Please help me welcome Kim Purcell, debut author of Trafficked! She’s stopping by today to discuss how the a language barrier can be it’s own kind of prison.

No English, A Different Kind of Prison

by Kim Purcell

When I was researching TRAFFICKED, what struck me is that in every case of modern-day slavery, the girls could have walked ten feet to the neighbor’s house, but they didn’t. They feared what the traffickers would do to them and they usually didn’t speak English well enough to explain what was happening to them.

I used to teach English as a Second Language to young adults, both rich and poor. Most of them were terrified to speak English to Americans, especially if they came from a poorer background. They chose to stick with people from their own countries because they didn’t want to make mistakes. They feared being ridiculed. They didn’t want to feel stupid.

Even when someone starts to speak the language at an intermediate level, their lives are filled with misunderstandings. One time a Korean student came to class furious because he was sending a package at a Boxes Etc store and the young worker was swearing to him about another customer. I explained the worker was trying to connect with him, as he would with a friend, and that sometimes people swear to show someone that they think they’re cool. The incident made him feel more reluctant to speak with Americans because he was sure he’d make a mistake.

Being in a place where you don’t speak the language can be scary. You get lost and you can’t find your way home. You can’t order food. You can’t ask the police for help. I’ve traveled in many countries in Asia, Europe and Central America, but usually, I spoke the language. When I didn’t, I messed up.

After college, I went to Korea to teach English as a Second Language to elementary school kids. In the beginning, I had numerous misunderstandings because I didn’t speak the language. Two days after I arrived, a taxi driver dropped me off at the wrong apartment at 5 AM, coming home from a nightclub. I kept getting in taxis and they kept dropping me off at the same spot. It was like Groundhog Day. Apparently, two apartments had the same name in that neighborhood and they didn’t have addresses the way we do. Another time, a taxi driver wanted more money. I didn’t understand and he chased me down the street. I put the money on the sidewalk, too scared to hand it to him directly, but then he threw it at me. I had no way of sorting out problems because I didn’t speak Korean.

Often, modern day slaves don’t speak English and they’re terrified to try with people who could report them to police or say something to the traffickers without realizing it. And yet they live in ordinary neighborhoods. Right now, there could be someone living as a slave next door to you and you’d have no idea because they wouldn’t tell you.

After people read TRAFFICKED, they often ask me what they can do. My hope is that people will start to look around their neighborhoods and become aware of people who seem afraid to speak to them. I hope they’ll try to talk to them. In the best case, they’ll be helping someone learn English and making a friend. In the worst case, they’ll find a modern-day slave.

Photo credit: Jenn Clark