Recently I travelled overseas to a country that is primarily a non English speaking democratic republic; Singapore, with a brief stint to Malaysia. It was an wonderful trip, but more importantly, it poignantly reminded me that the beautiful world we live in is filled with many, many rich and vibrant cultures that are quite different to the one that I usually reside in. Living in Australia, an island unto itself, is great - don't get me wrong, but we are quite literally separate from the rest of the world in a very unique way; we don't share a border with any other country.
Well sure, there are many other nations that are isolated by sea, but they enjoy a much shorter journey to be a part of a larger community and different countries. In fact, Australia is the only continent in the world to be occupied by a single nation!
Being an English speaking country, there is little need here to learn a second or third language as there is no border "just over there" to force us to do so. Sadly, in my opinion, this has made us comfortable and somewhat lazy when it comes to the fine art of communicating in the native language of other countries we may visit. We as English speakers take for granted that others will be able to speak our language. It borders on arrogance in some instances that I witnessed whilst abroad; shameful displays of self importance and frustration when those people were venting ire at being unable to get what they wanted due to a language barrier. They seemed to miss the clear and somehow obvious pointer that they were the "foreigner" and made no attempt whatsoever to participate in the culture of the country they were in! For me it was an astonishing reminder of the miniscule effort some people are willing to put in, for themselves and others.
But I digress...
The point that I wanted to make is this:
As human beings we are privileged to have the innate ability to convey our deepest thoughts and the most ethereal higher concepts in a profoundly unique manner; the written word.
Many other animals on the planet have the ability to communicate, there can be no doubt of that, dogs bark, cats purr, birds tweet and fish display colours as a means of informing others of their species what they are feeling or as a warning and so forth.
Humanity as a species is the only form of life that exists on our tiny blue planet that has the natural ability to write.
As I sit here tapping away at my keyboard, I am able to reach out to anywhere in the the world and convey the (often simple) thoughts that occupy my mind, the most amazing part is - I don't even need to be in the presence of the person who is reading it. That is the gift of the written word. From the humble street sign that most of us take for granted as visual clutter in our daily lives, to the touching and personal memoirs of a young girl named Anne Frank, the written word is able to transport any one of us to the thoughts, experiences and imaginings of billions of other people who make up our large extended family of humans. Quite a mind blowing thought!
My little jaunt out of my comfort zone was a fantastic way to get a verbal and visual "kick in the pants" to stop being so lazy! I do have a smattering of other languages, my French is passable, but other Eastern European languages I have attempted have been difficult to say the least! With translation services available online, it should be easier for the many different peoples of the world to begin a written dialogue, even if the spoken language remains elusive.
As an author, the reminder was a good omen for me...it made me think about the amazing possibility of being translated! Perhaps an unlikely possibility, but one well worth thinking about. The nuances of a language can only truly be appreciated by immersing ones self in it.
For now, I am content to practice my native language to the best of my ability, concentrating on the grammar and other pesky bits that I must pay attention to when inflicting my thoughts on a page, but I do enjoy when the wisdom of the universe reminds me what a genuine gift it is to have the written and spoken word and how it has shaped our species thus far.
I look forward to the future with baited breath and the highest hopes for all of us, that one day we will all appreciate that we are indeed the "people of Earth" and finally put an end to the bitter infighting of ninnies like a certain nut in North Korea who is hell bent on separatist xenophobic idiocy and war mongering. I live in hope of an actual "universal translator" that can be worn or carried like a mobile phone earpiece, allowing each of us to communicate effectively and considerately on a global scale. Until then, I will make the effort to at least try to understand those around me who are part of a culture different to my own.
Peace is as infectious as war, but it does require more effort on the part of each individual. Awareness is key, as well as a genuine desire to understand and to be understood with impartial equality.
Understanding is a vital precursor of peace, and this can be achieved in a small part by using the incredible power of language to broker the foundations.
The profound ability to use aural and written language has enabled our species to collectively explore the concepts of science and mathematics, to capture the beauty of intricate thought, experience and philosophy, and indeed to venture beyond our tiny planet with the desire to expand our understanding of the very nature of existence itself.
To conclude, I would like to ask....
How have you used the spoken and written word to reach out to others?
Comment avez-vous utilisé le mot parlé et écrit à aller vers les autres?
¿Cómo ha utilizado la palabra hablada y escrita para llegar a los otros?
どのように他の人に手を差し伸べるための話し言葉と書き言葉を使用している？
איך יש לך בשימוש מילה המדוברת ובכתב ללהושיט יד לאחרים?
Hvordan har du brugt det talte og skrevne ord for at nå ud til andre?
Bagaimana anda menggunakan perkataan yang dituturkan dan ditulis untuk mendekati orang lain?
Cén chaoi a bhfuil a d'úsáid tú an focal labhartha agus scríofa a bhaint amach do dhaoine eile?
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Katherine, thanks for passing on your inspiration! Communication, written or spoken is astounding in itself. Starting in the 600's, the English language has been on a journey to uniformity of spelling and meaning. In 1755 Samuel Johnson published a 'Dictionary of the English Language' which standardized English. So, English communication became uniform. It may become moot at some point, because as you say, we can communicate by having our blogs translated with the click of a button. I love interacting with folks from all over the world on Google+. May we all attempt to communicate better in whatever language we choose! Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI love English, it's such a mutt! A little bit of this and that. Some words in common use today still reflect the borrowed heritage. Don't get me started, fascinating topic! Thanks :)
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