Enjoy all of these A-Z Blog Challenge posts. Versión en Español se puede encontrar a continuación o haga clic aquí para ir allí. Haga clic en mí para saltar a la parte española. Also look forward to the Story Crossroads crowdsourcing campaign May 1, 2015.
“B” is for Bilingual Bridges.
I have a story. You have a story. We all have stories. -English
Tengo una historia. Tiene una historia. Todos tenemos historias. – Spanish
لي قصة . في قصة. علينا جميعا. -Arabic
У меня есть история. У вас есть история. Мы все рассказы. -Russian
我有一個故事。 你有一個故事。 我們所有的故事。-Chinese
Van egy történetem. Van egy történetem. Mindannyiunknak vannak történetei. -Hungarian
Thousands of languages grace this world. Some languages are heard while others are seen or felt. All languages are beautiful. We humans love to communicate and interact.
We face a choice when more than one language exists by or around us: embrace that language or avoid that language.
For the most part, people are kind and gracious. We go out of our way to help another when given the chance. The politeness instilled in our beings almost requires us to avoid any awkwardness of stumbling through another person’s language or risking miscommunication. So no communication is chosen rather than miscommunication.
Yet consider what more we could learn from each other if we take the risks, get messy, make mistakes, and come out in the end with a meaningful experience.
With Story Crossroads, we are willing to take risks.
The first grant we applied for was to help with translation services. In America, most events are presented in one language. America feels segregated when it comes to language. Of all the languages, Spanish is integrated the best. Even so, any concert or performance tends to be in one language: English. From the launch of the first Story Crossroads, we planned to have Spanish and American Sign Language translation services for our evening concerts. There will be a time when we will offer translation services during the day and during the night.
Csenge Zalka (see http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/) is a Hungarian storyteller who understands the bilingual bridges that can easily be merged with an event. She has attended and told at many storytelling festivals and events around the world including ones put on by FEST, the Federation of European Storytelling.
Csenge said, “Most European storytellers are bi- or multi-lingual.” She explained that FEST has multiple languages: English, Spanish, French, and German.
She said of another event she attended, “At the [storytelling] conference in Guadalajara, [Spain] two years ago, we all had [translation] headsets and there were three frequencies with live interpreters speaking into microphones in booths in the back.” She noted that the funding for those translation services came from European Union (EU).
Yet, in the United States, being fluent in another language besides English is rare. Csenge explained, “I think it is both a good and a bad thing for Americans. Bad because it comes with the reputation of ‘Americans don’t speak other languages,’ and good because if they do [speak other languages], you know they picked them because they were curious.”
She noted, “I think Americans have a different mentality about learning languages than most other cultures do. I know a lot of Americans who speak a second language, but for them it is a plus, a curiosity, something that they picked up because they were interested.” For other people where English is not their first language, it is a necessity.
The question is if Americans will be curious enough about other languages to sit through performances and waiting for the translations. Many story artists have not told in the United States due to events not budgeting translation services or thinking their audiences will not enjoy the experience so much. Csenge said, “They don’t think the audience would sit through a performance with translation.” She exclaimed, “I think they would.”
For Story Crossroads, we plan to use translation services from the launch on April 15-16, 2016. Though, even before that time, we will have blog posts In English and Spanish and include subtitles on our video clips so we can reach out to the Deaf Community. We aim to have translation services beyond the evening concerts in future years. When 2022 comes for the World Story Crossroads, then we will already have established a tradition of including many languages.
When Csenge learned of our plans, she said, “That would make Story Crossroads very unique, and much needed.” She added, “It would open up a whole new line of great foreign tellers for American audiences.”
So starts the building of our bilingual bridges. We encourage events everywhere to rise to the challenge and include more than one language. We will all be better for it.
Thank you to Csenge Zalka for giving permission to post her picture.
Aquí lo tiene.
Puentes Bilingüe
Rogamos disculpen esta traducción al español que hemos utilizado un software de traducción. Estamos en proceso de hacer que las personas ayudar a traducir estos A-Z Blog Desafío puestos, así como todas las demás entradas del blog.
Tengo una historia. Tiene una historia. Todos tenemos historias. – Español
I have a story. You have a story. We all have stories. -Inglés
لي قصة . في قصة . علينا جميعا . – Árabe
История У меня есть. История У вас есть. Мы все рассказы. -Ruso
我有一個故事。 你有一個故事。 我們所有的故事。 -China
Van egy történetem. Van egy történetem. Mindannyiunknak vannak történetei. – Húngaro
Miles de lenguas gracia este mundo. Algunas lenguas mientras que otros se ven o sienten. Todos los idiomas son hermosas. Nosotros, los seres humanos amor para comunicarse e interactuar.
Nos enfrentamos a una elección en la que más de una lengua existe por o alrededor de nosotros: abrazo que idioma o evitar ese lenguaje.
En la mayoría de los casos, la gente es amable y cortés. Salimos de nuestra manera de ayudar a otro cuando se les da la oportunidad. La cortesía ha infundido en nuestros seres casi nos obliga a evitar cualquier incomodidad de tropiezo a través de otra persona o arriesgar una mala comunicación. Así que nada de comunicación es elegido en lugar de comunicación.
Pero lo que más nos puede aprender de los demás si tomamos los riesgos, se enrede, cometer errores, y en el otro extremo con una experiencia significativa.
Historia de encrucijada, estamos dispuestos a asumir riesgos.
La primera beca, se aplica para ayudar con servicios de traducción. En los Estados Unidos, la mayoría de los eventos se presentan en un idioma. América se siente separarse cuando se trata de lenguaje. De todas las lenguas, el español es el mejor. Pero en todo caso, cualquier concierto o el rendimiento tiende a ser en un único idioma: el inglés. Desde el lanzamiento de la primera historia Encrucijada, teníamos previsto para que el español y el Lenguaje de Señas Americano servicios de traducción para nuestros conciertos. Habrá un momento en que nos ofrecerá servicios de traducción durante el día y durante la noche.
Zalka Csenge (http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/) es Húngaro narrador bilingüe que comprende los puentes que pueden combinarse fácilmente con un evento. Ha asistido y muchos cuentos en festivales y eventos en todo el mundo, incluyendo los de FEST, la Federación Europea de narración.
Csenge dijo: “La mayoría son narradores Europeos bi- o multi-lingual.” explicó que FEST ha nombrado idiomas varios: Inglés, Español, Francés y Alemán.
Ella dijo de otro evento, “En la narración] [conferencia en Guadalajara, [España] hace dos años, todos hemos tenido [traducción] auriculares y había tres frecuencias con intérpretes que dominan en los micrófonos en los stands en la parte de atrás.” Señaló que la financiación de los servicios de traducción provienen de la Unión Europea (UE).
Sin embargo, en los Estados Unidos, que se habla en otro idioma además del inglés es raro. Csenge explicó: “creo que es una buena y una mala cosa para los estadounidenses. Una lástima, porque se trata de la reputación de “Los americanos no hablan otros idiomas”, y bueno, porque si lo hacen [hablar otros idiomas], que te escogí porque estaban curiosos”.
La oradora señaló que “yo creo que los americanos tienen una mentalidad diferente sobre el aprendizaje de idiomas de la mayoría de las otras culturas. Sé que muchos de los americanos que hablan un segundo idioma, pero para ellos es un plus, una curiosidad, algo que se porque estaban interesados.” Para otras personas donde el inglés no es su primer idioma, es una necesidad.
La pregunta es si los americanos se lo suficientemente curioso sobre las otras lenguas para sentarse a través de representaciones y a la espera de las traducciones. Muchos artistas historia no contada en los Estados Unidos debido a los acontecimientos no presupuesto servicios de traducción o pensar que su público no disfrutar de la experiencia. Csenge dijo, “no creo que la audiencia pudiera sentarse a través de una performance de la traducción.” exclamó, “creo que sí”.
Historia de encrucijada, planeamos usar servicios de traducción desde el lanzamiento en 15 abril -16, 2016. Sin embargo, incluso antes de ese momento, tendremos entradas de blog en Inglés y Español, así como incluir los subtítulos de nuestros clips de vídeo para que podamos llegar a la comunidad de sordos. Nuestro objetivo es desarrollar servicios de traducción más allá de los conciertos nocturnos en los próximos años. En 2022 se pasa a la Historia Mundial Encrucijada, entonces ya ha establecido una tradición de muchos idiomas.
Cuando Csenge aprendido de nuestros planes, dijo ella, “Que haría Historia encrucijada muy singular, y la tan necesaria.” añadió, “que iba a abrir una nueva línea de cajeros extranjeros de gran público americano”.
Así se inicia la construcción de nuestro bilingüe puentes. Alentamos a los eventos en todas partes a la altura de las circunstancias y incluyen más de un idioma. Todos estaremos mejor.
Gracias a Csenge Zalka para dar permiso para publicar su imagen.
I wish they taught more than one language at the elementary school level here in the US. That is the age when kids can easily pick up languages, and it would make studying another language in high school so much easier. When I was twelve I had a pen pal from Norway who could speak and write perfect English, and I think she also spoke several other languages. I thought that was pretty impressive.
Some schools have Dual Immersion and different schools focus on different languages. We have one elementary school in the Jordan School District that does Portuguese. A few do Chinese. Most do Spanish. Though the majority of the School District is straight English. We need more opportunities to learn young.
My dad is Italian and I really wish he had tried harder to teach me the language, I am always a little envious (I know, not a nice trait, but there you go!) of people that speak more than one language 🙂
Is he still around to teach you. You could still have your chance!
This is so right on! Thanks for your work!
What Csenge is saying here is so true! – I’ve performed at a couple European storytelling festivals and the fluid interchange of languages while engaged in the structure and delight of storytelling is quite wonderful. At the Rome International Storytelling Festival I had the delight of working with interpreters while there. What made it truly joyful was that they made sure that the interpreters were also storytellers! – which they hadn’t done the Festival’s first year; they had had “just” fluent interpreters…and they learned from that-! I performed and taught at the Festival’s 2nd year, and to work with the storyteller-interpreters was a truly wonderful kind of tandem telling! 🙂
Working with interpreters is a delight, isn’t it? We want to bring that European mentality over to America. The mix of languages is better than a symphony.
I’ve given a lot of thought over many years about how Americans are comparatively “language-poor” (in terms of knowing more than one). My thoughts/feelings about it have evolved… I used to be quite self-righteous, dismissive and judgmental about Americans’ lack of curiosity or effort or comprehension-of-the-benefits, etc. However, just considering geography sheds some useful light: In Europe there’s almost no escaping exposure/involvement with other languages, as it’s “what they speak” mere minutes or a couple hours’ travel away, while here in the US you can drive for days…weeks…and the local language is still your own! I think that’s one huge factor that has contributed … We could have a huge US/North American storytelling festival drawing people from 3,000 miles away, and it’s a good bet that English is the individuals’ language; while in Europe it’s a very, very different geographic+lingual reality! People/storytellers HAVE to be open to, and preferably capable of, multi-lingual storytelling there! I’m making generalizations, of course (and a blog comment is a tiny format in which to explore this!), but I believe this to be a real and foundational difference when comparing US & Europe storytelling-event languages. I’m very much in favor of what I read here in your blog, but I also think of this big difference. Food for thought. Thanks again for your work and blog!
That’s what I tell people over here when the subject comes up, not as an excuse but as an explanation. Most of us never travel to another country because we can travel 3000 miles and still be in our own country. We can see enormous waterfalls, deserts, canyons, plains, mountain ranges and all sorts of things and never apply for a passport.
It’s wonderful and amazing, but a little sad, too, because we miss out on so much by not getting to interact with other cultures on their home ground. That said, when I traveled in Greece, I noticed the French tourists speaking to the Greek shopkeepers in English, so if we have to limit ourselves to a single language, I’m glad it’s English. Still, I wish I had dedicated more time to my German in college.
P.S. to my previous comment: Of course here in the US Spanish is uniquely growing as a second language in many areas, and that brings shifts to what I just posted…!
I am beginning to tell stories in both English and in German, and have told at events where my stories were translated into German. I did a storytelling workshop in Albania some years back and I worked with a translator there, too. It was quite an experience.
Most students here in Germany begin studying English in about 3rd grade. English is a mandatory language.
Auf Deutsch:
Ich habe etwas zu erzählen. Sie haben etwas zu erzählen. Wir alle haben etwas zu erzählen.
(My husband says this is better German than the simpler, “Ich habe eine Geschichte” which in this form suggests that you, I and all of us have A Past. Similar, but not quite the same.
We need to connect you with Holly Robison. She can tell stories in English and German. She lived in Germany for a couple years and brought all of that flavor and folklore back to the States. Email storycrossroads@gmail.com and we will share more.
I really wished I had learned a second language. I know a little of a few languages. But not enough to carry a conversation.
Not too late! Many libraries have free databases (through use of a library card) to learn languages such as MANGO Languages. You could have another language yet!
Powerful post – thank you. Languages came easy to us while living overseas as kids – Japanese, German, even Hawaiian but out of sight, out of mind when living here in Texas for over 40 years. I’m working on my Spanish right now and love this language- flows in verse and song!