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Lost in Translation in the 21st Century
On slowly losing my native tongue and getting it back
In my 20+ years of living in America, there is one question that I’ve been asked the most, which is, “Were you born here?” Here, the person gestures without gesturing, designates America, or specifically where I live, Oregon. I tell them, “No, I was born in Vietnam.” The person would always respond with a look of amazement. Their eyes light up and become wide. “Wow, you speak such good English! You don’t have an accent at all!” to which I’d reply, “Thanks.” The conversation would inevitably roll into the next question, which is, “When did you come to America?” to which I’d reply, “When I was ten.”
I find this particular question odd. Instead of asking me, “Is English your first language?” to which the answer is “No,” one can reasonably assume that I was born either in America or in another country, and if that’s the case, then I’m just part of the melting pot that made up this country. But the question, “Were you born here?” with the same answer (“No”) indicates that the person has already assumed I wasn’t born in America.
What if I was born in America? I thought to myself. Would I still speak the same way? How would I do with a second language? To place one’s identity and language ability solely on where they were born rather than what…
