partner: Ayaha
On the changes that I made:
The main changes I made for my final draft concerned alterations in word choice and verb tenses. I tried to change up my wording in parts where I thought I could incorporate active verbs without changing too much of the paragraph structure. I also added a few sentences near the start of my essay that helped clarify the meaning of some of my statements. For example, my peers had pointed out that the sentence at the start of the second paragraph had not made complete sense to them because I had not explicitly mentioned beforehand that my partner had been learning English at the same time too, though I had implied it in a sentence in the first paragraph. I went on to take out this ambiguous sentence and made the fact that she was also learning English at the time more clear by adding the sentence at the end of the first paragraph.
Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
My complicated relationship with language dates back to my early years in elementary school. I remember sitting in the back of a classroom of an elementary school in Fontainebleau, wondering how I was going to get through the coming years in such a foreign environment. My friends I had left behind in Japan had expressed their jealousy at me moving to Europe, but their envy was incomprehensible to me, as I sat racking my brains, struggling to find the Japanese equivalent of a new French word I had just learned. I would then groan internally at the prospect of having to take a spelling quiz in my upcoming English class.
Throughout my school days, I struggled with advanced kanji characters, new French vocabulary, and odd English phrases. My tenacity in these fights earned me the recognition of being trilingual. But being called trilingual was not a compliment to me. Rather, I considered it a reminder of my defect. What was the use of having a moderate understanding of three separate languages, when none of them I had complete mastery over? When none I could definitely call my own?
It was about the time I entered secondary school that my interest in becoming a writer started to grow. I began to devour books; taking in every single bit of the plot, the underlying themes, the cadence of the words... Yet becoming a writer seemed like a faraway dream. After all, I was yet to become satisfiably sufficient in a single language.
As I progressed through secondary school, I had regained much of my Japanese, lost some of my French, and was feeling comfortable with my English. With graduation looming ahead, I began to see the appeal of a particular program at the University of East Anglia, which trained individuals in French, English, and Japanese to prepare them for careers in translation. Hearing of this program had first reminded me of the nagging problem of not being able to identify with a single language or culture. Gradually, however, my hesitation and doubt turned to gratitude and determination. How lucky was I, to have found a program that so perfectly matched my fundamental abilities? Yet I was not going to let myself rely on luck to guide me down the treacherous road of life ahead. How could I, when with some persistence and changes in mindset I could take reins and prove my abilities myself? Each individual is given certain gifts unique to them, but very rarely do those gifts alone suffice to lead them to success. There may not be many individuals with a Japanese, French, and English language background, but what those people decide to do with their abilities determines how much of an advantage their language background will be.
When I go on to university, I envision myself growing as a writer, as I juggle the three languages I soon hope to call my very own. My knowledge of language will enable me to broader my worldview, as well as deepen my understanding on issues, which can be observed through multiple lenses of language. As for now, I sometimes struggle with my AP French homework. At times I feel that my English teacher is asking too much of me. However, I will continue to take on these challenges in my future. My persistent efforts are precisely what will help me consider my mixed language background not as a setback, but a beneficial gift.