Writing in English to me has been a
very fruitful experience. It has been the approach to another way to think and
perceive the world around me.
Perhaps, the main difficulty I have
been through is to fit my “Spanish-shaped” way to think to the grammar, the
syntax and the English conventions for writing. When I’m trying to write in
English, a lot of ideas come quickly to my head; but the process of putting
them down in the paper, in another language, takes more time than I’d expect. This
is because I am often not able to “transpose” the codes and conventions to a
second language. I already see myself interfered by the way I think in Spanish.
To me, writing in English has been as
driving a car. In theory, I know how to start a car. I know what must be done
in order to make it advance. But it’s difficult to put it on practice. In English
writing, I have the ideas in my head, but it results difficult to write them
down.
It is the same in French; if
somewhat I feel the writing flows better in French than in English. Writing in French
is challenging basically in terms of the idiomatic expressions, but I found French
syntax more familiar.
But, despite the complications, something
must be said: having my metalinguistic abilities boosted has been a great
advantage about writing in other languages.
In order to dodge those difficulties,
I have been working on the development of “English thinking” and “French thinking”
by the usage of internet and other tools that provide me with the conventions I
need for writing.
Writing in Spanish is quite
different. It is my mother language. Moreover, because of my experience studying
History I have had to write a lot, including essays and reviews. This involves
the expression of complex ideas and concepts, in which I have done well. Writing
in Spanish to me is like having a deep conversation with myself. By the time I express
some ideas, I counter-argument in order to shape my discourse better. Besides,
when I am writing, I can feel the ideas emerging from my mind. Sometimes, ideas
I did not even know I had. Andrés Bolaño
Andres Felipe Acosta
ReplyDeleteIn your firs MWP I like how you explain Ideas and feelings about writing in a foreign language, also it’s very interesting how you give examples of the process you go through when trying to write in English. In my opinion the only thing I suggest to change is in the first two lines the “has been”, to clarify why is a “fruitful experience” for you; or maybe connect the “Writing in English to me has been a very fruitful experience” with “approach to another way to think and perceive the world around me” to get a better opening to your second part.
In your second MWP I like the way you explain what’s for you to write in different languages and the examples used, the only thing that I suggest is that when writing in English in my opinion it’s better sometimes to be more clear by simplify terms and vocabulary.