Lost in Translation: But Oooh So Cool

I absolutely love (and am utterly frustrated by) the challenges of trying to understand Hindi.

Needing to translate while a conversation is taking place is sometimes nearly impossible. I know that it takes tons and tons of times hearing a new word in a given language to actually know it.

I am also learning that Hindi is taking more effort than Spanish did. However there are several factors that I am sure are contributing to this. I will discuss them in a future post.

Every conversation I pick up a bit more…with the exception of days when I can’t understand a single word. I think trying to teach myself a language has been one of the most challenging and frustrating tasks I have ever taken on….

Well, maybe being an artist is the most challenging…Cool thing, I suppose, is that these challenges may be two of the most rewarding obstacles to overcome…so far, though I suppose neither has actually been overcome...

I Can Read Hindi!!!

This past semester I have really been challenging myself to learn some new things…a new language being one of them. For those of you who have never taught yourself a language or a new alphabet, it can be really frustrating because it just feels like you suck all the time…

I just went back and looked at one of the beginner lessons on a blog I have been using and it totally just made me feel good about myself.

I only had to look at the transliteration (English alphabet) for one letter and the rest was a piece of cake. So I can’t quite read a kids book yet, or understand much at all, or think quick enough to speak, but I have made some good progress…and knowing that I have made this progress helps to keep me going.

Be sure to check out my Art+ blog to see how Hindi (and Indian culture) is inspiring my artwork.