The following scenario probably sounds familiar: it’s Monday morning at the office, and two colleagues are chatting about their weekend.
Colleague 1: Comment s’est passé ton week-end?
Colleague 2: Euh…bon…c’est bon. Euh…
Colleague 1: How was your weekend? What did you do?
Since we live in a country with two official languages, we might often find ourselves in bilingual conversations. However, our ability and fluency in a given language often dictate which language will end up dominating the conversation. In the example above, one person speaks both languages with relative ease, while the other person doesn’t.
Very often, the solution is to switch to the language in which both people are relatively fluent. Although switching languages can make communication faster, easier and more efficient, it prevents the person who’s less fluent from improving in the foreign language.
Switching languages: How does it make the other person feel?
The next time you’re having a conversation with someone whose first language isn’t your own, take a moment before switching languages. It sometimes takes patience to let someone keep on speaking when they’re hesitating and searching for their words. And it can even become uncomfortable for the person, and for you, to continue a conversation that isn’t flowing smoothly. But if you switch languages, the person might feel incompetent and might conclude that they don’t have what it takes to express themself properly. If the same thing happened again, that repeated experience could affect the person’s confidence and leave them feeling incapable of speaking the language, making it less and less likely that they’ll try again. So why not let the person speak, and encourage them instead!
Switching languages: How does it make you feel?
Don’t worry! If you’re speaking to someone and they switch languages, it doesn’t mean that you’re not good enough or that you’re impossible to understand. There’s more than one reason people switch languages. Yes, it could indicate a lack of tolerance or patience. Very often it's because the person detected your accent or noticed that you were struggling to speak the language. So they switch to the other language to be nice; they want to help!
Avoiding the switch
Here’s a tip: be proactive. For example, you could start the conversation by saying, “I’d like to speak to you in [insert language]. Could we continue our conversation in that language?” That way, your expectations are clear from the beginning.
Even if you’re at a very advanced level, there will always be people who switch languages. And whatever their reason for switching, you’re free to continue speaking in the language of your choice, just as they are. Also remember that speaking a foreign language takes a lot of courage. Don’t give up!
If you’ve never tried expressing yourself in a foreign language, why not take up the challenge! Choose a setting that will give you the opportunity to improve your skills. You could talk with a cashier at the grocery store, with your colleagues over the lunch hour or with a neighbour on a walk around your neighbourhood. If you’re feeling nervous, you can prepare for your conversation ahead of time by choosing some grammar concepts and vocabulary words to incorporate into the conversation. Pat yourself on the back for every small step you take; over time, your efforts will pay off!
