I've got a problem that most American's can't identify with.
I love talking to English/Spanish or English/German bilinguals, because we are able to code-switch (i.e. use both languages in conversation as a linguistic tool or literary device). Sometimes, another language just has a better word to express a certain concept more elegantly. Somtimes, there is a breakdown in understanding when talking about philosophy or religion, and it is nice to be able to try it again in the other language. Code-switching has been linked to identity issues as well. Speaking to someone in their own language can also be more intimate.
I feel extremely limited when I talk to bilingual people, who speak a language that I don't know. I often want to be able to express myself in their language or let them explain something in their language. Recently, a friend of mine was trying to explain his views on creation and God in English, which is his second language. He wasn't able to express himself as clearly as he wanted to. Had I even an elementary understanding of his native language, then he would have been able to tell me in the way that he was best able to conceptualize.
Time to start another language.
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