Multilingualism

How does knowing more than one language help/ hinder your creative work? 

Knowing a second language (I speak French but not fluently) has given me more of an understanding of language as a construct that can mold your thoughts. I am aware of the opportunities and limitations of a language and how they shape your thoughts. All of our concepts, emotions and communication are framed in language and therefore what we perceive as possible is bound by the limits of the language we are thinking in. This is evident when you try to translate words that have no equivalent in another language. For example, there isn't really a French equivalent of the word 'fun'. They have words with similar meanings to 'funny', 'amusing', 'interesting' but nothing quite the same as fun. French people, especially in Canada are starting to adopt the English word into their vocabulary. Similarly, the french word 'flâner' means to wander in city streets with no goal but to absorb the ambiance. There is no English word that sums this concept up, and in some fields of academia they are using the French vocabulary. All of this makes me think about language more consciously and helps me not to take English for granted. It is just one language and although it is my primary medium of communication, I can push it's boundaries and use other languages to push my own boundaries of thought.
Learning a second language also broadens your community and the different people you can communicate with. More experience with a greater variety of people always adds depth to your writing and gives you material to develop further understanding and empathy. However, sometimes I am overwhelmed but the amount of words there are to choose from. I am aware of the impossibility of finding the right one, sometimes there is just no perfect word to express a feeling or thought. This may be why some authors use multiple languages in one piece, to try to get a little closer to reality.