Encouraging learning

Lost in Translation

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The importance of learning foreign languages isn’t as prominent anymore, as it once was. Perhaps living in Australia and being geographically isolated is a reason for foreign languages not having the same emphasis, as those living closer to other countries. However, I have heard a number of children raised in Australia who had migrant parents, myself included, who were never taught their parents’ first language growing up. I have heard before that a number of people have abandoned their parents’ first language or weren’t taught it in the first place because many were bullied for it, which is another issue. Whilst the bullying component was not my personal experience, the conversation tended to be how it may not be as useful as it’s a niche language or for some people they heard how they’re living in Australia so they will be speaking English anyway. Whilst I understand this logic I feel as though the value or any foreign language is immense and contributes to enhanced emotional intelligence. Whether the foreign languages learned in childhood years are utilised whilst grown up, there is so much within a language that is lost when no longer spoken; understanding culture and meaning within language dissolves. Being able to speak any other language can make someone more culturally and linguistically sensitive and respectful to local people whilst travelling or living abroad, to the country where the language is spoken, or with migrants who speak that language. When languages are translated there is a significant amount of meaning which can be lost. To successfully translate foreign languages requires meticulous education, training and application. The literal translation of foreign languages does not come close to understanding the meaning of what has been written or spoken. When trying to implement feedback mechanisms within a humanitarian or international development context, there definitely can be challenges when trying to use specific language to ensure that people utilise the feedback mechanisms put in place, and accurate data and information is collected. Some terms and words which are quite common in English and in Western countries may not translate in the same way and have meaning. Some systems then end up becoming redundant because the relevance of it does not appear to apply. There are some systems which do apply but they have not used contextually specific language to translate meaning effectively, as to their purpose and function within the community. There may be more of a move to investing in foreign languages or at least passing on languages learned over the course of someone’s life, to children. From speaking to a number of people who have had migrant parents, who didn’t learn their parents’ first language growing up and are now are doing so have recognised the value in it and what they missed out on. It makes it a lot simpler to invest in a skill like understanding foreign languages from a young age when the children absorb everything so much easier than to try and do so as an adult.

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Arts Activism

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I don’t have a very moving or profound story about how I managed to get into the humanitarian sector for work. I tried to pin point certain periods in life when I experienced injustice but upon reflection it was clear that it wasn’t any of those experiences. There are many people who work in the charity sector and within these significant global institutions like the United Nations who have much more profound and respectable stories of how they got to their place. To put my experience simply, as to how I became interested in human rights and international affairs, stemmed from being required to read a book for English class in year eight called ‘Parvana’. The story is about a young girl living in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban. She is forced to cut her hair to look like a boy so that she can sell products on the street to provide for her family. This is definitely where my interest in Afghanistan was ignited and I developed a greater interest in world affairs. I started watching the news more and made a conscious effort to understand history and war. Typically, I was saddened and appalled at what goes on in the world and was inspired to make contributions and efforts in order to combat these injustices. I am aware that when a book tells a story or when a film displays a portrayal of historical/current events then things can be dramatised and at times false. However, I believe that these sorts of platforms are excellent places to start discussions and inform about critical issues around the world and at local levels of society. I see the documentaries which Inspireflix creates in order to share stories and experiences about what people have gone through and overcome. I think that these documentaries and stories provide a clearer insight into genuine human experiences as well as being another medium for sharing and informing people about experiences and challenges which many people wouldn’t have ever considered. I understand that there are a number of ways to learn and engage in self-development. Many would say that travel is the best way to learn and experience other cultures. However, I don’t necessarily agree with this especially when some people just flock to tourist hubs. I believe that learning a lot about other people, challenges and cross-roads are a fundamental part of self-development, empathy and enhancing emotional intelligence. So when I hear people tell me “oh it’s just a movie”, I couldn’t disagree more. I am very involved in the films and TV I watch as well as the books I read. I don’t see them as just form of entertainment or creative expression, where both are relevant, but they are also something very deep for us to connect to, appreciate, understand and learn from. For people to be more involved in the creative arts in this way to enhance their social learning and awareness would be an ideal. I think that the work Inspireflix does in order to share personal and unique stories about real people is a very moving and honourable contribution to society.

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Preach Teacher

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There’s often a lack of appreciation when it comes to teachers and what they bring to people’s lives. There are many instances where teachers are abused, harassed or ignored by students, which I remember seeing all throughout school. Sometimes I would look at a teacher and see how drained and fed up they were. In hindsight I don’t know how many of the teachers from high school put up with some of the things which they did. It now makes sense as to why many were withdrawn and not as invested in the learning, teaching and guiding of their students. This is a shame as the role of a teacher is so important in people’s lives. It’s special when teachers come into students’ lives every now and then and really leave that lasting positive imprint. The value and impact of a passionate teacher can be lifechanging. I’ve been thinking back to the teachers which I’ve had over the years and a few come to mind, who genuinely supported me and who tried to help me when I couldn’t comprehend concepts as easily as other students. I wasn’t someone who was naturally academic and excelled in school. Especially in high school I hit a lot of roadblocks. I did try to seek out help from my teachers when it came to my senior years, but I often felt dismissed so I left it. I did develop a pretty poor attitude and didn’t invest as much in school as I should of. I gave up a bit and accepted it as just how it is. I understand that it must be tough to be a teacher and sometimes if a student comes to the teacher and they don’t know how to support them, then it can result in a bit of a stalemate with the student’s learning. I’ve found learning languages to be pretty challenging, more than most people. This year I started to learn Swedish which has been exciting and challenging. I have a teacher who has been incredibly supportive and who has never condemned me for not being able to understand things at the same pace as everyone else. My teacher has taken the time to repeat and explains things in other ways. This may sound basic but in many instances I have been told that I will understand and that will all be ok, which is lovely but not helpful. I am someone who does require more time and space to be able to ask questions and learn in a different way, for some subjects and areas of study. When I fell behind in French in high school I remember hardly completing one of my exams because I didn’t know anything. I tried learning independently but this was something which I really needed support with. The feeling of incompetence and not being able to move forward past a certain point with French was really crushing. I was hesitant when I started learning Swedish and when I experienced challenges my teacher provided such support and encouragement for how I was learning and for how I will improve. From this experience I’ve felt lots of hope and motivation to apply myself more and in different ways. The difference which having a passionate and willing teacher has made on my life to be able to pursue and learn new things for self-development has been profound. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have the teacher I do.

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