Andriana
When did you come to Australia?
I started school in Australia at the end of year 2 and I have been going to school in this town ever since. Before that I went to school in Brazil. I’m now in year 11 and looking forward to finishing school soon. I think speaking two languages means that I could be an interpreter once I’m finished. I’m not sure what I will do when I finish school though.
What language do you speak at home?
At home we always speak Portuguese. I am the only one who speaks English fluently in my house. My Mum can speak English a little bit and she is always getting better. She still sometimes has trouble with pronunciation. Dad doesn’t speak any English. Since I was young I have done lots of the English work for my family – so like talking to lawyers and real estate agents for my family.
I learnt how to read Portuguese by reading the bible – but now I have a Tic Toc account in Portuguese and that has really strengthened our language.
What language do you speak the most of?
I speak English and Portuguese. Sometimes I will speak to one of my friends in English and they will reply in Portuguese. So we can all speak in either language. In class I understand English straight away, so I don’t need to translate English into Portuguese. I hear English and I know it straight away. I don’t translate it anymore like I used to.
I can read Portuguese too. We go to church every Sunday and I learnt to read Portuguese reading the Bible. And my social media accounts are mostly for talking with family in Brazil so that is mostly in Portuguese.
When you are listening to English do you translate?
I can understand English straight away now. Except there will always be certain words that aren’t in my vocabulary yet. And slang – that is really confusing.
What helps you in class?
I wonder if there is some way to measure where my English is at – because then I could have a really good conversation with teachers about what my strengths are and where I might need some help.
What about homework and assignments?
Homework is pretty hard for those of us that have a different language that we speak as our first language. If we want to ask our parents for help with the content, we have to translate every word first.
*These profiles are constructed from real interviews, but are not direct transcriptions.