingual/ .   Accessed 8 July, 2023.