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Importance and challenges of maintain identity: An immigrant’s perspective.
by Ravi Devavarapu, P. Eng
There are over 5000 languages in the world, some more widely spoken than the others. I maybe understating if I said language is the foundation of any civilization.
There are over 5000 languages in the world, some more widely spoken than the others. I maybe understating if I said language is the foundation of any civilization.
Growing up in India bilingual & even trilingual is pretty much the norm. I went to an English medium school, where the instruction for all the subjects was in English. Then we had to learn Hindi (National Language of India) and Telugu (my mother tongue). As a kid it was not fun having to be conversant in more than 1 language, but it was not as difficult as you would imagine. At that time I did not grasp the advantages that it would present me later in my life.
An important skill of any occupation is clear and effective communication. The best way to communicate an important message is to convey it in the language that they understand best. There is too much lost in translation. The subtlety & tact required in conveying important messages can be lost easily in translation.
Language is not only used to identify with certain groups, it is also used to exclude others. This is very evident in the immigrant population. Some adopt the new language with open arms, while others shut it down beyond what is required of them to survive in their new community. In most cases it even extends to 2nd generation immigrants. At that point language becomes a matter of cultural or ethnic identity.
In my view, it is possible to adopt aspects of culture that the host country offers while maintaining your language & cultural identity.
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Mr.Velagapudi Bala
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Click here for a pdf presentation about the Telugu Language - prepared by the Telugu Language Schools.
