Carlos Gonzalez-Vio on translation and the study of languages

April 15, 2013

The question as to why I enjoy the study of languages can be answered in a few different ways. I was born in Toronto to spanish-speaking parents, who had only been in Canada for 6 years at that point. At that time, their english was a work-in-progress, therefore my first words as a toddler were in Spanish and English was a language that was eventually integrated by going to school and frankly, Sesame Street.

cortazar discussion 680 210 — Nicola Correia-Damude, Carlos Gonzalez-Vio, and Heather Braaten working on Conservacion de Cortazar

At the age of 7, I moved to Uruguay, where my parents had always hoped to return, and did so with their three children. It was during the three years that I lived there that I believe spanish was permanently engrained in me as one of my native tongues. A couple years after our return to Canada- as all students do- i began to study French in school. It was at this point that I realized that not only was I fortunate to have had the exposure to Spanish, both in Canada and Montevideo, but that my ability to retain the Spanish language was going to be beneficial in my studies in French. My studies in French lasted until grade 10, I have often wished they had lasted longer. Fluency in French is, incidentally, my next linguistic challenge; I think it’s a beautiful, expressive language and we are lucky to have it as an official one. My fluency in Spanish was maintained throughout these years, partly out of personal interest, partly out of a need to maintain a root in my own culture.

In 2001, I began my training as a professional actor. Over the last eleven years, the importance of language has taken on a new meaning for me. The power of the word is such that from its written form it can take take shape in a physical gesture, a musical score or even be manifested in silence. I have been fortunate to travel to many different places with my theatre work, often performing in Spanish, both in Latin America and Europe. In these travels, I have met many people from all over the world and have been able to watch their work, in their language, and have always been fascinated to find how much- or little- one is able to perceive when the language being spoken is unfamiliar to the spectator. I have always found this to be an exciting challenge and experiment in communication through various languages and cultures.
Lastly, I live in Toronto. The diversity of cultures and languages in this city is among the deepest in the world; certainly compared to places I have travelled. The linguistic soundscape in Toronto is one of the joys of living in a mosaic. I sometimes like to challenge myself, when walking down the street, on the subway, etc., to identify a “foreign” language that I overhear and to understand what the person is saying; not just phonetically but often recognizing patterns of body language that have become or are inherently universal.

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