Lost in Transaltion : A life in a new language by Eva Hoffman, tells the story of young Ewa Wydra and her journey from Poland to a new country and a new language. Ewa later changed her name to Eva Hoffman.the book is divided in three parts: Paradise, Exile and The new world. According to the author, her family had to move to Vancouver, Canada in 1959 a place of which she din't know anything about but her family was looking for freedom after having endured World War 2. They were a jewish family. In the story, Ewa feels as if she is being janked out the place and country where she is so happy to be taken to one that only her parents know little of. Hoffman says that once in her new country she hates everything about it, the clothes girls wear, the way they sound, and the city, She finds no connection with the words that she new in Poland when she translates a word to polish, according to her they loose their meaning. The author says that in order to learn she has to practice and practice at home the sounds of the words. for example she has a lot of problems pronouncing the sounds for "th" or the simple letter "a" . According to her one should put the tongue between the teeth to do the sound of "th" however little words such as "cat" or "tap" give her the "most trouble", she says.
This is a fascinating book to read because for some of us who have had to migrate to a new country, new language, gives us the courage to continue and to never give up . It emphasizes that learning a new language is about practice and practice regardless of how hard one might find it. It connects to my own experience in learning English because i also went through the process of learning a new language different than my own. Although her story of coming to a new country is different than mine, I think that the process of learning has to be the same because the word sounds are different and therefore need to be practiced. I also felt frustrated with many words that thought were never going to be articulated by my vocal organs
After hearing your presentation i learned so much about Ewa and he struggle in assimilating into a culture she didnt want to be a part of at first.She seemed like a stroung young lady who just wasn't ready for the change the U.S had to offer. My question to you is when did Ewa decide she wanted to learn English?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great question! Well, Carlos....?
ReplyDeletethe sad thing is when people make you feel stupid and so bad if you can't pronouns some sounds "correctly". it is really a struggle for any immigrant family. I really liked your presentation and It really touched my heart since I am in the same boat with you and Ewa!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your re-telling of this woman's story. You paraphrased and said "she finds no connection with the words that she knew in Poland when she translates a word to polish, according to her they loose their meaning", which has a lot to do with the book that I am reading, which is Spoken Soul. The shortened version is that many Black Americans do not want to be consumed completely by Standard English, to the point in which the organic language is gone. It is stated that most things in Standard English would not carry the same emotions and culture that Spoken Soul does. Overall, I really enjoyed it! However, I do have a question. How has the book affected your own mentality on language?
ReplyDeletehi, Sasha
ReplyDeletewell, a friend gives her a dairy, so in order to write on it she decides that since she is in a different country and language, it wouldn't be fear to write in polish . That's the first time that she is writing something about her in english sentences. its actually really nice the way she explains it.
Eric, i just think that knowing a different language is the coolest thing that can happen to a person..i never imagined that i would be answering a question that a classmate asked me and that i clearly understood.. isnt that amazing!! Language is a bridge that we use to communite with other cultures just like yours and mine. i can say that i speak english with a mouth full of english words. To be honest , your language always interested me and now i love knowing your culture through it
ReplyDeleteHello Carlos~
ReplyDeleteI was interested your book because she is similar situation as me. I still feel shy to say in English. But she tried not to give up. It was impressive.
I wonder how she likes English.
Hey Carlos,
ReplyDeleteI like the story that you told about the author. It is very interesting. It is closely related to my own story too. I am currently facing the same language problem that the author did in her days. I am very good speaker of my language which is Nepali. Ever since I came to the United States this language does not work at all-niether in school, nor at work nor while I go for grocerry shopings. Even if I know a lot of the English language, the hard part is its pronunciation. I know I am talking correctly but the native speakers do not understand what I am talking about.
You said that the author has written so many volumes in English even though English was her second language that she was compelled to learn it only after she arrived in the US. Has she mentioned in the book how she eventually became so good in English? is there any easier way to lern to twist the tongue as a native speaker of English?
Carlos, I thought your presentation was really wonderful. You were summarizing someone else's journey in learning a new language, but how you spoke so eloquently the journey she had to go through, I could tell that you really connected to the struggles she had to suffer to learn a new language. From your presentation I learned so much about what it really is like to learn a different language and not only is it physically difficult but that it is also just as emotionally difficult, if not more so. My question to you is, from your own experience, I really want to know what the driving forces are that help you continue to learn a different language, even when it becomes very difficult?
ReplyDeleteHi,Cosette.
ReplyDeletemy experience in this country has a lot to do with the experience others have, no matter what country they come from. In the presentation i felt very emotional, i was not nervous but re telling the story was like talking about mine or anybody else's. The only force that drove me to learn english was the instinct of survival i think..there was no one who spoke spanish where i used to live(Herington,ks)i would be told that i spoke mexican because people there are like so different than the rest. i dindt blend in and when walking on main street i would get funny looks. it was strange !!!
Indra, Eva hoffman even today speaks with an accent but is amazing how eloquent her speech is.. I think one of the reasons why she became so good with words is because she studied english literature. She does mention in her book about practice and practice new sounds until she is able to articulate them.
ReplyDelete