I am always delighted to connect with readers of the Studentessa Matta blog. It makes my day to read your comments on my weekly posts and learn more about you. It seems everyone has a unique story to share and a reason for why they want to learn Italian.
Recently, I was happy to hear from Liz, who is a long-time language learner and follower of the Studentessa Matta blog. She is also the winner of the recent Audiobook Giveaway of “Waking Isabella. We started chatting via email and discovered she has always had a passion for languages, especially the Italian language, that she first started learning thirty years ago. She also loves traveling in Italy.
If you are learning Italian, like traveling in Italy, and love all things Italian, this may sound a lot like your story too. But what makes Liz’s story unique is that she is blind.
I am so impressed by Liz’s story and her dedication to learning Italian, which she describes as her favorite—because she also speaks French and Spanish—that I asked if she’d share her language learning journey with all of you. After reading her post, which she wrote in both Italian and English, you will be inspired as well.
p.s. The pictures that are shared in the post were taken by Liz’s partner, Paul, during a recent excursion to Sicily.
an avid Studentessa Matta follower
Guest Post by Liz, who inspires me and reminds me, nothing is impossible!
“My story isn’t so extraordinary except that I am blind and I experience everything through touch, sound, taste, and smell. Learning a language as a blind person has been very difficult.
Dal primo momento in cui ho cominciato a imparare il Francese alla scuola, subito, sapevo che mi piace molto le lingue. Dopo, mi sono laureata in Francese e, durante i miei studi, ho passato un anno scolastico a Avignon, nel sud della Francia. Ho scoperto che quello paese era cosí molto piú esotico che la mia patria del Regno Unito e, perció, la mia passione per il viaggio straniero é stata nata. Da allora ho visitato a tutti i continente del mondo (tranne dell’Antartica) e, lungo la via, ho imparato un po’ del Spagnolo, del Tedesco, del Svedese, del Greco (moderno) e del Arabo.
From the moment I began to learn French at school, I suddenly knew that I loved languages. Later, I took French for my degree and, as part of my course, I spent an academic year in Avignon, in the South of France. I discovered that this country was so much more exotic than my homeland, the UK, and thus, my passion for foreign travel was born. Since then, I have visited all the continents on earth (except the Antarctic), and, along the way, I have picked up a few words of Spanish, German, Swedish, modern Greek, and Arabic.
Boh, la mia storia non é straordinaria salvo che sono non-vidente e provo tutte le cose per mezzo dal tatto, dal rumore, dal gusto, e dal olfatto. Per imparare una lingua come una non-vidente é stato molto difficile. Prima del internet, i libri si erano trascritti nel braille a mano dai denuti a lungo termine. Solo i libri considerati piú importante diventano disponibile nel braille perché i denuti dovevano imparare a leggere il braille e il lavoro voleva molto tempo. Gli Inglesi non sono entusiasta delle lingue quindi la informazione disponibile per me era molto scarsa. Attualmente, la tecnologia é piú migliorata e la vita é piú facile. Ci sono un sacco di libri su Kindle e posso leggerli sul mio computer usando il braille elettronico. Adesso, io anche ho un dizionario bilingue Italiano e Inglese! Nel passato, devo chiedere qualcuno a cercare ogni parola per me peró, anche se é molto lento, posso cercare le parole a me, per la prima volta nella mia vita!
So, my story isn’t so extraordinary except that I am blind and I experience everything through touch, sound, taste and smell. Learning a language as a blind person has been very difficult. Before the internet, books were transcribed into braille, by hand, by long-term prisoners. Only the books considered most important became available in braille because the prisoners had to learn to read braille and the work took a very long time. The British aren’t language enthusiasts so the information available for me was very scarce. Nowadays, technology is much improved and life is much easier. There are loads of books on Kindle and I can read them on my computer using electronic braille. I now even have a bilingual Italian English dictionary! In the past, I had to ask someone to look up every word for me but, even though it is very slow, I can look up words myself, for the first time in my life!
I started to learn Italian about thirty years ago but I am learning a lot more now, thanks to the abundant resources on the internet, including Melissa’s Studentessa Matta Blog!
Ho deciso che, delle tre lingue romanze che quelle potessi parlare: il Francese, il Spagnolo e l’Italiano, che l’Italiano fossi la mia preferita. All’inizio, questo era semplicemente perché gli inizi e le fini delle parole erano chiari e facili di ascoltare, ma, fra poco, mi sono innamorata della cultura Italiana. Ho cominciato a imparare l’Italiano circa trent’anni fa, ma adesso, posso imparare molto piú, grazie a un sacco di risorse sul internet, inclusa la Studentessa Matta Blog di Melissa!
I decided that, of the three romance languages that I could speak: French, Spanish and Italian, that ITALIAN was my favourite. Initially, this was simply because the beginnings and the endings of the words are clear and easy to hear but, in a short time, I fell in love with Italian culture. I started to learn Italian about thirty years ago but I am learning a lot more now, thanks to the abundant resources on the internet, including Melissa’s Studentessa Matta Blog!
I love the aroma of the restaurants where fresh fish and local produce are being cooked. I love the sensation of sun on my skin but, most of all, I love the Italian people. They are so charming and they love it when you try to speak their language.
Poi, quasi 8 anni fa, ho incontrato Paul, il mio partner, e abbiamo scoperto che avessimo un gran interesse mutuo nell’Italia. Abbiamo la passione per la Sicilia e abbiamo visitato lí tre volte. Adoro il suono del mare e che quelli delle cicale. Mi piace molto l’olfatto dei ristoranti dove si cucina di pesce fresche e delle verdure locali. Amo la sensazione del sole sulla mia pelle ma, soprattutto, mi piace molto gli Italiani. Sono cosí incantevoli e sono cosí allegri quando si prova a parlare la loro lingua. Fanno il possible per fare aiutarsi, per mezzo di correggersi gentilmente o per mezzo di chiedere le domande per migliorare la capacità di conversazione. Spero che torneremo alla Sicilia molto presto!
Then, almost 8 years ago, I met Paul, my partner, and we discovered that we had a great mutual interest in Italy. We are passionate about Sicily and we have been there three times. I adore the sound of the sea and that of the cicadas. I love the aroma of the restaurants where fresh fish and local produce are being cooked. I love the sensation of sun on my skin but, most of all, I love the Italian people. They are so charming and they love it when you try to speak their language. They make every effort to help by correcting you kindly and by asking you questions to improve your conversation skills.
Spero che possiamo tornare in Sicilia presto!
I hope that we will go back to Sicily very soon.
Thank you so much Liz for sharing your
love for Italy and the language!
If you have a story to share I’d love to hear from you, too!
Drop me a line at Melissa@StudentessaMatta.com
If you’d be interested in chatting with me in Italian I’d love to learn more about you as we practice Italian language conversation skills. Follow this link to sign up for a conversation chat!
