Language awareness flash mob - spontaneous gathering of foreign
language speakers starting conversation in their own language with people
passing by - took place in Trinity Center last Saturday, causing short and
amusing disruptions to the shopping day.
It was a great opportunity to make people aware of language barriers and
intercultural challenges and at the same time show how many people in Leeds speak
foreign languages and contribute to making Leeds a truly international city.
There was surprise in the people in the shopping center and reaction
were most diverse. It was also the first time for the flash-mobbers, and here
are some of their experiences:
“I chose to speak in Basque. And I asked a couple where Primark was, and they decided to walk me to Primark so it was very interesting. They were extremely nice, I didn’t use a word of English, and they walked me all the way to Primark.”
“One guy even made a real effort to speak French “aaah…a gauche…aaah…a droite …then cross the road” It was really funny.”
“I think it’s interesting, cause you’re in complete loss when you don’t speak the language.”
“It was quite funny because then they started walking away because they thought that I was messing with them, but then I tried to insist, so I followed them saying “no, excuse me I really don’t understand” so they tried to make an effort to explain it.”
“The main impression was that I felt like a tourist.”
“I chose to speak in Basque. And I asked a couple where Primark was, and they decided to walk me to Primark so it was very interesting. They were extremely nice, I didn’t use a word of English, and they walked me all the way to Primark.”
“One guy even made a real effort to speak French “aaah…a gauche…aaah…a droite …then cross the road” It was really funny.”
“I think it’s interesting, cause you’re in complete loss when you don’t speak the language.”
“It was quite funny because then they started walking away because they thought that I was messing with them, but then I tried to insist, so I followed them saying “no, excuse me I really don’t understand” so they tried to make an effort to explain it.”
“The main impression was that I felt like a tourist.”
It has been
a great experience that help to understand how people react to a language they
don’t understand. The flash-mob was also an important event to let people know
that there are many people speaking foreign languages in Leeds already.
Flash mobs have been performed all over the world and are a way of
creating awareness on something that requires attention. The idea of gathering
people, all of whom appear in public spaces, engage in a pre-arranged, organized
activity and disappear suddenly.
This was the first event on this matter, in a small scale and they will be definitely more!
This was the first event on this matter, in a small scale and they will be definitely more!
No comments:
Post a Comment