I think I may have multiple personalities.
Dominika Weston
Language Services Recruitment Made Right - I facilitate culturally appropriate communication where linguistic differences exist. Niche: "I am phenomenal at finding needles in a haystack". Ask me how I do it.
If you tell me you have never contemplated this one at least once before, especially if you are a bilingual person yourself, I am sorry, but I will not believe you...
This should not be coming as a shocker to you, as a common approach to different languages being stored in separate parts of the brain has been actually debunked. The ongoing research in the field of neuroscience has described this phenomenon beautifully. I suggest you dig to learn more about it, as it is worth it. You'd be surprised to find that various studies have revealed that the multilingual brain operates in a more integrated and interconnected manner than the brain of someone who only uses one language to communicate with others.
What does it mean specifically? I will try to explain the best I can.
Bilingual brains process all languages simultaneously rather than isolating them into distinct regions*. (If you know anything about how simultaneous interpreting works, I am sure you can relate to it here.) If one looks at the brain of a monolingual and bilingual/multilingual side by side, one will see an increased activity, which would point to language co-activation in bilingual/multilingual compared to monolinguals. To simplify this, it is like having a car with one versus two engines. The vehicle with two engines can take you further and offer you more than one option to fall back on. I am no expert in neuroscience, so I will leave it as is unless anyone is open and/or excited about contributing their knowledge via comments below and elaborate...
Our bilingual/multilingual brains have the ability to efficiently manage and navigate multiple linguistic systems in a unified manner. Don't tell me this isn't cool....
Those who speak more than one language often can channel concepts and relate to their memories across their spoken languages. It is somewhat like a cool way of connecting things that are often non-related; for example, if I (as a Polish-English bilingual) tell you my life story in English, you will hear a different version of the same story if I was telling it in Polish. Depending on the language being used, different memories may resurface, as each one is connected to personal experiences and the unique culture precisely. It is like being a Maluch** one day and then using the engine of a Mustang the other day.
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I bet you know many people who speak more than one language themselves. Take some time to truly get to know them better, ask them about their life stories, and as you listen to them; try to understand their lives through the lens of bilingualism. Communication is always a two-way street. Ask clarifying questions about their journey, their process of adaptability, the challenges they had to face, and the adversity they acquired through it all. They may not be as different as they may portray or as you may think; after all, do not be shocked when the same story they tell you in English will differ from hearing it in their mother tongue. This is where that "multiple personality" trait will shine/come through.
I continue to be amazed by the pieces of wisdom I learn from others through their storytelling, and therefore, I would like to take a moment to say "thank you" to all those who openly shared their journey with me thus far. You all are why I want to continue to learn more, not only about others and how they see the world around through the lens of culture and experiences, but most importantly, learn about myself while "peeling the layers" I see so many of us have.
*language co-activation-when a multilingual individual uses one language, the brain also activates the neural networks associated with other languages they know.
**The Fiat 126 (called Maluch) was produced in Bielsko-Bia?a in Poland between 1973 and 2000 and instantly became Poland's most popular car. In 1971, there were just 17 cars per 1,000 inhabitants in Poland.
#bilingual #multilingual #language #congnitiveskills
#languages #mothertongue
Program Manager
7 个月It's fascinating how our brain deal with language. I too have multiple personalities and I love it! ??
??English to Norwegian localization specialist, AITI ???Crack the code to success in the Norwegian market.
7 个月This is very recognizable, Dominika Weston. There are also times where I believe I'm having a stroke.. Switching between English and Norwegian usually isn't a problem. However.. Most of the bigger MMORPGs out there (like World of Warcraft) aren't translated to more than a few languages. So you have people speaking the same language in the chat, and then throwing in the game terminology in English, but still using the syntax of their mother tongue. Sometimes it takes a second or two extra to process. ?? Not my main reason to choose gaming as the translation field closest to my heart, but one of them.
Translator-Interpreter, JP<>ES/EN // トリリンガル通訳翻訳者（日<>西/英)
7 个月When I read Maluch**, I first thought, "wow, that must be a type of Polish profanity". Lol. But I digress... I certainly have at least three personalities, depending on the language I'm speaking. But I think most monolinguals actually do too, we just have less shame about it because we can justify it. Lol
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7 个月Dominika Weston, I have always been fascinated and impressed by folks who fluently speak more than one language and seamlessly transition between the two. A YouTube channel I am subscribed to is called Feli From Germany. She was born and raised until University age in Munich but has been living mostly in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA since 2016. She produces videos about linguistic and cultural differences between Germany and the US and I find them to be quite intriguing. Unless you hear her speak German, you'd never know English is not her first language. ??