Changing Perspectives

The MFA DE&I Council would like to see an industry where everyone can thrive, feel heard, supported, and safe to do their best work. Let’s meet the Changers who are sharing their own lived experiencesto inspire us all to change for the better.

My name is Aren Nadya Jagunap Budiprabawa, a proud daughter of a Filipina mum and a Chinese-Indonesian dad. I spent my childhood in Surabaya, Indonesia, before moving to Australia to study.

A need to speak good English to avoid questions

While English was not my first language, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to it very early (Thanks, mum!).

As an international student, my plan for adapting in Australia was simple: speak good English to avoid questions about my background. But as a bilingual speaker, you can’t really discount the translation process.

The unconscious system goes through a multi-layer of languages to properly translate my thoughts into digestible yet solid sentences. All thinking gets processed in Indonesian, before being translated into plain English. Not to mention the grammatical structure and pronunciation.

I’m not sure I can explain properly in English

My relationship with English has improved as I reside longer in Australia, but it’s still far from perfect. I would tell my mentor today that my biggest challenge in speaking are the endless ‘Umms’, ‘Do you understand what I’m trying to say?’ and ‘I’m not sure if I can properly explain this in English’ in between my sentences.

But after many years of polishing my English, I now face the struggle to translate words into Indonesian.

Recently, I was stuttering and unable to speak in my first language properly – which, I realised, was because the brain had to go through the same workflow, but in reverse. It’s honestly a problem I would never have imagined having—after all, it’s a language I thought I knew so well.

Constant need for the brain to switch between languages

I quickly realised this is an invisible struggle a lot of us, international students and residents, have to face in isolation. The constant need for the brain to switch between languages – and (unfortunately) the expectation by some people to be superior in both – can be a lot to handle. It’s a balancing act we need to ace and perhaps an experience unique to ‘expats’ only.

So, to my fellow international residents, you’re never alone. I share your internal monologues, accents and self-consciousness when speaking English or your native language.

Let this be a simple reminder that our abilities are very much more than our language barriers.

Aren Nadya Jagunap Budiprabawa is an SEO Executive at iProspect Melbourne

To broaden your understanding of DE&I, complete the SBS Core Inclusion course – Australia’s leading online DE&I training course – available for free to MFA member employees. Access ends December 2023.

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