Writing in another language
One of the habits I have started this year is keeping a diary. The main purpose of this exercise is to improve my writing skills in Spanish, rather than recording the events of each day, as I know that my speaking skills are far superior to my writing skills at the moment. I set myself what seemed a low target of 100 words a day, and was surprised at how difficult this was, especially for the first week.
One of the most frustrating, and time consuming, difficulties has been struggling to find ways to express in Spanish something that is so simple for me to express in English. And through struggling with writing different types of ideas and sentence structures I have realised a key difference between speaking and writing in a language: when we speak with others who also speak the language, especially when it is their language, we can negotiate meaning with them, ask questions, and even experience them suggesting words we are trying to find or remember. When you sit alone in a room, especially when you don't have access to others who speak the language you are using, you are restricted to your own knowledge of the language. I find myself second guessing my own instincts in ways I never would in English, even though I may look for a more accurate word or phrase in English occasionally. (For some of my reflections on learning and using Spanish in conversation see this post on the importance of patience or this post about measuring language learning progress.)
Another reason for the difficulty, though, is the fact that my days are soaked in English - all my conversations are in English, everything I read or watch or hear is in English, unless I deliberately seek out opportunities to engage in another language. It is much easier to go from an experience in Spanish to writing about it in English than it is to go from an experience in English to writing about it in Spanish.
I look forward to reading back these early entries later in the year, especially when I have the opportunity to do more of daily life in Spanish, and seeing how much I have improved. I look forward to having a record of this year and the various activities I have enjoyed with my very young nieces and nephews, as well as with other family and friends. I look forward to being able to write emails, and even short stories in Spanish, feeling like I can express myself clearly when I write, as well as when I speak. And so I will persevere with my 100 words a day in Spanish, and increasingly challenge myself to write more of how I think and feel about what is happening. But for now, even a simple, uncomplicated record of the day is a good first step.
One of the most frustrating, and time consuming, difficulties has been struggling to find ways to express in Spanish something that is so simple for me to express in English. And through struggling with writing different types of ideas and sentence structures I have realised a key difference between speaking and writing in a language: when we speak with others who also speak the language, especially when it is their language, we can negotiate meaning with them, ask questions, and even experience them suggesting words we are trying to find or remember. When you sit alone in a room, especially when you don't have access to others who speak the language you are using, you are restricted to your own knowledge of the language. I find myself second guessing my own instincts in ways I never would in English, even though I may look for a more accurate word or phrase in English occasionally. (For some of my reflections on learning and using Spanish in conversation see this post on the importance of patience or this post about measuring language learning progress.)
Another reason for the difficulty, though, is the fact that my days are soaked in English - all my conversations are in English, everything I read or watch or hear is in English, unless I deliberately seek out opportunities to engage in another language. It is much easier to go from an experience in Spanish to writing about it in English than it is to go from an experience in English to writing about it in Spanish.
I look forward to reading back these early entries later in the year, especially when I have the opportunity to do more of daily life in Spanish, and seeing how much I have improved. I look forward to having a record of this year and the various activities I have enjoyed with my very young nieces and nephews, as well as with other family and friends. I look forward to being able to write emails, and even short stories in Spanish, feeling like I can express myself clearly when I write, as well as when I speak. And so I will persevere with my 100 words a day in Spanish, and increasingly challenge myself to write more of how I think and feel about what is happening. But for now, even a simple, uncomplicated record of the day is a good first step.
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