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<\/a><\/p>\nI have a pet peeve. I hate when you’re watching a film or television program and two people speak English to each other, but only for the benefit of the audience. For instance, I literally had to stop watching\u00a0The Man in the High Castle<\/em>\u00a0after the Japanese guys spoke to each other in English – even when they were just by themselves! Why wouldn’t they just speak Japanese to each other?! It’s just lazy writing. They couldn’t be bothered to translate it. It takes me completely out of the story\u00a0– because usually, when two native speakers meet in a foreign country, they switch to their shared native tongue. They don’t just speak the local language for the benefit of a non-existent “audience.”<\/p>\n But ironically, as much as I dislike this trope on the big screen, I try to follow it in real life.<\/p>\n My French is fairly mediocre, which is why I know I’ve got a lot of practicing to do. So if I’m in France, having a chat, and I discover that the person I’m speaking to is also an American, I’m going to die a little inside. Chances are, we’ll switch to English, particularly if we’re both struggling with French. After all, language is like water: always looking to be level. In a group setting, we try to find the language that’s easiest for everyone to speak – that’s the point of learning a language, isn’t it? To communicate as fluidly as possible. But sometimes that means reverting\u00a0back to your native tongue.<\/p>\n So why does that bother me so much? It shouldn’t be a big deal. Another American probably isn’t my ideal language partner anyway, right? Better to learn straight from an actual Frenchperson, right?<\/p>\n
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