Pros And Cons Of Being Fluent In More Than One Language

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Being bilingual and multicultural in our day's

                                                                                                                                                   pros and cons

I am bilingual (fluent in at least two languages) and multicultural. I am half British and half greek .speaking two languages so different from each other is cool and has added more color into my life, so I'm writing this blog today so I can give an insight of what it really like to be bilingual, as it might be something many people misinterpret.

Pros No1. The amusement of confusing people.

This is only amusing from a bilinguals' point of view. Imagine yourself in a cafe or bar, in Greece, speaking to someone in English and the poor waiter think you're a tourist. "hello, what can I get you" and you answer with "καλημερα, ενα φραπέ παρακαλω" with a greek accent. The absolute confusion of his/her face harshly makes your day. I'm afraid to say, it's a guilty pleasure of mine. "Where are you from?" "you don't look greek" "you sound so British!" are basic phrases I hear continuously from others.

Cons No1. Becoming a living google translate.

This is not always a con as I do like to help people. the only thing is, is that when something comes up in e.g English you get asked what it means and if you don't know the answer they make you feel guilty. 

Pros No2. it's easier to keep in touch with your roots and make new friends.

This is a mega pro of being fluent in two or more languages as you always have some roots you can hold on to. e.g if you're French-English and live in England you have the advantage of knowing people or having a home in France that could come in hand in the future. Also having on of mine half English, its easier to keep in touch with others and make friends who speak English as well, broadening my circle.

Con No2. Difficulty of goodbyes.

If you have half of your folks living in another country its always hard to let them go again. In the summer my grandparents visit and when its time for them to return to the UK its heartbreaking. This is a bit irrelevant of being bilingual but when you are multi-cultured you usually suffer from this as well.

Pro No3. Having insights from both different countries culture and customs.

Being multicultured or bilingual means that you must have at least two different countries you have roots in. This helps a lot with school and life. You know things better than others since you grew up surrounded by them. This helps broaden your mind as you know have least two different points of view, that could help you with life's challenges or obstacles. This may also help when choosing a uni, you may have the opportunity others don't by having the advantage. 

Con No3. when your brain fails and you forget how to speak. 

Speaking two or more languages at the same time multiple times in a day can really confuse you. Studying in a specific language and getting flashes by your other language can be very distracting and frustrating. When I write this blog I sometimes think of a specific word in Greek that I cant remember in English, Praise translation sites! this also happens in Greek school. My mind often stops working and I have the need to express myself in English in the middle of an ancient Greek lesson...

So this I have to say would be the most difficult things of being bilingual.

Pro No4. Its great for your CV.

Employes love someone who knows an extra language fluently. It distinguishes you and makes you more marketable. It also broadens your job opportunities as we live in the world of globalization and now every job will most likely require an extra language and you've got that.

 Con No4. You're usually better at one than the other.

Most of us, usually are better at one of the languages if that is because they speak it more or are more familiar with it. For those who are very fluent in both, this means constantly reminding yourself you have to keep up with both. Equally watching shows/ listening to music/ reading books in those languages as its the only way to keep in sync. I have to admit, for the millions of times I've got the question "which one do you prefer?" I have to answer that I only watch English speaking shows/music/movies as I'm constantly surrounded by greek, school/life/friends etc.But that doesn't mean I have a favorite.

Pro No5. Its a great conversation starter.

As it may be amusing it is also nice when people show an interest in your "Hannah Montanna" life. They are usually shocked if they hear you switch drastically from one language to the next. It's also attractive, you might seem mysterious to another, for having a trait that may seem dull to you. oh and not to forget, the fact that you can talk about people or understand others clearly without them is rather satisfying. (I'm looking at you Bella haha )  

Con No5. making up words unknown to mankind

I often want to say something that I only remember in Greek apart from one word or the other way around. "Mum, have you seen my Pantofles?"(greek for slippers). It gets even more confusing when I translate directly from one language to another which leads to complete misunderstanding or the creation of words by adding a gerund, for no apparent reason, haha "im χαλαρώσειing" (in relaxing ) theres no need for it but it just happens when I cant seen to function due to overload.  

*When you discover another bilingual fellow like yourself :)

It's just pure joy when you find out that you're not alone in this situation and that you met another "you" in some sense. You can both talk about your experiences and laugh about them because trust me, they are so relatabe!

I hope this little blog was relatable to some and interesting to others. I love being bilingual and couldnt imagine my life without one of those languages. there are quite a few more advantages tbh but lets just stick to these for now. 

Thank you for reading my blog 

Tina x 

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