What I woke up to while sojourning in Quebec during my salad days and I had acquired enough French to think in it without translating, was that uttering "rouge" is not the same as uttering "red", "chez moi" is not the same as "at my place" and "ennui" is not the same as "world weary". Language modifies our experiences and collectively shapes the culture and world views we live in. Like music, language is a construct that evokes moods and colors our emotional responses. A uni-lingual person has no sense of this because to them their language is like water to a fish. That is part of the reason that Americans with their continental uni-lingual mindset are so blind to other world views and the nuances of cultural precepts outside of their own. It is also why so many translations of books from their original language to another end up lacking a certain je ne sais quoi, if you know what I mean.
Words even without translation from one language to another are still subject to that loss of meaning effect because each person carries their own subjective contexts and colors which are imposed on the fly as they hear or speak.
Once a person acquires a second language or indeed even moves through various social vernaculars (pent house linguistics to black street talk, eg), they acquire a sort of meta-language which allows for a more comprehensive appreciation of the meaning in any given conversation. They know what to listen for...they become active rather than passive listens or readers.
2cents for the moment
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