NEVER MIX LANGUAGES

Just as we cannot watch two different television channels at the same time, we should not mix languages indiscriminately. When speaking Spanish, pretend it is the only language at your command. If you are talking to a Mexican, for instance, she should have no reason to guess—or even suspect—that you speak English.

To me, this is true bilingualism. Never take the easy way out and dip into English simply because you cannot immediately find the Spanish expression you need. Keep your languages at bay and adhere to my made-up motto: “A place for every language and every language in its place.”

Keep a tight rein on your linguistic “crutches” and fillers in both languages. They can be a dead giveaway of the language—or even the cultures—you have acquired.

Pretend you are a spy speaking English: you cannot give yourself away by suddenly introducing Spanish into your speech. And vice versa.

A now-deceased neighbor of mine in Pittsburgh used to drive me to despair by switching from one language to the other in mid-sentence. To me, that was not bilingualism. It was linguistic carelessness.