13 questions with sophomore Lucy Lin
Sophomore Lucy Lin has traveled back and forth from China for as long as she can remember. Most of her family resides in China, so she’s very knowledgeable about Chinese culture and language. Lin and her family celebrate Chinese holidays, like Chinese New Year. Lin said she will continue learning Asian culture and languages in the future.
- How many languages do you speak and what are they?
“I speak three fluently: English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.”
- Is it difficult to learn a language?
“It depends. I don’t think it’s that difficult. It is difficult if you’re learning it by yourself, though.”
- When did you learn English, Mandarin, and Cantonese?
“I don’t really know an age, but I grew up with all of them. I did have to relearn Mandarin when I was 5, though.”
- Is it difficult to switch between English and other languages?
“Not if you know it well enough.”
- How well do your parents speak English?
“Not very well. They know very minimal things and they can, for the most part, understand what someone’s trying to say. They’re only good at very simple English.”
- Is that problematic?
“A little bit, just because you expect your parents to know how to help you with things, but they can’t really do that here without knowing much English.”
- Do you ever have to help your parents with anything because they don’t speak much English?
“Yeah, I have to translate a bunch of bills and other notifications that are stuck to our door or mailed to us.”
- Does knowing multiple languages help you in places besides your home?
“I mean if I travel to other Asian countries, I can guess at what people are saying and I can figure out what I’m doing. A lot of the writing is similar, so it’s not hard to guess.”
- What are some advantages to knowing different languages?
“I’m not sure, but it’s cool. It could get a person a job as a translator.”
- Are there any disadvantages?
“I don’t think there are any, really.”
- What is one instance when knowing another language was beneficial?
“There was one time when I and my friends were at the zoo, and there were these ladies who were speaking Cantonese. They were complaining about us being loud, and it was funny because they were being really loud too.”
- How do you intend to use your knowledge of different languages to your advantage in the future?
“Well I want to learn more languages, because I want to travel. I want to experience cultures for myself, and not like I’m a tourist. Plus I think there are educational benefits, like scholarships.”
- Would you encourage others to learn another language?
“Yes, I mean why not? It’s cool, it could benefit you in the future. I think that you should learn languages that pertain to your culture.”
18kweisenborn@usd489.com
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