The latest Census Canada results confirm the rise of foreign languages in Metro Vancouver and Canada, but even though North America is becoming increasingly multilingual there is no denying the power and influence which English still holds throughout the world. There is no doubt that English is the language which is going to enhance your confidence and participation in community life here, but interestingly it is also seen as a means to successful integration to urban social life in many other parts of the world. This is highlighted in a recent Bolly-wood production called English Vinglish. The main character, Shashi, a simple homemaker living in India, is married to a fluent, urbane and witty, English-speaking man. Her children are studying in English medium schools and are fluent in English themselves. Her inability to speak English downgrades her status within her own family where the daughter doesn’t want her to attend parent-teacher meetings and is embarrassed to introduce her to her friend’s modern parents. Shashi also feels dismissed by her husband and that further diminishes her own confidence as a person. You can see the hurt in her eyes every time the three most important people in her life – her husband, daughter and son – crack up at her accent. While the first part of the movie focuses on how modern Indian society judges her because of her lack of English skills, the second part is the story of her journey which takes her to North America. Shashi’s fear level is raised tenfold, when she has to travel alone all the way to New York to help her sister in advance preparation for her niece’s wedding. The movie depicts her challenges at every step starting from ordering food from the flight attendant to communicating with immigration officers upon arrival. Although she arrives to the warmth and care of her widowed sister’s loving household and finds instant respect for who she is, her joy doesn’t last long. Her confident college-going niece takes her to tour her school but leaves her to her own devices while she attends her class. Once Shashi finds herself alone, her confidence drops. A simple experience of ordering coffee at a café becomes a totally traumatic experience. She literally breaks out in sweat as she tries to comprehend the questions from an impatient cashier (what size, strength, etc.)while a huge lineup of irate customers builds behind her. She tries to communicate with the cashier through gestures and words. Much to her mortification, she is so shaken by the time she gets the coffee that she drop sit on some other people. She incurs a fair amount of wrath from everyone except another non-English speaker who comes to her aid. While she is sitting outside and trying to compose herself, she sees a sign on a bus for English classes. She quietly notes the number and the next day decides to stay alone at home. She musters up the courage to call the school and communicate her interest in learning the language. Her motivation leads her to navigate the subway system to reach the school where she meets other English learners. Unbeknownst to her family, she joins the short four-week course, where not only does she start to pick up some of the language but also a lot of confidence. Her classmates and teachers become her little community which makes her start to believe in herself again. At her niece’s wedding, she surprises everyone (her own family has joined by this time) by giving a toast to her niece in her slow, hesitant but steady English. The movie has a lot of resonance for many people who come to the Lower Mainland. Adults are sometimes hesitant to learn the new language because of the embarrassment of making mistakes in front of others. Once they see that English as Second Language classrooms tend to have very supportive environments, they start to pick up the language. So the message to non-English speakers: please don’t underestimate your own ability to learn English. There are plenty of opportunities and however much you can learn will only improve your life. And the distinct lesson for the English speakers: please don’t be insensitive or disrespectful to those who don’t know the language because youjust don’t know their struggles.
