语言的盛宴

大卫·哈贝克1993年写的

大卫·哈贝克，1993年

My love affair with foreign languages began with my study of French in the eighth grade. I had been fascinated by words 和 language since my early childhood, 和 I was absolutely bowled over by the realization that the delights of my native language were just the beginning. I had discovered that for all the richness 和 beauty of the English language 和 literature, English was just one dish among many in the sumptuous banquet of the world’s languages 和 literatures waiting to be savored.

被法国人吸引, I proceeded to take advantage of every opportunity I could to study other foreign languages. 我在高中时学了西班牙语, 然后, 在网易彩票下载的四年里, I had the privilege of studying Russian with Professor Frank Leddusire 和 German with Professor Michael Ziemann. 事实上, I chose to attend SPU in part because it was virtually the only Christian university in the United States to offer Russian as a major.

As a doctoral student in Russian history at the University of Maryl和, 我当时正在写一篇网易彩票app汉语的论文, 朝鲜文, 和 Japanese immigrants in the Far Eastern port of Vladivostok 和 decided that if I was serious about underst和ing Russia’s involvement on the Pacific Rim I ought to know not just Russian, 也是东亚语言. 所以我最后学了三年普通话, by far my favorite of which was spent as a student in Beijing 和 Manchuria, living with Chinese roommates 和 immersing myself in everything from classical Chinese poetry to contemporary short stories 和 films. 几年后，在美国的一次为期两年的旅行中.S. 驻第比利斯大使馆, I had the opportunity to experience the opposite end of the linguistic spectrum by studying Georgian — a small 和 relatively obscure “boutique language” with its own unique alphabet.

这当然是真的, 在纯粹的实践层面上, a knowledge of foreign languages has the potential to open many doors. 的 federal government is a generous promoter of foreign-language learning these days, 和 my year in China would not have been possible without a government fellowship that paid all my expenses. That fellowship in turn led directly to a job working as a diplomat with the U.S. 我毕业后去了国务院.

然而,, 在一天结束的时候, I honestly view such practical benefits as secondary to the way my life has been immeasurably enriched by my study of foreign languages, allowing me to engage other global cultures in a way that simply would not have been possible if I had spoken only English. 当你不会说当地语言的时候, you fail to grasp something fundamental about the lives of those around you, 最近的电影如 迷失在翻译中 和 巴别塔 建议. 在我住在莫斯科的一年中, I fondly remember many late nights sitting around the kitchen table with Russian friends talking, 笑, 喝大量的茶, 和 just enjoying each other’s company in a relaxed 和 uninhibited way that would have been impossible if I had needed constant interpretation.

Knowing multiple languages has also allowed me to serve as a bridge between cultures in wonderfully surprising ways. I will never forget the time when I was traveling by train across the Gobi Desert 和 found myself sharing a compartment with a Russian-speaking Mongolian 和 a Chinese businessman. 因为谁也不懂对方的语言, I was soon delighted to find myself translating back 和 forth between Russian 和 Chinese so the two could have a conversation.

Studying the languages of other cultures has meant nothing less than learning to see the world through a new set of eyes 和 gain a fresh perspective on life. 让我举一个小例子. Frederick Buechner写道, “If you have even as much as a nodding acquaintance with a foreign language, 试着在里面读圣经. … Some of it you may hear in such a new way that it is as if you had never heard it before. ‘Blessed are the meek’ is the way the English version goes, whereas in French it comes out ‘赫鲁克斯发了几条短信(温文尔雅的人是幸福的). 的 温文尔雅的 最重要的是! 门开了. 铃声响起.”

布希纳是对的——我一直对他的见解和, 最重要的是, freshness I gain by reading the Bible in one or another of the foreign languages that I have studied. I still find it delightfully evocative that the Russian Jesus speaks of the “Tsardom of Heaven,“ that the Chinese gospel of John boldly proclaims that “the Tao became flesh,” 和 that in the Latin version of Isaiah 34 the l和 of Edom is haunted by unicorns 和 dragons. 就此而言, I can only imagine the wealth of insights I’m missing out on by not being able to read the Bible in the original languages — maybe someday I’ll have the opportunity to study ancient Hebrew 和 Greek.

So many dishes in the great banquet of languages, 和 so little time.

David Habecker speaks Russian, M和arin Chinese, German, French, Spanish, 和 a bit of Georgian. 他和他的妻子雪莉目前住在马里兰州的银泉.

- James Kegley摄

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