Living Multilingualism: From Vietnamese to English to Japanese

I speak Vietnamese, English and Japanese; however, I do not consider myself trilingual.

My family immigrated to the United States from Vietnam. Until I entered primary school I spoke only in Vietnamese at home. As I entered primary school I was enrolled in ESL (English as a Second Language) classes so that I could learn separately from my peers without being overwhelmed. I learned how to write, speak, and read and became fluent in English. However, as a result I acquired skills in English that I never learned in my first language, Vietnamese. To this day, I speak Vietnamese quite well; however, I have limited writing and reading skills.

As I entered secondary school I had the option of studying Spanish, German or Japanese. While I studied Spanish in 7th and 8th grade, I chose to study Japanese in high school. My interest in Japan, its culture, language and people, has continued into my post-secondary education as I am currently minoring in Japanese. If I were to rank my speaking ability in the languages I know, the order would be English, Vietnamese, and then Japanese. If I were, however, to rank my linguistic capacity in terms of reading and writing, the order would be English, Japanese and then Vietnamese. I am not fully fluent in any language except English; however, despite my varied skill level, being able to speak each of these languages has opened doors for me.  Knowing three languages has allowed me to interact with different groups of people and has given me the courage to expand my horizons.

I have traveled to both Vietnam and Japan. I have family in Vietnam and am able to spend my time there comfortably, as I feel confident that I can communicate any questions I have. I also completed a 10-week internship in Japan where I spent each day excited for the next. I could not read all the kanji but I knew enough to get around, and again, I felt comfortable expressing any questions I had by simply reaching out. Language matters to me because even through the smallest interactions with different cultures I have found that I can better myself by opening up to new worlds. While this is a challenge, it is truly worthwhile.

About the Author: 

Nhi Tran is a fifth-year undergraduate student at UC Davis. She is double majoring in Human Development and International Relations, and minoring in Japanese. She wishes to teach English to speakers of other languages after completing her bachelors degree. She has taught English to 1st through 9th grade students in Japan and hopes to return soon.