When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother's Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
当我在美国长大时，我为母亲的中式英语感到羞愧。因为她的英语，她经常受到不公平对待。商店、银行和餐馆的人都忽略她，没有给她很好的服务，假装听不懂，甚至假装听不见。
My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker. I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, "This is Mrs. Tan. "
我母亲也早就意识到她的英语的不足。我15岁时，她经常让我打电话给别人，假装我是她。我被迫询问信息，甚至对对她无礼的人大喊大叫。有一次我不得不打电话给她的股票经纪人。我用一种不太令人信服的青春期声音说：“我是谭太太。”
And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, "Why he don't send me cheek, already two week late. "
我妈妈站在我身边，大声地对我私下说：“他为什么不给我寄支票，已经晚了两周了。”
And then, in perfect English I said, "I'm getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn't arrived. "
然后，我用完美的英语说：“我很担心。你两周前同意寄支票，但还没有收到。”
Then she talked more loudly. "What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss. " And so I turned to the stockbroker again, "I can't tolerate any more excuse. If I don't receive the cheek immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week. "
然后她说话更大声了。“他想要什么？我来纽约当着老板的面告诉他。”于是我再次转向股票经纪人，“我不能再容忍任何借口了。如果我不马上收到你的支票，我下周到纽约的时候就得和你的经理谈谈。”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
第二周我们来到了纽约。当我满脸通红地坐在那里时，我的母亲，真正的谭太太，正在用蹩脚的英语向他的老板喊话。
When I was a teenager, my mother's broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother's English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
当我十几岁的时候，我母亲蹩脚的英语让我很尴尬。但现在，我的看法不同了。对我来说，我母亲的英语非常清晰，非常自然，这是我的母语。正如我所听到的，她的语言生动、直接，充满了观察力和智慧。正是语言帮助塑造了我看待事物、表达想法和理解世界的方式。
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