Reply to thread

I can certainly understand how frustrating it must be to constantly be "out of the loop" in the situations you describe.


It can be frustrating being the one doing the interpreting, sometimes, too.  Much of my family is from the Netherlands, Belgium and France.  I remember being a teenager, attending some family gatherings, and having to act as an amateur interpreter for various older relatives, interpreting between French,  Dutch/Flemish and English!  It was exhausting.  And of course,  the more I did it, the more it became expected of me.  It got to the point, though, that I wasn't able to enjoy these get-togethers (by spending any time with with my cousins and siblings that were closer to my own age),  because all the adults hogged me for interpreting duties! :P  And yet, I felt duty-bound to continue, because I didn't want anyone to feel left out.


It was really only a problem for the oldest generation.  These days, most of my relatives (in the younger generation) have a common language (English) they can use to communicate, when their native language isn't spoken by "the other side".


I've tried thinking what it would be like to sit in a room where everyone around me spoke the same language, but I didn't... and I don't know if I'd be able to last 2 hours!  I think it would feel VERY uncomfortable.  So, Shel, I don't blame you for feeling the way you felt about spending an entire day "boxed in".


Back
Top