In
my October 2014 blog entry, “Now You’re Speaking My Language”, I presented a
dialogue I had with a patient of mine. The patient talked to me
about how he tried learning English when he first came to the U.S., and
confessed he knew more of the language then than he does now. He said that he
used English only at work, but when he got home at the end of the day, he surrounded
himself with his family and friends—with whom he spoke only in Spanish. Since
being retired, his exposure to English has dwindled to almost zero, and as a
result he lost any previous knowledge in English that he had. He stated he would be too embarrassed to
speak it now, fearing he would sound foolish at best.
I
was reminded of this particular conversation during a very similar encounter I
just had with another patient of mine yesterday. She told me she’s been living
in the U.S. for 29+ years, but doesn’t have any English language skills because
she made it a point to isolate herself only with Spanish-speakers in her
community. She works for a friend’s family-owned business where she only speaks
Spanish. Her family and acquaintances only speak Spanish. Her education ceased
back in her home country, and not exposing herself to any classes here in the
U.S. keeps her speaking, reading, writing, watching T.V. and listening to the
radio in Spanish. But she told me that despite all this time that has passed,
she still has a hope and desire to learn English because she doesn’t want to be limited to interactions only in her small
community. And she told me all this in Spanish, with me listening and responding,
of course, in Spanish.
This
patient’s frankness about the difficulties she’s been having made me start to
think, when does a service that we
provide for people become less a help to them and more a hindrance? There
is an immediate need now for health
care for Latino immigrants fresh to this country that are functionally
illiterate in English. For these people, I can do the entire ophthalmologic
exam and assessment, greet them and explain to them, diagnose, treat and
provide follow-up, all in Spanish. And this is a good thing – for doctor and
patient! However, for the Spanish-speaker who has been living in the U.S. for
several years, who may be earnestly trying to become more proficient in English,
he is greeted everywhere he goes (his community, the doctor’s office, signs in department
stores) in his native language. How does
that help and encourage him to accomplish his goal of learning English? From my
own personal experience with language learning, I can say that the less
practice a person has in a language, the less likely he is to try and push
himself to communicate in it, for fears of sounding and looking foolish. Some
people are confident enough to push past this fear, but many people are not,
and will just continue to communicate in what is comfortable for them-their
default, native language.
As
a result, I personally think it is important to communicate in both languages
when possible. If I’m speaking with a patient, and I notice she seems to know a
few words or phrases in English, I will interject some English when speaking with
her. Or I will introduce the word for whatever we’re talking about in both
languages. “Bueno, Usted necesita usar una toalla con agua tibio – a towel with
warm water – para limpiar los párpados.” “Usted tiene un rasguño de la córnea –
a corneal scratch – donde el palo le golpeó.” “Una catarata ocurre cuando el
cristalino natural del ojo- the eye’s natural lens – se vuelve nuboso-cloudy.”
I
have said before that, just as English in the U.S. has been influenced by the Spanish
language, Spanish in America, too, is influenced by English. There’s no rule in
the book that says that our conversations can’t reflect that- a little bit of
both –un poco de los dos idiomas – to encourage learning and understanding. Let’s
build a bridge across linguistic barriers and foster growth in both languages.
Blog
Reference Links:
“Now
You’re Speaking My Language” http://www.eyesayinspanish.blogspot.com/2014/10/now-youre-speaking-my-language.html
“The
Only Foolish Question is the One That Isn’t Asked” http://www.eyesayinspanish.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-only-foolish-question-is-one-that.html
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| Hopi Tribe wall engravings, 300-1300 AD, Utah |
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