2. Being Asked to Say Something in _____ Language – Every single bilingual knows the struggle of growing up and having every classmate ask to say something. You’re forced to awkwardly stand there and say “apple”. As you get older, you learn to insult, and then just laugh as your classmates remain oblivious to the fact you just said they were “stinkier than a dog’s fart”.
3. People Pretend They Know How To Speak Your Language – Whatever language you speak, people will always try to say a word or two, usually hello, to prove they are just as cultured as you! About 40% of the time they mix up languages, like Japanese and Chinese, which just makes things awkward.
4. Being Asked to Translate Someones Name – Every bilingual is asked “How do you say my name in ___ (said language)?” Then we must proceed to explain to them that their name is just a name, and can’t be translated so easily.
5. Being Asked to Pronounce Names in History Books – Whenever your class is studying the history lesson that revolves around people of your culture, the teacher repeatedly stops, while reading, so you can fill in the names.
6. People Staring When You Talk With Your Parents – If you’re at a social function, or even talking to your parents on the phone, it seems like everyone stops to listen. Even when you’re with your friends, who have heard it a million times before, they all freeze and gawk over the fact they can’t understand you.
7. Gossiping… Whenever, Wherever! – The best part about being bilingual, is the fact you don’t have to secretly whisper about the smelly man on the side of the street, you can yell it to your mom and no one has any idea what you’re talking about.
8. The Movies – Watching movies in a different language and not having to read the Subtitles. I mean, come on, the subtitles hardly do it justice! There are just some things that can’t be translated.
9. Finding Other Bilingual Friends – Nothing makes you feel more at home than talking with a friend in a different language. The idea of a secret code makes your relationship much stronger. Plus, you can reach new levels of gossiping.
**No matter how much bilinguals complain, they are thankful for the lifestyle they get to call their own. This article was not intended to be discriminatory towards any demographic. We, bilinguals, love sharing our culture!
