Vietnamese Literacy Test

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Recommended: Respect of different cultures

Excelling in an area of literacy gives us the ability to comprehend or execute a task effectively and devotedly. Even those who start with nothing are capable of earning life time opportunities in order to better themselves. Despite coming from a Vietnamese family, I was unable to speak, read or write in my own native language. The devastation and shame I went through put me over my head, rendering me saddened since I was unable to even speak to my parents. If I was unable to speak to my parents now, how could I get along with them in the future? However, after enrolling in four years of Vietnamese classes in high school, I learned how to communicate and interact with others, making me literate in another field of language. From this experience, …show more content…

In order to demonstrate proficiency in two languages, however, I had to take a test to prove that I was literate. The biliteracy test consisted of four sections, testing my abilities for four straight hours. Each section lasted an hour long, which made me believe that time was crucial and should be valued. Sadly, I felt unprepared for the test and thought that I was unable to earn a high mark on it. The test included a listening portion, meaning that I had to listen to a recorded audiobook in order to answer the following questions. The material was all in Vietnamese and had no English translations at all. I had depended on those translations in order to write my essays and speeches. Whenever I did not know a word, I always had to look it up in a dictionary, one that had English to Vietnamese translations and vice versa. Instead of dropping the class and wanting more words of encouragement, my teacher gave another lecture telling the entire class, “Even if you do not think you would pass the test, make the effort to try and pass. You never know as long as you try.” A few months later, I took the test and passed, earning me the seal of biliteracy, which was certified by the state itself. I had accomplished two goals within four years, mainly because I had made the effort and choice to continue my studies in Vietnamese. My …show more content…

I had always wanted to interact with others in another language, especially since I was unable to hold a decent conversation with my parents when I was younger. This motivated me into learning Vietnamese, even though I had little experience prior to taking classes. I spoke a few words, but other than that, my first language, English, was the only language I knew. I had learned from my struggles as I wanted to give up and tell my teacher that I was not capable of learning another language. Overall, nothing in life is easy and I learned to work hard in order to achieve my goals. Starting from scratch has given me a wide spread of experiences, making me proud that I was able to accomplish my goal. During those four years, I had learned various ways of introducing my own culture to others and especially my parents, whom I have impressed with my Vietnamese. My parents, noticing my drastic improvement, shocked them and made them very proud since I was able to surpass my own mother's vocabulary set. I was able to speak, read, and write better than her, which made me very glad that I was able to communicate with other adults fluently. Now, I am able to read, write, and speak in Vietnamese proficiently and I can finally talk to my parents, after years of being blocked by the language

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