Lost in Translation

Let me know if you get lost.

I was born here in Davao City. I grew up here. But I do not speak Dabawenya. The Dabawenya is a dialect which is spoken by people who are not actually from the City of Davao.

I speak Bisaya. But Davao City is in the Island of Mindanao. Davao is not in Visayas. Bisaya is not taught in school. We just basically grew up with it.

I speak Tagalog. But not Tagalog as in the Tagalog that is spoken in Manila and the rest of Luzon. My Tagalog is a half-Tagalog, half-Bisaya actually. It is incorrect Tagalog and incorrect Bisaya. I have been told that some of my Tagalog or Bisaya, whichever is applicable, is wrong.

But I don't get offended. My dialect has a world of its own. I am pretty sure that most of you already received or read that e-mail as to the dialect that is spoken here in Davao. It is fun reading it, from my perspective that is.

The dialect that I speak, whatever you may call it, is also not taught in school. It has its way of evolving I think. There is the syntax of "gina" and "mag", the use of "gani" and "lagi" and a whole lot of prefixes, suffixes, and other words as well.

The thing is my mom was born in Bohol and grew up in Davao City. My dad is from Davao del Sur. So, they really know Bisaya terms. But I don't know why we end up speaking this dialect that we speak. I think it may be the influence in schools and office. I am not sure.

I find it quite funny when people adjust when they speak to me. Yes, I have had classmates, even way back, na maka-Tagalog ug ahat when speaking to me. I think they are feel obliged to speak in Tagalog (my Tagalog, that is) when they speak to me. Makaulaw minsan because they adjust even if I can perfectly (ok, most lang) understand Bisaya. And I also speak Bisaya baya. Parang makahiya kasi mag-effort pa sila for me when in the end, I can understand them either way.

When I worked in Manila, my Bisaya was honed. Funny, isn't it? I was living with people who spoke more Bisaya than we do at home. My seatmate in the office studied in Cebu. So, Bisaya jud! When I got home for the holidays, my brother made a comment na na-Bisaya na daw ko .. haha!

I also remembered that I was asked by one of our foreign managers if I think in my dialect and translate in English. Or do I think English then translate it in Bisaya or Tagalog? Or do I think in Tagalog then translate in English? It made me think .. do I translate words before speaking in English? I think what I said was I think in Tagalog then translate in English. Am I making sense or are you already lost? Hehehe ...

That manager also took note that I was at an advantage compared with my two other Filipino officemates. I can understand them with their Tagalog and but they cannot understand me fully if I speak in Bisaya .. hehe.

Oh well, I guess it all boils down on how we make sense out of everything - trying to adjust, trying to communicate and trying to understand one another and making this life more exciting.