What writers think bilingual people do:
*flawlessly translates between two languages to other characters with exact speed and accuracy*
What bilingual people actually do: *someone who only knows Spanish asks me* "¿Qué significa 'gossip'?" *it is in that moment that I forgot all Spanish I ever knew or will ever know as I scramble to find a way to describe it.* "Es como... uh... es cuando la gente habla de otra gente... cuando no están allí. Pero... uh... normalmente, no es bueno." *makes unrelated hand motions to somehow better convey the word*
[[Translation: "What does 'gossip' mean?" "It's like... uh... it's when people talk about other people... when they're not there. But... uh... normally, it's not good."]]
What bilingual people actually do: *someone who only knows Spanish asks me* "¿Qué significa 'gossip'?" *it is in that moment that I forgot all Spanish I ever knew or will ever know as I scramble to find a way to describe it.* "Es como... uh... es cuando la gente habla de otra gente... cuando no están allí. Pero... uh... normalmente, no es bueno." *makes unrelated hand motions to somehow better convey the word*
[[Translation: "What does 'gossip' mean?" "It's like... uh... it's when people talk about other people... when they're not there. But... uh... normally, it's not good."]]