Kan man vara sig sj�lv p� ett annat spr�k? Or Who am I when I speak Swedish?

Det finns mycket som h�nger ihop med spr�ket. N�r jag pratar engelska vet jag vilkna ord jag ska anv�nda med en viss publik. Jag kan vara sarkastiskt. Jag kan sk�mta. Jag kan anv�nda ord som har subtila nyanser. Jag l�ter som jag �r utbildad, som jag �r kanske n�gon som man kan lita p�. Jag f�rst�r hur mitt ordval kan ge information om mig sj�lv.

When you really begin to learn a language, you begin to notice just how much goes with it. When I speak or even write in English for that matter, I know how to use it. I can play with words. I can be sarcastic and funny without thinking too much about it. I can use big fancy words or simple explanations. I sound like now and then I open a book.

Men n�r jag prata svenska k�nns det fortfarande som jag �r lite handikappad. Att jag kan prata men kanske inte alltid kommunicera. Jag har sv�rt f�r subtila undertoner. M�nga kanske tycker att jag �r v�ldigt sj�lvs�kert n�r jag prata. Men jag tycker att jag har inte s� stora m�jlighet att variera mitt spr�k, s� det l�ter kanske bara sj�lvs�ker f�r att jag kan inte tona ner det s� l�tt.

Often times when I am speaking Swedish I feel like I am stuck in the fifth grade. Left back a year or two because I am just very slow. I can get out my sentences and people understand me, but I am not really being me. I notice, particularly in job interviews, that the feedback I get is you seem very self assured and ambitious, which isnt really what we are looking for. I sometimes think that is because I dont really have the skills to vary my language and tone yet. When I speak English with people, my nonverbal communication is caught up, but when I speak Swedish, my nonverbal communication is very rigid and not very soft.

Jag har mycket respekt f�r folk som �r i ett fast f�rh�llande med n�gon som prata har ett modersm�l som dem inte kan f�rst�. I v�rt hus �r det lyxigt att b�da jag och min man kan prata v�ra egna spr�k och bli f�rstod.

Much respect to those who are living in relationships where they always need to speak a foreign language with their partner. I find it very comforting that I can relax and speak my own language and have my Swede understand me. And that he can do the same. But I guess maybe thats why my Swedish skills a bit lagged behind. If I had to speak it all the time, it might be a different story!

Nu �ven P� Svenska (Now in Swedish!)

Hejsan allihopa,

Jag har tagit en ganska stor beslut att jag ska skriva lite p� svenska, f�rhoppningsvis en g�ng per vecka, h�r p� bloggen.

Translation: I am going to make the ambitious move to try to post once a week in Swedish here.

Anledning �r att jag har b�rjat g� i skolan igen och d�rf�r beh�ver att skriva lite mer. Just nu kan jag tala svenska utan hinder, men skriva? Usch, nej tack!

Translation: I hate writing in Swedish and it terrifies me. But I am taking a class this semester where I need to write graduate level papers, in Swedish. So I need to practice. Sorry.


Tanken �r att jag ska omorganisera bloggen lite, snart, s� att det bli l�ttare att hitta runt. Jag t�nkte svenska blogginl�gg skulle har egen kategori som jag ska l�nka till i huvudbloggen. Men, jag pluggar, jobba, starta eget och f�rs�ka spendera lite tid med familjen d� och d�. S� fr�gan �r bara N�R jag g�r det h�r ambiti�s projekt.

Translation: My brilliant plan is to reorganize this blog sometime soon. And then I will try to keep the Swedish posts a bit separate, linking them with only a small snippet in main blog, so that all non-Swedish speakers can easily jump over them. The only problem is that I always plan to do way to many things and always end up watching the newest episode of True Blood instead of any of them. So it might take awhile. But the thought counts, no?

Jag �r s� j�tteglad att jag har l�rt mig att k�nna s� m�nga olika sorts m�nniskor genom den h�r bloggen och jag uppskatter alla kommentar och mejl mer �n jag kan s�ga. Jag hoppas att n�gra svenskar  som l�sa det h�r blogg bli inte livsr�dd och f�rsvinna n�r dem l�sa min d�lig svenska. Om ni vill kommentera p� min d�lig stavning, ordval, grammatik, etc g�r det! Sn�lla! Eller bara skriva vad ni vill. Men jag menar bara att det �r OK att r�tta mig om ni vill. Eller inte.

Translation: This is the part where I let my Swedish audience know that if they decide to rip my Swedish to shreds I will mostly greatly appreciate it - after I get annoyed with myself for making the same mistake for the 80th time. But also that they don't have to feel obliged to correct my Swedish either. I just hope I don't scare them - and you - away.

That said - I won't be doing a running translation in all of my Swedish posts. Or maybe I will, I don't know. It's kind of fun for me. But if you are curious - there is always Google Translate. Or just ask.