When people think about increasing cross-cultural understanding, they often focus on differences -- in languages, in behaviors, in expectations -- among people and cultures. I believe that we need to take a different approach and explore commonalities in core values and aspirations that are shared by people across different cultural backgrounds. A deeper understanding of what brings us all together, and a vision of the common bonds we all share, will serve to help us achieve greater unity and strength as a nation and as human beings. We need to find common ground rather than focus on difference and division, now more than ever. Our community has the opportunity to make itself stronger by reaching out beyond its boundaries, both geographic and mental. Our very future depends on it. I believe strongly that the road to self-actualization, and to a profound sense of connection with our own self and our identity, comes from stretching our boundaries and finding affinity and commonality within experiences of difference. Lorena Parada-Valdes is co-founder and Chief Immersion Officer at Passport2Fluency, which provides online foreign language instruction, based out of Corpus Christi, Texas.
Fluent in six languages, Lorena is a Federally Certified Court Interpreter through the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, and a Nationally Certified Court Interpreter and Translator through the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators. She has over twenty years of experience in translation, interpretation, foreign language instruction and cross-cultural training, working in overseas locations in Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, as well as in Alaska and Guam.
Lorena’s passion for language learning and experiencing new cultures began early in childhood and have been a driving force throughout her life. She has served as a public speaker for many years, helping individuals and organizations to discover new global opportunities for growth. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx