PART 3 · LESSON 25 OF 30 · 33 MINUTES

Talking Is How People Understand Each Other

Thursday on the delivery ward. Megan, from Ohio, came to Seville for a semester and stayed for Javi, who talks the way Seville talks, fast. She is in labour, she speaks about as much Spanish as Sarah did in her first month in Mexico, and when Sarah offers her English, she refuses. Sarah spends the day turning fast Spanish into slow Spanish, and a frightened whisper into words for Javi. At four, a boy, and Megan asks how Sarah learned. Offer and refuse a language - would you rather we spoke in English, in Spanish please, I want to learn - report a night - she hasn't slept a wink all night - translate for someone - don't worry, I'll translate it for you, what he's telling you is that he hasn't slept - say why you stayed - I came for a semester, and I stayed for him - tell someone what to do for a frightened person - we're going to listen to the baby's heart, hold her hand, and talk to her slowly - say what you understood - that I understood - and tell your own story in four sentences - I talked to everyone, slowly and badly, I got it wrong a thousand times, and one day, I stopped translating.

Audio instruction: English