Bilingual staff and students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of speaking two languages.
Spanish teacher Ruben Martinez’s first language is Spanish and his second is English.
“Ever since I was a teen, I knew I wanted to learn English,” Martinez said. “I studied English in college. Constantly speaking it, reading it and talking it helped improve my verbal skills. It can take many years of practice.”
Martinez said one of the struggles can be translating in between languages.
“Sometimes you want to say something in another language, but it could translate differently from your native tongue. Words can sometimes transfer different in your language. This could lead to you saying the complete opposite of what was intended to say,” he said.
Martinez said it can be “satisfying” to speak two languages.
“Knowing that you can actually relate to another culture and the constant exploration of traditions used in other countries is fascinating to me,” Martinez said.

Sophomore Jetzyre Miranda also speaks two languages.
“My native tongue is Spanish and my second is English,” Miranda said. “The confusing part of knowing two languages is trying to keep up in both, especially as a young kid because it will confuse you in both sides. For instance, you could forget a word in Spanish and can also forget it in English which can be very hard to later on remembering.”
She said there are many advantages to knowing two languages.
“You can often help people who don’t know one of the languages by translating. Another benefit would be that knowing more than one tongue can help you get a better paying job in the future,” she said.
Junior Esteban Zea Monroy speaks two languages.
“I am a Spanish native speaker and learned English throughout my childhood,” Zea Monroy said. “I learned English by communicating with teachers and friends.”
Zea Monroy said translating can sometimes be difficult.
“To me the confusing part about knowing a second language is trying to remember certain words. Or even interpreting words can also be hard,” he said.
Zea Monroy said the significance of knowing multiple languages makes a great impact.
“It allows you to communicate with a wider range of people, both personally and professionally. For example, at school if I want to talk to my Spanish teacher or Hispanic classmates, I do it through Spanish,” Zea Monroy said. “I have also done research and learned that bilingual people can get better jobs that pay more.”