Getting started
"Quem não vê bem uma palavra
não pode ver bem uma alma"
Who doesn't see a word well
doesn't see a soul well
Fernando Pessoa (in A LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA, 1997:Assírio & Alvim)
I want to explore my world as a "privileged outsider" in Portugal, working in two languages. It's not so much the language itself that interests me, it's the worlds that those languages represent. English is my connection to the international academic and professional world and to my family. Portuguese is my connection to my day-to-day world, my friendships, my survival, my local knowledge. Both represent different and equally important aspects of my learning, my struggles and my alma.
In terms of language, English is my first language and Portuguese my second. As a child I spoke Swahili although I didn't have a clue how it was written nor any notion of the grammar. I did French up to A'level which helped me read and understand Moliére and other French literature, but I can hardly speak a word.
Now the first question is: Do I translate or not? If I do, how? How do I represent the words in different languages?
This is an exploratory blog, to try out what I do.
alma = soul
não pode ver bem uma alma"
Who doesn't see a word well
doesn't see a soul well
Fernando Pessoa (in A LÍNGUA PORTUGUESA, 1997:Assírio & Alvim)
I want to explore my world as a "privileged outsider" in Portugal, working in two languages. It's not so much the language itself that interests me, it's the worlds that those languages represent. English is my connection to the international academic and professional world and to my family. Portuguese is my connection to my day-to-day world, my friendships, my survival, my local knowledge. Both represent different and equally important aspects of my learning, my struggles and my alma.
In terms of language, English is my first language and Portuguese my second. As a child I spoke Swahili although I didn't have a clue how it was written nor any notion of the grammar. I did French up to A'level which helped me read and understand Moliére and other French literature, but I can hardly speak a word.
Now the first question is: Do I translate or not? If I do, how? How do I represent the words in different languages?
This is an exploratory blog, to try out what I do.
alma = soul
posted by bev trayner at 8/13/2004 10:41:00 AM
2 Comments:
Hey, Bev, welcome to the world of blogs, bloggers and blogging (three very interesting things!)
http://www.fullcirc.com/weblog/2004/08/em-duas-linguas-welcome-to-blogging.htm
May I please quote your words for my paper about bilingual identity? If you need more information, feel free to reach me through my blog.
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