Author: Abel Nguyen
It may sound crazy, but the best connection to a different language I have had is through soccer. In Georgia, a large number of Hispanics play soccer at all different levels, and I myself have played with and against many Hispanic players. One of the best coaches that has ever coached me was even Hispanic. Although they could all speak English, they still managed to speak Spanish all the time. Many of the Hispanic players would speak Spanish to each other, and you could hear them yelling Spanish to each other on the field. My coach would always scream in Spanish whenever he got really upset over a bad performance from my team. The language of Spanish is something that I’ve grown accustomed to hearing whenever I step onto that field.
When I first started playing soccer, I was very young, and I didn’t even know Spanish existed. I would hear the occasional phrase or word, but I wouldn’t take it into any consideration because I thought it was nothing. I specifically remember hearing a little boy speak Spanish to his father, and I was so confused about what was going on. I had thought they had created their own gibberish language, and I remember laughing and laughing and telling my parents about how weird it was. My parents explained to me how they were speaking Spanish. From then on out, it was like a switch was turned on. Before, I had never even realized that my teammates were speaking a different language. Now, I could hear them loud and clear.
It may sound crazy, but the best connection to a different language I have had is through soccer. In Georgia, a large number of Hispanics play soccer at all different levels, and I myself have played with and against many Hispanic players. One of the best coaches that has ever coached me was even Hispanic. Although they could all speak English, they still managed to speak Spanish all the time. Many of the Hispanic players would speak Spanish to each other, and you could hear them yelling Spanish to each other on the field. My coach would always scream in Spanish whenever he got really upset over a bad performance from my team. The language of Spanish is something that I’ve grown accustomed to hearing whenever I step onto that field.
When I first started playing soccer, I was very young, and I didn’t even know Spanish existed. I would hear the occasional phrase or word, but I wouldn’t take it into any consideration because I thought it was nothing. I specifically remember hearing a little boy speak Spanish to his father, and I was so confused about what was going on. I had thought they had created their own gibberish language, and I remember laughing and laughing and telling my parents about how weird it was. My parents explained to me how they were speaking Spanish. From then on out, it was like a switch was turned on. Before, I had never even realized that my teammates were speaking a different language. Now, I could hear them loud and clear.
My two best friends are from Mexico and Columbia. We met each other through soccer, and we have been friends ever since. Although they are both very “Americanized,” they yell at each other jokingly in Spanish whenever they play soccer. They call each other “puta” which means “b****” and use many other insults in Spanish which makes the team laugh like crazy. There is no malice behind it. They just say it to get a laugh out of the team. It takes a little bit of the edge and pressure of practice off, and makes it a little bit more fun.
After playing soccer for nine years, I am nowhere near a fluent Spanish speaker. The only terms I know are soccer related terms that I’ve picked up from my teammates. My teammates understand English perfectly fine, and they would respond normally if we spoke normal English to them, but slipping a few Spanish words into our vocabulary when we are playing helps make the game a little more fun. I can’t really explain it, but there is something about yelling “cabeza” instead of header or saying “tranquilo” when we want someone to stay calm that makes everything more fun. Not only does it put a smile on our faces, but also, it is a good way to bond with the team. It makes us closer, and helps us develop special friendships.
Hearing Spanish being spoken isn’t just something I blow off when I think of soccer. In my mind, Spanish is something that I believe is a big aspect of soccer. When I reflect on soccer and all of the experiences and memories I’ve had, the language of Spanish is part of it. It’s part of the memories. It’s part of the experiences. Without it, my view on soccer wouldn’t be the same.
After playing soccer for nine years, I am nowhere near a fluent Spanish speaker. The only terms I know are soccer related terms that I’ve picked up from my teammates. My teammates understand English perfectly fine, and they would respond normally if we spoke normal English to them, but slipping a few Spanish words into our vocabulary when we are playing helps make the game a little more fun. I can’t really explain it, but there is something about yelling “cabeza” instead of header or saying “tranquilo” when we want someone to stay calm that makes everything more fun. Not only does it put a smile on our faces, but also, it is a good way to bond with the team. It makes us closer, and helps us develop special friendships.
Hearing Spanish being spoken isn’t just something I blow off when I think of soccer. In my mind, Spanish is something that I believe is a big aspect of soccer. When I reflect on soccer and all of the experiences and memories I’ve had, the language of Spanish is part of it. It’s part of the memories. It’s part of the experiences. Without it, my view on soccer wouldn’t be the same.
Living Multilingualism by Abel Nguyen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.