At times I feel that maybe I've gotten in over my head a bit. I mean if you get right down to my roots I'm just a hick from Nebraska. Sure, it's been decades since I've had any real association with the place but still...
What I'm talking about here is the fact that I also give glass bead making lessons in Italian.
(How is it even possible that the person I was all those decades ago could today be someone that lives in Europe and teaches an ancient art form, let alone doing so in another language?! I always thought I was so incapable.) The reason I'm writing this installment, however, is not something so simple (relatively speaking) as me teaching glass bead making in Italian to Italians, but rather to non-Italians with whom my shared common tongue is Italian. For example, I once taught a 12-hour course to two young women who were both Japanese, one of whom also spoke Italian (To some degree. Honestly, Dante wouldn't have been real impressed by either of us). Unfortunately the other young lady only spoke Japanese and was dependent upon her friend to translate. Believe me, it wasn't pretty. In fact, it was a language massacre. |  |
I feel bad because truth-be-told, the quality of the information being passed suffers when I teach in Italian. It's just that I'm so much more eloquent in English (Not necessarily a word I would have previously used to describe myself). I can clarify a point in English in a way that is just not yet possible in Italian because I don't have the same vocabulary at my disposal. Hell, in English I can ramble on and on endlessly, it seems, without lifting a muscle (So to speak). In Italian those same muscles feel atrophied. It has crossed my mind that I should offer a discounted price because of the disparity but man, I have to work so much harder for it in Italian! And then to get paid less?! No can do. I am a bit of a perfectionist so hopefully I'm overstating the difference.
Learning another language has not been what I expected. In fact, it has been much more difficult than I imagined, especially after reading all of those I-moved-to-Italy novels where people become fluent in a few weeks time just by hanging around their local cafe. Now, I wasn't so foolish as to think that, but I did think that just by being immersed in the language and country itself I would ipso facto arrive at a certain, base skill level. And now that I've written that, I suppose that is indeed true to some degree but not in the way I expected. Now that I am more fluent I am more able to interact in Italian to a greater degree and for longer periods of time, therefore working that muscle on a more consistent basis. That has and will continue to speed up my learning process, feeding on itself more now than before. It does not, however, happen by osmosis. Some type of studying is necessary, and I mean book-study, study by watching TV (As bad as it is - Although it isn't so harsh an experience as it is in the states because the violence factor isn't there), and study by interacting to the best of your ability at the local cafe. The cafe is perfect because they are a captive audience, paid to stand there and deal with you (And yes, they may even come to like you).
What surprised me about learning a language is that it isn't so cut and dry as: a) You speak a language, or b) You don't. A very long time is spent between the two; Not being able to express yourself fully and not being able to comprehend what is being said to you. Gradually, Slowly over time you will inch your way along, literally word by word. As mentioned previously, it does at some point begin to gain momentum and I certainly don't mean to dissuade anyone from this noble task, I'm just attempting to paint a more realistic picture than the one often portrayed. And certainly it is different case-by-case! The younger you are, the easier the process will be (Us old folks... Ugh!). Our daughter was 9 years old when we moved here and threw her into the Italian public school system. Now, at 18, her true personality is her Italian personality. Lily and I are both American born and therefore live our home life and the management of our business life in English. That has obviously slowed our progress. What has sped our process in recent years is having a public business in an artisans neighbourhood, forcing interaction that then becomes, over time, the norm. (Another sure-fire way to speed the process is to get a dog, as that increases interaction with your neighbours 100-fold.)  | Learning another language takes time. Fortunately in Italy time is defined differently then it is elsewhere. Here time allows for the creation of a 50-year set of doors or for the duomo to sit without it cupola for a century. Time in Italy moves along at a gentler pace, so relax, have another cup of coffee and work that Barista! |
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On a different note I think about the time it takes to become part of something "other" and how language advances and retards us because we have to forge a new self that may not be recognizable to our old selves. The issues of identity and self esteem are often changed, perhaps enhanced by being set free from what we've lived with.
I see your street with the windows that encourage viewing the activity within, smell the caffe in the local bar, hear the two women who serve the neighbors with efficient aplomb and see your schnauzer enjoying life and giving you carte blanche to become a known member of your neighborhood....