Since I was young, one of my dreams was to be able to speak more than one language. I always felt motivated by the idea of being able to communicate with different people from around the world 😻. From what I can remember, throughout my childhood I was always intrigued by other cultures, and in my head I kept telling myself that the best way to get to know these cultures would be through learning their language. Without a doubt, language plays a big part in every culture; it is part of peoples' identity and soul. The first language I started learning, of course, was English. From the age of 6 or 7, I insisted on learning every aspect of English language. I first started by challenging myself through watching movies and animations in English without subtitles 😼. I would watch them over and over on my VCR player until I figured out by myself what the characters were saying. I kept on adding new words to my vocabulary and even picked up an American accent. Eventually, I was able to understand full conversations in English and reply back. Keep in mind that in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, English was not as popular or as necessary as it now is in the Gulf, so I really had to make an extra effort to learn the language.
LIKE SERIOUSLY 😀??????
Later on, in middle school, I discovered my passion for translation. I used to try and translate advertisements, posters, signs or any phrase I came across. It really bothered me 😾 when I would see a bad translation from English to Arabic, and I would always try to come up with a better translation that made more sense to me as an Arab. That's when it hit me: if I wanted to be a professional translator, then I would have to learn not only the language but also the culture. I figured that as long as I understood both the language and culture, I would not end up with a bad translation, just like the ones that used to bother me and even offend me at times.
RESPECT THE CULTURE!
Looking forward, one of my main goals after graduating from Qatar University will be to learn at least two new languages in one year 💪. I have been looking up places in Qatar that offer such classes. I found out that HBKU offers many languages classes such as French, Spanish, and even German. However, there is one challenge facing me, which is my culture’s customs. All of the language classes offered in Qatar that I know of are mixed gender, and it is not part of our customs to mix the men and women in one place. It is really annoying and frustrating 😤 to not have language classes available for women only, especially considering that they are taught in a country with such customs. Still, that is not going to stop me from moving towards fulfilling my dream, and I am going to find either classes that are only for women or a personal tutor.
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