My Life in Two Languages

Zdravo! Moje ime je Kristina. If you’re looking at that and thinking, Huh?, let me translate: Hi! My name is Kristina. I was born in Minnesota, but my parents are from the former country of Yugoslavia (now the countries of Serbia and Croatia).

My parents and I are fluent in both English and Serbian. (Those first sentences are in Serbian.)

If you speak only one language, it may seem unique that I speak, write, and think in two languages. But I’m pretty ordinary. In fact, more than 12 million kids in the U.S. speak a language in addition to English at home.

Growing up with two languages can get confusing, like when I’m dreaming in Serbian, then wake up and have to switch to English. But being bilingual keeps me connected to my family, especially my grandparents, who live close by and aren’t fluent in English. And speaking two languages has given me empathy for how difficult life can be for people like my grandparents who can have a hard time making themselves understood. 

Want to know what my dual language life is like? Da nastavimo! (Read on!)

My family moved to the U.S. in the 1990s. At the time, my parents knew only a sentence or two of English. That must have been really challenging, but they worked hard, and by the time my siblings and I were born, they were fluent. They still spoke Serbian with us and each other because they wanted us to grow up truly bilingual. 

My grandparents still don’t speak a lot of English, so I often help them out. If we’re at a grocery store and they’re looking for something specific, I can take over and ask an employee for help. Or if we go out for coffee, we’ll discuss the menu options in Serbian and then I’ll order for them. I’ve also translated for them when they’re talking to someone on the phone, or if I’m at their house and someone comes to their door, I’ll answer it. 

Having to translate for my grandparents might sound like a lot of work, but it’s actually very rewarding. Through them, I see how hard life can be for anyone struggling to communicate. I’m learning Spanish at school, and that also has given me a sense of how speaking a foreign language can be difficult if you have to learn it from scratch. Interestingly, Serbian and Spanish actually have some similarities, like the way you pronounce the letter r and some of the accent marks. Knowing Serbian has definitely helped me learn Spanish faster because I’ve been able to pick up on how to pronounce things.

I think in both English and Serbian. Most of the time if I’m in a situation where English is required, like taking a test at school, I’ll automatically think in English. But every once in a while when I’m talking with my friends, I blurt something out in Serbian. They’ll stop and ask, “What did you say?” We all laugh about it. I’ve taught them how to say “Hi, my name is” and “How are you?” in Serbian. Sometimes they use their Serbian phrases with my family. I’ll also play Serbian pop music in the car when we’re out. I think my friends appreciate getting these tiny tastes of a different culture. 

I hope that my story will help others feel compassion for people who don’t speak English perfectly. Just remember that they’re trying their best, and if you’re patient and try to help, it will mean so much to them. I also want to encourage people to learn more languages. I personally hope to continue learning different languages because being multilingual is such a great way to learn about different cultures and ways of life.