Last day of the UIA Congress in Guadalajara. Looking back at the past few days, I see myself speaking in Spanish, English, Italian, and a bit of French (not necessarily in this order). Between conferences, networking events, and late-night chats with hotel personnel and Uber drivers, I felt immersed in what I can only describe as a multilingual word salad.
That’s when I started reflecting again on the pros and cons of being “byelingual”, as I like to call it.
A byelingual is someone who has, in a way, said goodbye to her original language, and found herself living in a hybrid space: full of misunderstandings, cultural echoes, and half-translated emotions.
You may ask: am I really sure of what I’m saying? After all, I’m a lawyer by training. I write in several languages. I lecture on clear communication. I’ve even written books and articles on the topic. Shouldn’t I feel perfectly at home in this landscape of words?
The answer is: not really. And it isn’t just impostor syndrome.
The reason is that when you move between languages, what you leave behind is not just grammar or idioms: it’s part of your old self.
Byelinguals choose to step outside their comfort tone. They embrace embarrassment, get lost in conversations, fall into traps of false friends, and invent words that never existed before. Sometimes they fail at syntax. Sometimes they break rules. Sometimes they translate word by word proverbs that don’t exist in the second language. But that’s part of the beauty. Those who’ve never tried to live in another language can hardly imagine how much of yourself you lose, and how much you find.
Speaking with a foreign accent means constantly translating your thoughts, double-checking your drafts, asking for help when you write an article. It’s a life of extra effort, double reviews, and occasional headaches until you learn to think in multiple rhythms. But it’s also a sign of bravery. One of my favorite ones.
When I started lecturing in English several years ago, my intro was pretty much the same: “I don’t care about speaking perfect English. I care that you understand me. Communication is about connection, not perfection”. I don’t say it anymore, but the essence remains.
So here’s to the byelinguals. To those who live between words, between meanings, between worlds.
It isn’t easy. Sometimes it doesn’t even make perfect sense.
But it’s a worthy ride.
