Interpreting services agencies find that multilinguals often discuss a phenomenon where people say they sound, or even talk and act, differently when speaking a second (or third, fourth, etc) language. A Czech proverb says, “Learn a new language and get a new soul.” Even if it’s not so deep as that, is it really true that you have different personalities for the languages you speak?
Interpreting Services Firms Find that if You Speak a New Language, You’re Participate in its Social Norms
The short answer to this question is no. Consecutive interpreting and translation services companies find that translators are not actually developing new personalities with each language they learn. In fact, they’re just using the values, social norms, and even verbal tics that each language inherently has. It’s not a new personality, so much as the speaker is just participating in the social nuances that a vernacular is already steeped in. For instance, when witnessing Russian interpreting services, you might hear a speaker sound more boisterous and gregarious when speaking English. Meanwhile, when they speak Russian, they will likely sound quieter, perhaps more reserved and conservative. This isn’t about the interpreter having different accents. It’s about the fact that English is often spoken loudly, by friendly, outgoing Americans. Meanwhile Russian is often spoken quietly, by reserved Russians.
Interpreting Services Companies Note that Speaking a New Language Makes You Sound Less Confident (Because You are)
Some multilinguals will say they’re more timid and less confident in their second (or third, fourth, etc) languages. This isn’t really about becoming a new version of yourself when you’re going from, say English to German, or English to Chinese. What’s often happening is that a speaker actually is less confident in their speaking ability in their non-native dialect. Even if they’re confident now in their speaking ability and can conduct, say, Chinese interpreting like a pro, they may still sound more timorous in Chinese. This is because they still carry the old associations of feelings of inadequacy in this tongue as they initially learned it. It’s a subconscious effect, not a new personality.
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Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
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