Language Barriers

June 17, 2016

Since I’m in a country where they also speak English, adjusting to the local tongue hasn’t been that hard. However, there are a few things that I get tripped up on.

The first thing that has gotten lost in translation is the difference between coffee and Americanos. On multiple occasions now I have attempted to get coffee and have received an Americano instead. This may not seem like a big deal, and it isn’t (I love Americanos), but I founded it interesting that here at many places coffee and Americanos are synonymous.

Another thing that was interesting was the us of the phrase “You alright” as a way to say “How are you?”. To us it seems almost like everyone here is very concerned for you ‘re well being, but they’re really just wondering how you’re doing. Multiple times I’ve responded with “Yes I’m fine” or “Yes I’m ok” instead of “I’m good, how are you” which has resulted in many weird looks and confused faces.

Written By

Rae Akinsanya

One of my goals for my time here at Northeastern is to gain a minor in Communication Studies. I feel like that second minor combined with my International Business (Marketing Concentration) major and Spanish minor will put me in the best position to reach my long term career goals of being a Social Media Marketer for a corporation. I couldn’t think of a better way to connect my minor in Communications to my major than completing some of the elective requirements in a global setting. During our time in London and Scotland, we will have a chance to direct and produce a documentary. Personally I hope to make a film that is not only visually professional and interesting, but a film that makes others think. Additionally, I want to fully immerse myself in the subject matter my group chooses. I think that some of the best films are the ones where the director attempts to get into the head or setting of their topic. Through producing a film abroad, I feel we would be in a unique position to not only try and visualize our subject matter, but also actually go to the places that some of these events took place.