The Bilingual Mentality

What's it like to live a bilingual life in a non-bilingual country? You may not think twice about it because it's not that special. There are plenty of foreigners, overseas Taiwanese, and whatnot who settled down in Taiwan. We see more of them reside in some areas/districts, too, and so much so the atmosphere and culture may even be a bit different from those that are more "localized".

It isn't difficult to live in Taiwan as a bilingual person. It isn't so as long as you have the right faces, references, or backgrounds. Typically, a bilingual person in Taiwan is one of the following, one who is from another country and learns to speak "enough Chinese", one who was born in Taiwan when little and lived in an English-speaking country for some time (or vice versa), and one who studied overseas and presented him or herself like a bilingual person. Yes, that last one is arguable.

In many aspects, the status of being bilingual doesn't seem to be "transformable" by means but rather "a birthright" that is given. A local Taiwanese born who lives and works in Taiwan has little or no motive to speak English to others who already understand the mutual language, be it Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka, or tribal. In fact, should you try to speak English to the locals without the above-mentioned features, more often than not the people get embarrassed, annoyed, or even agitated. On the flip side, should you possess the above-mentioned features and try to do the same, the locals would (usually) try their best to converse, bring up their best manners, and become very humble(belittle themselves).

Are we... racists?

On the surface, we might be racists because we treat "the right people" right, and decide whether some others are not "the right people". "The right people" obviously means white or white-ish people. This phenomenon is so deeply rooted, though not everyone agrees with it, even a mayoral candidate publicly brought up racist remarks against Filipinos being teachers (of English). In the end, this candidate won the election but was later recalled (not because of racism).

On a deeper level, we feel inferior to the West and anything West-looking. The reasons for it may vary but we definitely have been taught at a young age that English is VERY important. From generation to generation, the importance of English is related to good schools for students, good jobs for graduates, good lives for potential migrants...etc. Generally speaking, English-speaking people are more respected. However, decades passed, and the children who are raised with this notion have grown to be parents themselves, and their children live in a faster-paced, more globalized world where English, foreigners, and international information are merely around the corner or clicks away.

A new era begins

As time goes on, our false goal of "trying to be like a foreigner" is slowly moving towards "becoming bilingual", which is another way of saying we want to be one plus one instead of 0.5 of someone we're not. The argument remains. Can we be transformed into a bilingual person or not? Yes and no, but mostly yes. Obviously, it is completely possible to become one and not just be born one. You're reading from a self-made bilingual person right now though still learning. The only difference between the two answers is how much. Do you have to be native-speaking level for the two languages or do you just go ordinary and still be ok to call yourself the same? The answer to this question will be left for interpretation but the common consensus is that one has to be "good enough".

To be good enough to bilingual standards, one must go about life with bilingual methods. You should be able to switch the two languages with ease. A common confusion is that "a mixture of two languages in the sentence" is bilingual but please be noted, if you cannot speak in complete sentences in either, it's just broken, not a language. The easiest way to test yourself is to speak English to an English-speaking person, make yourself understood, and understand the speaker(s). This shows you have enough knowledge and skills in English BUT that's just a halfway point. You'll need to be able to speak English where you live as well--- you'll need to speak in Taiwan, to the people here. This shows you have broken the language barrier and you have become free from it.

What's the bilingual lifestyle in Taiwan? Simply put, it's the same. You live the same life, work at the same job, and have the same fun. Breaking the system doesn't make you immortal or grant you an award. You simply grow out of the stress that you'll have to catch up. You won't have to fear that you're less-than. You're just free. If you want to head in the next level, join Andy and help more people be free from language with "Free The Language".

#education