“Your problem is that you’re still thinking in Portuguese.”
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard this phrase in my day-to-day life. It’s common for us international students to hear that our grammar and pronunciation mistakes are the fault of habits that we’ve picked up from speaking our native language.
But I don’t believe this is totally true. If so, it means that we have to accept the fact that we can do nothing to improve except be patient. This is one of the great factors that discourages international students, both at college and at work. After all, it’s impossible simply to stop thinking in our language.
So what should we do? The first thing is to understand that our difficulties with English grammar are the result of a lack of studying English, not a barrier generated by language. I studied four years of Portuguese grammar during my journalism degree. It was four years of great dedication and deep study in the language that led me to rarely make grammatical mistakes. Of course, I can’t expect myself to have the same performance now that I am writing my academic papers in English; after all, my time in Canada does not compare with years of dedication in Brazil.
In fact, I believe that international students have an excellent advantage when it comes to learning a new language. Most of us already have previous work or schooling experience that allows us to know exactly what we need to do to succeed.
Plus, to get here today, we overcame differences, distance, loneliness, and many challenges. Just as no knowledge comes without a lot of work, no deficiency is overcome with patience alone.
So I do not intend to stop thinking in Portuguese. I’m proud of being able to speak more than one language, of being able to laugh after every expression that I use that doesn’t exist in English. I’m also proud of learning from my mistakes, which include my grammatical errors (which will not last long). They represent another stage of my life that brings adventures and new challenges. I do intend to learn English and walk my way in Canada with the same willpower that made me leave my country. I am also proud to be living in another city, of having the courage to completely change my life, and of how well I’m doing here.
Maybe I can even say that I already feel a bit Canadian (with an accent) and I’m proud of that, too.