Final project on Lost in Translation : Portfolio Literature Essay

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Express Yourself in Words
An individual is said to be shaped by his or her environment, which includes but is not limited to that individual’s exposure to culture, society, and language. These are the factors that make up a person’s sense of self. A mixture of a variety of cultures is common nowadays, and with the advancements in technology and knowledge, people are already able to reach places and experience another culture, creating increased interaction between environments with more ease and efficiency. Culture is everywhere and includes the native language shared and spoken, which brings people together, giving a sense of belongingness in a diverse world. A person’s language plays a vital role in the formation of individuality, self-expression, and identity.
Globalization is the reason why everything seems closer nowadays. It is a continuous process of interconnectedness. There are a lot of known advantages brought about by globalization such as improved education, business, and trade, technological advancements, employment opportunities, etc. (Tomlinson). With this way of life, people are now brought closer together, affecting the cultural system of various lands. One of the effects of globalization is the migration of people from one place to another, causing a mixture of culture and language.
Language is an individual’s main means through which her thoughts, beliefs, culture, and values can be shared and heard by other people, opening this information to their own interpretation and understanding (“Immigrants learn English”). The language also affects how a person’s self-image that is seen and perceived by others is formed, both verbally and non-verbally. This self-image is especially important to people who have the tendency to be seen as different or ostracized by the community, and an example would be the situation that Eva Hoffman is in. This also helps in the way a person is able to position ones’ self in the sociocultural community because it is more related to how a person is viewed from the outside (Frittella). Another aspect that is largely influenced by language when a person is in a foreign land, is self-identity. This is more focused on how a person perceives himself and herself. It is also important because it is from this that the perception of others is based on (Karpinski). Language takes part in the cycle of projecting ones’ identity to other people which is then perceived, then processed by the audience, and then reflected back as feedback to the subject contributing to that person’s self-identity. This process has no definite beginning and end, but it is beneficial for an individual to have a strong self-identity, truly knowing ones’ self, including culture, beliefs, and values then starting from there.
Eva Hoffman and her family, as written in her book “Lost in Translation”, is part of those families who migrated from Poland. Eva Hoffman is a known Polish-American writer, who had migrated to Canada at the age of 13, in the year 1959. They had to move from Poland due to the war and chaos present during those times. The events of what had happened during tho...