Language is more than just the spoken word between two people. Language conveys a whole cultural context and a way of life that is impossible to know unless one is a native to the country. This is why to become fluent in a language and understand its nuances is critical to understand native speakers on a consistent basis. Why is learning a language through textbooks so hard to do? Because it is done mostly out of cultural context. And once learnt, it is exponentially hard it is to remain fluent in a language without constant exposure to it.

My first language was not English. I was born in Mexico, where I was taught Spanish until I was 4 years old. At 5, my parents and I moved to Texas where I proceeded to learn English at an accelerated rate. By the age of six, I was fluent in both languages, but could only read and write in English. At the same time, I began to lose some of my Spanish fluency. The decline in my Spanish skills continued until I was 14 years old. At that point I could hardly translate from English to Spanish. My parents were concerned because they both knew how important it was to speak several languages in today's globalized world. My Spanish became so poor that I couldn't even remember how to say "salt", which is simply "sal" in Spanish.

Ironically enough, the solution came from an unexpected circumstance. I was sent to an international boarding school in India that had several Latin American students. Given my Latin heritage, I immediately bonded with the close group known as "The Mexicans". It was a small group of 13 Latin Americans and my new friends proved to be the salvation of my Spanish speaking skills, as well as giving me the opportunity to offer English to Spanish translation services or face certain extinction. When I first joined them they pointed out that that they would not so much as listen to me if I did not speak Spanish and they would not befriend me. Periodically, I would test them by speaking in English, but, true to their word, they would ignore me.

I spent two years at the school, and my main social language became Spanish, not English. Although I was not in a Spanish speaking country, I was able to learn the Mexican culture from a small group which actually made me more proficent in language translation. "The Mexicans" always celebrated the holidays from Mexico and they spoke in Mexican slang. Also, I noticed that the interactions between individuals were completely different in that culture as compared to the interactions between the American students. This proved to be an important insight. I became fluent in Spanish again, allowing me to understand certain cultural messages, and it made me feel good.

Looking back, I can remember the exact day I regained my fluency. One night, I began talking in my sleep. My roommate woke me up to stop me from talking and he asked me, "Why are you speaking in Spanish?" It became clear at that moment that fluency means to think in another language without translating. That's exactly what happened to me that night.

When I traveled to Mexico later that summer, I was right at ease. True to form, "The Mexicans" acted exactly how everyone in Mexico did. I could interact with people using their same expressions and feelings, and I blended in. Looking back on that trip, I felt like the whole country was just one big group that could be labeled "The Mexicans".

Language Translation Services is based in Austin TX, that works with business translations, certified translations and document translations, serving companies all over the USA, including Houston, TX, Dallas, TX and San Antonio, TX.

Our translation firm services the following locations in Texas: Dallas TX Dayton TX Deer Park TX Del Rio TX Del Valle TX Denison TX Desoto TX Dickinson TX Donna TX Dumas TX Duncanville TX Eagle Pass TX Edinburg TX El Campo TX El Paso TX Ennis TX Euless TX Floresville TX Flower Mound TX Fort Worth TX Friendswood TX Frisco TX Galveston TX Garland TX Gatesville TX Georgetown TX Gilmer TX Granbury TX Grand Prairie TX Grapevine TX Greenville TX Groves TX Haltom City TX Harker Heights TX Harlingen TX Henderson TX Houston TX Humble TX Humble TX Hurst TX Irving TX Jacksonville TX Joshua TX Katy TX Kaufman TX Keller TX Kerrville TX Kerrville TX Kilgore TX Killeen TX Kingsville TX Kyle TX