Culture Hidden in Language

The Article that I chose was titled : 'Lost in Translation' by Lera Boroditsky. This article is about the relationship between language and culture and how it affects how we think and do things differently because of our language. This article was very insightful by giving different examples of why we think or do things differently because of the language we speak. One of the examples they gave was about the story of Humpty Dumpty and how cultures may have to translate the story in a different way to be understood by those who speak different languages. It was very interesting to see the different examples of verbs having to be used to just explain 'Humpty Dumpty sat on a...". I had never really though about how different a story could be when translated, and by that I mean the story is the same but because it is translated to be understood by a certain language it could be interpreted differently and just sound different all together. Another point that struck out to me was " they inadvertently also learn a new way of looking at the world"(when learning a language), I related this to myself since I am bilingual and speak 2 languages fluently (English and Spanish; learning French[4yrs] and Japanese[1 1/2]). I would have to agree with this statement because since I have the knowledge of different languages I tend to indulge myself into the culture of the Language where it is spoken. Once I have some knowledge of the cultures it gives me an insight of how different we view and do things differently. For example, in Japan when meeting people you bow as a sign of respect, where as in America you don't bow but instead you could handshake and just say hello.
Another statement that the article mentioned was "When bilingual people switch from one language to another they start thinking differently.." and as a bilingual person myself I would have to say it's not entirely true. Yes, you learn how native speakers think and gives you knowledge of the culture and how things are but I think it also depends on the environment you are in. For example, if I was in Japan and I was speaking English to a native speaker there, I wouldn't start to think differently because of the fact I am in Japan (even if I'm speaking English) and they have different rules like I had mentioned before with the Bowing. This again could be a another example; If I am meeting someone in Japan for some kind of business I would bow and greet them and if by chance they spoke English to me I would still bow to them because that is their custom there and even if I switched to speaking English I would still do customs they have in Japan since I am there. Now back to what I was saying in the beginning of this, I just think that it depends in the situation given at the time that will distinguish how you think when switching Languages. This especially is true when learning a new language, it's easier if you think in the language you are learning than to think in your native language and then translate over to the language being learned. In general I love learning about different Languages and Cultures so I enjoyed reading this article and learning about their point of view they had about Language and Culture. This article had many more points not mentioned here so I would highly recommend this to others to read especially if you are interested in the connection/debate between Language and Culture.

Blog Introduction!

Hello! My name is Karen Gonzalez and I am 20yrs old.  I have many interests but one of them is Photography! I love photography, I mostly do night photography but I also just love experimenting with the camera. There are unlimited possibilities so I love trying new things, and not just with Photography but with my life itself. I'm a very active person so I love anything involving physical activities just as sports (tennis, soccer etc), hiking, yoga, and Pilates. Other interests would include music, travel, culture, cooking and the lists goes on and on! Though, I also love just staying at home and watching Netflix while indulging myself with food.   And if I'm not on Netflix, 99% of the time I will be on Pinterest! I love Pinterest, it has everything and anything I am looking for! I could be on there for hours and not get tired of it. Now for pet peeves, I don't really have any. I'm a very simple and accepting person so what others do don't really annoy me or bother me. Lastly, my goals for right now is to get my certificate in Japanese. Though that is not all I want to accomplish, for now it's my top priority. It's my stepping stone to the world of endless possibilities. Though I may not like it, I have to go one step at a time. Now, I will leave you with a song I have been obsessed with just recently since music is also something I am very passionate about. Crush- Don't Forget And well why not? Also this is a Korean song (Another fun fact: I love kpop!)