I moved to Amsterdam last year, and the Netherlands is the eighth country I have lived in so far. I have also been learning several languages for quite a while now. Over time, I noticed something: I do not sound like the same person in each one. It is not only the accent, the tone or the vocabulary. My personality slightly shifts, almost as if every language unlocks a different version of me. I am less assertive in English, I express more emotions in Italian, and I sound (and feel) more confident while speaking Romanian and definitely feel more comfortable singing karaoke in Spanish (don’t ask me why!).
A few days ago, while talking with my neighbour Jess, we were wondering whether the languages we speak influence our personalities. So I started to dive deep to see if our perception was correct.
In one survey of more than 1,000 multilinguals, 65% reported feeling ‘like a different person’ when they used different languages. Other research suggests that each language can make its speakers perceive reality in a different way, and people can even notice a change in themselves as they switch from one language to another.
Going deeper, I looked into reasoning, decision-making, and biases.
Impact of Foreign Language on Reasoning in Moral Decisions
Based on this study, it seems we take longer to decide in a foreign language because of increased cognitive effort or disfluency. Participants in that same study report a lower “Feeling of Rightness” (FOR), meaning they feel less certain about their initial answers. They show a lower “Final Judgment of Confidence” (FJC), meaning they feel less sure about their final choice.
Throughout my career, I have worked in English-speaking environments, even though English is not my first language (and I know for many of you it is the same). As a non-native speaker, how can working in an environment where most colleagues use their native language affect one’s career?
Accent and Perceived Intelligence
Researchers found that listeners often link foreign-accented English with lower confidence and intelligence, even when comprehension is the same. A few takeaways:
Perceptual bias: Listeners can judge foreign-accented speakers as less intelligent, less confident, or less competent than native-accented speakers.
Early development: Children as young as 5 already show accent biases. This is due to social exposure and cultural associations rather than deliberate choice.
Social consequences: In educational or professional settings, accent biases can affect evaluations, hiring decisions, and instructor ratings.
On one hand, working in a multicultural environment is enriching, but on the other hand, it does come with downsides.
What’s your opinion?
I wonder what the dynamics look like in some organisations when we add gender bias and linguistic bias to the mix — for example, for a woman from Latin America working in a corporate environment with native English-speaking colleagues in a patriarchal setting.