Well, tonight I get to make a complete fool of myself in Spanish. While I’ve become quite adept at it in my own native English, this will be the culmination of three semesters of practiced effort.
It’s a stand-up, face the class presentation of our own choosing, and it was difficult for me to come up with an idea that not only is covered by the Spanish vocabulary I know so far, but to match that with a subject I could speak about for at least one minute. Although that minute may indeed be taken up by attempts at pronunciation and trying to roll my r’s, nyah my ñ’s, h my j’s, and totally lose my h’s. Thank goodness there are only a handful of students to laugh and snicker back at me.
What I’ve decided to do is carry a backup handout sheet so the class has some idea of what I’m saying, as well as using props to point to so that some words can be related to their meaning, rather than leaving everyone to guess what the hell I’m saying.
Amazingly, I find I have the same problems in Spanish as in English. I write the language much more articulately than I speak it.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology