4 Bizarre Myths Of Being Bilingual

As an English and Italian Bilingual, I often receive some absurd questions about being fluent in two languages that always make me smile. Fascinated by the topic, I started researching some fun myths about being bilingual and thought it would be interesting to discuss and dispel a few of these.

"Bilinguals translate from their weaker to their stronger language"

Born in England but raised in Italy until the age of 18, I feel more comfortable speaking in Italian. As such, I remember being asked quite often whether I translate phrases into Italian first, think of an answer and then retranslate it back to English. Although this would make me seem slightly problematic and long to reply, it’s not the case as the overwhelming majority of bilinguals can think in either of their two languages immediately.

"Bilinguals dream in different languages”

This one I believe is actually true! Since I moved to Glasgow I’ve noticed I started dreaming in English more often than in Italian. However, this is still quite flexible depending on where I am and for how long.   

“A bilingual child won't feel at home in either language and will experience split personalities”

To be honest, I’ve never heard of this bizarre one! The concern here is that children may develop a loss of identity if their parents insist on maintaining a bilingual home. Despite the fact that I do sometimes feel as if I have split personalities (I believe this is really caused by my late teenage mood swings), I’ve never experienced it. My mother always talks to me in Italian whereas my dad in English, but I encourage both to continue to do so as it actually helps me to feel more at home.

“Bilinguals find it easier to learn new languages” 

I’m not entirely sure to what extent this myth might be true, but I do find it easier to learn new languages, and I have enjoyed learning French and German so far.