Talk the talk: Multilingual content to encourage mental health discussion

Talk the talk: Multilingual content to encourage mental health discussion

Being in a foreign country can be extremely isolating in many different ways. Don’t get us wrong, it can be uplifting, joyous and life-affirming, but those small moments of downtime by yourself can be hard if you’re struggling with your mental health.
May 06 2022

Being in a foreign country can be extremely isolating in many different ways.  Don’t get us wrong, it can be uplifting, joyous and life-affirming, but those small moments of downtime by yourself can be hard if you’re struggling with your mental health. 

It can seem even more insurmountable if you have to seek advice or open up to someone in anything but your native tongue. But help is at hand - we’ve developed a collection of phrases in six of our most popular languages (French, Spanish, German, Mexican, Korean and Japanese) to equip you with the knowledge you need to express yourself.

Talking about our mental health shouldn't be hard, in any language. 

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As a society, we’ve come a long way in terms of talking about our mental health, but being able to express your emotions in another language opens up a world of opportunities to connect with yourself, different cultures and also helps you to navigate relationships globally.

You might suffer from depression and anxiety, two of the most common mental health disorders worldwide, and feel as if you can’t get out of the hole you’ve inadvertently dug yourself into. But with help,  spending time engaging in structured conversations in a stress-free environment can help to combat the loneliness felt with depression and provide an easy way to make that small step to larger social interactions.  

Having access to real-world language scenarios in an immersive learning environment is great for your cognitive health too. It gets you into a daily routine that brains crave, encourages positive thinking in bite-sized chunks, and the completion of course sections can provide positive reinforcement thoughts as well as allow you to de-stress and relax at the end of your day.

Phrases such as “I don’t feel well (je ne me sens pas bien)” or “I haven’t been feeling well lately (最近、調子悪い )” are sometimes crucial for expressing your state of health in another country -  to get the best available care tailored to what you need at that moment in time - whether physical or mental. 

Our team started thinking about all of these concerns, alongside our own experiences, and so, our collection of phrases around mental health was born!   

Addressing the cultural differences in language 

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One size doesn’t fit all, which is why each course has different phrasing based on cultural and social differences. 

We also know that conversations can be varied depending on who you are talking to, for example, “therapy has helped me a lot (la terapia me ha ayudado mucho)” could be a casual discussion around helpful steps you took  with a friend or family member whilst “ich habe Probleme damit, meine Emotionen zu kontrollieren (I have issues controlling my emotions)” is a statement that can be used to support the facilitation of medical diagnosis or therapy. 

Our goal is to empower you to feel comfortable in speaking about mental health and be provided with the right tools in order to do so. 

“When we think about opening up, it can be extremely difficult to do in your first language, never mind another. Learning how to phrase and discuss mental health helps me to support myself and others in communicating what we are feeling to find comfort in shared experiences.” - Fanny Stassar, Senior Content Producer here at Memrise

Here are a few examples of phrases to use in different social situations: 


Supporting Friends and Family 

“je suis là pour toi” - I am here for you
“¿quieres hablar de ello?” - Do you want to talk about it? 
“이해해요” - I understand 
“du kannst mit mir über alles reden” - You can talk to me about anything
“ありのままで素敵です” - You’re wonderful as you are
“saldremos de esto juntos” - We’ll get through this together

 

Asking for support

“est-ce que je peux te parler ?” - Can I talk to you? 
“estoy pasando una mala racha” - I am going through a rough patch 
“저 요즘 너무 우울해요” - I’m depressed these days
“ich brauche eine Auszeit” - I need a break/I need time off
“悩みがあるんだけど” - I have something i’m concerned about
“hablar me ayuda mucho” - Talking helps me a lot

 

At the doctors

“je suis débordé·e” - I’m overwhelmed/I’m overburdened 
“no me siento bien” - I don’t feel well 
“죽을 것 같아요” - I feel like i’m going to die
“ich habe Probleme damit, meine Emotionen zu kontrollieren” - I have issues controlling my emotions
“落ち込んでます” - I’m upset/I’m depressed
“quiero sentirme mejor” - I want to feel better 

 

Want to start learning these phrases and more?  Delve into our collection here