It all began with something so simple, yet it opened the door to a much deeper conversation between me and my son, Darius. We were sitting in a restaurant when he noticed a Venezuelan employee speaking Spanish with her coworker.
“Mom, why is she speaking Spanish?” he asked, his curiosity sparking the discussion.
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I smiled and explained gently, “Sweetheart, that’s her native language. Sometimes, speaking in your mother tongue feels more natural and comforting, especially when you’re with someone who understands it.”
But Darius wasn’t fully convinced. From his perspective, employees should always speak English when serving customers. “If she understands English, why not just use it?” he pressed further.
To help him see it differently, I gave him an example. “Imagine you studied Spanish for five years and became fluent. If we lived in Mexico and you were working there, which language would you naturally lean toward when speaking with coworkers?”
That question lit a spark. Darius argued that in a professional setting, he would still use English with me. I countered that language is not only a practical tool—it’s deeply tied to who we are. Our words carry culture, identity, and even comfort.
“But Mom,” he said earnestly, “if customers can’t understand, doesn’t that seem unprofessional?”
I reminded him that language isn’t only about efficiency. It’s also about belonging. For many immigrants, speaking their native tongue feels like breathing—it gives them ease, connection, and a piece of home, especially in environments that might otherwise feel overwhelming.
By the end of our talk, Darius wasn’t entirely persuaded, but I noticed something important: he began to see that communication isn’t just about rules or appearances. It’s about empathy, culture, and understanding the heart behind the words.
Our little debate over one restaurant moment became a lesson in how language carries far more than sounds—it carries identity, dignity, and the invisible bridges between people.
