Belatedly bilingual

                                                                        [Fern tongue*]

Like many immigrants and translators, I became bilingual as a result of life, not education. In the latter case, people learn two or more languages in school and use them at home or in the street, creating a strong base of both languages in the mind. On the other hand, those who acquired this skill later in life moved to another country, spoke the second language at home with a partner, maybe raising children in that language, and, most importantly, worked and socialized with people in that second language. Thus, the adopted language was superimposed on the mother tongue.

I can claim at least three generations of wandering Jews in my family, all who became bilingual. My maternal grandmother immigrated from Poland to France, then to Canada and finally to the United States. She spoke French, Yiddish and English, all quite well. My mother immigrated to the United States in the early 1950’s from France with no English at all. Some 70 years later, her English is quite good. I moved to Israel 30 years ago and fully function in Hebrew. Thus, on this subjective and limited sample, I can make several generalizations on the war of the words between L1 and L2.

                                                                        

It is clear that the acquired language never reaches the level of the mother tongue. First, certain syntactical errors never disappear, especially with prepositions, which vary by language and defy logic. See the Ziva effect in NCIS.  For certain words, pronunciation is problematical either because it involves a difficult sound, such the English th or Hebrew and Arabic voiced ch, or the word in both languages is so close but not quite the same either in terms of a letter or accented syllable. Finally and most annoying, it becomes frustratingly difficult to form a sentence or remember a word when tired or under stress. Suddenly, it becomes impossible to say what you want to mean even though normally there would be no problem because the brain is not functioning properly at a given moment. The second language almost never becomes as accurate and natural as the mother tongue.

This deficiency has several annoying results. First, people often believe that your accent and apparent language deficiency means that you are stupid and treat you as such. The reality may be that your knowledge of their language may be far superior to theirs but rien à faire, as they French would say, i.e., there is nothing to be done about it. Also, due to the fact that adult emigres never studied in school, their writing skills are probably below the level of other language skills. This means that there is a tendency to ask native speakers to handle important writing tasks. Thirdly, depending on options, other family members tend to handle the administrative telephone tasks that are so part of daily life, including discussions with the various utilities, municipal functions and tradespeople. These “blind” conversations are simply less stressful for them. Also, curiously, phrasing from the acquired language start entering the mother tongue over time, creating the unpleasant situation that a person speaks neither of the language completely properly. As my grandmother and mother would say, in terms of perfect language, you are nisht ahin, nisht aherr, neither here nor there.

In fact, despite the ridicule from friends and family, being bilingual is an enriching experience. Learning and applying any new language opens the world to more people in terms of millions. Knowing Spanish alone allows direct communication with almost 500 million people. The language also opens up a new culture, which includes tastes, ceremonies and beliefs. It is amazing how different weddings can be. Most importantly, it opens the eyes to different and maybe better ways of living life. Just as people do not have to live exactly how their parents lived, nor do people have to live as the society in which they were born defines as normal. People have choice in almost all aspects of their lives. They often only need to be exposed to the options. Learning a second language at any age is the window to those opportunities. The world expands as we learn languages and gain access to cultures.

Thus, for those who have forgotten the foreign language they studied but still dream of moving abroad, it is never too late. People, especially children, may laugh at your mistakes but that is a small price for immersion in a completely different world several hours away by plane. If that is the dream, better late than never.

*For the sake of the blind, add picture captions. Picture care of pixabay: Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/adege-4994132/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=5133721">adege</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=5133721">Pixabay</a>

The Generation Gap –Social media and business mentality

                                                         [Old-style clock with pendulum*]

On a recent episode of Kobi and Lital, a docucomedy series in Israel examining various life issues, the two comedians, each around the age of 40, were given expert advice how to increase the number of their followers on Instagram. These experts were half their age or less. It was quite striking and entertaining to see not only how unfamiliar and incompetent the hosts were with new media forms such as TikTok and Instagram, but also note the gap in mentality between the two generations. This difference is also increasingly evident in the business world.

“Facebook is for old people” was a phrase repeated several times during the show. It is apparent that many younger people consider raising and responding to an issue in a written text, even a single picture, passé. The under-20 group values 30-second clips. For those that, to paraphrase the Genesis song, can’t dance and can’t sing and can’t invent a story every day, these media forms are very uncomfortable and almost inaccessible. Posting a daily story with trivial pictures with captions seems much ado about nothing for older people. The generation gap is clearly evident in the use of media.

This discrepancy in technology is partly a reflection of a difference in worldview. Almost 60, I grew up in a United States where the “I” was subordinated to the “we”. While children had individual needs, they were part of a class, family or team. This distancing from the ego was even reflected in writing where the use of the first-person singular form was discouraged, even forbidden in formal writing. As adults, it was generally we or the company that sold the product or provided a service even if it was a sole proprietorship. Even in autobiographies for conference program, it was accepted practice to use the 3^rd person singular form: John Doe has more than 30 years’ experience. By contrast, at least in Israel in 2020, children and young adults are encouraged to promote themselves. What is more shocking than the number of people that film themselves doing banal tasks is the number of people that watch them, to the tune of the hundreds of thousands, if not more. What my generation considered egocentric, even crass, is now proper self-esteem.

This change has already affected the business world. First, younger executives tend to feel less need to learn the ropes from older workers and wish to become entrepreneurs at an early age. Moreover, these business people under the age of 25 are native to most if not all of the current mass media forms and therefore comfortable with their use. By contrast, employees aged 40+ often struggle with the how and why of these same forms. Furthermore, many older workers find the blatant personal approach a bit too much and beyond their personal comfort zone. Age is becoming like East and West as Kipling would say.

The clock keeps on ticking, creating natural generation gaps. One omnipresent form of this change involves media use, not only in the technical details but also the raison d’etre of their use. In this sense, the world, including the business world, belongs to the youth.

* Always add a caption to pictures to allow full access to blind people. Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/hrohmann-848687/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=700874">Hans Rohmann</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=700874">Pixabay</a>

The Artful Dodger – From no-win to win-win on offers you can refuse

                                                                  [Black pebbles]

Freelancers live by projects, long-term and short-term, which almost always involve providing a price proposal. Unfortunately, many of these requests are irrelevant due to the task, scope, price, deadline or nature of the job. On the surface, it appears that these situations provide no real opportunity and are simply a waste of time and energy. However, with some lateral thinking and proper communication, any request for a proposal becomes a real opportunity.

The most objective reason for not being able to take on a project is the lack of appropriate skills. Professionals know that discretion is the better part of valor, i.e., if you cannot do it right, don’t do it. So, freelancers faced with requests beyond their skill set tend to write polite refusal notes, hopefully explaining that the task is not in their realm of skill. However, since the requesting party has your undivided attention, it is a great opportunity to market your actual specialty. It is quite possible that the people reading it or any of their friends and acquaintances may need those services now or in the future. This request, however irrelevant, is an ideal opportunity to market as it is requested, does not cost a penny and allows freelancers to express their uniqueness to an attentive audience. Not only that, if you can refer another freelancer with the required skills, the reference will create a wave of goodwill for all parties, which may bear fruits in the future both from the prospective customer and the other professional. Thus, the presented opportunity for future business is just as important as the actual proposal.

In other cases, the requested proposals involve some elements that are beyond the scale or scope of the freelancer. In this case, an opportunity is still present. First, freelancers need to explain simply and clearly which aspects of the project are relevant to them. In regards to the other elements, a freelancer can offer to manage the project or have the potential customer handle the management. Again, if you can provide any referrals, it saves time for the customer and creates a future referral to you. Therefore, it is always good to be aware of professionals with complementary businesses. If the customer should opt for you to manage the project, the management fee provides supplementary income even if it does sometimes complicate life. With or without the management aspect, the freelancer creates a positive and professional impression.

The most common reason to dismiss a request for a bid, at least in translation, is the budget limits. It is often clear, explicitly or implicitly, that each of the parties is on a different planet in terms of price. There is a natural tendency to laugh or scowl and then ignore the request. Even this bottom-fisher type of request is a marketing opportunity. It is worth answering and even preparing a template that states your rate, justifies it in terms of the quality of your work, suggests that it may be possible to collaborate on a small project in the future where the price difference may be less meaningful, and plants in the mind of the customer the idea that you are the person if they need your special set of skills in the future and have an appropriate budget. It is quite probable that no immediate project will arise but business success is a matter of both the quantity and quality of marketing exposure.

In many projects, the major problem is the deadline.  As too many businesses do not or cannot plan ahead, they find themselves needing to outsource a task at the last minute. Here, the freelaner faces a dilemma. This request for a bid is an actual, even quite profitable opportunity. On the other hand, it carried great potential for short-term and long-term disaster in terms of work effort and poor quality. To avoid the danger, it is necessary to carefully consider whether the project can be properly executed within the allotted time. If so, the freelancer can and should add a hefty rush fee to justify the extreme effort. If not, the reply should include a realistic deadline that reflects the time required to provide a professional result. Curiously enough, the deadline is frequently not as firm as it was stated. Therefore, either the potential clients adjust their deadline or refuse the offer this time. The freelancer wins in all cases as maintaining a reputation is as important as gaining a project. Furthermore, the professional approach may bear fruit in the future.

An emotional reason to avoid a project is the unpleasant nature of the work itself. Just because a given task is part of the job description and within the skill set does not make it attractive and tempting. Every profession has its “dark side” of time-consuming and boring tasks. At certain times, freelancers simply “don’t feel like” doing them. In terms of business, this is often a poor choice but even freelancers are human. One way to alter the situation is to offer a price that takes the drudgery into account, i.e., provide a high quote. In such a case, freelancers win regardless of the result as if the bid is refused, a better job will come soon, while, if accepted, a handful of sugar (money) makes the medicine (job) go down, to paraphrase Mary Poppins. Just ask plumbers how much money they take to handle blocked piping from the toilet. Thus, unpleasant work creates an opportunity for higher pay.

In the famous story about lateral thinking, a girl facing the choice of two black pebbles changes a no-win situation to 100% probability of a positive result. Likewise, even faced with completely irrelevant project proposals, it is possible and desirable to answer and gain from them. As Mr. Buffet has often explained, opportunity comes to those who seek it.

*Label all images in order to allow blind people to access your blog.  All pictures via the pixiebay site.

Up and Engagė in Paris and Washington

                                                             [person facing a heavy wind*]

Words often taken on a wide variety of meanings and applications. Thus, their actual usage and frequency generally varies from language to langauge. For example, the verb to engage is a powerful verb both in English and French but is more common in French due to its importance in the political culture.

The dictionary definitions mainly mention its financial or mechanical aspects. Webster’s English Dictionary defines engage as the actions of offering, supporting, entangling, securing a financial instrument and operating with the past participle referring to the announcement of a future wedding. Little Bob (Le Petit Robert) mentions pawning, promising, activating and securing. The idea is that to engage is take an active step, whether in terms of money or action.

Beyond those technical acts, the French have a long tradition of being engagé, i.e., their cultural leaders being actively involved in ideological or political matters. The tradition dates from the time writers achieved independence from the Church. Voltaire advocated enlightenment ideas and vegetarianism (no connection), albeit from the safety of Prussia. Later, Emile Zola wrote J’accuse to protest the actions of the French military in the Dreyfus affair and Jean Paul Sartre actively challenged proper bourgeois thought. The right has had its share of active ideologs, including Louis Ferdinand Céline and Pierre Drieu La Rochelle. Some were even elected to the Academie Francaise, the elite club of French writers, both before and after World War II. Of course, singers have also expressed their opinion, generally anti-war, such as  Jacques Brel, who sang La Columbe (the Dove) against the War in Algeria, and Jean Ferrat, Un air de liberté, against the Vietnam War, not to mention Miss Maggie by Renaut Even if many people disagreed with their stance, their political activism added to their status as they were perceived as contributing to society and acting as leaders. An “unengaged” artist is in some way not fully contributing.

By contrast, being politically involved in the United States, the English equivalent of the French engagé, is a risky path to take. For example, Mohammed Ali and Colin Kaepernick paid heavy prices, the loss of freedom and career respectively, for their courage in standing up to the establishment. Many dispurged the Woody Guthrie as a communist due to his politcally pungent songs about the effects of the great depression of the 1930's Certain radio stations did not play the songs of anti-war singers such as Bob Dylan, famous for the answer is blowing in the wind, and Joni Mitchell, who sang Fiddlesand drums. Not only are American celebrities cautious about expressing their political opinions, in retrospect they are not especially appreciated for candor. The actors George C. Scott and Marlon Brando are not any more esteemed today for having refused their Oscars as a political statement. It is no wonder that James Lebron is very cautious in his support of Black Lives Matter. To paraphrase the French term for a dumb blond, play a sport or sing songs but shut up.

England has a long tradition of writers with strong political opinions. Rudyard Kipling was a staunch imperialist to the bitter end of the empire while George Orwell was a critical socialist. Musicians have taken stances. Even the Beatles criticized American involvement in the Vietnam War. Yet, they neither lost nor benefited from their activism. Their opinions are mere side notes to their achievements much like Dostoevsky’s rabid antisemitism does not distract from his reputation as a writer.

Curiously, in some Arab countries, such as Egypt, political expression by intellectuals tends to be of the nationalist variety. The reason is historical. When the Turks started to allow Arabic language teaching and publications, the right to speak Arabic and be a nation were radical thoughts. This nationalistic tendency is still evident and even encouraged by governments. So, many other countries also have a tradition, albeit limited in numbers and direction, of political engagement by its intellectuals.

Worldwide, drivers engage their gears while financiers engage their money without fear of their political future. However, most of the world, cultural leaders become engagé in political causes at great immediate and long-term risk, especially in the United States. However, in France, going against the wind is almost an obligation for any cultural icon that wants to be considered serious.

*Always add a caption to pictures to allow blind people to enjoy posts.

Picture credit: Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/Anemone123-2637160/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=3322112">Anemone123</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=3322112">Pixabay</a>