How is writing in English different from writing in your first language?
I have always associated writing in English—and even engaging with the language in general—with work, especially since I only ever use it for school-related and mail-reading purposes. Writing in Spanish, on the other hand, evokes the same experiences of stepping into a warm shower for the first time: comfort and relief. Writing in Spanish reminds me of the storefront, pylon, and banner signages that I grew up (like La Gloria, El Azador, El Popocatepetl Tortilleria, and more), of the moments in kindergarten when our teacher taught us the alphabet that included the letters ch, ll, ñ, rr, and ü, and of the special moments when my family and I are at the kitchen table and tease playfully with each other as one of us stands in front of the stove, flipping tortillas. English is a language that I mostly associate with the mundane and day-to-day lifestyle; Spanish, meanwhile, reignites the love and deep sense of connection that I hold for my family and community.
What has been your experience with writing at Carleton?
My experience of writing at Carleton is not too different from my experience in the years prior to coming to Carleton. I took classes that emphasized conveying arguments through essays before attending college, so I did not face significant challenges writing for my classes at Carleton. However, I do believe that being able to write more has given me practice to manage my flow of ideas and find structure to express those ideas. Outlining a “rough sketch” of an essay prior to actually writing it has been essential in helping me have a “broad view” of the directions and points that I want my essay to take and make, respectively.
What are some of the benefits of being a multilingual writer/thinker?
As a multilingual student, I am able to consider a topic in multiple perspectives. Whenever I do not know how to express an idea in English for a certain prompt, I fall back into my Spanish-speaking abilities to try to formulate an answer in that lens. Then, if the change in perspective works and allows me to come up with a stronger answer, then I return back to the English lens with the knowledge that I gained in the Spanish lens. As I honed down my English writing abilities over the years, my need to fall back into the “Spanish-speaking mindset” has been relied on less and less. However, from time to time, whenever I have the “Aha!” moment for a topic and desperately need to convey an idea on paper, I first use Spanish to express the idea before translating it into English.
What resources have supported your development as a writer?
Feedback from professors and the writing center have helped me a lot in honing my writing, particularly in terms of grammar. I do not have too many problems with showcasing my thought process, but grammar and sentence-structure have always acted as limitations in my process of writing essays. I tend to place commas in the wrong spots, use incorrect propositions for certain contexts, and write run-on sentences that convey way too many ideas. With feedback from professors and the writing center, I hope to continue working on my grammar skills to avoid making the same mistakes.
What strategies have professors used to make writing a positive experience for you?
In one of my Religion classes, our professor would usually give open-ended prompts to elicit a wide variety of responses that showcase our learning from her class. While I would always enjoy the experience of ideas marathoning through my mind the first time I would read one of her prompts, I tended to struggle deciding which ideas to include and not include in my writing responses. Thankfully, having my professor around to ask her for feedback on how to manage my ideas helped me localize my attention to write about a particular topic. Most importantly, being encouraged to write about what I was particularly interested in brought about cathartic feelings. I enjoyed making a point in one of my Religion essays by referencing Our Lady of Guadalupe, a figure that was not covered in class.
What advice would you give faculty to help them support multilingual writers?
From personal experience, I believe that the delivery of ideas is generally the toughest challenge of being a multilingual writer. Depending on proficiency in the English language, one will face different degrees of challenge in communicating thoughts through comprehensible, understandable writing. With this in mind, I believe that the Writing Center should hold workshops for non-native writers/speakers to practice responding to a series of short prompts and receive feedback on potential methods to improve clarity in their writing. Additionally, I believe that professors can encourage writers to create rough outlines for their writing pieces to be able to provide feedback on how writers can express certain ideas “in words.”
