Fast Company – Eric M. Ruiz
“There’s a Czech proverb that says, “As many languages you know, as many times you are a human being.” Like other multilingual speakers, I’ve often thought of myself as a different person whenever I speak a different language. But this feeling has less to do with the structure of the languages themselves than with the personal associations I have with each one. Until I started working at Waze, my use of Spanish was limited to home. So it’s always reminded me of warm meals, family time, soccer, and parties. My use of English, meanwhile, has been the de facto language of my professional life. I may feel like different people, but the reality is that I’m the same me, using different idioms depending on the context, and my associations flow from that experience–but not the other way around.”(more)