As far as I can remember, I've always had a strong interest in learning foreign languages. This particular interest of mine grew stronger from my late teens into my now mid-twenties. During that time I began to dabble in different languages. Those being Spanish, Arabic, American Sign Language, Mandarin Chinese, and French. “Dabble” is probably too generous of a word as it is no doubt obvious that no one could hope to master such a large number of diverse languages all at once. Still, I am proud that one language I did actively focus on was Spanish. Now mind you, I have not mastered the language, nor would I say that I am fluent. However if you drop me in the middle of Mexico, I'm knowledgeable enough to effectively communicate my way back home. Although Spanish is still difficult for me, to have come as far as I have, with no one to motivate me, save for myself, and with little or no assistance, I am very grateful of what I've accomplished thus far. I've progressed so much in fact that I am one of the few interpreters in my retail job, and the only one of which who was not raised into the language. This feat is mine alone to claim.
Still, I have my work cut out for me. As is common with most people studying a foreign tongue, I am able to understand Spanish more than I can successfully converse in it. Having a retail job challenges me almost daily to overcome this. Recently my occupation has asked our Spanish speaking employees to wear a label above our name tags to state that we speak Spanish. When presented this option, I admit that I froze with nervousness. I'm not entirely comfortable with my grasp of Spanish. But my hesitation was short lived as co-workers inspired me not to sell myself short. Many of them are impressed with the translation work I've done thus far and count on me for such tasks frequently. I affixed the label to my name tag accepting that from here on out, I have to work that much harder at competing this goal. So far, I've had plenty of practice.
