If more conversation is the goal, and as we have indicated we should put everything we have on the table regardless of how difficult the topic, then we should not add too many caveats. But after listening to this young man, we are tempted to create some rules for the game:

Phuc Tran grew up caught between two languages with opposing cultural perspectives: the indicative reality of Vietnamese and the power to image endless possibilities with English. In this personal talk, Tran explains how both shaped his identity.

His 15 minute talk (click the video) is accompanied by some side discussion (click Listen to the Story for a 10 minute annotated version specially created for radio and podcast) that is not only moving on the personal level.  Any of us who have spent enough time in a culture where our native language is not being spoken can relate to the power of rules governing language.  One need not study grammar formally to understand what Phuc has gone through navigating two languages. It is a theme worth returning to from time to time.

The full hour of this radio/podcast has several other excellent qualifiers to our “more conversation” goal.