"Che Boludo" and the foreign accent.... (Buenos Aires)

Hi All!

I´d be interested in raising a discussion and hearing your experiences regarding the impact of language on expats identity when relocating abroad.

How do you cope with the process of learning Spanish and Lunfardo language?
Is it easy? How did you deal with difficulties of not being able to have enough linguistic resources to communicate effectively with Argentine locals, as you normally do when speaking your native language?

To launch the discussion, please find below the first paragraph and link to an article on Language, Culture and Expats Identity that we will discuss with travelers and expats during next week´s Expat Coffee Meeting in Buenos Aires.
The article´s title is : "Why saying "Che Boludo" with a foreign accent is not too bad: Languages and Expats Identity"

All contributions and comments are welcome!

Saludos,

Natalia Sarro
Intercultural Trainer & Psychologist
Psychologist and Intercultural Trainer
Nómadas Globales Argentina
"Building a home for a Global Nomad"
Blog: Protected content

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The language barrier would be just another element of the expat cultural adventure, if it wasn´t because everything you learnt in your vacations in Madrid becomes useless when you try to speak Castellano, the Argentine version of the Spanish language. And if you thought this would keep you safe in Porteño land, it is because you haven´t even heard about the existence of Lunfardo yet… Lun... what? Oh yes, Buenos Aires citizens, also called Porteños, have their own slang.
No wonder why the tragedy of language immersion can reproduce awkward feelings of our early childhood, when we used to feel small, weak and hopeless in a world of adults. Been there before?

To read the full article, please visit Protected content

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