[영어로 좀 말해주세요]의 의미는?
회사에서 일하면서 또는 사회생활하면서 정말 많이 받는 질문과 갑작스레 영어로 말해달라고 요구되는 상황이 나에겐 그다지 유쾌하지는 않다.
그들에게는 “영어를 잘하니 또는 ”잘할 것이라는 부러움과 기대 반“ 그리고 얼마나 네이티브 같은지를 확인하고 싶은 것 같다.
그러나 나는 나 혼자 영어로 말하는 게 아니라 차라리 영어로 대화하고 소통하는 게 좋다. 즉 동물원에 동물 쇼 구경처럼 내가 영어로 말하거나, 바로 통역기, 번역기처럼 영어 표현을 바로 물어볼 때는 나도 모르면 난감할 때가 있다.
나도 영어는 평생 숙제 같은 존재다. 매일 해도 나에겐 외국어이다. 난 한국인이니까.
When I meet new people or when people encountered me for the first time when I open the fact that I lived overseas for ten years, people’s reactions are always almost same and it goes with the same patterns or questions.
“Oh did you live in overseas? in the States? How long? And where?”
“Oh you must speak English very well like “natives” I want to hear you speak English”
“Say it!!”
“Or what do you say “— Korean expressions” in English? How do you say in English in these situations?”
And it keeps going on and on.
What’s the whole point of making someone speak English in front of other people?
It feels like I am being tested to qualify as to be considered a “native speaker” in their minds or just out of their curiosities or fun. Or some say they just want to hear me speak English so they can practice their English listening skills.
Okay, so why am I always one to feel like I am being tested or need to prove myself to me speaking English better than others? All the sudden I become the center of attention, and everyone in the room was looking at me and waiting me to speak English. And they will not move on to next topic until I say something in English. Yes, that is not comfortable situation.
To some extent, living ten years makes or is assumed to be a time long enough to become a “native speaker” to some expectations. I didn’t say I was. I just have lived long years in the States and those times and to be honest, my times living abroad became shorter than the times I have lived here now.
I hated when the same Korean people ask me to speak English when they are not even trying to ‘communicate’ with me together. They might just be envious and want to hear me say something in English instantly and move on to the next conversation topic.
Keeping language proficiency needs practice and consistency. I don’t know if I am just being too sensitive, but I don’t think I am not that fluent since I haven’t used English or spoken much since my work and living in Korea became longer. But without all that maybe what I need was to brag and speak English all the time to show off my English skills (which I cannot do with my personality), or just keep practicing speaking English and studying more.
