Chapter 11

Juan Guevara
Culture Communication and Conflict

Both my parents are from Mexico. They came to the U.S. looking for work and realizing the potential for a good life, decided to become permanent residents and raise their family here. I grew up speaking Spanish and learned English as a second language. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized there was a communication difference between the two languages.

One good example was how conflict (Martin, 2018, p. 443) was dealt with. In Spanish, I realized this arena was very blunt, direct. Expressing yourself was, is, more candidly. I did not realize the difference until I was an adult, realizing the difference and looking back, I can’t help but feel embarrassed. I realized there were many times I was incompatible (Martin, 2018, p. 443) with others.

Luckily, with time, I did realize this. I was able to switch gears with the language I spoke. However, it wasn’t all filled with mistakes. I have been told I speak well. I do not fear public speaking. I believe the passion that one uses in Spanish has also translated well into my English speaking. At the same time, I noticed my Spanish has become more accurate and specific due to speaking English. When Speaking English, I sometimes take a “politically correct” approach and it seems to work well. Needless to say, I am very happy about being bilingual. 



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