"Language Block" - what's that?

Writer's block: writ·er's block (rtrz)
n.
A usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue work on a piece of writing.

Noun 1. writer's block - an inability to write; "he had writer's block; the words wouldn't come"
mental block, block - an inability to remember or think of something you normally can do; often caused by emotional tension; "I knew his name perfectly well but I had a temporary block"

I live and function in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual society. The friends I see regularly converse in the following languages: English, Mandarin, Indonesian, Khmer, and Hokkien. My Facebook friends post stuff in English, Chinese, Indonesian, Khmer and Thai. I tend to post stuff in whatever language comes to mind first. If it's a quotation, I will post it in the original language with no translation. I noticed some of my friends "like" my posts even though they can't read or understand the post. I think Google Translate is their resource.

Writer's block is when the words just won't come. Mental block is when the mind goes blank. Have you experienced "language block"? That's my theory. Every now and then, I get "language block". I'm speaking in a language and suddenly, I can't think of the correct word in that language! Instead, the equivalent in another language is the 1st word that pops into my head! Now if my audience understands that language, I will use the word, instead of pausing to find the correct equivalent. This is why I find Debbie and Karen's invention of "Tinglish" so inspiring. I tend to talk that way now!

Interestingly enough, people who speak more than 1 language as a norm, would not find this confusing. I wonder why. Maybe our brains are more adept at switching languages than we think. I certainly don't get confused. In fact, I find life so much more interesting that way.

Language and culture are inextricably linked. A word in one language may not have any equivalent in another language. Some words and concepts just don't translate! My solution? Go learn a new language. Have some fun in the process. Make new friends. Learn a new culture.

Happy learning!

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