Talking about talking

So, a main theme of this blog has been my love/hate relationship with the Czech language. After 3 weeks of intensive language school I can say that I did make some progress but not as much as I had hoped. For example, yesterday was recruitment day. During the recruitment firms monthly informational meeting, I get a few minutes to introduce my project and recruit participants. I have been doing it in English but last time said some in Czech. This time, I had hoped to do it all in Czech. I had it planned in my head. It was perfect...in my head. Then I opened my mouth and it came out all smushed. At the end, I said (in English): now you know how bad I speak Czech so don't be afraid to speak English with me. I got a laugh. Afterwards, my Czech friends gave me the following comments: "Skvele" (brilliant), "Very sympaticky (likable)," "It's a shame that you can't use it in communication" - so mixed reviews. The good news is that while I was sitting in on a one-on-one interview between recruiter and candidate, I was able to understand about 80% which is a high number for me. I mean, I did know the context but I felt good about it. I apparently do better when I'm just observing.

However, the issue of English language has been a huge theme of my research. Primarily, without very good English skills, and confidence, a healthcare worker can't get a job abroad (at least not in the Middle East where English is the lingua franca). So, English is a requirement for employment in this phenomena. However, many of the nurses that I talk to want to go abroad to improve their English, so it's also an incentive to go abroad. More on that in the analysis.

But this has been both good and bad for me. Good because even though my Czech isn't very strong, I can still do my work. Practicing English with me is a benefit to people who do interviews with me. However, I am not forced to do my research in Czech so it's been bad for my motivation. I've been taking classes in Prague since January, trying to improve. I watch Czech tv, I study vocab on the tram, I've even gone to non-subtitled Czech movies. However, living in Prague it's a little difficult to learn Czech. I am not forced to use it. I don't even hear it on the streets as much - I work in the center so I head German, Russian, English, Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese, etc spoken around me on an almost daily basis. And still, people want to practice their English OR just use it because their English is better than my Czech so it's just easier to use English. Besides, it's sexy!


So, I guess what I'm gettin at is the role of the native language in Anthropology. Using the native language is a cornerstone to anthroplogical research. I know things are changing, we are problem-focused researchers now but where does that leave native language versus English in a world where English is becoming a form of universal language? I know that I am not getting everything. I may only be getting half if that much with some interviews. And I know that I have missed out on a lot of contextual aspects. During interviews, I offer the interviewee the chance to speak Czech when they feel they don't have the adequate English and at times I have asked the questions in Czech. So, does not being able to speak the language fluently make me a bad anthropologist? Does it exclude me from certain research projects? I've been studying this language for 4 years, done 3 summer intensive programs, tried a number of resources, only to be told that Czech is the most difficult Slavic language to learn and, from many Czechs, that if they hadn't learned it as a child they never would. Now, I know it is possible to learn. I know plenty of Americans who have done their research here and now speak Czech brilliantly. But I am also not very good in languages. But back to my question - where does the lingua franca of English fit into anthropological fieldwork?