Foreign word in essayAnswered
I'm an International Student from Brazil, and in my essay, there's a part where I write "...being called Tio [my name]..." when talking abt my experience volunteering as a tutor for underprivileged kids. Tio is in italic in the essay, and it means Uncle in Portuguese, which is an affectionate/cute/respectful way that kids call their teachers here.
I think it's much more impactful to have it in Portuguese, though I'm afraid that it's gonna be confusing for AOs to understand the meaning behind it. Should I try and include an explanation or is it okay for me to leave it that way?
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2 answers
So, I am coming at this as someone who has been taking Spanish classes since I was five. I am supposed to be fluent in Spanish, and since I've been learning Spanish most of my life, I often find it easier to code-switch between Spanish and English (like where you throw in one word from the other language in the middle of conversation). In one of my English essays, I am analyzing verb tenses, and I find it easiest to explain in Spanish, so I am going to use some Spanish words along with English explanations.
That is what I would suggest doing in your essay. Using the Portuguese "Tio" would seem more culturally appropriate to the reader than the English "uncle" and could make more sense, while keeping the familiarity associated with the word. I would also explain why the kids calling you "Tio," an incredibly familiar term, is special to you (which I expect you are already doing, but...)
Good luck!!! Your essay topic sounds really intriguing!!!
I recommend including it and giving a explanation
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